Chapter 91: One's Own Power, the Fate-Peeper of the Ryder Family

When Eamon opened the chest, Wang Yu caught a glimpse of the armor in its entirety. It looked peculiar; rather than a suit of armor, it resembled a skeleton stripped from a human body.

The entire piece was composed of material that, at the very least, appeared identical to bone. It covered only the upper torso, lacking even arm guards.

Ribs, sternum, and every bone that should belong to a human skeleton were present in this osseous armor. Furthermore, the gaps that should have existed between the bones were filled with finer, smaller structures. In essence, it was a human upper-body skeleton with an unnaturally high bone density.

Wang Yu projected his ripples, touching the frame, but they could not penetrate it. It seemed that regardless of the level of consciousness involved, this bone armor possessed a singular, independent intelligence.

He cast an inquiring gaze toward Eamon, hoping for an explanation.

"I obtained this armor by chance. It must be crafted from the bones of some powerful, ancient creature. The passage of eons has eroded most of the creature's consciousness, yet fragments remain embedded within the bone."

"I do not know what kind of creature this was, but in a sense, it is not yet dead. It still hungers for energy to resurrect itself. The creator of this armor must have utilized this very trait; I must admit, he was a genius."

As Eamon spoke, he lifted the bone armor and pressed it against his chest. The frame, sized for a human, looked far too small for a hulking orc, but the armor soon explained the action through its own transformation.

Seconds after contact, the bones began to writhe. Sensing something, the armor expanded and reconfigured, spreading its structure thin to envelop Eamon’s upper body without increasing the total number of bones.

Yet, this offered no defense; the massive gaps between the bones would not even stop a blade. Why, then, would Eamon offer such a piece as a gift of gratitude?

"Squelch!" The sound of a hard object piercing flesh echoed. The Nameless Demon Armor revealed why it bore such a name: the rib sections twisted, their sharp ends curving inward to stab into Eamon’s flesh.

Then, tiny protrusions emerged around the points of entry, extending into Eamon’s body to begin siphoning the energy it required.

Green liquid seeped from the wounds, climbing the bones until it reached the spinal column of the armor. It was Eamon’s blood; the armor was feeding on the orc.

"Ugh!" The orc let out a muffled groan of agony. To make such a hardened warrior cry out in pain spoke volumes of the torment the armor inflicted.

As it drank the orc’s blood, the entire suit began to stir. The bones ground against each other, and a dark, ashen substance appeared between them.

It resembled the scales of a reptile, yet lacked a clear structural pattern; it was like animal fur, yet possessed a luster. Fueled by the orc’s energy, the armor began to "resurrect" itself, the proliferating tissue likely being the flesh of that ancient, powerful beast.

As the skin and muscle spread, filling the gaps to match the frame, it looked as if the armor were autonomously growing plates. Eamon, wearing the skeleton, was gradually covered in a glossy, black "cuirass."

The growth continued. Not content with merely covering the frame, the "cuirass" began to spread to other parts of Eamon’s body once the bone surface was saturated.

From top to bottom, the pitch-black material covered Eamon’s lower body, then extended outward to form arm guards. Save for his head, Eamon was entirely encased in black armor.

Wang Yu watched intently, his eyes opened wide by the marvel of it. Could this ancient creature truly regenerate itself through its bones alone?

And the creator of this armor was undoubtedly a genius. One could only wonder how they discovered these properties and conceived such a design.

"Try striking me with a blade," Eamon said. His voice was weak from the blood loss, though the orc’s constitution prevented it from hindering him significantly.

"Very well." Wang Yu drew his hand-axe and struck the black "cuirass" with moderate force.

"Clang!" The sound was nothing like metal striking metal. Wang Yu felt the sharp edge collide with something resilient and incredibly tough. The blade failed to bite, instead bouncing off due to the material's elasticity.

Looking at Eamon, a faint, shallow scratch appeared on the black surface, no deeper than a paper cut on human skin.

At the same time, the black surface rippled slightly, and the tiny wound was repaired by the living armor. The mark left by Wang Yu’s strike vanished completely.

