Chapter 82: Chapter 62: Duel of Wills: Abyssal Divine Chosen One, Empire’s Chosen One

The drone of machinery was eternal, unceasing.

Sedon stood amidst the downpour, his black Anti-Magic Steel Armor blending into the night. His posture was tall and proud. A dark mechanical contraption covered his prosthetic right arm—its bones cast from steel, its muscles fashioned from Mighty Power.

A low rumble of thunder rolled through the sky.

A pale bolt of lightning flashed and was gone.

In the span of a breath, a figure wreathed in a bloody mist rapidly closed in on Sedon. The man’s leaping body and iron fist were drawn back like a thousand-pound bow pulled taut!

The crushing pressure of death washed over him!

When Reinhardt’s bloodthirsty, furious face was reflected in his eyes, Sedon’s own expression was just as savage!

He let out a suppressed, hysterical roar of defiance, like that of a cornered beast. The terrifying aura of an Earth Knight warped the very air and darkness around him!

He would not retreat a single step!

His eyes bulged in fury as he threw his head back. The Formless Mechanism commanded his body, unleashing an overwhelming tide of Knight Power as he swung his right fist! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In that instant.

Reinhardt’s and Sedon’s gazes collided in midair.

Just like their fates, which had diverged in the savage Northern Lands because of the Empire’s betrayal, only to converge here once more for the very same reason.

For the Knight’s oath sworn before the Radiant Holy Image, for the chivalric creed that shone like a sacred beacon within their hearts, neither would yield a single inch!

Those colliding iron fists carried the weight of their lofty ideals!

It was a testament to their nobility and indomitable will—though they were but fireflies in this vast Dark World, they still dared to dream of shattering its lightless cage!

BOOM—!

A direct collision of Physique and Knight Power. The aftershock alone created an invisible, crushing pressure that pulverized the swamp beneath their feet, ripped the rain-filled air asunder, and kicked up a terrifying, world-ending storm!

The waterlogged swamp heaved as if struck by a tsunami. Great waves of muck, carrying wild grass and corpses, surged outwards in all directions!

Every inch of Reinhardt’s bones and muscles screamed in protest, unable to bear the strain!

The Morphic Armor encasing his arm buckled, trapped in a cycle of collapse and regeneration.

The might of an Earth Knight, even without drawing on the power of a Ring or Domain—in a pure contest of Power and Physique—was still far more than Reinhardt could withstand!

His right arm was like shattering stone. Skin tore inch by inch, blood vessels burst, and scarlet streams flowed into the bloody mist. His very bones emitted a horrifying shriek under the immense pressure!

Bone-deep agony seared every nerve in Reinhardt’s body.

His face twisted into a savage mask, his enraged gaze locking with Sedon’s. He spat out a great mouthful of blood and let loose a low, broken roar—the sound of a murderous Great Demon from the lightless depths of the Dark Abyss!

Even though his right arm was completely shattered, he still swung his left fist, slamming it into Sedon’s chest with peerless ferocity!

Sedon made no move to dodge, not even to defend himself. Rage and indignation had long since consumed the elegant, composed demeanor he once possessed!

Under Reinhardt’s blow, the Loyalty-Level composite steel Anti-Magic Breastplate dented, cracked, and shattered, the final impact slamming into Sedon’s chest!

A spray of blood erupted from his mouth and nose. A terrifying wave of force punched through his chest, erupting from his back as a shockwave that carved a cone-shaped vacuum into the rain-filled air!

But Sedon, just like Reinhardt, had long since cast aside all thoughts of life and death, refusing to yield an inch!

After that, the intensity of their auras dropped sharply. But the two men in the rain still refused to yield, standing their ground and trading one blow for another.

Reinhardt’s face was a savage mess. The corners of his mouth were torn and bleeding freely, and he’d lost count of how many of his molars were shattered.

Sedon’s nose was completely broken. A thick stream of blood mingled with the rain as it poured down his face, and his left eye was swollen shut, black and blue.

This was no longer a contest of strength, nor a dispute of right and wrong.

It was a clash of wills, a battle between the opposing convictions and the unyielding tenacity of two Knights walking divergent paths!

The Knights witnessing this scene were stunned by the indomitable wills of both Reinhardt and Sedon. They felt a deep, shared empathy for this desperate struggle to the death, a fight filled with the sorrow and agony of cornered beasts.

The Lord of the Empire and the Regent Council had sided with the Dark Abyss, openly launching a rebellion.

No Imperial Knight could remain untouched by the conflict.

Their gazes traveled over the corpse-strewn battlefields of the Northern Grassland. The once-prosperous Empire, like the burning sky on the horizon, would soon be nothing but a memory.

They were all swept up in this unjust war, a war rife with depravity and betrayal.

Their convictions.

Their Loyalty.

Their very existence.

Like the wild grasses of the Northern Grassland in a bone-chilling downpour, all they could do was stand their ground in silence amidst the endless mud.

They could only hope that one day, the sacred light of the sun would rise again to banish the darkness and the cold.

Heinrich raised his right hand, signaling for the others to remain where they were. He dismounted and walked alone toward Reinhardt and Sedon, who were still pummeling each other.

Finally.

Just as Reinhardt could no longer hold on, swaying back a step before collapsing to one knee, Sedon’s right leg, encased in Steel Armor, swept low toward his head.

Heinrich made his move.

He grabbed Sedon’s arm and raised his own knee, blocking the sweeping kick. His brow was tightly furrowed as he said in a stern voice, "That’s enough."

He glanced at Reinhardt, who was on one knee and on the verge of unconsciousness, then released his grip.

THUD—!

Losing his support, Sedon swayed for a moment before falling stiffly backward.

Blood and muddy water soaked through his Armor and the padding beneath. His once-chilling eyes now stared lifelessly at the sky, letting the cold rain lash against his face.