Prodigy Prince's Private Transport Station.

Location:

Geostationary orbit above supercontinent Henosis.

Because of the delivery's nature, the package dropped from the station was equipped with high-speed propulsion and reinforced protection against re-entry burn-up.

There was no need to slow down—only to go faster.

As such, the package would crash down onto the designated drop site above the speed of sound.

A metallic, capsule-shaped object descended from the heavens, its surface glowing with rainbow hues from the heat and stress of re-entry. Yet, it held together.

[Time to impact... 10 seconds]

[Subject Ferris detected near impact zone... Adjusting course]

[!Unknown terrain! Adjusting course]

[Time to impact... 1 second]

Boom!

The sonic boom hit everyone's ears as it was followed by a brief quake beneath them.

"Interesting..." Tianqin eased himself as he shivered. "Why am I shaking? I wonder..."

Tapping his heart, the old man breathed heavily as if to check his physical state.

Whatever it was, it was enough to make Artemis confused—and Tianqin terrifyingly happy.

The corners of Tianqin's mouth parted upwards into a wide smile as he stared at Ferris.

Unfortunately, Ferris was already gone at that point.

"Damnit, I'll chase after him." Artemis stomped her foot in anger, preparing to transform.

"No, wait. You should go somewhere else and rest for the night... It's past your bedtime anyway."

The wyvern shook her head and tail. "No way! Not until I see him dead like you promised!"

"I promise, but I'll fulfill it later.

Right now, Artemis...

My blood has a pleasant pulsation that I simply can't ignore."

"You're saying weird things again!"

***

After sliding down the canyon, Ferris landed on the bedrock and entered a space filled with dust and debris.

It's so foggy here, but I can feel where that landed.

Ferris proceeded to walk toward the direction with the most interesting particles of essence.

Noticing that the cold and suffocating essence of Tianqin was nowhere to be seen, Ferris assumed that it was intentional.

He did get a weird feeling from him after all.

Strong people tend to be more bored than others—quick to act, quick to decide, and even quicker to go back on themselves.

But despite such qualities, Who was strong enough to stop them and tell them off?

Perhaps Ferris could, but that was a question up in the air.

There. Ferris' senses locked onto a specific spot, but compared to the rest of the foggy view, it wasn't that different.

But he knew for a fact that whatever came down from the sky, it landed there.

Trekking across the chaotic terrain of rock and pieces of the museum, Ferris quickly found himself at the landing site.

Ungraceful, was the first word that came to his mind.

Could this really be called a landing?

In front of him was a capsule-like object that was around twice his size.

Although it had what looked to be landing legs extended downward, not even half of them were touching the ground.

But regardless of its unpleasant state, Ferris couldn't be any happier.

This must be what he sent!

. . .

He dropped his smile back down. Compared to the technology he was familiar with—even the battle mechs of Prodigy Prince, this one was quite out of place.

But what is it?

Bweem.

An array of light went over his body a few times. Three times in quick succession, and one last slow scan.

[Recognized, Ferris]

A voice entered his ears, but it felt a little off.

It was as if a silent wave directly vibrated his eardrums so that no one else would hear it—a very good security measure, to say the least. Only the sharpest senses could even pick it up as whispers.

Strange technology was definitely at play here. This wasn't Prodigy Prince's style.

[Awaiting confirmation with master control key...

Confirmed]

A hiss came out from the capsule before a tiny crevice appeared on the flat surface as if someone began to draw on it with a sharp pen.

Then, it opened up like an egg, its top half flapped for a few seconds before tossing itself away.

This is way too slow... What if the museum was intact? I'd have to fight my way to get this close, Ferris thought, a little disappointed but also a little grateful as well.

In any case, I can't see what's inside from down here.

Ferris began climbing the capsule, using his sword essence on his hand to bury his fingers onto the flat surface.

It looked damaged from the start anyway, so he hoped that the hero wouldn't mind just a tiny bit more damage.

Slowly peeking his face inside the capsule, he saw something quite terrifying and, at the same time, remarkable.

It was a set of full body armor, and a sword.

Ferris would've been happy if it ended like that, but... there was a particular helmet he noticed.

The helmet that he saw in front of him bore a striking resemblance to the knight'ish person he saw in Judas' memories during the escape from the facility.

Judging by the more compact design of the armor, this one was definitely an upgraded version.

