Murphy Was Going to Turn the Tables Today!

The enormous containment pod unfolded outward with a blooming motion as its internal mechanisms whirred into action. After the built-in stabilizing gas vented in a plume of white smoke, the colossal device inside finally appeared before its eager "groom," like a shy "bride."

Unlike Hogg's avant-garde "Sage Wolf Armor," this suit of powered armor had a conventional design, full of classical, traditional beauty.

Its round, triple-layered faceplate in particular reminded Murphy of that musclebound man from his memories, the one who always made his entrance with a cigar between his teeth.

Come to think of it, Murphy had always wondered how he managed to smoke while wearing armor like that. The fingers of that guy's powered armor were bigger than the cigar itself!

Looking closer, every part of the armor seemed "round and plump." Of course, that was merely a slight optical illusion caused by its biomimetic design.

The unpainted, humanoid armor wasn't active, so it had been disassembled and placed on the containment pod's storage rack. Given its weight and complex internal structure, the pod itself was part of the suit. Without it, an ordinary person couldn't possibly assemble or use the armor alone.

It stood nearly five meters tall, and once fully donned, it would be a little taller than Hogg's Sage Wolf Armor. Its most distinctive features were its two enormous shoulder plates. As it sat on the storage rack, Murphy could clearly see the industrially beautiful arrangement of modules inside them. He guessed they were matrix generators and energy-absorption devices.

Aside from that, its overall appearance resembled a knight in heavy armor.

Clearly, the designers from over a thousand years ago had made sure to add a little "aesthetic flair" without compromising its function. The round helmet, in particular, had been shaped like a knight's barrel