Saving the Pre-Civilization with Hand-Crafted Black Tech from Honkai Impact 3rd

Cosmo stood at the entrance of the training grounds, his gaze filled with shock as he looked at Hua, who was clad in the Primordial Armor.

So cool!

"Cosmo?" Hua was a little surprised. She hadn't expected her first sparring partner to be a Fused Warrior of this caliber. She instinctively glanced at Ai Yue. "Doctor Ai Yue, is this appropriate?"

Fighting a Fused Warrior right off the bat seemed a bit too difficult. It wasn't just a few mentally perceptive Fused Warriors; the physical capabilities of the others far surpassed ordinary humans. Even combat armor struggled to contend with their physical bodies.

This was why Fused Warriors didn't need to wear heavy armor when going into battle. Their protective capabilities weren't necessarily much stronger than the Fused Warriors themselves, and the armor would only hinder their physical agility.

"It's indeed not entirely appropriate," Ai Yue mused for a moment before saying, under Hua's expectant gaze, "So, Hua, you'll need to disable the Primordial Armor's combat assist function."

Huh? So it's not appropriate on my end?

While Hua was still dazed, Cosmo had already walked over. He circled Hua, his eyes as meticulous as if he were trying to imprint every detail of the armor into his mind, making Hua feel a bit strange.

"Is this designed after the 'Lone Star of the Deep Blue' from the latest 'Cosmic Brawl'?" Cosmo's eyes revealed a barely perceptible hint of envy. "That's so nice."

"Please mind your wording, Cosmo," Prometheus finally couldn't help but interject. "The mechs in 'Cosmic Brawl' were also designed by me."

"Huh? Is that so?" Cosmo blinked in surprise, then turned his attention back to Hua's armor. "Um, can I touch it?"

"Alright, no need to get so excited, Cosmo," Ai Yue quickly stopped the meaningless conversation as Cosmo was about to reveal his peculiar side. "I brought you here to conduct practical combat training with Hua, to gather combat data for the armor, which will help with future upgrades and modifications. Is that alright?"

"Of course, no problem!" Cosmo agreed without hesitation. "Shall we start now?"

Even though he had just returned from a mission, he didn't feel tired. In fact, the prospect of fighting against such a cool-looking armor ignited a burning fighting spirit within him.

In contrast, Hua appeared a little hesitant. "Doctor Ai Yue, am I really capable of this?"

"Trust the armor I've developed," Ai Yue said, patting her shoulder. He looked into the eyes of the girl hidden behind the armor. "More importantly, believe in yourself, Hua."

"The skills you've honed day after day in the training grounds will never lose to anyone."

Hearing Ai Yue's encouragement, Hua was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

"I understand."

Ai Yue smiled, then picked up a box, clearing the space for the two of them.

"Hua, don't worry," Cosmo said, creating distance. He then looked at the girl in front of him. "I'll go easy on you."

"No need to hold back, Cosmo," Hua took a few deep breaths, finally regaining her usual composure. "That would affect the authenticity of the combat data."

"Okay," Cosmo nodded straightforwardly. He then lowered his stance slightly, assuming an offensive posture. "Then, here I come!"

After issuing a warning, Cosmo charged forward abruptly, reaching Hua in an instant. He swung his right fist, aiming a direct punch at Hua's chest!

The distance between them was about twenty meters, but Cosmo only took three steps—this was the might of a Fused Warrior. Facing this punch, even a Chariot-class Honkai Beast would be torn to shreds.

Even in practical training within a Fused Warrior squad, no one would choose to take such an attack head-on. Evasion was the correct choice.

However, Hua didn't move an inch. She raised both her arms and accurately blocked the punch.

"BOOM!!"

The fist struck the metal armor, erupting in a deafening roar. Cosmo took a slight step back, readjusting his stance, while Hua retreated a full four or five steps before finally stopping herself.

Despite the seemingly disadvantageous exchange, Hua let out a sigh of relief.

Because this punch didn't hurt.

The armor's powerful defensive capabilities had completely nullified the damage from Cosmo's punch. Hua's backward movement was merely to dissipate the impact force from his high-speed charge.