Without his Blood-Burning Drive, Wang Yu’s strength was at the peak of a journeyman knight, bordering on a formal knight. A strike of moderate force would be equivalent to that of a high-ranking journeyman.

Yet, this blow, which was by no means weak, failed to cause any effective damage—it didn't even scratch the armor, let alone the man.

This meant that once equipped, the armor rendered normal physical attacks from anyone below a formal knight useless. Such defensive capability was indeed formidable.

"In truth, that is not the armor's greatest strength. Miss Avia, please try attacking me with a casual spell." Eamon gestured for her to proceed.

"Alright." Without hesitation, Avia condensed a fireball in her hand. It burned with significant heat; though not her full power, it was enough to breach the defenses of standard heavy armor.

But when she tossed the fireball—specially treated not to explode—at Eamon, the armor displayed its true worth.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but as the fireball entered the armor's radius, it became unstable. It flickered and sputtered, sparks flying off until it touched the armor and dissipated in a flash of light, fading away without any combustion.

After the flash, not a single mark remained on Eamon’s black cuirass. Avia’s fireball had caused even less damage than Wang Yu’s axe.

"Anti-magic material?" Wang Yu was slightly surprised. He could now understand why Elliot had looked so pained. While he didn't know how the armor achieved this, the ability to almost completely ignore common offensive magic like fireballs elevated its value immensely.

Much like the anti-void material Wang Yu possessed, anti-magic materials held vast potential. However, his own material was a miracle of chaotic reconstruction that could not be replicated; he had never found a second piece.

That this armor possessed both high physical resistance and special magic resistance proved its structure was incredibly complex. Its anti-void capabilities would surely be no less impressive. The armor’s power was truly striking.

"Ugh!" As Wang Yu pondered, the orc let out a dull roar, clutching his head as if in immense pain.

"Eamon, what’s wrong?" Wang Yu stepped forward to check on him.

"Lord Wang Yu, stay back!" Elliot’s warning arrived a step too late; Wang Yu was already close.

"ROAR!" A thunderous bellow echoed through the room. The orc’s head snapped up, and a palm driven by massive muscles lashed out at the approaching Wang Yu.

The orc’s constitution and strength far exceeded Wang Yu’s. Caught off guard and unable to activate his Blood-Burning Drive in time, Wang Yu could only raise his forearm to block, releasing a barrier and leaping back to mitigate the impact. The armored palm collided with his forearm with a deafening "BOOM!"

"CRACK!" A sharp sound of shattering followed—the sound of Wang Yu’s barrier and his own bone breaking simultaneously. The force of the impact was exaggerated, exceeding even the strength of the blessed vampire he had once fought.

Wang Yu was sent flying like a broken kite, his right arm dangling uselessly. He slammed into the wall, the force of the impact dealing another heavy blow.

Fortunately, Avia’s reactions were as quick as his own. She cast a spell instantly, gathering a violent gust of wind behind Wang Yu to sap his kinetic energy, preventing him from being crushed against the wall.

Even so, after shattering several pieces of alchemy equipment, Wang Yu slammed into the solid wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"ROAR! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!" The orc’s roar reached them. Elliot and Avia, now on high alert, watched as Eamon drove his fingers into his own chest—or rather, into the chest of the armor—tearing at it with all his might.

"RIP!" Under the immense force, the armor was pried open. From the point where Eamon pulled, the skeleton was forcibly ripped from the black cuirass. The sharp ends of the ribs were still slick with fragments of Eamon’s flesh and green blood.

"Huff... huff..." As the skeleton was fully detached, Eamon seemed to return to normal, though he was visibly weakened.

The proliferating "cuirass" that had grown from the bones withered, shriveled, and cracked the moment its connection to the skeleton was severed, falling from Eamon’s body like dead skin.

"My apologies, Lord Wang Yu. Damn it, the armor’s mental control suddenly spiked." The orc was in pain, but the physical agony was secondary to the fact that he had nearly crippled Wang Yu.

"Cough... ptooey!" Wang Yu spat out blood mixed with bits of flesh. Damn it, his internal organs were injured again, and his right arm was shattered. His body still wasn't resilient enough.

