Chapter 285 B4 Chapter 41 - Armor Of Heaven

Vivi emerged from The Lost Raindrop, feeling much taller and bulkier than usual. Her footsteps left heavy clanks, though she barely noticed the weight due to the swiftness runes. The ether-enhanced enirium didn’t just reflect the facets’ shine; the wisps inside the metal created a heavenly white flow. Her armor looked more like a thick and perfectly controlled coating of ether. And that was essentially what the armor did, containing Vivi’s aura and shaping it with runes.

The construction workers of the Lowmoor district, who were still working on the old wooden buildings on the opposite side, saluted, or bowed. Some even got down to one knee. One said, “Praise the Ethersmith!” and everyone else followed. Not quite in unison, but everyone said it.

Vivi took off her helmet. “Please stop. I’m not some god to worship.” Everyone stayed in their respectful postures regardless. “Raise your heads, please…”

An interesting reception to have after… however many days she’d spent in the smithy. Probably around eight or nine. Maybe ten or eleven. Creating armor turned out to be a bigger pain than she’d thought, but she was very much proud of the results.

Many of the construction workers continued watching her. She had less than two thousand ether in her aura right now, but the wrapping of armor made her feel incredible, like she could rush into any battle and escape without a scratch.

Runeswords already felt euphoric to wield. A good set of armor was even worse. It probably wasn’t healthy to feel this good. Lower the amount of ether, please, Vivi thought, nudging Lucius to lower her aura to five hundred wisps, just enough to push ether into all of the dozens of runes inside the different parts of her armor.

The mental notion of shaping less ether made Lucius do it pretty much automatically, much more effectively than asking him to do something. He was taken aback, as if snapping out of a daydream. “We’re gods, Vivi,” he said. “This is insane. I feel like I’m in the body of a sixth elevation hunter right now. Your armor channels ether better than any hunter I know.”

Vivi grinned and stepped toward the Runes And Rain company. She knocked.

Umbra opened the door, and visibly flinched at the sight of the flow of ether, as if a bright surgeway had just appeared on the doorstep. Once again, Vivi was afraid she’d be met with shock and praise. Even to Vivi herself, the sight of her armor on the mirror was quite a sight to behold.

“That’s… armor, right?” Umbra asked.

“Three-runed enirium,” Vivi said. “Enhanced by strength, swiftness, and flow. For the breastplate, I also added a fourth rune for mass in case I need a tougher defence.”

Some of the bits, like the greaves and the gauntlets, only had strength and swiftness runes, but she barely noticed a difference overall. Inside-carved armor felt way more powerful than Grandpa had initially thought.

Even outside-carved armor protected the wielder enough to stop any ordinary runesword. The problem was the insane amount of ether that outside-carved armor leaked into the air.

Inside-carving didn’t leak. It did the opposite. Vivi’s aura felt perfectly controlled.

“Arrange a meeting with Coshi and everyone included,” Vivi said. “I’m ready to depart.”

***

The Nemonns’ dining hall filled up with most of everyone Vivi had visited last week, alongside a number of the Luminary’s Lights. Coshi wore an almost festive outfit that was still somehow fitting for battle. Her hair was tied in a bun. She wore shorts and a midriff shirt, and her usual strings of silk on top. Civar seemed ready to report on progress, and Cael and Alda had hopefully found information in Paradise. Only the ballistics team and the miners weren’t present. The room wouldn’t have fit many more guests.

Vivi stepped in with her armor radiating a beautiful aura of two thousand ether, and for once, she truly felt like the most powerful being in the room. Anthony would no longer stand a chance against her, not unless Vivi also crafted armor for him.

“I am fairly certain,” Vivi said, “that almost nothing can pierce this armor.”

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Nobody argued against that. Coshi silently grinned from her seat at the end of the table, with Anthony studying her intently. Many of the Luminary’s Lights were stiff, as if trying to appear as respectful as possible. The same went to Alda and Cael, though they weren’t quite as nervous.

“So you’ve once again invented something world-breaking,” Coshi said. “What is the name of this creation?”

“It’s hardly a new invention,” Vivi said. “It’s just inside-carved armor. To my knowledge, the most powerful armor created.”

The assumption was safe enough to make. Grandpa had only created one set of armor due to their heavy cost and lack of buyers. Jonah had experimented as well, but he never managed anything more than a breastplate with two runes, and he used cheaper materials.

A full plate armor of enirium, with three runes and tightly shaped veins, was realistically the best the world had ever seen.

