Huge, incomparably huge. A massive suit of armor, half-reclining, was being pushed in front of Li De by dozens of blacksmiths.
It was obvious at a glance that this armor was made for Kosso.
At the very front was an enormous horned helmet, large enough that a boy around ten years old could stand upright inside it without needing to bend down. The horns on the helmet bore metallic patterns formed by countless hammer strikes, gleaming coldly under the sunlight. They were curved like a drawn crossbow, and the sharp tips could pierce through a warrior's shield with ease.
Everything about it radiated enormity.
The two arm pieces had already been assembled, with joints seamlessly interlocked through extremely intricate designs. Aside from the wrists, which were left exposed, every other part was tightly protected within the armor.
The chest plate was even more exaggerated to the extreme. The thickest part, by Li De's estimate, was nearly half a blade's thickness. Not to mention ordinary arrows, even a siege ballista or a dragon-hunting crossbow used by humans to fight dragons would be unable to pierce it.
Even at the weakest joint areas, there was still twenty centimeters of protection.
Indestructible!
The weight of this suit of armor had reached an astonishing eight tons. If it were made of Golddig's reinforced steel, it would weigh at least twenty-five tons.
Only Kosso, who had activated his Ancient Giant bloodline and reached Level 16 as a Bronze Cyclops, could wear such a colossal suit of armor.
The potential of Kosso's Bronze Cyclops bloodline had not yet been fully unlocked; he still had room for growth.
But regardless of how one calculated it, within the entire Cyclops race, only Kosso, with his powerful bloodline, could wear such terrifyingly heavy armor.
This suit of armor was specially forged for Kosso by Valen after numerous tests.
Kosso’s stable load-bearing capacity without compromising combat effectiveness was ten tons, but to leave some margin, Valen reduced the weight to eight tons.
The normal load-bearing capacity for other Cyclops was four tons, far inferior to Kosso.
The higher the load-bearing capacity, the greater the physical strength required for each additional increment, just like the human hundred-meter sprint where running it in nine seconds is already near the limit.
Under such conditions, improving by even 0.1 seconds was a tremendous achievement, requiring immensely stronger physical prowess.
Kosso had directly doubled the Cyclops’ four-ton load limit, which was equivalent to a human going from a nine-second sprint to six seconds, even five seconds. One could only imagine how terrifying this King of Cyclops was now.
Next to the humanoid armor was an even more eye-catching, exotic suit of armor.
The black armor resembled a giant dragon spreading its wings. The two enormous wings were extremely thin, and at a glance, perfectly matched the principles of aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, smooth and graceful.
At the same time, the cold gleam shimmering on the surface made it look like the wings of a demon unfurling, sharp edges radiating an oppressive aura.
This suit was custom-made for Castro, the king of the Dawn Bats.
Compared to Kosso's heavy armor, Castro's was much lighter, weighing only four tons, equivalent to the standard load capacity of an ordinary Cyclops.
However, unlike Kosso’s armor, Castro’s had thick plating only at key areas such as the heart and joint intersections. The rest was all light armor.
Especially on the wings, the blade-like wings, sharper than swords, could make even the strongest shield warriors shudder.
One could easily imagine the kind of devastating damage Castro would inflict when diving down on enemies while wearing this armor.
The only thing that made Li De shake his head was that, in his original positioning, Castro was supposed to be a long-range aerial support unit.
Now this aerial unit was engaging in melee combat, which left him somewhat helpless.
But Castro’s bloodline allowed him to inflict far more damage in close combat than by casting spells from the sky.
Thus, Valen specially forged this armor for him. Moreover, given Castro's great enthusiasm for melee combat over magic, Li De could only let him pursue his preference.
Compared to Kosso’s armor, Castro’s was not only lightweight and flight-friendly but also offered excellent defense and outrageous lethality.
The four-ton weight was nothing for Castro, who had inherited both the Bronze Cyclop’s bloodline and the Vampire Progenitor’s bloodline.
Even without affecting flight, Castro’s carrying capacity reached six tons. To leave some room, Valen designed the armor to weigh four tons.
"Lord Kachar, this is a gift from the Dwarves to you."
Valen came before Li De, his expression carrying a trace of pride as he saluted him.
Behind him, the two suits of armor, exquisitely crafted like works of art and gleaming coldly, immediately drew admiration from everyone present.
Li De nodded without saying much. He was very satisfied with the Dwarves' forging skills and gestured toward Kosso, who stood beside him like a mountain, casting a shadow over the surrounding area.
"Go, put it on. Let me see."
"Yes, Master."
Kosso’s voice rumbled like muffled thunder. Coupled with his height of seven blades, it sounded as if his voice came from the heavens.
After giving the order, Li De waved his hand toward Castro in the sky. Castro, who was soaring freely through the air, instantly noticed Li De’s summons. Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, he flapped his dark red wings and dived down.
His bat wings stirred up powerful air currents as Castro’s massive body landed on the ground.
The enormous wings folded inward, and his razor-sharp claws, capable of easily carving deep grooves into the bluestone ground, stepped forward.
"Master."
Castro's voice was produced by vibrating the air, giving it an ethereal quality.
"Go and put on your armor."
"As you wish."
While the two were speaking, Kosso had already begun equipping his armor. The Dwarven craftsmanship left no doubt about its strength.
Whether in terms of protection or ease of donning, it was first-class.
Thus, Kosso needed no assistance to equip himself. Of course, given his massive body, even if assistance were offered, it wouldn’t be feasible.
Piece by piece, Kosso put on the armor.
The enormous horned helmet, the hollowed, multi-layered faceplate that protected his single eye, the massive chestplate like a shield, the sturdy, elongated leg guards, and even a pair of boots covered in sharp backward-facing spikes.
From head to toe, his entire body was encased in the gray-black armor.
He was truly armed to the teeth.
After Kosso finished donning his armor, the onlookers instantly fell silent. Every resident stared at this giant with an indescribable fervor.
A giant of steel now stood in the City of Dawn.
Under the sunlight, the armor reflected a blinding brilliance.
Atop his head was the horned helmet shaped like a drawn crossbow, the sharp horns gleaming coldly. His huge single eye was covered by a hollow faceplate, densely packed with tiny holes that provided excellent defense without obstructing his vision.
The black full-body armor encased the entire giant to the extreme, even covering his mouth with a faceplate, leaving only two nostrils open to the outside.
The armor bore the unique dark patterns forged by the Dwarves, and combined with his massive physique, it gave off an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Majestic, imposing, powerful, burly, every word of praise regarding strength could be used to describe Kosso clad in this armor.
Everyone's attention was captivated by the scene.