Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 535 Knight Lord, he actually passed through the lava waves without suffering any harm.

Extreme Starfield, Gem World Ventrilian, Starport.

Planet Governor Justin Vatar watched as the black Skyhawk shuttle gracefully descended from the sky.

With the landing gear lowered, Justin walked toward the Knight Lord.

He saw Thierry Vieira walking down the deck and immediately stopped in his tracks, stunned.

Justin was astonished to see that the lord had grown more than half a meter taller than the last time he had seen him.

The other nobles, following the governor's gaze, looked at the knight lord with a mixture of awe and admiration.

They were all stunned when they saw the giant's body.

Justin was the first to come to his senses. He suppressed the doubts that lingered in his mind and strode forward as usual.

He said gratefully as he stepped into the giant's shadow.

"Knight Lord, thank you for accepting the invitation and taking time out of the front lines to attend the coming-of-age ceremony."

Thierry arrived at the Caligum Gate through the portal of the Abyss Port, and then, using the Caligum Gate which had just been fully repaired, he was transported from the northern part of the Misty Starfield to Ventrilian in the eastern part of the Extreme Starfield in just three weeks.

“It is my duty,” the knight lord nodded slightly, “and I am also very interested in the monsters of the lava lake.”

“I think there won’t be any more disasters this time,” Justin said jokingly, recalling how the coming-of-age ceremony was changed three years ago because the knight lord brought a calamity warning.

“I think…” Thierry paused deliberately, “not this time.”

Justin laughed heartily, and then spoke.

"My lord, the coming-of-age ceremony is ready. Please follow me."

Outside the lava lake.

The many nobles of Ventrilian cheered loudly upon seeing the arrival of the black-armored warriors clad in the Shadow of Order.

They also remembered the warning from three years ago, which warned that many of them would have perished in the erupting lava.

Justin and Thierry took the elevator together and came to the platform.

A slight hissing sound came from the sound array device, and holographic projections from various locations simultaneously displayed the scene.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today to celebrate our glorious coming of age."

"Unlike in the past, the shadows of the Great Order will also join us."

The holographic projection switched, presenting the Second Company Commander, Gül Gül, and ten members of the "Fighter" Honor Guard to the Ventriculian.

The scene shifts to show 1,408 tall, imposing Candidates of the Ventrilian Order of Shadows.

“Not only that.” Thierry stepped forward, his giant-like figure appearing in the frame.

His authoritative voice resounded throughout Ventrilian through the sound array device.

"The armor I once wore." The scene shifts, showing everyone a black Hunter's suit.

After careful consideration, the knight lord decided to use his former armor as a prize to strengthen the bond between himself and the Ventrili people.

"The person who performs the best will receive this armor."

"The person who obtains it will have their body strengthened and will gain my eight years of combat experience."

The scene freezes on black armor, where over 100,000 Ventrilian nobles participating in the coming-of-age ceremony have bright eyes that quickly dim.

They lacked the confidence to defeat Superman's shadow of order, even though they weren't wearing armor.

"Limited to Ventrilians only."

As soon as the knight lord finished speaking, the eyes of the young men and women of Ventriculian lit up.

Their opponents were not the Shadow of Order, but the other nobles participating in the coming-of-age ceremony, as well as the Shadow of Order candidates.

Although the candidate was the best among them, the gap was not so large as to be insurmountable.

During the candidate test, Omari McCarty, ranked 3005th, clenched his fist. He was only five places away from passing the first stage of selection.

Chris Anderson rests his hand on the jeweled hilt of his sword. After his father's unexpected death, he abandoned his dream of becoming the shadow of order and took over the family business. Now, he has a new opportunity.

[I want to win this set, as a relic of the Anderson family.]
Thierry left the high platform under the watchful eyes of the nobles and went to the camp set up by the shadow of order.

The apothecaries were preparing for their coming-of-age ceremony, and they all bowed to the lord upon seeing him.

Thierry continued on his way, entering a room decorated with longswords and jewels, and removed the suit that Malevolus had just made for him.

He changed into a black robe woven from fire-resistant material, put on matching fire-resistant composite boots, and picked up a practice chainsaw sword that matched his physique.

Thierry strode forward and left the camp.

He stepped into the black lava canyon and immediately felt a wave of heat wash over him.

Thierry's gaze swept across the rock walls on both sides of the canyon, layers of rocks of different colors, interspersed and piled together.

He had just entered the entrance to the lava lake, stepping onto the protruding, scorching rocks.

