"Judging by the knowledge that surged from the depths of my spirit, the Hunter pathway began to embody the essence of war at the Demigod stage, developing the ability to gather the masses. Even its advancement ritual required numerous anchors."
Sifa looked at his hands. "That meant an Iron-blooded Knight had more of an advantage on the battlefield, but was comparatively weaker in single combat. Unless I could carry an army around with me, I wouldn't be able to perform at my full potential."
Aside from Gathering the Masses, an Iron-blooded Knight had several other unique abilities. The first was Steel Body. Just as its name suggested, this ability allowed an Iron-blooded Knight to turn all or part of their body into iron, granting extraordinary defensive strength. Physical attacks could hardly penetrate that defense. They could withstand a direct hit from a coastal defense cannon and hold out for a while even under concentrated fire.
Sifa had witnessed this ability during his first encounter with an Iron-blooded Knight, Shevich, the Demigod from Feysac's Military Department. Once an Iron-blooded Knight's entire body had turned to iron, weapons like revolvers could no longer hurt them-not even if the barrels were pressed against their head and fired at the same spot simultaneously!
Of course, Steel Body did not mean immortality. Sifa understood that perfectly well. In battle, he still had to dodge enemy attacks when necessary. This ability merely allowed an Iron-blooded Knight to charge through gunfire when needed to gain an advantage. It did not make them invincible.
The second ability also involved iron. It was called Steel Affinity, and it gave even the simplest iron object tremendous destructive power in an Iron-blooded Knight's hands. Any weapon they used became more powerful. A bullet fired from a revolver, for example, could possess