This suit of power armor basically represented the highest level of weapons technology from Raythean Industries, and indeed the entire world. Many of its components even involved technology exclusive to Raythean Industries. If anyone else wanted to commission a custom suit, they wouldn't necessarily get approval even if they were obscenely wealthy and offered tens of billions to Raythean Industries. After all, this was no longer a question of money.
However.
As the only daughter of the chairman of Raythean Industries, a true heiress in every sense of the word, Jessica was practically the most precious treasure of the company, especially when compared to the chairmen of other corporate giants who often had a flock of children. She was the recipient of the combined adoration of everyone at Raythean Industries.
Over the years.
Jessica's timidity and cowardice meant that even with the greatest affection in the world, she remained just like any ordinary child. She never caused trouble and had never once proactively asked the family for anything, aside from a little 'snack money'. This often troubled her parents; all their hard work was for nothing more than to let their child stand at the pinnacle of the world from birth, like a prince or princess.
Therefore.
Raythean Industries would do its utmost to satisfy every single one of Jessica's recent requests.
After all, this was the first time in over a decade that their 'princess' had begun to ask for things from their company.
As for their purpose?
Whatever.
As long as the 'princess' was happy. Besides, Jessica's parents had exceptional trust in their daughter.
The moment Patriot's thick fingers touched the power armor.
Numerous parts of the suit seemed to possess a will of their own. Upon contact and receiving the command, these components instantly awakened, crawling up Patriot's three-meter-tall body from his fingers.
Patriot was stunned for a moment.
In all his long years, he had never seen such an advanced piece of equipment. In fact, ever since the Ursus campaigns of foreign expansion had quieted down many years ago, the world's technology had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering transformation, driven by the major technology corporations of Columbia. The conventional artillery shells that were popular when Patriot first enlisted were now so outdated they were no different from primitive cannons.
And the power armor Patriot wore was merely the cutting-edge armor of many years ago.
Times had changed.
What was once cutting-edge was no longer sufficient in the present day.
All the components from the metal container flew out and attached themselves to Patriot's body. In just a few moments, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the Reunion Movement, Patriot's figure was completely concealed beneath the power armor. The surface of the light-black armor was adorned with flowing lines of light, like currents of water, making Patriot look like a mechanical god of death descended from the heavens. As the high-spec energy output port on his chest began to spin, a great plume of white smoke spewed out from all the gaps in the armor, like the exhalation of a colossal beast.
[Welcome, user of Raythean Industries~]
A serious female voice sounded in Patriot's ear.
[Identity verified. User's physical parameters recorded.]
[Race: Wendigo]
[Auxiliary system activated.]
[Please enter your codename:]
Patriot paused and looked at Lucas Reeve.
But Lucas Reeve simply waved his hand. "It's up to you. This is my gift to you, Mr. Patriot. The strong should wield the most advanced weapons in the world."
"Thank you."
A simple 'thank you', yet it conveyed Patriot's heartfelt sincerity. At the same time, Lucas Reeve instantly received a large sum of Prayer Power.
+4000
The level of Prayer Power was comparable to what he had received from Jessica and Hellagur.
"Patriot..."
[Codename confirmed: Patriot]
[Parameters recorded, system parameters verified, user mental-match complete. Raythean Power Armor.]
[Activating.]
With the word 'Activating'.
Instantly.
The three-meter-plus armor worn by Patriot became like a ferocious beast. A crimson glow lit up on its chest, and red lines of energy spread outwards from the center...
At the moment the system activated.
*Pshhh! Pshhh!*
Two metallic containers on either side, which were relatively smaller, also opened.
In the left container lay a massive greatshield, forged from a metal Patriot did not recognize. Its overall style was nearly identical to his previous one, and the Reunion Movement's logo was emblazoned upon it. However, the old Ursus logo had been removed. Once... his shield protected Ursus; now, his shield would protect the Reunion Movement.
On the right side was a long spear. The heavy spear was incredibly sharp. When Patriot grasped it, a weighty sense of power brought him immense joy.
"Come on!!!"
Upon equipping his new weapons, Patriot's heart surged with excitement, as if he had become a hundred years younger, returning to the prime of his hot-blooded and vigorous youth.
Shield in one hand, spear in the other.
Patriot stomped heavily on the ground.
A terrifying wave of Originium energy, amplified by the power armor, instantly spread out like a tide. Even... the sky gradually darkened, as if it could start raining and thundering at any moment.
Every member of the Reunion Movement looked at the invincible figure of Patriot and could not contain their excitement. They knew, of course, that all of this was brought by Lucas Reeve, and these ordinary Infected shouted Lucas Reeve's name excitedly.
"Mr. Lucas Reeve! Mr. Lucas Reeve!! Senior Patriot!!"
Even the Shieldguards were somewhat dazed.
In an instant.
Tears seemed to flow uncontrollably from the eyes of many Shieldguards who had followed Patriot through campaigns in the south and battles in the north.
The invincible Captain, whose name struck fear into the hearts of his enemies, had returned!
On the other side.
The elite independent regiment's colonel, who had been quite disdainful, now frowned, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"This armor! Raythean Industries armor! Where did they get the money to commission a custom suit from Raythean Industries?"
Aid from Raythean Industries?
Impossible...
Raythean Industries is a corporation; they aren't stupid. If they really wanted to provide aid, it would be better to aid his own independent regiment. Aiding an ant-sized Infected organization would be a guaranteed loss. Someone else must be behind it.
However...
Did he really think one suit of armor could change a situation of certain death?
