Book 6: Chapter 45: Gunslinger OR Martial Artist
The Heart of the Strong was not an Apostle Skill, but a product of highly concentrated Mental Will. As Novice Apostles deepened their understanding of their own combat professions and remained steadfast on their chosen paths, they would eventually condense the Heart of the Strong for that profession.
The Heart of the Strong did not possess any professional abilities. If one had to define it, it would be the sublimation of a Professional Apostle’s will. If this spiritual will manifested in Sapient Races, it would be intangible and indescribable.
However, because Apostles had Law Bodies, the originally intangible Heart of the Strong took on a concrete form. It could enable an Apostle’s professional abilities to achieve a qualitative leap.
This change took many forms. Some resulted in the tier-upgrading of Apostle Skills; some allowed for the mastery and integration of different skills; it could even help Apostles comprehend advanced abilities of certain professional skills.
For example: Menlo’s “Circle of Iaido” belonged to the integration of several martial arts, while Yin Shi’s “Aura of Sanctuary” was an advanced ability of a certain knight’s aura.
Systematic professional abilities were the huge gap between Novice Professional Apostles and ordinary Apostles, while the Heart of the Strong represented the fundamental difference between Second-Order Apostles and Novice Apostles.
The ranks among Apostles were clearly defined and represented essential distinctions. So-called cross-tier combat power could only occur if this fundamental gap was eliminated. Excluding factors outside of combat, a Novice Apostle without the Heart of the Strong could absolutely not pretend to be weak and defeat a Second-Order powerhouse head-on.
Although Menlo and Yin Shi had not yet completed their Second-Order Class Change quests, aside from the enhancement rewards from Shattered Starry Sky, these two female Apostles had essentially become Second-Order powerhouses.
Menlo and Yin Shi’s own professional abilities were very complete, and they had advanced far along their Novice professional paths. In this Metropolis Domination War, they had experienced multiple high-intensity battles, and their opponents were all outstanding among Novice Apostles. Achieving a breakthrough at this moment was a natural progression and not at all strange.