Wind-Riding King's Shield

"Don't worry, President. That kid only knows a few petty tricks. If we really fought, I could take care of him with one hand."

—In the original timeline, he had played you in circles with those "petty tricks"!

The other side had never intended to face you head-on. He only liked using underhanded tactics to disgust people.

Otherwise, why would everyone call Loki the "God of Mischief"? Calling him the "God of War" would have been much more straightforward.

Li Chen always felt that Thor would fail at this. That guy was unreliable...

Loki had originally been the son of Laufey, the Frost Giant of Jotunheim. Because he was smaller than the others of his kind, his father had kept him hidden away.

Though Frost Giants possessed immense strength, they feared heat and were mortal enemies with Odin's Asgard. When Odin had pacified the Nine Realms, he destroyed their homeland and found the isolated Loki among the palace ruins, bringing him back to raise as his son.

It was not until an accident that Loki learned of his origins, finally hardening his resolve to **.

Still, that kid's heart had always leaned toward Asgard. Otherwise, when he had first **, he would not have nearly driven the Frost Giants to extinction. "Go stop Loki. Once he blows this out of proportion, the heroes from the other branches won't go easy on him." "Understood."

Thor's gaze sharpened as he nodded solemnly.

Li Chen was right. If Loki caused too much trouble, the two S-Class Heroes from the African branch—Yugi Mutou and Reinhard—would definitely step in.

When that happened, they might send him straight to meet ** with a single sword strike.

Although Loki was the strongest mage in the Nine Realms, his combat power in the Marvel movies had truly been nothing impressive. "Enter the dungeon."

Ultra-Dragon-level Threat dungeon, "King's Ruins."

In ancient times, the civilization established by Hammer King Paladin and the Undying Knights had been as glorious as the Shurima Empire.

Known as the "Unyielding Grip," this king could easily crush Second Awakening adventurers with nothing but the giant hammer in his hand and his innate divine strength.

But just as he had been preparing to launch an expedition and build a dynasty, the legendary ghost god Jig had blocked his path. Facing a monster comparable to an Apostle, Paladin had lost everything, and his five great knights had been wiped out as well.

Yet they had not accepted their fate. They had waited beneath Dark City for the chance to be resurrected.

"Hiss—"

"This place gives me the creeps."

"The flags bearing those special emblems on the walls show that this place used to be quite prosperous."

The moment they entered the lower levels beneath Dark City, a chilling wind slapped them in the face.

What appeared before Li Chen and the others was an ancient coffin covered in profound runes, its layers of seals gleaming with a dim light.

A stone statue of a knight holding a sword and shield stood silently nearby, radiating a grim, murderous aura.

"Want to test your skills?"

"No thanks."

"I choose to lie flat."

Li stuck out her tongue and blinked playfully.

Although she possessed B-Class combat power, in this overpowered dungeon crawling with Dragon-Level monsters, she wisely chose to be a salted fish.

Yan Lingji and Li tacitly retreated to the edge of the battlefield.

"Let me do it!"

Yatogami Tohka excitedly swung her arms.

As the ** form of the [First Spirit], she possessed peak ■■-Class power, enough to rank among the strongest of Dragon-Level calamities.

"The monster's awake."

With a flick of Li Chen's telekinesis, a stone struck the statue—

The knight that had lain dormant for ten thousand years suddenly awakened. Its black stone armor peeled away in flakes as a raging storm swept across the field.

"Sandalphon!"

Tohka stomped the ground apart, and a throne appeared. From that throne in the void, she drew the spirit sword engraved with the power of "Kingdom," intricate magic patterns flowing across its blade.

"Crack—"

The emerald storm knight fully awakened.

Dressed in verdant armor wreathed in the aura of nature, shield in his left hand and sword in his right, the iron-blooded battle intent within him had not faded even after ten thousand years.

Dragon-Level Calamity · Undying Knights—Vortex of Wind!

"In my king's name!"

His scarlet eyes suddenly lit up, and turbulent whirlwinds around him transformed into sharp wind blades.

Even though he ranked last among the knights, his speed, comparable to teleportation, could still tear powerful enemies apart.

"Whoosh!"

