The Knight Lord, He Actually Crossed Through the Lava Fire Waves Without Harm

No harm suffered

Ultima Segmentum, Jewel World Ventrilian, Starport.

Planetary Governor Justin Vatar watched as the black Aquila Shuttle gracefully descended from the sky.

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

He saw Thierry Viera 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 followed the governor's gaze, looking at the Knight Lord with 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 Carium Gate through the Warp Gate of the Abyss Port, and then, using the Carium Gate which had just been fully repaired, he was transported from the northern part of the Segmentum Obscurus to Ventrilian in the eastern part of the Ultima Segmentum in just three weeks.

"It is my duty," the Knight Lord nodded slightly, "And I am also quite interested in the monsters of the lava lake."

"I think there won't be any more Catastrophe this time," Justin said jokingly, recalling how the coming-of-age ceremony was changed three years ago because the Knight Lord brought Catastrophe prophecy.

"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 Warrior clad in the Shadow of Order.

They also remembered the warning from three years ago; had they not received it, many of them would have perished in the erupting lava.

Justin and Thierry boarded the elevator together and arrived at the platform.

A slight hissing sound came from the Sonic Array Device, Ventrilian projections from various locations simultaneously displayed the scene.

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

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

The holographic projection switched, presenting the Second Company Captain Jurjur, and ten members of the "Brawler" Honor Guard to the Ventrilian people.

The scene shifts, and 1,408 towering Ventrilian Shadow of Order candidates appear on screen.

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

His authoritative voice resounded Ventrilian through the Sonic Array Device.

"The armor I once wore." The scene shifts, revealing a black Hunt-Master Suit to the crowd.

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 recipient's body will be strengthened, and they will gain eight years of my combat experience."

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

They lacked the confidence to defeat Superman's Shadow of Order, even without their armor.

"Limited to Ventrilian only."

As soon as the Knight Lord finished speaking, the eyes of the young men and women of Ventrilian 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 fists. He was only five places away from passing the first stage of selection.

Chris Anderson's hand rests 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 Apothecary 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 Chainsword 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, interwoven 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 cave wall, carved into the rock face, thousands of members of the Council of Nobles, in groups of dozens, were looking down.

In the air, the "Brawler" rode a hovercraft, while the Apothecary, accompanied by his entourage, piloted Land Speeder.

The Servo-skull floated higher, Auspex 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, Ventrilian, stepping on the rocks, were fighting 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 Field, producing a piercing hissing sound.

The catfish monster swung its tentacles, coiling 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!" Omar 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, along with countless real-world drills, allows 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 onto the ground and charged toward the next monster.

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

Omari leaped and landed repeatedly among the rocks, thrusting again and again.

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 immediately charged forward.

The catfish monsters have a low rating; 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-shaped Monsters on his own.

He has passed the test, but he is still charging 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 is something everyone desires; it's a sacred relic that even a gem mine couldn't buy.

Chris pierced the Scorpion-shaped Monster with a backhand thrust of "Osberh-Vaya" No. 2, 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 Shadow of Order 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 didn't perform as well as me in training.

Now, they've left me far behind.

I really missed the opportunity!

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-shaped 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; the distance between them was no more than ten meters.

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.

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

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 mid-air and could not move freely. One of the crocodile's sharp teeth bit into his side.

The ornate 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 Shadow of Order.

After catching the noble boy, the "Brawler" threw him forcefully towards the Land Speeder, 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 Affliction as the "Apothecary" poured a bottle of greenish-blue potion into him, and his pale face gradually regained its color.

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

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

"In every past coming-of-age ceremony, more than 10,000 people died in the lava lake, their remains never recovered."

"From then on, the death toll would 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 modification surgeries in an instant, moving with superhuman speed.

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

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 Shadow of Order, dodging dozens of Fire Snake 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 nearly completed all the modification surgery, was instantly riddled with holes.

Countless Fire Snake, 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 Chainsword spun rapidly, tearing Fire Snake in two.

"Get out of the way!"

Upon hearing the Knight Lord's command, the candidates immediately began their retreat.

More and more Fire Snake sprang from the lava and lunged at 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 Snake.

They pounced on the "Dawn Knight" and crashed into the "Dawn Armor" with thuds.

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

He grabbed the candidate's corpse and tossed it to the "Brawler" who had come to his aid.

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

A nearly kilometer-long lotus root, its roots embedded in the lake bottom, was pulled up entirely.

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

The "Dawn Knight" felt his Spirituality rapidly dwindling, and he abruptly withdrew.

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

The Ventrilian rubbed their eyes in astonishment as they watched the Fire Snake strike the Knight Lord, yet his steps remained swift.

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

The Knight Lord actually walked through the waves of lava and fire, 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 bandaged, 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 Vatala, he 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 assembled nobles, [It was wise of me to send my heir to the candidacy; the Vatara family will be celebrated and will forever rule Ventrilian.]

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 as if something had been added to his brain.

The Apothecary had been monitoring Joe's vital signs.

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