She hadn't fully accustomed herself to this kind of combat yet, but she had already gained a basic understanding of the armor's capabilities.

I can fight—as long as I have this armor, I have the ability to fight a Fused Warrior!

"So tough," Cosmo said, feeling surprised, unlike Hua, whose confidence had soared. He shook his hand and examined Hua's armor with a curious gaze. "What kind of metal is this?"

If he had initially been curious only because of the armor's coolness, he now truly began to take this armament, which appeared more flashy than practical, seriously—after all, an armor that could withstand that punch without a single deformation could certainly be considered the strongest alloy humanity could currently develop.

If that was the case, then he really should get serious.

Both of their thoughts lasted only a moment. After a negligible pause, they resumed their battle.

Hua's greatest strength was her hand-to-hand combat skills, while Cosmo wielded a pair of claws. The two close-combat experts parried and countered each other's moves, making every frame of their fight look thrilling and dangerous.

However, despite both being close-combat specialists, their styles differed. Hua, as a warrior trained in a martial arts school, employed techniques that were the distilled essence of countless predecessors. Every move was incredibly refined. Whether her next move was an advance or a retreat, it flowed seamlessly, allowing for effortless transitions between offense and defense, making it difficult for Cosmo to find an opening.

Cosmo's fighting style was more akin to a beast. Relying on his astonishing physical prowess, he could often perform actions unimaginable to ordinary people. Although Hua could easily find openings in his attacks, Cosmo could compensate for them with unexpected moves, turning the tables and forcing Hua to temporarily retreat.

However, as the battle wore on, Hua gradually gained the upper hand—she had figured out Cosmo's fighting patterns and gradually grown accustomed to his style, thus finding a way to counter him. Despite Cosmo's advantage in stats allowing him to suppress her, he was unable to inflict any effective damage.

But just as Hua was looking for an opportunity to end the fight, Cosmo suddenly stopped in place, unresponsive.

A powerful and dangerous aura emanated from him, giving Hua a sudden sense of foreboding.

"Ai Yue..." Hua instinctively looked towards Ai Yue, wanting to stop the fight, but in her peripheral vision, she saw Cosmo suddenly vanish from his spot.

The next second, a violent impact erupted from behind her, sending the unprepared Hua flying horizontally. Fortunately, she reacted at the last moment, dissipating some of the force, thus avoiding a tumble on the ground.

"Doctor Ai Yue, Cosmo's energy fluctuations have become abnormal," Prometheus's voice reached Ai Yue's ears. "Based on the readings, it's likely 'that' state."

"As expected," Ai Yue nodded, then said loudly, "Hua, activate the 'combat assist' function!"

The next moment, Cosmo's figure reappeared within Hua's reach. He raised his right claw high, then slashed down fiercely towards Hua's head.

The head was the most vulnerable part of the human body. Even with the armor's protection, if Hua took this blow, she would likely lose her combat capability instantly.

But almost the instant Cosmo made his move, Hua completed a twist of her body with unbelievable speed, executing a series of actions: deflecting force with a side chop of her hand, and then striking with her elbow.

This time, it was Cosmo who flew backward.

Chapter 21: A Closer Look at Kuuga

Among the few Fused Warriors currently active, Cosmo was hardly a standout.

In terms of uniqueness, Desdrobia, who could use telekinesis, and Aponia, who could see fate, were far more special than him. In terms of power, the captain and vice-captain of the Fused Warrior squad, Hen and Kevin, were both superior. Not to mention Elysia, whose strength was unknown and who drew considerable attention.

Coupled with his unsociable nature and infrequent appearances outside of missions, it could be said that even with only a handful of Fused Warriors, he was the easiest one to forget.

However, if one were to analyze him solely from the perspective of a Fused Warrior, he was the most unique among them.

This was because the Honkai Beast genes he had fused with originated from a Judgment-class Honkai Beast codenamed "Vishnu."

And now, perhaps only Ai Yue knew that it wasn't truly a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, but a special entity capable of infinite growth through consumption, one that could not be defined.

