"Nngh..."
A faint moan came from the pit and the armoured individual was yet alive.
Are you a cockroach? That's a dragon's claw strike. The true strength of a simple swing of mine!
Bulwark unconsciously took a step backwards but halted at once.
If I can't kill it in one strike, then I'll just have to hit it until the armour shatters.
The paleness of perplexity was instantly swapped with a grin of malice and a barrage of slashes rained down on the crater. Under the exposure to unleashed frenzy, the soil dissolved into thin air.
With a wounded pride, Bulwark simply lost his rationality. His regression to bestial instincts uncorked the restrained might.
The golden scales lit up for a split second, just before a strike that housed enough force that the reality warped around it, descended on the armoured individual.
KABOOM!!!
Through the plates of the armour, Adam can clearly perceive the lethality of that strike. He was thankful to Endevil for providing protection but was also concerned about its durability.
[Worry not, Adam. Although I don't know who forged me or what I'm created out of, the fact that I can withstand that ancient dragon's claw swipe indicates that I'm no ordinary existence. I don't mean to boast, but that beast is yet to live a thousand lives before growing to be a worthy opponent for me.]
Endevil's conviction that it is superior to the aggressive dragon calmed Adam's heart. But it wasn't yet the time to heave a sigh.
'Can't execute glyphs while being oppressed. Can't run away from the restraining aura. Can't even move from the constant assault. Endevil, if you have any ideas, the floor is open.'
The armour didn't reply. The silence indicated that Endevil is also clueless about the situation.
And while wondering about a means of escape, Bulwark scooped him up and vanished from the spot.
Due to the veil of the headgear, the dragon didn't witness the widened eyes of Adam. The nimbleness of the beast was at least two hundred times faster than what he is currently.
The next moment, the earthling felt itself being launched into the air before faceplanting into the dirt.
"Master, this pest is literally undying!"
Bulwark's enraged demeanour had disappeared and what Adam saw was a complaining toddler. It knit the brows in annoyance and frustration while pointing at him.
The earthling climbed up on his knees while staring at the gazebo and the figure in it. The old man let out a burst of hearty laughter before addressing the stranger.
"You are indeed strange, Adam. So strange that the armour my predecessor made came into your hands. Hahahaha..."
The berserker was startled.
How the heck did he know that I was inside the armour? And what's with the 'armour made by my predecessors'?
The headgear disappeared and revealed the mortal's confused demeanour. "What do you mean by that?", he asked.
Trevor didn't reply right away but waved at him to take a seat. As Adam walked towards the chair, a cup with fragrant tea drifted towards him.
Meanwhile, Little Bu was surprised to see that the 'cockroach' was actually someone who has met earlier. Taking the hints from the master's words, it pondered for a bit before lying down with relaxed brows.
Slurp~
A hearty sip and an invigorating sensation began to stir up inside Adam. It was extremely refreshing that he felt his whole body going limp from pure bliss!
"I can tell that you have a lot of uncertainties in your heart. Take your time to savour the flavour and then speak up." Finding the young man's elated demeanour amusing, a considerate and gracious tone rang in his ears.
The next few minutes were ecstatic for Adam. His innards were euphoric and his mind became clear and lucid. The fatigue and discomfort accumulated from the dragon's pressure simply vanished into thin air.
Hah~
Letting out an intoxicated moan, Adam placed the empty cup on the table, only to see it refilling itself. He immediately had an urge to gulp it down, but shook his head and restrained his desire.
"You say that this armour was made by your predecessors?" The earthling probed.
The Sage gave a spirited nod and replied,
"A predecessor, actually.
Do you remember what my position is in the legacy of Sages?"
Adam pondered for a second and spoke, "Fifth."
The Sage smiled and affirmed his answer. "Exactly. That means there were four sages before me."
A long sip from the cup and was placed back on the table.
"We sages leave a solitary life. Even if we live for millennia, our days are still numbered.
Thus my predecessors decided to leave an inconspicuous mark in the world. As a result, each one of them created an artefact so powerful that they last to the end of the worlds.
What you're wearing now is the handiwork of the second sage in our legacy, 'Deity Of Doom'."
Noticing Adam's tilted head, Trevor continued.
"You have already witnessed the presence of supreme deities when you were transmigrated to this world. They are called 'Deities' for a reason.
They are Amortals."
The earthling's brows wrinkled.
Amortals? That's a new term.
"Mortals are those who live and die. Even if they live for millennia, they still are bound to the cycle of life and death.
Immortals are those who have attained perpetuity. Once a person reaches this plane, the existence of death could be predicted and actively evaded. This creates an illusion that the person is beyond the laws of life and death.
But the true badass comes next.
Amortals are those who transcended so hard that they shatter the manacles of the law of rebirth. Their existence warps and metamorphosises into an entirely new being. They no longer need a vessel to contain their soul. The law or path which they have practised primarily becomes their area of control. The existence of immortals and mortals are nothing more than faeces of ant in front of them."
A short pause for a sip of tea and the words continued.
"The second sage lived for a few millennia before he perished. His death was untimely because he fought and sustained grave injuries in the battle against the Amortal of Doom. Yet, after the successful victory, he dragged the corpse of the deity to the mansion where he holed up another thousand years and crafted this armour from the blood, flesh and bones of the amortal."
The Sage raised his head and shot a glance at Little Bu and conveyed. "Now you know why he's indestructible."
Retracting his gaze, Trevor flicked his wrist. An old book appeared floating above his palm with a bright halo.
"This is the diary of the senior. In it, he says that he waited for several centuries for someone worthy to show up. And when the person appeared, he escorted that dwarf into the core section and bestowed the armour to him.
That's how the 'Deity Of Doom' began its voyage."
The Sage's voice faded and the surrounding became silent. Taking it as his cue, Adam verbalised his doubt.
"So there are four more artefacts in the outside world, isn't it?"
Trevor shook his head and corrected him. "Not four, but three. My 'Art of Ascension' is a creation that has extraordinary capabilities. It can bring about significant changes in a person and allows one to grow."
Saying this, the Sage tapped on the surface of the table softly.
Whim~
A beam of light was projected upwards and three vague shadows appeared in it. At a visible rate, the silhouettes acquired colour and displayed their true shapes.
"The first sage was a warmonger. He lived in a time where the existence of magic remained a mystery to the outside world. If not for his generosity to teach the races about the basics of magic and mana, the world wouldn't have developed so far.
Leading a carefree life, he wandered aimlessly. According to his journal, he even visited the other continents lying beyond the perception range of the mainland.
And it was while travelling through an unknown barren land when he saw the sky tearing apart and something falling through the void. It created a boom so deafening and powerful that even the sage was overwhelmed by its might.
After the dust settled, the sage saw that what created a crater of several hundred miles was actually a small lump of unknown sold substance. With a beautiful violet shade, the unknown crystal lie motionless at the centre of the pit.
Absurdly sturdy and impossible to make a dent on, the sage's war spirit woke up. But all the efforts were futile.
After realising that the unknown substance is from a higher plane, the sage took it back to the mansion where he spent hundreds of millennia in seclusion. Through relentless effort, he managed to forge a long, rigid staff from the crystal.
But do you know what the funniest part is? It was later stolen by a monkey!"