A cyan afterimage flashed by, and Vortex of Wind appeared behind Tohka. His hurricane-wreathed light sword slashed down without mercy—

"Boom!"

Yatogami Tohka swung Sandalphon to meet the attack, and the collision of their weapons erupted with a piercing clang.

The violent energy shockwave instantly tore through the air, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground. If such power erupted in the real world, it would have been enough to collapse the entire underground tomb.

"What terrifying strength..."

"Tohka is actually this strong?!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox was pushed back again and again by the blast. Only after her nine fluffy tails wove together into a barrier before her did she barely steady herself. Yan Lingji, who came from The Legend of Qin, was in an even worse position—although her martial arts had been exceptional in her original world, here she was only equivalent to a C-Class Hero.

"Careful."

Li Chen flashed behind Yan Lingji and lightly pressed his palm against her jade-like back, unfolding a telekinetic shield. With his help, the woman who cultivated Fire Charm Art was finally able to stand firm at the edge of the battlefield. She had been born with seductive bones; even without deliberately using **, every smile and frown carried an enchanting charm.

"Hide with the wind!"

Vortex of Wind's figure gradually faded, blending into the flowing air. This invisibility could not only ** the naked eye, but even energy detection would be disrupted by the chaotic airflow.

Tohka suddenly closed her eyes and focused, entrusting her senses entirely to her battle instincts. Sandalphon abruptly swept to the left, its blade colliding with an invisible sharp edge and scattering sparks.

"The wind will reveal your trail."

"Blade of the End!"

The majestic throne was entirely devoured by "Angel: Sandalphon," transforming into a giant blade over ten meters long. This sword could easily tear through Vibranium defenses and contained astonishing destructive power, but it was extremely difficult to control and easily went out of control.

Seizing the instant Vortex of Wind's movements were restrained, Yatogami Tohka released her strongest killing move without hesitation. If this strike hit its target, it would be enough to completely erase any calamity below S-Class.

"Have I... been defeated..."

"Please forgive me, my king."

"May I slumber once more..."

Having lost his speed advantage, Vortex of Wind slowly closed his eyes before the Blade of the End, which radiated an aura of destruction. He waited quietly for the final moment, prepared to return to his ten-thousand-year slumber. As a soul that had died ten thousand years ago, so long as he did not suffer an attack that targeted the soul, he could reform even if his body was shattered.

"Ha—!"

The entire underground tomb shook violently.

Vortex of Wind's body turned to dust, leaving only gleaming loot scattered across the ground.

"Three pieces? Isn't this luck completely insane?!"

Li Chen stared dumbfoundedly at the equipment covering the ground, speechless for a moment. He remembered that when Iron Man Tony Stark had led a team to clear a Demon Level dungeon, they had killed countless monsters and only obtained five pieces of equipment. Yet he had taken down just one and gotten this much.

Leaping to where Vortex of Wind had vanished, Li Chen carefully examined the treasures on the ground.

[Wind-Riding King's Shield]

Wind Attribute Enhancement +1000%

Law of Wind Comprehension +666

Agility +20000

※The wind will become your guide

The cyan orb blooming with dazzling golden radiance was no ordinary piece of equipment, but a supreme treasure containing something akin to the Law of Wind. The instant it touched Li Chen's palm, it fused with him.

In that instant, he felt as light as a feather, as though the currents of air around him had all become close friends. At the same time, his mind became crystal clear, and his understanding of the Law of Wind suddenly deepened.

"A completely different kind of power, with the aura of laws like the Infinity Stones."

Feeling the transformation within his body, Li Chen murmured softly.

"Wow! It dropped so much? Didn't they say the equipment drop rate was extremely low?"

"My energy points increased by ten thousand all at once. This reward is ridiculous!"

"Looks like I have enough to upgrade one ability."

Ten thousand energy points were enough for Yan Lingji to improve her strength, with plenty left over. After all, she was only a C-Class Hero.

Li still lacked some energy points if she wanted to upgrade.

[Enhance "Fire Charm Art" (C-Class), consumes 8000 points]

[Enhance "Physical Constitution" (D-Class), consumes 300 points]

At present, Yan Lingji only had these two attributes available for enhancement. Her other attributes had not yet reached the D-Class standard.

