"This is a remarkable creation," Sintara said, gazing at the armor, her large eyes carefully examining the immortal battle armor she had forged. "From ancient times to the present, nothing has ever been able to compare to it."
The old one shook her head, a low growl rumbling in her throat, and reached out to caress the edge of the greave, feeling the cold, powerful energy.
Blazkowicz walked over to the armor stand, his face unable to hide his joy. Such powerful armor was precisely what every warrior dreamed of.
Though silent, every one of his gazes and movements was filled with affection.
"From ancient times to the present, it is truly unique," the Emperor murmured, nodding repeatedly. The armor indeed deserved such praise.
He turned his gaze to the shoulder armor, a slight smile playing on his lips. "It's just missing a few things."
"Missing what?" The old one looked up at the Emperor, a hint of displeasure on his face. He believed that perfect armor couldn't have any flaws.
Valdor was also puzzled. Such powerful battle armor already defied common understanding; what more could it be lacking?
The Emperor smiled without a word. Amidst everyone's confused gazes, he walked back to the anvil and took out the last piece of quark colloid from the furnace.
This quark colloid was refined from the scythe of death. Although unsuitable for making armor, it had other wondrous uses.
The old one quickly hopped over, ready to assist the Emperor in forging, but the latter raised his hand to stop her.
"I've long had inspiration for this piece. Please allow me to complete it alone."
Sintara put down her raised forging hammer. Though a little regretful, she did not force her participation, so as not to disrupt another master's inspiration.
She merely stepped aside, watching the Emperor's movements, full of anticipation for his inspired creation.
The Emperor divided the quark colloid into two, without violating its physical laws, and gestured for the Void Dragon to bring over the gauntlet.
"Blood," he demanded again, asking Blazkowicz to bleed to replicate the old one's soul forging technique.
Bright blood dripped. Sintara understood immediately and cast a spell to integrate it into the quark colloid.
"How can such formidable battle armor lack some offensive capabilities?"
The Emperor's words made the old one's eyes light up, and she suddenly understood, then sighed with regret, wondering why she hadn't thought of additional armaments.
Protecting his hands with psychic energy, the Emperor shaped the rough blank and roared, "Water!"
A stream of extremely clear water splashed over, transforming into its original essence and merging into the quark colloid.
The psychic forging hammer was swung again, and the sound of striking echoed. With each descent, the object being hammered solidified a bit more.
Swinging the psychic hammer with both hands, the Emperor chanted a spell, which transformed into countless golden threads that fell, engraving technological circuits within the object being shaped.
"How interesting."
The Void Dragon stepped forward, his majestic voice echoing through space, expressing an unexpected admiration: "Your inspiration is indeed good."
As the master of the material realm and the embodiment of technology and knowledge, he was naturally most sensitive to technology, and he understood the truth of what the Emperor was forging.
"But something is not quite right here."
With just a glance, he saw through the essence, pointing out a few remaining flaws in the Human's supreme wisdom: "The energy recycling efficiency is not high."
The Emperor ignored him, the hammering sounds clanging as he stubbornly continued to engrave the circuits.
Seeing him like this, the Void Dragon anxiously rubbed his fingers. As the personification of scientific technology, seeing a technological flaw, an itch welled up inside him. Not correcting it made him extremely uncomfortable.
However, he didn't see the hint of a successful scheme on the Emperor's face as he lowered his head and swung the hammer.
Green lightning struck. The Void Dragon could not suppress his instinct and activated his C'tan power, modifying the imperfections in the etched circuits.
Without needing to change the physical laws, merely reshaping their form, the forging process was greatly shortened. In just one week, the two weapons were shaped.
And as the weapons took shape, the scythe of death disappeared, its influence projected into the Real Universe.
The nightmare in the hearts of intelligent beings, the image of Death holding a scythe, representing death and fear, found its scythe gone, leaving only a hooded Death.
An dark-red solid short blade, and a solid shoulder cannon.
The Emperor retrieved the Burner's gauntlet, installed the short blade beneath the arm, and motioned for Blazkowicz to put on the gauntlet and test the power of the additional armaments. As he put on the gauntlet, Blazkowicz's thoughts stirred, and the short blade's internal telescopic structure extended section by section, forming a sharp retractable blade.
He swung his arm to test it, nodding with great satisfaction. His left arm's melee capabilities had increased significantly.
Seeing Blazkowicz's satisfied expression, the Emperor nodded and said, "The Nightbringer concept still exists, with immense lethality against souls and demonic entities."
