Rein had already discovered a vulnerability of the temple knights, no, perhaps not a vulnerability, to be precise, it was a weakness.
The temple knights' attack power seemed somewhat insufficient, their longswords struggling to penetrate the double defenses of the dark aura and the opponent's black armor, thus failing to inflict fatal damage which prolonged the battle.
Otherwise, if the temple knights' attack power had been sufficiently strong, then under the siege of four temple knights, one Evil Spirit Knight could not have lasted long.
Just as Rein advanced on horseback, the usually unsmiling face of Instructor Rudolph looked even more stern.
Rudolph had just said that Rein should trust that the young men of the church would easily win, and that Rein's role was merely to observe the battle.
But before long, another Evil Spirit Knight wielding a giant axe appeared.
Instructor Rudolph was not a rigid person; seeing the enemy's strength surpass expectations, he naturally did not stop Rein from joining the fight, instead he appreciated Rein's initiative as he moved forward to intercept the Giant Axe Evil Spirit Knight without a word.
Rein could have chosen not to step forward, he could have waited for Rudolph to make a request, to ask for his help before taking action.
However, that would seem rather like finding amusement in another's misfortune, which would not be appropriate.
The temple knight struggling against the Giant Axe Evil Spirit appeared to be only about twenty years old, and when he suddenly felt the pressure lighten upon seeing Rein come to assist, he was grateful.
However, as a young man himself, having heard Rudolph's praises of Rein along the way, and hearing Rudolph's personal promise that once Rein decided to join the church, he would be a candidate for children of Meister County, felt somewhat bitter.
After all, he had been with the church for eight years, but was still very far from being a nominated child of the church.
Yet here was this man a few years younger than him from Flashgold Town, who could easily obtain those benefits if he chose to join the church.
Thus, deep inside, Rein had stirred up a competitive spirit in him.
"Although I acknowledge your strength, the instructor's praise is a bit over the top; after all, you aren't much stronger than me," the young temple knight thought to himself.
This was not to say he had any objections against Rein.
Perhaps, this was more of a male instinctive drive to compete, like bulls in rut, always ready to lock horns and fight over mating rights.
As Rein engaged the Giant Axe Evil Spirit in combat, Rudolph continued flipping through his book and began to whisper a prayer.
Clearly, as a minister specialized in hunting demons and expelling evil within the church of Monsoon and Ocean Goddess, Rudolph's arsenal against the enemy was naturally not limited to a single Divine Art.
"... Great Monsoon and Ocean Goddess, please endow the knights with your blessings... Faced with formidable foes, they will fight to the death, driving away evil, unhesitatingly! Divine Arts: Anthem of Fearlessness!"
As Rudolph's chanting grew louder, a female phantom holding a conch trumpet suddenly appeared behind him, following the sound of the trumpet.
The next second, the pale blue phantom violently dissipated, transforming into a ripple that radiated in all directions.
This magical energy seemed to automatically search for paths, and once it found a temple knight, a blue beam would burst forth upon the knights in battle.
Quickly, the temple knights enveloped in the pale blue beams swiftly returned to their peak condition, their movements became faster, and they fought with remarkable valor, fearless of death!
Beads of sweat were evident on Rudolph's forehead, indicating that, while this Divine Art 'Anthem of Fearlessness' was stronger than the previous 'Protection Blessing', it also imposed a significant strain on him.
When a pale blue beam shone upon him, the young temple knight felt his body surge with confidence, strength, and courage.
Knowing that Rudolph had once again cast a Divine Art on them, he turned his head towards Rein and said,
"Lord Rein, just support from the side, tackling the evil is our specialty as temple knights!"
With that, the young temple knight, holding his sword and shield, charged forward.
Under the enhancement of the Divine Art, the young temple knight performed well, evenly matching the Giant Axe Evil Spirit Knight in a back-and-forth battle.
Rein was taken aback, watching the young temple knight, he shook his head slightly, smiled, and said nothing, and started to maneuver to the side to harass the Giant Axe Evil Spirit.
In the previous few battles, to be honest, Rein's Two-Handed Warhammer—'Indomitable Force'—had hardly exhibited its true power.
Even when facing the Level Three Wizard Apprentice Adams, it only executed a final blow at the last moment.
Actually, only when facing opponents in thick plate armor, against extreme defensive power, could the full potential of the two-handed hammer truly be unleashed.
Therefore, seeing the slightly arrogant young temple knight voluntarily offering to take the front line and main attack, Rein was all too happy.
Because it was perfect, he could calmly execute the Tokkal Hammer Technique on the side, and honing Hammer Skills through real combat was one of the fastest ways to boost his Hammer Skill Experience.
Let's not forget, Rein's Hammer Skill level was not actually very high.