The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 588- Demonic City (3)

Bob feared they might clash once more, even amid these dire straits.

Reinhardt stayed mostly silent, his face etched with a tangled mix of emotions, as his gaze zeroed in on another figure.

There, leading her knight order from the front, stood a woman in deep crimson armor that shone like blood just spilled.

Her cloak billowed behind her like a blazing flag.

A massive greatsword, forged from rare materials and inscribed with old runes, leaned casually on her shoulder.

Dark hair streaked with scarlet fell in wild waves down her back, accentuating her bold, assured features.

Though a helm covered her face, her intense crimson eyes, burning with the fire of countless battles, pierced through.

Her aura resembled a savage lioness on the prowl, enough to make battle-tested knights tremble.

Even motionless, she exuded a dominating force.

This woman of magnetic allure, who had etched her legend across countless battlegrounds on multiple continents, was Erza Crimsonstar.

The world dubbed her the Crimson Knight.

One of Nocturnium Kingdom's Three Heroes, a knight who gained renown nearly alongside Reinhardt.

She had arrived for the identical purpose as his: to reveal the secrets surrounding Lunaris.

Sensing his stare, the lioness turned her eyes to him too. Simultaneously, a ferocious battle intent burst from her. It was inevitable—whenever these two crossed paths, sparks flew.

Years later, she still couldn't shake him or the events in that dungeon from her mind.

Yet Reinhardt guided his knights closer.

Just as all believed a fight was unavoidable, the pair of commanders faced off.

The brawl everyone anticipated... never ignited.

The two leaders merely eyed one another wordlessly.

He sensed her ironclad effort to hold back from attacking. No doubt about it, resentment lingered in her heart, yet she prioritized the greater cause.

Thus, Reinhardt and Erza held their positions without a word passing between them for what felt like ages.

A gust swept over the plains, fluttering their cloaks. The standoff lingered until Reinhardt shattered the quiet.

"Sigh, it looks like fate has brought us together once again. Although I know you hate me, the matter right now takes priority. After this has been solved, I will gladly indulge you."

Erza’s eyes flickered; something in Reinhardt’s statement rubbed her wrong. Still, her pride kept her from calling it out.

She merely snorted and held her tongue. Only she understood the storm brewing within.

Noting her readiness to hear him out, he exhaled in relief.

"Well then, how about we exchange some information. You and your Order of the Crimson Revenants picked a different route from us. Did you gain any insight into what went down here?"

With that, they began swapping details, shelving their habit of battling on sight.

"Fair enough. What did you see on your way here?"

Erza pressed, removing her helm and tossing back her hair.

This woman boasted not just unmatched skill in combat but stunning looks as well. Were it not for her volatile temper, he might have savored the view.

Even so, he spoke up first with his findings. Someone needed to kick off the exchange, or it would stall completely.

"We saw ghost towns. Although the places seemed ransacked, nothing seemed to be looted, just empty. There were no traces of any people or citizens. For a moment, I thought maybe Lunaris evacuated its population, but the further I traveled, the more obvious the truth became."

Once Reinhardt finished, Erza crossed her arms.

"That matches our findings. Those people weren’t evacuated. The signs indicate a struggle. The citizens of those cities must have put up some resistance. Though in the end, they were still dragged off dead or alive."

With those words, Erza’s scarlet gaze drifted to the enormous dome shrouding the capital.

She lifted a gauntleted hand and jabbed a finger straight at it. "Most probably, they were taken inside it. If it is what I believe it is, then they have all been devoured by it."

As though responding, the dome-like structure throbbed and writhed.

The nearby knights traded nervous looks.

Reinhardt fixed his stare on the dome and let out a sigh.

"I was hoping you had a different conclusion."

But Erza shook her head.

"No chance."

Her verdict brooked no argument.

Having joined humanity's united push into the Tainted Lands, she wasn't just a survivor—she had witnessed the horrors buried deep within those forsaken realms.

Though still in its embryonic stage, the Abyss Nest released that crushing demonic aura, its enormous scale, and the grim memory of how it claimed hundreds of lives using its emerging tentacles.

She absolutely could not confuse it for anything else.

After a momentary hush, Erza parted her lips and declared with absolute confidence.

"That thing is an Abyss Nest."

Her statement struck like a thunderbolt.

A few knights close by froze in place.

Many others wore expressions of bewilderment.

Yet for the veteran knights, those with deep knowledge, the term Abyss Nest evoked images of utter ruin and devastation.

Myths portrayed it as a mobile fortress teeming with horrifying might.

A gigantic entity whose darkness could engulf whole cities, and a breeding ground able to spawn vast armies of demons.

Legends told of how, centuries back, any nation facing one spelled near-certain end.

Little surprise the knights appeared so shaken.

"We must not permit an Abyss Nest to fully emerge so near our realms."

Erza gripped her sword hilt tighter; flames of determination blazed in her eyes.

"We have to destroy it now, while it's merely embryonic. The shell remains incomplete. By merging my ultimate technique with yours, we can unleash sufficient devastation to pulverize the nest prior to full development. The city, however..."

She left the thought unfinished. No further words were required; the implication hung heavy.

Erza and Reinhardt deploying their most powerful abilities could indeed obliterate the forming Abyss Nest in one strike.

But such power would inevitably consume the city beneath as well.

Her statement came across as harsh and merciless, yet it stood as the logical path forward.

In her role as commander and humanity's champion safeguarding the future, she could detach personal feelings from her decisions.

She knew precisely what must be done.

Silence lingered for some time.

Reinhardt refrained from agreeing at once. He instead accessed his [Dimensional Storage] ability gradually and retrieved the Origin Seed.

"What are you doing?"

Erza arched a brow, eyeing the object resting in his hand.

A seed?

Reinhardt extended his palm and offered a concise explanation.

"It’s a seed of the World Tree."

Right then, the seed stirred. A surge of intense light erupted from within, quaking fiercely as though answering a nearby call.

Reinhardt's pupils shrank. The connection felt more potent than any before.

No question remained.

He raised his eyes deliberately toward Lunaris's capital, or its remnants. The individual he sought, the High Elf Priestess, lurked within that ruined place.

A breeze swept by, tousling his golden locks.

In that instant, resolve hardened within him.

"We can't just wipe out the city. Survivors remain inside, clinging to hope of salvation."

"You serious? Are you telling me you want to deliberately walk into the mouth of the Abyss Nest?" Erza scoffed.

Was this guy out of his mind?

Battle within an Abyss Nest's core differed vastly from external combat.

Beyond facing infinite demon hordes, the thick demonic energy alone could disorient even elite knights.

Entering its maw risked not just his life, but his entire order's.

"Guess we are doing this the hard way."

Reinhardt skipped further debate with Erza.

He pivoted instead toward his order's knights.

Gazing upon his steadfast followers, their platinum armor shining brightly, he gave his orders.

"Knights of the Temple of Light, right before us is a living nightmare. An abomination that has killed numerous knights through history. And we are going to enter right into its mouth"...

"History has waited hundreds of years for this hour. The calamity thinks we are fuel for its fire; let us show it we are the cold steel that puts it out. My mighty soldiers, blades up! We are going to march into the center of calamity to end it."