"As for this shoulder cannon—"
"This shoulder cannon is extraordinary," the Void Dragon said, a little smug, as a part of the credit was his.
The Emperor closed his mouth, saying no more. He was not good with words and nodded, signaling the Void Dragon to continue.
"The Emperor still has some brains."
The Void Dragon spoke, offering one of his few approvals. A green light projected from above his head, and the shoulder cannon slowly floated up from the Emperor's hand, coming before his obsidian face. "The very existence of this weapon is a trampling of life and souls."
"It inherits the Nightbringer's characteristics, reaping lives and souls, and has two attack modes."
"The first is a death ray, which ignores armor defense and directly kills the victim's soul."
"The second is much cruder—" The Void Dragon's words carried a sneer, a sneer at life: "And it's the one I like."
"The muzzle will reap souls, convert them into psychic energy, and then fire them out. Then, with a 'bang,' they explode, causing enemies to shatter in spirit and flee in all directions."
He smiled mysteriously, "What I've told you is just the principle; you will experience the specific power when you use it."
After speaking, the Void Dragon slowly lowered the shoulder cannon, placing it behind the left shoulder, where it seamlessly integrated with the praetor suit.
The Emperor looked at Blazkowicz, his eyes full of unspoken words, his calm voice a little hesitant, finally uttering two words: "Use with caution."
Knowing the weapon's malevolent nature, Blazkowicz nodded gravely, remembering the Emperor's instructions.
The weapon of the embodiment of death, even if its form had changed, it remained terrifying, a nightmarish existence.
The Emperor pointed at the fully prepared the armor and asked Blazkowicz, "Do you want to put it on?"
Everyone's eyes lit up, all filled with anticipation.
The Warrior King finally had a set of power armor worthy of him, and naturally, they wanted to witness its extraordinary might at the first opportunity.
Blazkowicz nodded, not disappointing everyone's expectations.
He stood before the praetor suit, spread his arms, and roared, "Armor up!"
The Emperor and the Commander of the Imperial Guard stood on either side of him, and the old one behind him. The three of them, with solemn expressions, performed the armoring ceremony for Blazkowicz within the cubic space.
Three extraordinary beings, working together, helped Blazkowicz put on the praetor suit. With each component added, a blessing was uttered.
When fully armored, a towering giant stood before them, and everyone's breath caught in their throats.
He held a shield-saw in his left hand, the Crucible Sword in his right, and weapons like a super shotgun hung at his waist. Behind the bat-shaped visor of his helmet were a pair of resolute and extraordinary eyes.
Blazkowicz moved his arms, a satisfied expression on his face. The exposed design of the medium shoulder armor and arms did not affect his flexibility at all.
And the segmented armor, combined with a flexible inner lining, allowed his body to turn without any stiffness, nor did it hinder large movements.
Additionally, the praetor suit did not amplify strength; its main function was to provide defense and adapt to the user's rapid movements.
All the designs were custom-made, so Blazkowicz was naturally very satisfied. Allowing him to fully exert himself was the best design.
After a brief experience, he lightly patted his left arm and placed the praetor suit into dimensional space. This was not the place for in-depth study of its specific functions.
With a satisfied expression, he thanked the Emperor and the old one: "Thank you.
It's perfect for me."
The old one proudly raised her head. Soul forging was a secret forging art, naturally extraordinary and perfectly suited to all the master's needs.
"It's time to go," the Emperor said, having perfectly achieved his goal, as he put on his True One armor again. "I've been away from the Imperium of Man for too long."
"It is time to go."
Blazkowicz quickly helped the old one pack her tools, preparing to leave the Labyrinth of Eternal Night and return to the Imperium of Man.
The Void Dragon was very sensible; he didn't need a reminder. He floated away gracefully, dragging his incomplete body back to his throne.
The Emperor cast a psychic seal, imprisoning him once more.
Everyone walked out of the cube prison, and the door closed again. The Void Dragon slumbered within, though the green light seeping through the crack in the door was no longer as blinding as when they arrived.
Blazkowicz was the first to step into the void. With his memory, remembering an invisible path was not difficult.
With the old one sitting on his shoulder, he took the lead, embarking on the return journey.
The Emperor and Valdor, master and servant, followed closely. Their steps were hurried; with matters concluded, returning to the Imperium of Man had become the top priority.
Compared to the uneventful journey there, the return trip was much faster, as Blazkowicz had once again carved a fast passage through the outer reaches of the Labyrinth of Eternal Night.