His left hand skillfully pulled a handful of potions from a hidden pocket, and with the regenerative abilities he’d gained from vampire blood, he began to heal rapidly. The girl rushed to his side, immediately casting healing magic.

"It’s fine. You clearly didn't do it on purpose. The strength boost was also the armor’s doing, right?" Wang Yu said as he recovered.

"Yes. Those proliferating tissues can greatly enhance the user’s strength. Under its influence, my power reached the threshold of a Grand Knight," Eamon said, his tone heavy with regret.

"No wonder... magic resistance, physical resistance, strength enhancement. The power of this armor is truly astonishing."

Had Eamon’s casual strike landed squarely on Wang Yu’s head, his chance of survival would have been less than thirty percent. The armor didn't just add no weight; it actively enhanced the wearer’s strength.

"Indeed. As long as one can overcome the mental influence of the original creature, which seeks to control the wearer’s body, the armor grants terrifying power. Mr. Wang Yu, you should be able to withstand that mental pressure, shouldn't you?"

"As for me, I have no issues regarding the mind." Wang Yu was firm; he possessed absolute confidence in that regard.

"Then please, accept this armor," Eamon said sincerely.

"It is indeed a powerful piece, but I refuse to use it." Wang Yu flexed his arm, the bones already knitting together, and waved his hand.

"Why?" Eamon was puzzled, his tone filled with surprise.

"I will not use something so powerful yet so treacherous." Wang Yu shook his head. The armor’s power was beyond doubt, but he would not wear it.

"Tools must always remain tools. In my experience, there are many ways for a weapon to develop intelligence, but this demon armor is not one of them. Its consciousness is pure malice. Such power, burdened with such hidden dangers, is meaningless to me."

"Ten thousand powers, return to the self." Wang Yu clenched his fist. Under the constant output of Avia’s healing magic, combined with various potions and his own blood’s unique regenerative properties, his shattered right arm was mostly healed in a short time.

Wang Yu was not a greedy man. He had never risked his life to pursue legendary artifacts or divine weapons, and he likely never would.

On a summer night more than a year ago, when he spoke with the girl, he had already realized where his foundation lay: in this very body.

All power must ultimately return to the self. That was what Wang Yu insisted upon. There would be better weapons, but why would he ever use this Nameless Demon Armor, riddled with hidden dangers?

Eamon’s claim that one could drive the armor if they could withstand the mental pressure was fundamentally flawed. Those proliferating tissues were the ancient creature’s own regenerative parts.

Assuming it grew to a certain point, it would become a question of whether the armor was driving the user, or the user was driving the armor.

Wang Yu would not grow greedy for such power; these forces that did not belong to his own essence, no matter how formidable, could never serve as his foundation.

"But..." Amon remained dazed, unable to fathom how Wang Yu could so readily reject the strength of this armor after witnessing its sheer might.

"I said I would not use this armor, but I can still accept it. Its true value lies not in the power it grants, but in its very composition; such anti-magic, high-physical-resistance materials are the finest subjects of study for an alchemist."

Wang Yu offered a smile. That he would not wear the armor did not mean it was useless; every property of this suit was a hallmark of the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

These matters would be left to Avia to study; to analyze, to decipher, to utilize—this was precisely what she excelled at and loved.

"I will do my best!" The girl made a gesture of encouragement. Though she was deeply displeased by Wang Yu’s recurring injuries, the nature of the armor piqued her curiosity; if she could decode the properties of those materials, crafting a suit for Wang Yu without hidden perils should be no problem.

"I see." Amon understood Wang Yu’s intent, and his admiration deepened. Unswayed by the allure of the immense power displayed, Wang Yu possessed a steadfastness that few men could comprehend.

"Well, thank you for the armor, and...?" Wang Yu had just begun to speak when a transmission from the Professor arrived, causing his expression to darken slightly.

"What is it?" Avia asked immediately.

"I must head out on a mission with Edward. Stay here, and do not tell Char."

"Understood!" The girl offered no further words, though a flicker of inquiry remained in her eyes, which she promptly suppressed.

"It is the Reid family; those wizards who pry into the threads of fate have caused trouble..." Wang Yu had no intention of keeping the truth from Avia.