21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 855 - 849: Slaying

Using the prepared Dragon Blood Ink, Chen Yu washed away the original enchantment array inside the armor and meticulously redrew it into the Tears of Mani enchantment. This marked the completion of the first step in modifying the armor.

After all, this armor is an antique from the 18th century, not to mention that it qualifies as a set of demigod equipment. Chen Yu had to proceed cautiously, step by step, to ensure the original structure of the armor wasn't compromised, which could lead to the loss of its inherent powers.

Although Empress Catherine the Great treated this armor as a decorative piece or collectible, the genuine demigod-level power it housed proved authentic. This was a testament to His Excellency Potemkin's deep affections for Empress Catherine the Great back in the day.

Chen Yu, despite not being entirely satisfied with the armor, merely aimed to modify it rather than completely dismantle and remold it. Ultimately, no matter what, a piece of demigod-level equipment is an extraordinarily precious artifact. Simply destroying it for reconstruction would be, to say the least, wasteful.

The Tears of Mani is an extensive and complete enchantment array. Besides the core array named Tears of Mani itself, there are four auxiliary arrays tied to it: Yggdrasil's Gallop, Moon Goddess Chariot, Hati's Chase, and Mánagarmr's Devour.

The Yggdrasil's Gallop is an enchantment specifically designed to enhance mounts. It is typically inscribed onto the skirt armor or leg armor but can also be directly applied to the mount's own protective gear.

Its effect amplifies the speed and endurance of the mount while granting the user access to a portion of the mount's attributes, essentially reflecting the strengths of the mount back onto its rider. For any user fortunate enough to possess a mount, this is an extraordinarily practical enchantment.

As for the Moon Goddess Chariot, it serves as a defensive enchantment. This array stands out for its unique properties, as it not only generates a highly versatile protective shield but can also store the power of moonlight when the user is bathed in it. During combat, this stored moonlight can be unleashed, mitigating the Tears of Mani's primary flaw—its dependency on moonlight availability.

Hati's Chase and Mánagarmr's Devour, on the other hand, are summoning arrays. Hati's Chase enables the summoning of a pack of wolf spirits to fight for the user. These wolf spirits aren't corporeal; they possess special abilities such as shadow traversal and moonlight stealth, as well as enhanced tracking and scent detection, making them highly functional summons.

Mánagarmr's Devour calls forth a mighty giant wolf. Unlike the wolf spirits summoned by Hati's Chase, the giant wolf grows stronger in tandem with its summoner. Under moonlight, it gains abilities like rapid regeneration and the power of devouring.

The devouring ability of the giant wolf doesn't mean that it directly engulfs enemies with its mouth. Instead, the wolf absorbs a portion of the enemy's strength, augmenting its own capabilities. This enhancement is permanent—so long as the enchanted armor itself remains intact, the wolf can be re-summoned even after being killed, and its accumulated strength will not dissipate.

Additionally, Mánagarmr's Devour can interact with moonlight. The wolf can devour moonlight across an entire region within moments, synergizing with the Moon Goddess Chariot's moonlight storage capability to quickly replenish the user's moonlight energy reserves, effectively powering the entire Tears of Mani enchantment.

Coupled with the core functionality of the Tears of Mani and its ability to summon Moonlight Spirits, enchanting a set of armor with Tears of Mani grants it an unparalleled array of capabilities, making it extensively versatile.

Of course, such comprehensive functionality comes with the price of immense complexity. Moreover, Chen Yu was performing modifications on the basis of an already existing enchantment array, forcefully converting it into Tears of Mani. This inherently amplified the workload significantly.

Thus, despite working tirelessly through the night, he had merely completed the modifications to the main body of the armor. Chen Yu hadn't yet had a chance to address other components of the armor.

However, finishing the primary section was already equivalent to completing one-third of the workload. Even if the original craftsman excelled in skill and split the armor's enchantment arrays with meticulous precision, the main body of the armor constituted the largest surface area and the most robust load-bearing part of the set. Naturally, the enchantments inscribed here are far more numerous compared to other sections.

After carefully inspecting the fruits of his overnight labor, Chen Yu felt a wave of satisfaction. This was, after all, his first experience modifying a piece of demigod-level armor, and he lacked prior hands-on knowledge.

The smooth execution of the modifications, without any errors necessitating rework, was indeed remarkable.

As Chen Yu placed the now-modified main body of the armor back onto the testing table, a knock at the laboratory door echoed from outside.

This, of course, wasn't a coincidence. Chen Yu's laboratory was equipped with an auto-lock system that isolated external disturbances. During his work, even if a giant dragon were to pound on the door, Chen Yu wouldn't hear a thing.

Only upon the completion of his work would the door unlock, allowing waiting individuals to knock on and access the laboratory.

"Commander." The person entering was Kaga, who had evidently completed her mission alongside Akagi and had returned to the Necromantic Space.

"Kaga? Has the mission been finished already?" Seeing that it was Kaga, Chen Yu naturally began inquiring about the previous night's operation, though devoid of worry or concern. After all, deploying five ship-girls meant that even if Tenmangu Shrine's Sugawara no Michizane fought personally, he'd most likely be 'educated' about his godhood by the team.

"Yes, Commander, the mission was successfully accomplished last night." Kaga performed a formal bow before delivering her report: "Last night, I, Akagi, along with Hood, Belfast, and Kirov attacked Tenmangu Shrine. After intense combat, the shrine has been completely annihilated."

Hearing Kaga use the term 'intense combat,' Chen Yu furrowed his brows slightly. "Intense combat? There were still beings in Tenmangu strong enough to resist all of you? Was it Sugawara no Michizane himself?"

"It was the shrine's guardian deity, presumably an incarnate formed from centuries of Sugawara no Michizane's worship. It possessed the power of a lesser deity. However, with Akagi and me keeping it occupied, Kirov ultimately slew it." Reflecting on last night's battle, particularly the scene of Kirov obliterating the deity's incarnate skull with her rocket fist, Kaga still felt a touch of unease at such a gruesome combat style.

Nonetheless, she portrayed no reaction in Chen Yu's presence, nor did she make any comment on Kirov's methods. A seasoned military officer refrains from speaking ill of others behind their backs.

"You managed to slay a lesser deity? Well done! Is there a particular reward you're all hoping for?" The achievement of defeating a lesser deity left Chen Yu sufficiently impressed, inspiring him to offer his ship-girls a well-deserved reward.

"As for rewards, Akagi mentioned she hopes to undergo modernization and acquire an elegant flying deck." Remembering Akagi's request from last night, Kaga relayed it accordingly.