The dull toll of the Copper Bell echoed through the fortress.
An Jie, as stern and cold as ever, answered, "Commander Bashk made a strategic error. The Knight Order lost over half its members…"
Reinhardt cut her off.
"That's not what I'm asking."
An Jie gave the young man by the bed a serious look. After a long silence, she chose to say nothing.
Vice Commander Erich, Adrian, and now Knight An Jie—they all refused to speak about what happened in the autumn of 1438. It was as if that secret was more terrifying than the besieging Abyssal Demon army, something they refused to even mention.
Reinhardt knew he wouldn't get an answer from Knight An Jie. But this feeling of being the only one left in the dark, of having to watch everything happen in the fortress, utterly powerless…
BANG!
Reinhardt slammed his fist into the wall, his chest heaving violently.
Blood oozed from his scraped knuckles, trickling slowly down his hand.
Not when he was hiding in the cellar as a child, not when he fought the Abyssal Hounds for his life, not even when he was a single step from death on the fortress walls!
Never had Reinhardt felt so powerless.
Knowing too much isn't always a blessing.
The pressure from Sedon's imposing figure, and from the invisible hands behind him, was suffocating.
A great shadow cast by the Imperial City and the Seventh Group Army's high command loomed even larger than the Abyss Legion, blanketing Frostfire Fortress in a suffocating shroud.
Even the Knight Power, capable of dispelling all darkness and bringing hope and glory, could not pierce this grim atmosphere.
Knight An Jie sighed. She took out a medical kit and carefully bandaged the scrape on Reinhardt's left hand. She didn't know if insisting on keeping Reinhardt in the Steel Knight Order was the right decision or a mistake.
But the boy's unyielding spirit, and the endless craving for Knight Power in his eyes, had once moved her deeply.
"There are some answers you must find for yourself, Reinhardt."
—
For the next three days, the Abyss Legion launched periodic attacks against the fortress. These cunning Abyssal Creatures seemed to have seen right through Frostfire Fortress's dire predicament.
They abandoned the first day's strategy of a full-frontal assault using their main force of Convicted Demons to scale the walls. Instead, they switched to using vast numbers of Abyssal Hounds to wear down the fortress's defenders.
「Three days.」
Of the two thousand soldiers from Hearn Territory stationed at Frostfire Fortress, only six hundred remained. The Knight Order also lost seven more Knights, leaving their defensive forces stretched dangerously thin.
In the face of this war of attrition, exhaustion and numbness permeated every corner of the fortress.
Even the usually impeccable Vice Commander Sedon had not had it easy. His lustrous silver Armor was battered and worn. And while his hair remained meticulously styled, the fatigue in his eyes and the haggard shadow of his stubble were undeniable.
He dared not neglect the orders from the Seventh Group Army's high command.
Holding a cup of the black tea favored by the Imperial City's elite, Sedon stood before a battle map with one hand clasped behind his back.
"Any word from them?"
The Knight kneeling behind him replied, "The confidential message was confirmed as delivered, but I have received no response."
Sedon was momentarily unsure how to interpret the ambiguous attitude of that influential figure in the Imperial City.
The fortress bell tower rang out once more.
He frowned, annoyed. He had intended to take a sip of his black tea, but it was too scalding to drink.
「Meanwhile.」
Vice Commanders Erich and Friedrich mounted the fortress wall. In the cold wind of the Northern Lands, the sun was pale and dying. Snow drifted like white mist across the ground. They watched as the Abyss Legion parted, forming a path from which a troop of Red-robed Knights emerged.
The iron hooves of their Flaming Warhorses left burning trails. Their breath was scorching hot, and thick, poisonous clouds of sulfur smoke billowed with every exhale.
Their blood-red robes whipped in the wind. Even from a hundred meters away, the immense, oppressive weight of their presence was palpable.
Heavy.
Imposing.
"The Fear Knights of Avernus…"
Friedrich's brow furrowed deeply. These Red-robed Knights were once Imperial Citizens, glorious Knights of the Empire. But they had willingly submitted to the control of Avernus—the Master of Flames and Pain, the Great Lord of the 7th Floor of the Abyss—all in pursuit of greater power.
For the Knights of the Radiant Empire, all Mighty Power comes from within.
But the power of the Fear Knights comes from the boons of an Abyssal Lord and endless slaughter!
Stripped of human emotion, they become the Abyss Lord's most terrifying war machines—tireless and unafraid of death.
Erich's expression darkened, and his right hand clenched into a tight fist.
He and the Fear Knights of Avernus were old acquaintances, so to speak. Once these terrifying beings appeared on the battlefield, it meant the war was about to reach its conclusion.
Kill them all.
Or be killed by them.
The aura of their Power, corrupted by Demon Power, mixed with the cold northern wind, a silent roar of sulfurous fire.
It wasn't just Erich and Friedrich. Every Knight in the Order who sensed the Fear Knights' presence turned pale.
This was power far beyond that of an Official Knight! A terrifying strength comparable to an Earth Knight!
Although there were only six Red-robed Knights, their appearance was more demoralizing than the entire army of Convicted Demons scaling the walls.
As the first soldier let out a terrified shriek, an aura of fear and despair spread wildly through the fortress.
True to their name—Fear Knights.
"It's the Fear Knights! The Fear Knights—!"
"Form up! Form up—!"
The immense pressure from the Fear Knights instantly put every soldier on edge.
Erich grabbed a messenger who had just reached the wall and roared, "Notify the underground defenses! Tell them to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice!"
At the same time, Erich bellowed at the soldiers still climbing onto the wall.
"Everyone! Off the walls! Get off the walls! Form defensive lines inside the fortress! Quickly, move!"
Friedrich and Erich exchanged a glance. The old Knight's eyes were filled with the resolve to die. "You take command. Have the third squad follow me. I'll buy us some time."
Sedon strode out of his tent. Upon hearing the name "Fear Knight," the perpetually composed Vice Commander showed a flicker of surprise for the first time.
He wanted to demand answers from the Seventh Group Army's high command, to ask why elite Abyss Legion troops from the main front had suddenly appeared on the Northern Icefield.
But this was also an opportunity.
An opportunity to completely eliminate Erich and the remnants of the Steel Knight Order.
'Not just for my own sake.'
He turned back into the tent. In a hasty scrawl, he wrote a confidential message and gave it to the Knight who served as his secret liaison with the Seventh Group Army's high command.
"If there are no reinforcements by nightfall, he can answer for the consequences himself."
Tossing out that last sentence, Sedon walked briskly out of the tent, his face devoid of expression.