The colonel shook his head again.
Impossible.
"All troops, charge! Crush this Wendigo!"
With the command given.
The entire army surged forward with all its might. The artillery squad, upon reaching their fixed range, had already set up their advanced equipment and begun to load their cannons. The drones in the sky, under the control of the artillery casters, all took aim at Patriot.
"Captain! Let's charge together!"
"No!"
Patriot shook his head.
"You protect the people behind us."
The Shieldguards were about to say something.
However, in the next second, Patriot had already charged forward alone.
The thrusters on the back of his armor continuously fired, propelling Patriot forward. His speed was astonishingly fast, even somewhat beyond the colonel's comprehension.
"This!! He's actually coming alone!! Not good, he's so fast!! Attack!! Attack!!"
The order was given.
The artillery from the rear of the army was instantly unleashed, and the drones in the sky continuously fired their ordnance toward Patriot.
Even if Patriot's speed was incredible, it was impossible to outrun missiles like these.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
With a series of violent explosions.
These new artillery shells possessed power far exceeding the old models from decades ago. Not only were they more accurate and powerful, but the ones on the drones even had a certain degree of tracking capability. Inaccurate shots were now a rarity. Even with Patriot's rapid movement, the shots still landed squarely on him.
"Captain!!"
Seeing Patriot take a direct hit from numerous shells.
The Shieldguards' hearts clenched. As veterans, they knew all too well the power of this artillery. Patriot might not have been able to withstand so many shells of the old type, let alone these, whose power had been increased so much. Even... the tracking function surprised the Shieldguards... had technology changed so much since they left Ursus?
In the center of the battlefield.
The dust had not yet settled.
Suddenly!
A beam of crimson light tore through the dust, piercing the entire battlefield at extreme speed. Wherever it passed, a long gouge was carved into the ground, and an unknown number of soldiers died from that single spear thrust.
When the colonel saw clearly into the center of the dust cloud, his face fell instantly.
Patriot, who he thought would have died miserably under the ceaseless explosions, was completely fine. At most, some of the paint on his armor had chipped.
"How is that possible!! Why is the Wendigo completely unharmed!!!"
The colonel was in disbelief.
He couldn't believe a suit of armor could withstand so many direct, continuous artillery bombardments. Even if the armor could block the shrapnel, the most lethal part of an explosion is the shockwave. The armor might be able to withstand it, but the Wendigo's body absolutely could not endure countless such impacts!
Why!!!
Looking at the astonished expressions on the other side, Lucas Reeve couldn't help but want to laugh.
They had gravely underestimated the level of Raythean Industries' most cutting-edge technology.
One could say.
Patriot's power armor, greatshield, and long spear were, in fact, all staves.
Many external parts of the power armor were made directly from D32 steel, the hardest steel available today. While it wasn't so extravagant as to be made entirely of D32, this steel was used for crucial parts. Furthermore, as a staff, the power armor gained a special property after fusing with Originium energy.
It could mitigate a little less than half of an explosion's impact, while the exterior could reduce damage from Arts.
The greatshield could reduce a portion of the direct explosive energy from projectiles, and the long spear could absorb Originium energy to unleash even greater power.
These three staff-weapons were massive consumers of Originium energy. Only a powerhouse like Patriot, whose internal Originium energy was as vast as the ocean, could wield them to their fullest potential. An ordinary person would probably be drained dry after just one minute of combat.
However.
That wasn't all.
[Noble Phantasm: Knight of Owner]
Under this energy's amplification, the power armor's original light-black color turned to pure black, and crimson patterns constantly flickered across its surface. The greatshield did the same. As for the thrown spear, under Lucas Reeve's control, it seemed to have a will of its own. The shaft trembled, and then its tail thrusters ignited, returning it precisely to Patriot's hand.
Noble Phantasm: Raythean Power Armor, granted property: Defense Amplification
Noble Phantasm: Patriot's Greatshield, granted property: Defensive Barrier
Noble Phantasm: Patriot's Long Spear, granted property: Sharpness
This was their strongest form now, Patriot's and his. If his previous battle against the Emperor's Blade represented the peak of the Wendigo's primitive strength, then now... this was the Wendigo's most powerful state, a combination of his own power, technology, and Lucas Reeve.
Clad in pitch-black armor with swirling crimson patterns, Patriot now resembled a prehistoric monster. The pressure he exuded alone was enough to rival the entire independent regiment.
The colonel swallowed hard.
He refused to believe it!
It was just one man!!
He gave the order again. This time, artillery, crossbows, and casters attacked in unison. A dense wave of arrows and dark energy orbs overlapped, continuously flying towards Patriot. At the same time, an unknown number of cannons fired again, striking Patriot with precision.
Patriot marched forward, shield raised. The pitch-black greatshield, covered in crimson lines, protected his entire body.
The property granted by the Noble Phantasm caused a large crimson light screen to extend from the shield's surface, deflecting attacks from all directions.
This ferocious firepower seemed incapable of inflicting any damage on the current Patriot. He was now like an indestructible fortress wall. With every step he took forward, the hearts of every soldier in the independent regiment skipped a beat.
At this moment, it wasn't just the colonel whose eyes were wide with shock; the Black Serpent, hidden within the ranks, also stared in disbelief.
He just couldn't understand.
Why could this soul, which was just like any other, possess so many abilities?
The Black Serpent could tell at a glance.
Patriot alone was nothing to fear.
But... why did this soul named Lucas Reeve make Patriot so terrifying!!