“The only question is, will the best armor be enough to hold against the strongest fighters,” Vivi said. “I’m not sure. Civar, did my request show any results?”

Civar looked nervous to have attention shift to him. “Perhaps not in the way you requested,” he said. “We have invented… a device.” He reached into his sack on the back-rest of his chair, and pulled out…

A ball. Perfectly round with red lines painted across it—the type of ball that Fellwater’s men liked to kick around as a game on the rare days that it wasn’t too muddy outside. Vivi furrowed her brows. “A kick ball?”

“Yes…” Civar said hesitantly, as if afraid of scrutiny were he to explain his creation. “One that has been profoundly filled up with enhancement strings. It’s an interesting solution, but I’m afraid this was the only way we could create anything potent enough to affect the cores of fifth elevation hunters.”

He reached into his sack again, this time revealing a tube of glass filled with pieces of ether root lined up inside, creating an enhancement string.

“This is what we’re calling the vacuum string,” Civar explained. “It combined nix and shockwave runes for an interesting effect I can’t quite explain yet, but the effects of which we have tested. By filling an object with the vacuum string, the object draws ether upon itself through physical contact.”

“So by making contact with the ball,” Vivi asked, “the ball draws the target’s ether?”

“That’s what the nix rune by itself would do,” Civar said. “By combining it with a shockwave rune, and some flow runes for a greater effect, the function creates a rather violent outburst. By applying excessive force to this ball, such as kicking it, the energy of the attack will be greatly amplified and sent straight to the attacker’s core.”

“Oh,” Vivi said, thinking of the implications. “And how powerful will it be?”

“Immensely destructive,” Civar said. “I do not recommend any live being to kick this. It’s certainly powerful enough to break any hunter, no matter how many years of channeling in the mountains they may have lived through. They just need to… kick it.”

“Hm,” Vivi said. It wasn’t exactly a platform or a snare weapon, but if used correctly, it could certainly be potent. As a trap, it could perhaps be just ample enough. “Thank you, Civar. Amazing work.”

He lowered his head, though he still didn’t look proud of his creation.

“I mean it,” Vivi said. “I’m fairly sure this will see use. We’ll bring the ball and the vacuum string with us. I wish to thank everyone included.”

He remained bowed. “Thank you, Vivian.”

Next, she turned to the Darkwinds. “Cael, Alda, have you gathered anything from Paradise?”

“We have,” Cael said. “May I begin?”

“Please.”

“For one,” Cael said, “Ythar’s Empire is in chaos, from the surface to the third level. Over half of all cities and towns have either been evacuated, abandoned, or destroyed.”

“Half?” Vivi asked, surprised. A typical storm season destroyed a few dozen towns, if even that. A city falling would be a major disaster. “Half of all cities?”

Cael’s eyes were grim. “The hunters simply can’t handle this many monsters. Not if they all gathered together, and not if they’re still clashing with each other, as they seem to be doing.”

Vivi felt a terrible cloud approaching her head at the news she was about to hear. “Please continue,” she reluctantly said.

“Hunting companies are no longer fighting for who gains the right for storms,” Cael said. “They’re instead fighting for safety. The strongest hunting companies have claimed the right to defend the largest, and safest cities, while lesser groups are being sent to evacuate towns and cities. Most of said lesser groups have just kind of… refused.”

“So towns and cities are just being abandoned?” Vivi asked.

Cael’s expression darkened further. “Abandoned is the lightest word I can use. Humanity is dying, and the blame is being shifted to the weaker hunting companies, who are too cowardly to perform their duty. Slowly, though, the hunters seem to be coming to an agreement that even larger cities are at risk of falling. More and more companies are migrating to safety. Then there’s the whole new problem of Ythar’s sub-sovereigns crying about, ordering hunters around.”

Vivi could only bite her lip while Cael continued.

“The only two truly safe cities seem to be Surchester, due to the large number of hunters, and Ranewal, due to whom the hunters call Abyss Devils. Ranewal has been breached and the people are hardly being fed, but the city is being kept safe.”

“Yeah, Abyss Devils does sound like something the hunters would come up with,” Vivi said. “What do you know about them?”

Cael glanced at Alda, with both of them looking hesitant. Cael said, “The most interesting detail is their leader… A hunter who was thought to be dead, but has now obtained a new spirit and appeared in Paradise.”

Lucius’s presence blinked, as if he already knew who would get mentioned.

“It’s Crilla Songwind,” Cael said. “Lucius’s previous wielder.”