Chapter 19: Composite Armor

Vladkov hesitantly shook off the anti-magic armor he was wearing. The armor seemed unchanged, with no noticeable difference in weight either. The only modifications appeared to be on the visor and the beast-head-shaped rings on his shoulders.
“Lord, are you saying I can use this anti-magic armor to counter their sword attacks?” Vladkov asked, tilting his head in disbelief at the two somewhat sleep-deprived men standing in front of him.
“Well, you could say that. Mr. Mihayovich’s special modifications to your armor have essentially changed its nature. It’s now a composite armor equipped with magic puppets. Not only does it retain all the original functions of the armor, but it also adds quite effective enhancements in certain areas—enhancements that can even be deadly in specific situations,” Komer nodded as he explained to the first user of this composite armor. “Well, let Mr. Mihayovich explain the details to you.”
“Uh, Mr. Vladkov, as per the Lord’s instructions, I’ve made some modifications to your armor. Passive-reactive magic puppets have been added to the most vulnerable areas—your shoulders and chest. You can probably understand what these devices do from the name: if those areas are attacked, the magic puppets installed in your armor will automatically retaliate against the attacker, without you needing to cast any spells. You can continue doing whatever you were doing, or even coordinate your attacks with those of the magic puppets. It all depends on the situation and your wishes. That’s how it works.”
Seeing Vladkov’s confused expression, Mihayovich realized it would be difficult for him to grasp the true nature of this passive-reactive composite armor through such abstract explanations. It wasn’t possible for him to understand its full potential just from a few words. Only through actual use could Vladkov truly see what this armor could do for him.
“Uh, how about this, Mr. Vladkov? I think we’ll need a few more practical tests before you can fully appreciate the true capabilities of this armor. Let’s find a place and have Mr. Sorenberg act as the attacker. Let’s have a real fight to experience how it works in actual combat.”

“Well, Mr. Mihajic, I’m leaving this to you. I need to rest. Mr. Vladkov, you and Mr. Mihajic should give it another thorough try. Make any necessary adjustments as soon as possible—we don’t have much time. In this combat tournament, we represent the city-state of Piraeus. Almost everyone except the Spartans hopes we can deliver another resounding slap to them, and I hope we can do just that.”
In fact, Komer and Mihajic had already tested it twice, with quite good results. Although illusionary puppets were considered insignificant in the eyes of magicians, releasing them suddenly in close-quarters combat could often distract the enemy. Of course, the illusionary puppets were just a decoy; the real weapon lay in the shoulder guards of the anti-magic armor. Arranging the diamond-shaped arrows at specific angles took Mihajic half a night of manual work, with Komer helping out as well before it was finally set up. Triggered by certain conditions, this little device, capable of delivering a sudden attack, might play a crucial role in battle.
With an elegant draw of his knight’s lance, Sorenberg’s fierce strike shattered the opponent’s thick steel shield without any hindrance. The immense force radiated through the steel armor, sending the opponent spinning out of the ring. The blood flowing from his mouth contrasted with the dwarf warrior’s dark face, signaling an undisputed end to the battle.
The strongest dwarf warrior of the Kingdom of Sevilo was clearly not on the same level under Sorenberg’s combat aura. Although the wind and force generated by his massive axe were equally astonishing, they vanished the moment he approached Sorenberg. The faint combat aura surrounding Sorenberg acted like a natural fortress, completely suppressing the dwarf warrior’s unique strength. The icy aura from the knight’s lance left deep marks on the ground. The unwilling dwarf warrior could only grit his teeth and resist against the opponent’s powerful assault. Yet it was obvious to everyone that this gray-robed knight hadn’t fully exerted himself—his casual movements with the knight’s lance already left his opponent struggling to breathe.

The final blow completely shattered the dwarves’ illusions. Their desire to showcase their dwarven strength on this mortal battlefield proved futile; every attempt by the dwarves ended in failure in the repechage. Whether it was the Kingdom of Smyrna or the Kingdom of Seville, though their efforts never yielded greater rewards, they never gave up on this pursuit—a quality that even many mortal nations and cities deeply admired.