Vishnu's unique characteristic reduced the risks during Cosmo's Fused Warrior surgery, as Vishnu actively adapted to his genes to ensure the smoothest possible fusion. However, Vishnu's nature also presented a risk: Cosmo had to constantly consume Honkai Beast factors to maintain his sanity while using the Fused Warrior's power.

If a battle lasted too long without replenishment of Honkai Beast factors, he would enter a berserk state.

This was precisely the situation Hua was facing now.

In his berserk state, Cosmo's attributes would significantly increase, a manifestation of the Honkai Beast genes within him becoming highly active. As these genes continued to activate, his strength would grow exponentially.

Yet, this was not a good thing, because the activation of Honkai Beast genes came at the cost of consuming human genes. This was Cosmo's "autophagy phenomenon."

Once the proportion of Honkai Beast genes in his body exceeded a controllable threshold, he would undergo a mutation and transform into a terrifying monster.

This phenomenon, known as "Overweight Hypermutation," was later termed "Artificial Honkai Collapse" by Mobius.

However, even with full knowledge of these matters, Ai Yue felt no concern for Hua. The Primordial Armor, from its very design, had accounted for the Fused Warrior's Overweight Hypermutation. In fact, it could be said that it was created specifically to counter Fused Warriors in this state.

It incorporated a mental energy sensing architecture derived from the Eighth Herrscher's authority, a spatial compression storage system from the Second Herrscher's authority, a Honkai Energy recycling and self-sustaining power system from the Third Herrscher's authority, and a cellular acceleration agent from the Sixth Herrscher's authority... and, most crucially, a special alloy with extremely high resistance to Honkai Energy – the first-generation Soul Steel.

Almost all of the most cutting-edge technological achievements mastered by humanity—no, by Ai Yue—were integrated into this armor. It was also foreseeable that as his technological knowledge expanded, this armor system, and all subsequent armor systems, would continuously evolve.

One day, technology would surpass the limits of Honkai Energy, paving the way for the world Ai Yue envisioned.

But for now, it was better to focus on the battle in the training ground.

After Cosmo entered his berserk state, Hua's own skills alone were no longer enough to contend with him. Her reaction speed couldn't keep up with his, and her techniques seemed futile against such overwhelmingly high stats.

Of course, this was all before the "Combat Assist" function was activated.

Upon receiving a signal from Ai Yue, Hua unhesitatingly issued the command to "Activate Combat Assist." The next instant, "Observer Mode" reactivated, with yet another change from the previous time.

All four floaters hidden in Hua's head armor deployed, completing a scan of the entire training ground in just 0.25 seconds. Simultaneously, high-speed cameras mounted on the floaters captured Cosmo's movements, marking his trajectory on the display screen before Hua's eyes with incredible clarity at a frame rate of 500 frames per second, far beyond what the naked eye could perceive.

At the same time, the auxiliary AI system, with its core processor located in the belt, also marked Cosmo's predicted actions before Hua's eyes. Hua could now anticipate his moves even before Cosmo himself did.

Furthermore, by combining Hua's combat habits with Cosmo's attack routes, it calculated the optimal counter-measures and transmitted them to Hua.

Not only that, but as Hua counter-attacked, the armor's AI simultaneously calculated and allocated energy supply to different parts of the armor, prioritizing energy to the offensive lines Hua was using, thereby making her movements swifter and her strikes more ferocious.

It was precisely under these conditions that Hua was able to counter-attack Cosmo so promptly, sending him flying backward once more.

However, such an attack was still insufficient for the current Cosmo. He merely rolled on the ground twice before getting back up. Hua's punch had shattered a large portion of his uniform, and now his chest bore purple bruises that were visibly fading at an astonishing rate.

What kind of recovery ability is this?

Hua couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock. She had long anticipated the power of a Fused Warrior, but only now did she have a tangible grasp of it.

If it had been the Cosmo from before, Hua would have been confident in taking him down with that single elbow strike. But facing the current Cosmo, she couldn't even inflict substantial damage.

