The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Vladimir Koff shook the anti-magic armor he hesitantly wore, which didn’t seem to have changed much. Even the weight was largely imperceptible. The only alterations were apparently some special processing on the breastplate’s mirror and the beast head swallowing ring on each shoulder.

"Lord, are you saying that I can use this set of anti-magic armor to counter the opponent’s Sword Qi?" Vladimir Koff asked incredulously, tilting his head towards the two sleep-deprived figures standing before him.

"Well, we could say that, Mr. Mihailovich has specially modified your anti-magic armor in such a way that it has fundamentally altered its nature. It’s actually now a composite armor with a magic puppet. Not only does it retain the original efficacy of your armor, but it has also added significantly effective features to some special parts, which could even prove to be fatal moves under certain circumstances," Komer nodded, introducing the situation to the first user of the composite armor, "For specifics, let Mr. Mihailovich explain to you."

"Er, Mr. Vladimir Koff, following the Lord’s instructions, I modified your armor, incorporating passive-reactive magic puppets in the shoulders and chest where you are most likely to be attacked. You might infer from the name that if these areas are struck, a magical puppet set in your armor will trigger, automatically retaliating against the attacker without the need for you to perform any specific action. You can continue with all you are meant to do, and even have the puppet activated work with you, or have your attack coordinate with the puppet’s, creating a combined assault depending on the situation and your will. That’s basically it."

Mihailovich, seeing the blank look on the other’s face, knew that the fellow wouldn’t understand the passive-reactive composite armor from such dull, abstract terms, and no amount of explanation would make this armor perform miracles in battle—only practical application could truly illustrate what this armor could do for him.

"Er, how about this, Mr. Vladimir Koff, I think we need to conduct a few more field experiments before you can fully appreciate the true efficacy of this armor. Why don’t we pick a location and ask Mr. Solonberg to act as the attacker, and have a real tussle to feel the use in actual combat?"

"Mm, Mr. Mihailovich, I’ll leave this matter to you. I need to rest for a while. Mr. Vladimir Koff, take the time to explore and ponder the armor with Mr. Mihailovich, and if there are any modifications needed, make them promptly. We don’t have much time. In this Gladiator Competition, we represent the Piraeus City-State, and nearly everyone besides the Spartans hopes we can deliver another resounding slap to the face of the Spartans. I hope we can achieve that."

In fact, Komer and Mihailovich had already tested it twice, with pretty impressive results. The Illusory Puppet might be insignificant to magicians, but its sudden release in the midst of tense hand-to-hand combat could often confuse the enemy’s vision. Of course, the Illusory Puppet was just a decoy; the real trump card lay on the shoulders of the anti-magic armor, where the Diamond Arrows, set in a certain arrangement, took Mihailovich half the night to install by hand, even with Komer assisting. Once triggered by certain conditions, this insignificant-looking device could play a pivotal role in combat.

With an elegant retraction of his Knight Spear, Solonberg’s fierce thrust effortlessly shattered the opponent’s thick Purified Iron Shield. The overwhelming force, bursting through the bin iron armor, howled as it spun the Dwarf Warrior out of the ring, with traces of blood spilling from his darkened face, heralding the foregone conclusion of the battle.