Chapter 2282.5- Bronze Mask (2)

Then came profound solemnity.

This was what made Cloud Peak reassuring: they neither underestimated themselves nor were they arrogantly overconfident.

"They call each battalion's commander the Order Leader. Zhongming is a Bronze Order Leader. Many years before him, when this small race had not yet declined, there was a very famous figure who held the same position. He secretly improved the Bronze Order Leader's mask and left on it his... one could call it a legacy, or perhaps some techniques."

Everyone listened as if hearing a story, utterly silent. Even Yangos, who was on air patrol, slowed the beat of his wings, afraid of disturbing the scene below and being dragged down for a beating.

"Zhongming sent word that he is still researching it, still in the process of fully understanding it. What he sent down were only the parts he had already tested."

"Due to some technical issues and material shortages, on Earth we can only produce a watered-down version of the bronze masks. So now, our high-grade bronze masks have three abilities, while the regular versions have only two."

The high-level members exchanged glances—only a few abilities? Wouldn't that be about the level of green or blue equipment?

Le Dayuan smiled and continued, "The two abilities of the regular bronze mask are 'Rapid Assault Kill' and 'Rigid Smile.'"

"The first ability, Rapid Assault Kill: when wearing the mask, it provides the wearer with a fifty percent agility boost. At the same time, it gives the wearer's abilities a two hundred percent initial speed bonus and the corresponding power increase that comes with it."

Le Dayuan already had a regular bronze mask in his hand and pointed to it as he explained.

"That actually sounds like two abilities, doesn't it?" Mo Ye, standing beside Le Dayuan, said after looking at it.

"It certainly does seem like two." Le Dayuan smiled. "But I haven't finished."

"When fighting while wearing the mask, the increase in agility and skill initial speed continuously accumulates energy. Upon reaching a certain point, it automatically triggers, putting the wearer into a five-second Rapid Assault Kill state."

"In this state, all of the attacker's physical stats are doubled."

After he finished, there was a collective intake of breath all around.

No wonder!

No wonder the boss had specially sent this technology down from the sky! No wonder the Red Female Guard had kept one for each member on the spot—just this one ability alone was truly tempting.

Although it was not a direct doubling of combat power, doubling all physical stats brought an obvious boost in combat effectiveness. At lower levels, it could bridge the gap between ranks. Even at higher evolution levels, it could definitely make up for significant disparities, bringing one infinitely closer to the next rank up.

With this, a supremely skilled evolved like Mo Ye, even facing the Demon Whale alone, should be able to put up a fight, right?

But amid the awe and envy, everyone also realized the limitations of this ability.

What made Rapid Assault Kill stronger than some equipment abilities was the final stat-doubling effect—five seconds, enough to do many things.

But it was only five seconds—too short, and the timing was hard to master. On the battlefield, whether one could effectively use those five seconds would determine how much this ability could achieve. After all, the accumulated energy triggered automatically, beyond the wearer's control.

Also, it did not activate at the start of combat but only after fighting for a certain period, which likewise restricted its use.

"The second ability, Rigid Smile: the wearer can, when needed, inject their mental energy into the mask. The mask will continuously make tiny adjustments to the wearer's facial expressions. After some time, it will cause the opponent's body to fall into a rigid state."

"After successfully dragging the target into a negative state, the wearer can choose a moment to make the mask display a large smiling expression. At that point, the rigid target will take damage, with the damage proportional to the duration and degree of rigidity."

Another... charge-up-type ability.

The ability was good, no question. The subtle changes in the mask's expression were not easy to detect in the heat of intense combat. If not detected, one would fall victim. By the time it was noticed, the body was already in a negative state.

The key point was: even if you detected it, could you defend against it? That was not certain—it depended on the mental strength comparison between both sides and the target's willpower. Once afflicted, if one resisted with full force, even if the degree was shallow but the duration long, the final smile would still deal massive damage.

Insidious, covert—truly fitting for an assassin race like the Star-Eye Clan.

But like Rapid Assault Kill, this ability needed time to build up.

During that process, many things could happen, and the opponent could not be swapped around.

"Those are the two abilities of the regular version." Le Dayuan finished and looked around at the circle of figures who could shake the national region with a single stomp, then said with a chuckle, "You all have a good idea now, right? To be honest, the battalion that gets these masks will have to hold the most dangerous and difficult positions in the upcoming battle, to make the most of the masks."

"That is to say, this battalion will become the main force of this campaign! What they will most likely face is the Naga Legion under the Demon Whale's command!"

Cloud Peak's people breathed more softly.

Ah Lang and the Glory Army's Third Army people looked even worse than Cloud Peak's.

Although they had never directly confronted the sea beast legion, they had certainly sought information from every possible channel about the enemy that the national region's leader was fighting—especially since they had decided to reinforce this time, they had done even more detailed intelligence work, and Cloud Peak had also shared much with them.

They had long heard of this Naga Legion that Le Dayuan mentioned.

These pale-blue-skinned monsters, with human-like faces but snake bodies, were the Demon Whale's most relied-upon organized sea beast legion. They had two to five pairs of arms depending on their strength, wielding various weapons. Males excelled in close combat, while females specialized in ice and water magic. Their combat power and organization were top-tier, and their numbers were considerable—currently estimated at around one hundred fifty thousand, with four top-tier Nagas among them. The entire legion's average level was seven!

Such a Naga Legion, capable of both ranged and melee combat and maneuvering with discipline, had already caused Cloud Peak tremendous trouble in previous battles, having forced more than five of Cloud Peak's main combat battalions to retreat on multiple occasions.

Not defeat, but retreat to avoid excessive casualties.

But that was enough to demonstrate the Nagas' combat effectiveness.

If a decisive battle was launched, one battalion would inevitably have to stand firm against them! One could imagine that the casualties would be a staggering number!

Whoever got the masks would have to face them!