Chapter 227 - Sky Ice Battle Armor
In that instant, Wu Zhangkong raised his head, sweeping his eyes over his Skyfrost Sword as he spit out two words.
“Sky. Ice.”
Hearing those two words, Shen Yi trembled even as her eyes widened. Yet, in their evergreen depths sparked a trace of excitement. It had been ages since she had last seen Wu Zhangkong, and even longer since she had witnessed Sky Ice.
A bright radiance enveloped Wu Zhangkong’s body as his Skyfrost Sword also flashed with a brilliant light and instantly fused with his body. The expressions of the surrounding mecha pilots changed when they saw their target vanish.
“He’s over there,” someone shouted, and they all looked to the sky.
Wu Zhangkong had ascended higher. His classic white robes were gone; instead, shining white lights glowed from his forehead, shoulders, chest, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, and feet. Silver threads woven through the lights formed an intricate design, drawing strength to him and it soon overflowed into his aura.
A sky-blue crystal droplet materialized from the radiance around his forehead, followed by a band of white that circled his head as the droplet’s support. Five snowflake-like tips rose from the top of the band to form a crown while the elegant silver thread design solidified until it exuded an aura of magnificence. Two white metal bands ran down from either side of the crown past his ears to cradle his cheeks, their very appearance like streams of cold air.
The rest of his armor, starting from his neck, manifested after that. Wu Zhangkong was clad in a sparkling suit of armor at the end of the transformation, his attire dyed in a brilliant white and highlighted with silver.
His body was bathed in luminescence, his eyes the most sparkling of sapphires. The six soul rings were absorbed into his armor and in his hands appeared a sword about one-and-a-half meters in length. This was the Sky Ice Skyfrost Sword.
Both the hilt and the blade were pure white. However, while the hilt’s tip resembled a snowflake, the blade’s edge flaunted a crystalline-blue hue.
Although Wu Zhangkong’s looks were originally on another level, now that he wore brilliant armor that accentuated his features, he transformed into a graceful white knight. Shen Yi’s eyes sparkled as she took in his splendor.
“Now this is the real him. Sky Ice Wu Zhangkong, is back.”
“Battle armor!” Long Huantian and Zhang Zhenpeng cried out in unison.
At this realization, the mechas that were about to attack froze suddenly. Some of the lesser white mechas even began to lay down their cannons.
A battle armor master. He’s actually a battle armor master!
If Tang Wulin was conscious then, he would definitely be the most excited person around. He had always been yearning to see battle armor in action!
As Wu Zhangkong pointed his sword downward, his aura continued to surge with power.
It had been ages since he last spoke the two words ‘Sky Ice’... Bitter pain erupted from within the depths of his deep blue eyes.
Just like mechas, battle armors had their own rankings. However, this particular ranking system was strange.
At its core, a suit of battle armor was similar to a super mecha. This was because both were forged personally by a soul master and acted as an extension of and became a major component of the user’s strength. A battle armor master would be twenty soul ranks stronger than any soul master of the same soul power rank. If a soul master had five rings and equipped a one-word battle armor, his strength would be equivalent to that of a seven-ringed soul master.A two-word battle armor master could match a soul master with eight rings, and so forth.
Battle armor was divided into four levels. With each increase in level, another word would be added to the battle armor’s name.
One-word battle armor: Every piece of armor was made of thousand refined metal and required five rings minimum to use.
Two-word battle armor: Every piece of armor was made of spirit refined metal and required six rings minimum to use.
Three-word battle armor: Every piece of armor was made of soul refined metal and required seven rings minimum to use.
Four-word battle armor: Every piece of armor was made of divine refined metal and required nine rings minimum to use.
When Wu Zhangkong was a one-word battler armor master, he named his battle armor ‘Ice’. It was customary to add the name of one’s battle armor to one’s own. Therefore, he was called Ice Wu Zhangkong in the world of soul masters at that period of his life.
Later on, he expended much time and effort to upgrade his battle armor to two-word, After his success, he stitched on the word ‘Sky’ from his Skyfrost Sword, amending his battle armor’s name to ‘Sky Ice’. Thus, he became Sky Ice Wu Zhangkong.
The ‘Sky’ originated from his Skyfrost Sword while the ‘Ice’ came from the name of his beloved. He did not use his battle armor lightly; he feared the intense longing for her that would come with it. Though he wished to follow her into the next life, he could not until he fulfilled their promise.
Battle armor masters held a supreme position throughout the entire continent. Even government officials would withdraw from any disputes involving one of them. In the end, they would be forced to call in another battle armor master aligned with the government to settle the problem. Indeed, only a battle armor master could face another battle armor master.
On the Douluo Continent, they were the most regal of existences.
The reason Shrek Academy still held onto so much power and influence was precisely because it possessed the strongest battle armor master force!
Mecha pilots couldn’t hope to compare with them. Even if there was a rarely seen black mecha, its pilot would still treat Wu Zhangkong with the utmost courtesy. Now equipped with Sky Ice, Wu Zhangkong’s strength soared to match that of an eight-ringed expert.
“You have harmed my disciple. If he sustains any lasting wounds, then you will pay with your life.” Wu Zhangkong icy voice was quiet, but each word was clear to everyone present. He directed a domineering gaze at Zhang Zhenpeng.
His target wasn’t the two Zhou sisters; they were children after all. No, to feed without teaching was the father’s fault; to teach without severity was the teacher’s laziness. The one he begrudged was their teacher! When Zhang Zhenpeng had questioned him in that belittling manner, his fury had been fanned like a rising flame.
Zhang Zhenpeng paled in front of Wu Zhangkong. A two-word battle armor master! He’s actually a two-word battle armor master! Disregarding Zhang Zhenpeng, there wasn’t a single person in Sealand City that would dare offend someone of this stature.
Battle armor masters were the most powerful and unwavering of soul masters. Compared to building a mecha, it was ten-times harder to craft a battle armor of the same level.
Considering how young Wu Zhangkong was, and the fact that he was already a two-word battle armor master, his prospects were boundless. It was likely he would one day stand at the continent’s summit.
A sudden tremble ran through Wu Zhangkong’s body. His sword began to buzz as his battle armor erupted with silvery light all of a sudden. It was dazzling even in the bright of day.
All of the mechas took defensive maneuvers while Long Huantian and Zhang Zhenpeng were simply overwhelmed with shock. Is he actually attacking?
In the blink of an eye, Shen Yi ascended into the skies. Viridian wafts flowed around her while strands of white hair floated behind. The green streams of air soon transformed into symbols branding her body, then metamorphosed into lights similar to those that had covered Wu Zhangkong. The only difference was their color; these spots of radiance were green.
A halo of emerald light spiraled around her body, like a vine climbing a pole. A breath later, she was clad in green armor with viridian highlights.
It was another battle armor!
There were clear differences between the two battle armors. Where as Wu Zhangkong’s was sleek, hers was embedded with leaves that spun outward.
Wu Zhangkong’s battle armor’s faulds were short but Shen Yi’s skirt reached past her thighs. It exuded a more feminine allure. In her hands sat a moss-toned whip. An emerald bead bursting with vitality was embedded at the tip.
The entire set of armor breathed with life, dispelling the chill in the stadium instantly.
“Zhangkong, stop!” Shen Yi ordered.
Despite the fact that battle armor masters were supreme existences, they still had their own hierarchy. One would be disciplined if one blundered. In some aspects, the greater one’s strength, the greater the restrictions.