Chapter Five: The Sacred Armor System

Soon enough, the little demons engulfed the three burly men.
“Wow, the King is so powerful!”
“Our King is invincible!”
“As the sun rises in the East, only the King remains undefeated!”
Amidst a chorus of praise, Sun Licheng approached the fallen foes, only to find that they had vanished, leaving behind nothing but weapons and tattered armor.

“Is this a dream? How can it feel so real?”
Cautiously, Sun Licheng examined the enemy’s gear, his mind full of questions. Since there was an electronic synthesized voice earlier, there must be a system. He searched his mind and, sure enough, made a discovery: a Saint Warrior system had appeared in his mind, divided into Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Divine Saint Warrior levels. As he was currently a Silver Saint Warrior, he could craft Dark Armor, Bronze Armor, and Silver Armor.

“Unfortunately, I can’t unlock Gold Armor yet.”
Sun Licheng sighed regretfully. When it came to Saint Warriors, he believed that apart from the Twelve Gold Palaces, none could match the Five Heroes—Pegasus, Dragon, Swan, Andromeda, and Phoenix.

After some deliberation, Sun Licheng chose the Andromeda Armor. Though its pink hue made him look somewhat effeminate, the Nebula Chain was formidable—it could attack and defend, and even had a pager function, making it practically unbeatable.

In the mountain stronghold’s hall, Sun Licheng sat on the throne clad in his Andromeda Armor, while below him gathered the various leaders of the stronghold. Only now did Sun Licheng realize that, despite the fierce battle earlier, his forces suffered little loss. Even Pinocchio and Benbo Ba had returned.

“These fools were clearly just playing dead.”
Looking at his band of gluttons, Sun Licheng’s heart wept.

Sweeping his gaze over his subordinates, Sun Licheng changed his mind. Their equipment was abysmal—not only lacking armor, but woefully short on weapons. They wielded nothing but battered knives, pitchforks, or sticks. How could they possibly stand against the fully armored tin soldiers whose swords were taller than the men themselves?

“We have the will to kill the enemy, but lack the strength to turn the tide!”
Master Dongguo seemed to sense his thoughts and spoke up.

“Everyone, how do we solve the equipment problem?”
Sun Licheng asked the assembly.

“Your Majesty, now that we’ve defeated the enemy, we can use their gear to arm ourselves. The weapons and armor can be transformed with just a thought.”
Little Red Riding Hood replied.

“I see.”
Sun Licheng understood. He looked at the armor and weapons left by the three giants—there was quite a lot.

He considered making Saint Armor for his subordinates, the strongest equipment he knew. Unfortunately, Bronze Armors and above possessed souls and required their own masters; his little demons could never gain the approval of the armor.

After some experimentation, Sun Licheng found that he could at least let his followers wear Dark Saint Armor.

Though reluctant, reality was as it was, and Sun Licheng was forced to compromise.

Soon, Sun Licheng had several Dark Saint Warrior leaders.

Being a cultured man, Master Dongguo chose the Dark Swan Armor. Wearing it, he became so excited that he unleashed the Black Blizzard, scattering black snowflakes and earning cheers from the crowd.

Little Red Riding Hood, claiming her status as a woman, chose the Dark Eagle Armor, while Granny Wolf surprisingly picked the Dark Pegasus Armor. The two of them, radiating flirtatious energy, made Sun Licheng avert his gaze.

Benbo Ba and Ba Bo Ben donned the Dark Dragon Armor, becoming the Dark Dragon Brothers.

Finally, a prideful Pinocchio put on his beloved Dark Phoenix Armor, looking spectacularly impressive.

No matter what, once the leaders were clad in Dark Saint Armor, the stronghold gained a touch of military discipline, giving Sun Licheng some comfort.

“By the way, who are we fighting?”
Sun Licheng asked Little Red Riding Hood.

“Our enemy is the Justice League founded by the Holy Hall.”
Her answer perplexed Sun Licheng.

“What about us?”
He pressed further.

“We are the great Bloody Stronghold, the embodiment of evil!”
Little Red Riding Hood replied proudly, and the subordinates cheered loudly.

Sun Licheng covered his face.

No matter what, the war had begun, and Sun Licheng could only fight to the end.

“The King is on the march!”
With a rousing shout, Sun Licheng began his wicked campaign, surrounded by his little demons.

At Sacred Mountain, headquarters of the Justice League, within the towering castle, the deity sat on the throne, deep in thought.

He was not yet accustomed to everything before him. Though he could interact with this world, the rules within his sea of consciousness severely restricted him. For example, he could only send troops to attack Sun Licheng, not fly directly and kill him himself. Worse still, this castle had become a prison—unless Sun Licheng stormed it, he could not use the counterattack rule to leave.