Thierry saw that on the inner side of the rock wall, carved into the cave wall, thousands of members of the noble council, in groups of dozens, were looking down.

In the air, the "fighter" rides a hovercraft, while the apothecary, accompanied by his entourage, pilots a Land speedboat.

The servo skull floated higher up, and the oracles cast green light onto the lake, projecting images across Ventrilian.

Thierry looked at the surface of the lava lake. The coming-of-age ceremony had begun, and the Ventrilians were fighting on the rocks against monsters engulfed in flames.

Omari McCarty led dozens of noble candidates in a charge against a group of catfish-like monsters with tentacles over a meter long.

A dozen or so agile noble youths, their magnificent armor gleaming with runes.

The splashing lava slammed against the protective force field, producing a piercing hissing sound.

The catfish monster swung its tentacles and coiled towards the noble boy.

The noble youths nimbly leaped onto the pre-selected reefs, their tentacles striking the air with a crackling sound.

Their large bodies wriggled, and they raised their arms to embrace the boys.

"Attack!" Omari shouted, leading the other teenagers in a charge.

Groups of noble youths charged toward the catfish monster, their magnificent noble swords gleaming.

Their combat training from a young age and countless real-world drills enable them to maintain a high level of performance even under pressure.

Slashing at the belly, stabbing at the arm.

Omari charged alone toward a catfish monster. He took three running steps, leaped into the air, and plunged his longsword, the first of the "Osberh-Waya" techniques, between its eyes.

Omari flipped himself to the ground and charged toward the next monster.

During the candidate training camp, he mastered the first rule of Vostonia's swordsmanship.

Omari leaped and fell among the rocks, thrusting repeatedly.

Thump, thump...

One by one, the catfish monsters crashed into the lava, and in an instant, no more monsters emerged from the edge of the lava lake.

He rallied his excited followers and charged forward immediately.

The catfish monsters have a low rating, and it takes killing 100 of them for someone to pass the ritual test. They must kill more high-rated monsters.

He saw Chris, who effectively managed the Anderson family's affairs but was not recognized by the nobles, kill more than ten scorpion-like monsters on his own.

He has passed the test, but he is still heading towards the center of the lake.

Omar knew that none of the nobles would be satisfied with their current achievements.

The Knight Lord's magical armor was coveted by everyone; it was a sacred relic that even a gem mine couldn't buy. Chris pierced the scorpion-like monster with the second strike of "Osberh-Vaya," his boots stomping on the monster's burning body.

With a piercing explosion, he leaped forward with all his might.

In mid-air, he saw ahead that the candidates of the Order of Shadows had already left him nearly a hundred meters behind, and they had already stepped into the outer perimeter of the central area.

The monsters there are more dangerous, and their ratings are higher.

Chris's eyes narrowed as images of him defeating candidates one by one on the training field flashed through his mind.

In the past, most of them did not perform as well as me in training.

Now, they've left me far behind.

I really missed my chance!
Chris resolutely pulled out combat stimulants from his belt.

He suddenly raised his hand and injected the highest-grade Ventrilian combat stimulant, worth ten thousand gems, into his neck.

Chris's speed suddenly increased, and he swung his ornate longsword, smashing several scorpion-like monsters, each several meters long, into the lava lake, their corpses sliding into the water.

Chris's gaze was fixed on the tall back of a candidate in the Shadow of Order. As the distance between them closed, he felt that the price he had paid was worthwhile.

He injected a second dose of combat stimulant, and his speed increased again, bringing them within ten meters of each other.

Just as Chris lunged forward, he suddenly felt a surge beneath his feet.

A five-meter-long, three-meter-wide crocodile suddenly leaped out of the lake.

Chris's eyes were cold; this time, no one could stop him from moving forward.

He raised his longsword high with both hands and slashed down with the seventh cleaving technique of the "Osberh-Vaya" mantra.

The longsword struck the crocodile monster's left eye with a loud bang, and Chris leaped into the air.

He suddenly felt the magma surging below, and a crocodile leaped out.

Chris tried his best to dodge, but he was in the air and could not move freely. One of the crocodile's sharp teeth bit into his side.

The magnificent armor let out a piercing screech before being bitten through, and several ribs were torn off.

Flames scorched Chris, who had lost half of his right rib, as he tumbled to the ground.

Just when Chris thought he was going to die, the roar of an engine began.

His blurred vision showed him being caught by a shadowy figure of order.

