Chapter 363 - The Tumor called Monster Armor
The trio stood in confusion. Judging by the three humanoid armors, the warriors before them were clearly different from the six who had transformed into monsters.
Han Wu opened his mouth to explain, but the warriors assumed he intended to attack. In response, they used their most powerful attacks in an attempt to subdue him.
“Burning Kick!”
“Demon Sealing Slash!”
“Shadowless Punch!”
The strikes landed, but Han Wu remained unscathed. Their force, at most equivalent to a blow from a Heroic life form, could not pierce his defenses.
Shock registered across the warriors’ faces as they realized that their strongest attacks had failed. If these were ineffective, everything else would be equally useless.
“You two, run! I’ll hold him back. We must complete Ban Tu’s mission at all costs!” one shouted, throwing himself in front of Han Wu with the resolve of a selfless hero. He launched a relentless barrage of attacks, but Han Wu shrugged them off effortlessly.
The other two longed to fight but hesitated, unwilling to let their companion’s sacrifice go to waste.
“We will avenge you!” they cried.
They attempted to flee, but in Han Wu’s eyes, they moved far too slowly. Qin Shuang sighed, caught the two, and tied them up. She then dropped them alongside the would-be sacrificial warrior.
Han Wu released his Black Dragon King Transformation and fixed them with a piercing gaze. “Did Ban Tu send you here?”
“Hmph! Mere Monster Armors. Don’t think you’ll get any information from us!” one spat defiantly.
Han Wu smiled bitterly, certain that the three before him were likely the warriors Ban Tu had sent to meet them. He drew out the token and held it up. “Do you know who we are?”
One of them recognized the token and glanced at the six corpses with a mix of shock and confusion. “You... You are the envoys! But... if you are the envoys, why did you attack innocent civilians?”
“Civilians? They turned into monsters and attacked us. How could they still be civilians?”
“They turned into monsters? I see now! We are deeply sorry, O Great Envoy. We acted without verifying the truth and attacked blindly. Once we return, we will ask Ban Tu to mete out punishment as he deems fit.”
Han Wu waved them off. He did not care about their punishment. He only wanted to meet Ban Tu and understand what was happening here.
The three warriors led them to Ban Tu’s base. Calling it a base seemed insufficient—it was more accurate to describe it as a city. This was Ban Tu’s home, and his headquarters lay at its center. They entered and finally came face to face with Ban Tu himself.
Ban Tu was a native God of the Armor Civilization. Roughly 1,487 years ago, he had lost to Xu Hai, who was then still a God. To protect the people, Ban Tu had chosen to lead them into surrender.
Xu Hai and Su Lan had accepted his capitulation out of respect for his strength and granted him 20% of the Armor Civilization’s annual profits as compensation. From that day forward, Ban Tu became the manager of the Armor Civilization on behalf of Xu Hai and Su Lan. His role was straightforward: spread their faith, collect the resulting Faith Points, and transfer them through a special channel to the two Gods.
In recent years, however, the situation had changed. A new civilization had emerged, disturbing the peaceful lives within the Armor Civilization.
The Armor Civilization’s core system revolved around summoning armor to enhance personal strength. Every life form had a chance to awaken a unique set of armor and become an Armored Warrior, though the odds were slim, roughly 5%. Those who failed to awaken their armor led ordinary lives, while the awakened were dispatched to various cities as peacekeepers. There, they not only honed their abilities but also maintained order.
Life had remained peaceful in the Armor Civilization for 1,487 years until the new civilization invaded. Ban Tu called them the Monster Armor Civilization. There, individuals could transform their bodies into monsters to amplify their strength. The system resembled the Armor Civilization, but a critical difference set it apart.
The Monster Armor Civilization could defy the laws of the Armor Civilization because the chances of awakening a Monster Armor were extraordinarily high—up to 90%.
Those who failed to awaken their own armor yet craved power often defected to the Monster Armor Civilization. However, their expectations rarely matched reality. Once their new powers awakened, they were bound to complete missions assigned by the Monster Armor Civilization, most of which involved sowing chaos and undermining the faith of the Armor Civilization’s life forms.
Ban Tu and the strongest members of the Armor Civilization struggled to contain these threats, but new ones emerged constantly. A Monster Armor user at the God rank had even gathered numerous Monster Armor users at the Demigod rank to establish the Monster Armor Association. Ban Tu had no means to counter them.
Han Wu frowned as he absorbed the new information. The situation was far graver than he had imagined. The Monster Armor Civilization had already planted deep roots. Removing them entirely would require both force to suppress their numbers and a strategy to eliminate the believers’ faith in the Monster Armor Civilization.
The latter task seemed nearly impossible. Han Wu weighed his options and resolved to first understand the nature of the Monster Armor itself before acting against the Monster Armor Association.
“Ban Tu, do you think we can awaken our armor?” Han Wu asked. “We want to learn more about these powers and see what we are capable of.”
Ban Tu nodded. “Of course. Follow me.”
He led the three to a plaza dominated by a tall stone column. Even from a distance, Han Wu sensed its unique presence.
“This is the Profound Armor Pillar, a special stone column that helps one awaken their armor,” Ban Tu explained. “Envoys, place your hands on it and follow its guidance. You should be able to awaken your armor that way.”