“Sigh…”
The deity let out a deep sigh.

“Report…”
The herald’s voice jolted him awake—a warrior clad in full plate armor, bearing a triangular flag on his back.

“What is it?”
The deity asked lazily.

“Our forces have been routed by the Bloody League. According to reports from the front, the enemy’s army is approaching the first defensive line.”
The herald’s answer surprised the deity.

“Those three weren’t strong, but how did they get defeated? Pass down my order: the first line must kill their leader.”
Though puzzled, the deity quickly gave the command.

…………
With a scream, an enemy in full armor was shredded by the Nebula Chain.

“Charge!”
Little Red Riding Hood’s shrill voice echoed across the battlefield, and a swarm of little demons rushed toward the village ahead.

“Storm the village, don’t sheath your blades for three days!”
Amidst the running, a large rat shouted, rousing the surrounding demons with excitement.

The village’s few remaining guards fought back desperately, shouting words Sun Licheng couldn’t understand as they battled the little demons in every corner. Yet, against overwhelming numbers, their resistance was futile. Soon, the demon soldiers broke into the village.

Watching black smoke rise from the village, Sun Licheng straightened his Andromeda Armor, preparing to enter.

Just then, a thunderous roar erupted from the village, shaking the earth itself. A swarm of little demons was hurled skyward, raining down with cries of agony.

Sun Licheng was stunned.

“A giant is coming, run!”
Granny Wolf, on all fours and carrying Little Red Riding Hood, dashed out of the village, followed by the scattering demon soldiers.

With a deafening crash, a giant ten meters tall smashed through the wall and charged out. Though not armored, his tattooed skin gleamed with a blue sheen, clearly tough as iron. In his hand, a seven-meter wooden club swept through everything like a bulldozer.

With a scream, the brave Pinocchio was hit by the club, sent flying like a cannonball, fragments of his Dark Phoenix Armor falling in a perfect arc.

Knowing his subordinates’ strength, Sun Licheng sprinted a few steps and shouted, “Nebula Chain!”

Two chains shot out swiftly, binding the giant tightly.

Before Sun Licheng could rejoice, the giant bit his lip, his entire body tensed, and with a roar, snapped the Nebula Chain.

“This is way too powerful!”

Sun Licheng cried out, coughing up blood—the damage to his armor had backlashed upon him.

“It hurts, damn it hurts!”
Clutching his chest in pain, Sun Licheng turned and ran, the enraged giant hot on his heels.

“The King has fallen! Run!”
Seeing Sun Licheng defeated, the little demons scattered in panic.

Compared to the giant, Sun Licheng’s legs were far too short, and he felt the giant closing in.

“Pegasus Meteor Fist!”
In desperation, Sun Licheng switched to the Pegasus Armor and launched a counterattack, but… it was useless!

The charging giant was completely unaffected.

“Gold Saint Warrior!”
Sun Licheng shouted in his mind.

“Sorry, insufficient permissions.”
The system replied coldly.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the giant’s club swung down. Though it missed Sun Licheng, it sent stones flying; one struck him mid-run, throwing him off balance and to the ground.

Thrilled, the giant raised his massive foot and stomped down.

Relying on instinct, Sun Licheng rolled right, narrowly dodging.

The giant’s foot came again.

“What do I do? What do I do?”
Sun Licheng rolled repeatedly, frantically considering which Bronze or Silver Saint Warrior could handle this behemoth.

After nearly ten stomps, the giant still hadn’t crushed Sun Licheng and grew enraged, howling as he grabbed his club from the ground.

Suddenly, Sun Licheng shouted, and his armor transformed from pink to sky blue; the armguards took the shape of arrow feathers.

“Piercing Arrows!”
Sun Licheng cried.

The giant felt countless arrows streaking toward him and hastily shielded his face with his hands.

This was the moment Sun Licheng had waited for, and he unleashed his ultimate move.

“Ah…”
With a scream, a massive arrow struck the giant’s forehead, its force nearly piercing through his skull, leaving only a fragment of the tail visible.

The giant’s pupils dilated, his arms fell limp, his club crashed to the earth with a tremendous bang, and then, with an even greater crash, the giant toppled backward, raising a cloud of dust.

“Bah, this guy could even hit the goddess Athena in the past—what chance did a big oaf like you have?”
Clad in the Sagitta Armor, Sun Licheng spat at the giant, speaking fiercely.

Just then, Sun Licheng heard a chime in his mind, “Gold Saint Warrior unlocked.”

Before he could rejoice, the sound of countless footsteps rushed from behind. Turning, he saw his little demons returning.

“Storm the village—leave no chicken or dog alive!”
In the crowd, clad in the Dark Eagle Armor, Little Red Riding Hood shouted, her piercing voice slicing through the sky.