After catching the noble boy, the "fighter" threw him forcefully towards the Land speedboat, then slammed on the gas to avoid the crocodile monster.

The attendant used medical clamps to restrain the young nobleman, while white medical gel sprayed from his limbs.

Chris trembled in pain as the "pharmacist" poured a bottle of bluish-green potion into him, and his pale face gradually regained its color.

The pharmacist then brought down his scalpel and began the treatment.

Justin looked down and saw the young noblemen and women who had been in danger being rescued, and said with emotion.

“In every coming-of-age ceremony in the past, more than 10,000 people died in the lava lake, and their bodies were never found.”

"From then on, the death toll will not exceed one hundred."

As the planetary governor sighed, Thierry had already sped toward the center of the lava lake.

He caught up with the candidates undergoing different modifications in an instant with superhuman speed.

Thierry's eyes suddenly lit up as he saw cylindrical objects in the center of the lake, covered with sharp barbs.

At first glance, it resembles a scorpion's tail hook.

But the shadow of order is clearly visible; it is the part of the lotus root that emerges from the lake.

[There are actually plants living in this lake!]
As Thierry pondered, he suddenly saw a shadowy figure dodging dozens of fire snakes that lunged at him, stepping onto a lotus root.

The lotus root tip, like a scorpion's tail hook, pierced through the sole of his boot in an instant.

The candidate, who was over two meters tall and had almost completed all the modification surgery, was instantly riddled with holes.

Countless fire serpents, like sharks smelling blood, leaped from the lake and pounced on the dozen or so candidates around them.

Thierry accelerated abruptly, arriving beside the candidate's corpse in an instant.

His chainsaw sword spun rapidly, tearing the fiery snakes in two.

"Back off!"

Upon hearing the knight lord's command, the candidates immediately began to retreat.

More and more fire serpents sprang up from the lava and rushed toward Thierry.

The "Dawn Knight" remained calm, and a refined full-body armor quickly materialized on his body.

He wore a crowned helmet, gauntlets covering his hands, and a breastplate covering his body.

The radiant "Dawn Armor" attracted all the fire serpents.

They rushed frantically towards the "Dawn Knights," crashing into the "Dawn Armor" with thuds.

Seeing that the candidates had left, Thierry suddenly swung his chainsaw sword, which was wreathed in flames.

He picked up the candidate's corpse and threw it to the "fighters" who came to his aid.

Then, "Dawn Knight" grabbed a lotus root in each hand and exerted force with both arms.

The lotus root, which is nearly a kilometer long and whose roots are embedded in the lake bottom, was pulled up entirely.

Fire snakes lashed against his body, and flames burned fiercely on his gauntlets.

The "Dawn Knight" felt his spiritual energy rapidly depleting, and he abruptly withdrew.

The "Dawn Armor" had no weight and did not affect his swift movements in the slightest.

The Ventrilians rubbed their eyes in astonishment as they watched the fiery serpent strike the knight lord, yet his steps remained swift.

He even managed to leap backward while still holding the lotus root wreathed in flames in both hands.

The knight lord actually walked through the waves of lava and calmly left the lava lake.

Four days later, the coming-of-age ceremony will take place.

Justin announced loudly, "On behalf of the Ventrilian Council of Nobles, I congratulate all the gentlemen and ladies who have passed the test and become new members of the nobility."

Omari McCarty, accompanied by fourteen nobles who had passed the test, stood tall and proud.

Chris Anderson, his face wrapped in bandages, showed no joy despite passing the test.

He looked enviously at the tall figure dressed in a thin black bodysuit, and heard Justin's proud voice in his ears.

“Finally, let us congratulate the winner,” the voice paused deliberately, “Joe Vatalra, who will become the heir to the great knight lord’s armor.”

Justin watched his son, with the help of his attendants, put on a black suit.

He surveyed the many nobles, [It was wise of me to send my heir to the candidacy; the Vatara family will be celebrated and will rule Ventrilian forever.]
Justin's thoughts were interrupted by the exclamations of the nobles, and he looked at his son.

Joe felt his body being kneaded and pulled, his body was hot and swollen, and his skin, muscles and bones felt like they were melting.

The adaptive evolution lasted for nearly a week, and Joe's body gradually swelled up to match the originally large black suit.

His brain felt like it was being pricked with needles; it seemed like something had been added to his brain.

The pharmacist kept monitoring Joe's vital signs.

A week later, the Eighth Company received a new recruit whose height surpassed that of the other Shadow Order members.

(End of this chapter)