Other than a few scratches on the metal, it looked brand new.

This can't be...

Did Prodigy Prince really send this?

Ferris lifted himself to stand on top of the capsule as he began considering the possibilities.

Prodigy Prince would've been a kid back then.

Even if the theory that Juvenile Genius and Prodigy Prince are the same person, it's just simply too early—considering that the person he saw wearing this suit was a fully grown man.

Whoever or whatever connection this had with the S-Class hero was for another day, as those questions went to the growing pile of things for Prodigy Prince to answer.

For now, there was only one thing on his mind.

I so want to wear this.

Ferris dug his arms inside the egg as if he were a filthy raccoon scrounging for leftovers. Surprisingly enough, it was easy to take the armor off—and even more surprising, it used the same mechanism and design as the old armors he was familiar with.

First, there was a bodysuit with certain connection parts, but unlike his old world, this one was more tight-fitting to his figure.

However, he did have to strip down to his underwear to wear it, just like the familiar armors he once wore.

Next were the pieces of armor—boot, shin, knee guard, lap, and the rest of the upper half of his body.

They were all simple in design, metallic in look but marble in texture. They were also light, and tapping on them made them feel like plastic.

But that didn't deter Ferris, as he quickly found himself wearing everything except the helmet.

It feels so loose? I'm sure I did it correctly.

This thing didn't come with a manual, darn it... Ferris thought that Prodigy Prince was simply in a hurry and didn't have time to put in a manual, let alone a message.

Finding it difficult to figure out the armor, he had no choice but to complete the entire set.

He grabbed the helmet, which still bothered him greatly—it looked exactly like the helmet he saw before.

Seamless stainless-steel design, and no discernible openings that allowed for vision.

It's as light as the rest. All of this feels like cardboard, Ferris worried for his life at the thought.

The inside didn't look too appealing either; it was hard to recognize anything he knew of its design or practical use.

The only thing he recognized, though, was that the large opening under the helmet was for the head to go through.

I mean... That's painfully obvious.

Despite the small-looking opening, his head went through surprisingly well. It was a perfect fit!

As expected...

I can't see crap, it's like I'm wearing a metal bucket—

"!"

Before he could even finish his thoughts, his skintight suit suddenly felt even tighter as the loose armor fitted itself together to follow his body shape, leaving no gaps for even air to pass through.

Steelblade Electronics.

That was the logo that appeared in front of him before the blackness faded away, revealing the foggy area again as if he had never even worn the helmet in the first place.

It feels unreal... It honestly feels like I'm...

butt naked right now...

Not ignoring the strange feeling, Ferris focused on it even more.

This armor was a part of him—and not in a metaphorical way. It really did feel like it was just himself and his physical body.

Knock knock.

Ferris tapped his wrist twice. Thankfully, he didn't feel anything, so the thought of experiencing pain in every clash was now gone.

Living armors do exist... Thankfully, this isn't one.

But... I don't feel anything different.

No matter how light an armor is, how strong it is, or how advanced it is, there aren't many things in this world that can withstand a Fourth Layer Knight.

Maybe the weapon is the trump card!

Ferris hurriedly rushed back to the capsule and pulled out the sword stored there.

A longsword! A good sign!

Unsheathing the blade from its leather sheath, Ferris immediately saw the worn-out blade that barely shined.

Prodigy Prince... I trusted you... Ferris lampooned.

He silently stared at the sword gifted to him. It didn't look too technologically advanced compared to the suit he was wearing.

But now, seeing the terrible appearance, he began to notice how sharp it was.

A sword that has seen battle countless times and is well maintained is infinitesimally better than a brand-new sword.

Or was Ferris simply deluding himself?

I can't waver now.

A knight must accept all gifts with absolute gratitude.

Even if the gift he received would be of minor help.

"You have my utmost gratitude, Prodigy Prince," he muttered in front of the capsule, facing his head down.

I'll definitely die if I fight Tianqin... I'll also die if I try to run away from him.

So I'm left with no choice but to face him head-on.

A knight's courage must always be unbreakable.

And it's not the kind of courage to charge in blindly.

But the kind of courage to charge in regardless of how terrified one must be.

That is what true courage is like.

Ferris slowly released the restraints on his essence flow and steadily poured in everything he had...

But strangely,

Why am I not using everything? I swear I did—

You're thinking too hard again.

Felix.

"!!!"