"Enhance Fire Charm Art and Physical Constitution."

Holding more than ten thousand energy points, Yan Lingji spoke softly.

Mysterious energy flowed through her entire body, and she immediately felt her fire-based inner power surge to an unimaginable realm, as if she had broken through the limits of martial arts.

Even Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang had never reached such a level. Unless one entered the legendary realm, the pinnacle of ordinary martial arts was only C-Class.

"Boom—"

Blazing flames ignited around her. The evolution of Fire Charm Art made her charm even more soul-stirring, every movement quickening the heart.

The enhancement of her constitution also made her body tougher. At this moment, she possessed the strength to advance to B-Class Hero.

"As expected, this defies all reason. My strength increased dozens of times in an instant." Yan Lingji parted her crimson lips, unable to hide her astonishment. "With this power, it feels like I could destroy an entire city."

"You've gotten much stronger, but you're still a little weaker than me."

Sensing the change in her aura, Li smiled. Yan Lingji was now at the initial B-Class, while she was at the intermediate B-Class.

The power hierarchy of Valoran had always been higher than that of the Qin world. Combined with the natural advantage of a Nine-Tailed Fox's talent, the gap was inevitable.

"Once I make up for my physical constitution, I'll catch up to you."

"Then I can push for an even higher level."

The two sisters playfully bantered. Following strong allies through dungeons made earning energy points easy; they could grow stronger while lying down.

Li Chen looked over the five orange-grade pieces of equipment on the ground. "There really is quite a lot of equipment."

These were even higher-grade than pink equipment. Five had dropped at once, and together with the previous "King's Protection: Wind," did that airheaded girl have some kind of luck bonus?

As his thoughts drifted, a legendary figure blessed with absurd luck surfaced in Li Chen's mind—King!

Although his level had not reached the standard of an S-Class Hero, with such an outrageous luck bonus, he would definitely make an excellent team mascot.

[Kingdom: Millennium War Armor] Chest Armor Attributes:

Armor +8000 | Magic Resistance +3500 | Strength +300 | Constitution +1500

※Equipment

[Kingdom: Millennium War Armor] Leg Armor Attributes:

Armor +6000 | Magic Resistance +1800 | Strength +220 | Constitution +450

※Equipment

[Kingdom: Millennium War Armor] Belt Attributes:

Armor +2000 | Magic Resistance +550 | Strength +150 | Constitution +300

※Equipment

Looking at the three pieces of equipment before him, each emitting a dark golden glow, Li Chen's pupils shrank slightly. They were clearly parts of a complete armor set. If all five pieces were collected, they would definitely activate hidden attributes.

Leaving aside the set effect, the absurd base stats alone were astonishing—sixteen thousand total armor. If Yatogami Tohka equipped them, combined with the innate defense of Godly Might Astral Dress: Tenth, even a full-force strike from Mjolnir would probably feel like a scratch...

"Tohka, this set is for you."

"But... I already have my own exclusive Astral Dress."

Li Chen's distribution was perfectly reasonable. After all, Vortex of Wind had been defeated by Tohka alone.

Yet when faced with this pile of armor with such absurd values, the purple-haired girl only frowned slightly, winding a lock of hair around her fingertip. "Equipment can be hidden. Only the attribute bonuses will remain." Li Chen shook the wristwatch shimmering with streams of data.

After all, aside from a few beautifully designed pieces, most armor looked too awful to bear. Once the appearance-transformation function was activated, the equipment would become completely invisible visually, and even its sensation would vanish, while only the buffs would remain in effect.

"So it can work like that~ But is it really okay to give all three pieces to me?"

"They were your spoils in the first place. I was the one who secretly kept a material beforehand..."

"If Little Chen wants them, just take them all!"

Tohka waved her hand without a care. In her eyes, these supreme treasures that could drive ordinary adventurers mad were not as valuable as the new Kinako Bread from the dessert shop. Still, since they were a gift from Li Chen, she obediently equipped them. After setting them to transparent, her amethyst-like Astral Dress continued to shine as brightly as before.