"Threat level detected increasing," the armor AI stated, evidently having calculated the situation. "Level three combat restrictions lifted. Non-lethal weapons online."

The next second, Hua watched as her hand armor transformed. The armor on the back of her hand and forearm split and rotated, revealing an internal structure with special circuitry that connected to each other.

She instinctively clenched her fist, and then saw crackling electrical sparks begin to flash around her knuckles.

Is this thing really non-lethal?

The thought flashed through Hua's mind. At that moment, the interface before her changed. Cosmo once again chose to attack proactively, this time, just like at the beginning, it was a direct rush with a claw aimed at her heart!

With no time to think, Hua instinctively raised her hand and punched straight forward. Cosmo's head seemed to deliberately fly into her fist the next instant, sending him flying backward again.

This time, he didn't get up. The electrical sparks on Hua's fist had spread throughout his body the moment they made contact, and the powerful, special current sent Cosmo twitching on the ground, pathetic like a fish out of water.

"Combat concluded."

As the armor AI declared the end, Cosmo finally fell still, seemingly having lost consciousness.

Hua let out a sigh of relief and instinctively looked towards Ai Yue. The Doctor, clad in a white lab coat, was walking towards her with a smile. Seeing the girl turn her head, he didn't forget to give her a thumbs-up.

Only then did Hua finally break into a smile.

I won.

Chapter 22: See? You Took the Bait

"How do you feel?"

Ai Yue approached Hua and asked with a smile.

"I'm great," Hua clenched her fist, then relaxed it, as if savoring the armor's power through the repeated motion. "This armor is truly amazing... is it called Primordial?"

"Primordial is just a codename, indicating it's the first-generation prototype armor," Ai Yue explained. "Of course, you can give it a name you like."

"No, the name 'Primordial Armor' is perfectly fine," Hua said with a smile. "I really like it."

As someone from Shenzhou, she naturally knew the name came from its cultural legends. Having an armor named like this was clearly much better than a designation of letters and numbers.

"Oh, right, Doctor Ai Yue," Hua quickly thought of something else and looked towards Ai Yue. "Was this battle helpful for you?"

She hadn't forgotten that the main purpose of this practical combat training was to collect combat data for the Primordial Armor. She wondered if her performance had been up to par.

Even though it was her first time using the armor, Hua already loved it. With equipment like this, she could accomplish so much more. Even if Doctor Ai Yue went to the dangerous region of Australia, she would have the confidence to protect him on her own.

"It was great. I'm very satisfied," Ai Yue said, looking at Hua and then at Cosmo beside them, a smile appearing on his face. "Satisfied in every aspect."

"Stop!"

Just as the two were talking, Cosmo suddenly shouted and sat up from the ground. "Ugh, my head hurts so much... Hua, Doctor Ai Yue, are you both alright?"

Cosmo's memory only went as far as the moment he was about to go berserk. He had no recollection of what happened afterward and was still struggling against the hunger within, trying to regain control of his body.

However, it wasn't until he sat up that he realized things weren't quite as he had imagined.

He was lying on the ground, his muscles aching with pain, while Hua and Doctor Ai Yue were both standing. It was clear that the battle's outcome was the opposite of what he had expected.

"Did I lose?" Cosmo tried to stand up but failed, ending up sitting on the ground and looking at the two of them. "I didn't think you were this strong, Hua."

"No, it's mainly the power of the Primordial Armor," Hua shook her head and then looked at Ai Yue. "Without this armor, I probably wouldn't have lasted five moves against you."

"For an ordinary person to last even a few moves against a Fused Warrior is already incredible. The physical difference between us is immense due to Honkai Beast genes," Cosmo shook his head. "Compared to that, your combat skills far surpass mine, perhaps even a little bit better than Kevin's. Don't be so modest."

Hearing Cosmo's evaluation, Hua couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

A little better than Kevin?

Hua didn't know Kevin well. Her closest encounter was a brief greeting at a previous banquet. But she was well aware that Kevin was widely recognized as the strongest Fused Warrior, a fact proven by his past achievements and documented data.

So, what he said sounded almost unbelievable.