Fradkov’s opponent was a swordsmanship expert from the city-state of Corinth, making it an even more thrilling battle. The opponent had clearly progressed from mere physical strength to the realm of martial arts, with a bold and aggressive style reminiscent of the North. As sword energy surged around, the entire arena was enveloped in a fierce wind of cutting blades.

Yet to Fradkov, it all seemed like a performance. If it weren’t for his desire to elevate his own senses through such intense stimulation, he could have knocked his opponent off the arena in just three moves. But he knew he might face the strongest opponent in the next match—two of the four competitors from the Kingdom of Sparta were direct disciples of Aristotle, who were his true enemies. Apart from Aristotle, it seemed only the legendary figure from the western part of the continent dared to bear the title of Martial Saint.

The sharp sword energy encountered strong resistance before Fradkov. He deliberately used the opponent’s sword energy to test his own resistance, constantly breaking through and then compensating. The fierce sword winds kept swirling around Fradkov, but every time his knight’s spear erupted with power, the opponent was forced to retreat. The unrestrained force was so intense that the warrior from Corinth almost lost the courage to continue fighting.

Such a battle, bordering on taunting, was undoubtedly insulting to a warrior. Fortunately, Fradkov quickly put an end to this deliberate torment. His knight’s spear suddenly emitted a bluish-gray mist, and combat energy solidified through it in an instant. The powerful gust of wind collided with the sword energy of the Corinthian warrior, who had already been driven to the brink of madness by Fradkov’s actions, intentional or not.

A strange hue appeared in the clear space. Vladkov, who had been pushed back by the force, carefully pulled back his knight’s spear and glanced at it before turning his gaze toward his opponent. The opponent, who continued to take several steps back without managing to steady himself, turned red in the face, his bulging eyes fixed intently on the expressionless Vladkov, seemingly trying to discern something.

As the dust slowly settled where the forces of both sides had collided on the arena, a huge olive-shaped depression revealed just how tremendous the pressure had been there. The Corinthian warrior finally lowered his head to check his broken armor and gracefully admitted defeat. Compared to the calm opponent, it was clear who was stronger; continuing to fight stubbornly would be nothing short of despicable.

The true contestant from the Great Secret Sect also achieved victory, though it came at great cost. The Iberian warriors were renowned across the continent. For this event, they wanted to show that they hadn’t been intimidated by the barbarian invasions, so they sent their strongest court warriors. However, they were unlucky to encounter a martial arts expert from the Great Secret Sect who was determined to prove his strength in this competition. Although the expert’s weapon technique was unique, his combat energy was by no means unconventional. His Flame-Thunder Combat Energy not only carried fiery power but also had natural resistance to lightning-based magic attacks. Even Komer was surprised to find such a skilled martial artist within the Great Secret Sect. It made sense that he won by combining his weapon technique with Flame-Thunder Combat Energy. Yet, even so, he had to pay a heavy price under the fierce counterattacks of the Iberian court warriors to secure victory.

The Pythians’ complete dominance in the wrestling repechage once again shocked the entire city of Athens. No one had expected that the Pythians, who had previously remained quiet, were actually hiding their true abilities and determined to make a splash at this Olympic event. They not only won the chariot race but also challenged the Spartans’ dominance in their prideful wrestling competition. Among the eight contestants who advanced to the second round, they matched the Spartans evenly, leaving only two spots for the Iberians and Corinthians.

The strong rise of the people of Piraeus made the entire city of Athens the main topic of conversation among officials and nobles from various countries and city-states gathered there, while darkness shrouded the Spartans. No matter who emerged victorious in the end, the people of Piraeus proved with their strength that they had become a force that could not be underestimated in the southern lands. Although not all countries sent their best fighters to this competition, the performance of the three contestants who reached the second round was enough to make everyone consider how many such capable individuals they had in their own countries.