Arknights' Lock of Heaven

So surprised that he forgot to release the force, his right hand went numb from the force transmitted back from the sword.

Did I underestimate Maria?

Zofia looked up at Maria and immediately rejected the idea.

Maria stared wide-eyed at the armor she was wearing, her face full of surprise.

169 This is... Originium Arts?

Seeing Maria, who was also completely bewildered, Zofia fell silent.

"Um, Zofia," Maria stood there stunned, "Are you... bluffing?"

It's no wonder she overthinks things; after all, Zofia's aura was so strong before, but she didn't feel much of it when it came to her.

Maria didn't think much of it at first, but she felt that her aunt might want to teach her something.

But Zofia doesn't think so.

Upon hearing Maria's words, her face darkened.

She knew perfectly well that her niece had absolutely no ability to withstand that attack.

If she had that ability, she wouldn't have been so thoroughly defeated by me before.

Thinking of this, Zofia narrowed her eyes, then stepped forward again, her training sword aimed straight at Maria's chest.

"Eh, eh, eh," Maria instinctively raised her sword to block, even though she hadn't quite figured out what was going on.

Of course, she once again failed to block Zofia's thrust.

clang!

Another crisp knocking sound rang out, and Maria was knocked back once again, but she still stubbornly stood firm.

Zofia fell completely silent.

This time, she could see clearly that Maria had not deflected the force or blocked her; she had taken the blow head-on.

She didn't even assume a proper defensive stance before launching her own attack.

Just standing there, all loose and soft.

but……

Even if you're not using your best left hand, does that mean the other hand of a top 16 knight is weak?

With just her right hand, Zofia was confident that she could easily defeat a large number of competitive knights.

And Maria, who was standing in front of him, was someone he had just tested.

His foundation is very solid, after all, he developed it by practicing swordsmanship on his own since he was a child.

But I have a solid foundation, and I haven't touched a sword much in recent years, so I've neglected it a bit.

Maria in this state would absolutely not be able to withstand his full-force attack.

So……

Zofia stepped forward again, wielding her training sword with lightning speed.

"Hey, Zofia, stop, stop, stop!"

Seeing this, Maria frantically swung her weapon to parry while shouting.

After catching several swords and then missing even more, she realized something was wrong.

And the cause was quickly found.

She was quite self-aware; just by looking at Zofia's previous demeanor, she knew that Zofia was definitely serious.

As for herself... to be honest, Maria hardly recognized the armor she was wearing.

Her little head was filled with countless questions at that moment.

What's this? What happened? Why did it turn like this after only ten days of not wearing it?

It hasn't been changed much, so why has the absorption power suddenly become so strong? Why do I barely feel any attacks hitting my chest armor when they're clearly unstoppable?

And why is my lower body so stable? My legs were trembling from exhaustion just now, yet I didn't fall down despite that attack?

She is now filled with doubts.

I know my own armor better than anyone; it definitely doesn't have that function.

The only person who could access and modify the armor was Master Koval, but well, he definitely didn't have that skill.

If it existed, it would be famous throughout Kazimierz long ago.

What could be the reason...?

In a daze, she glanced in the direction of Xia Yu out of the corner of her eye and saw him looking at her thoughtfully.

Wait, could it be those strange patterns?

Maria wanted to stop and ask Xia Yu.

But Zofia's relentless attacks gave her no chance to speak.

The sound of training swords clashing against armor echoed throughout the entire manor.

Even Skadi, who was lazily sunbathing on the second-floor balcony, was intently watching the training session.

Or rather, it's a one-sided crushing defeat.

Zofia skillfully defeats Maria.

But no matter how many swords Maria missed while desperately parrying, she remained standing and was not knocked down.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Zofia only attacks the parts of her body covered by metal armor.

clang!

With lightning-fast reflexes, Zofia once again slashed at Maria's gauntlet with her sword.

According to her calculations, Maria's sword should have been knocked out of her hand after this attack.

but it is not the truth.

His all-out attack only made her hand tremble.

The old training sword was still firmly held in her hand.

Seeing this, Zofia finally realized it.

There's something strange about this armor.

The strangest thing ever.

Such excellent performance... I doubt there are many companies on the market that can achieve this.

Where did Maria get all this good stuff? Did she accept those companies' terms?

No, that's not right. I've seen this armor before. She and Koval made it together, and she even showed it off to me back then.

It's unlikely to be a product of a large company.

What could be the reason?

Zofia didn't immediately think in Xia Yu's direction.

After all, only twenty-odd minutes had passed since Xia Yu first saw this armor. What could she possibly do in that short time?

And judging from Maria's bewildered expression, she probably doesn't know the reason either.

Seeing this, Zofia gradually slowed down her attack pace, and then slowly stopped.

The instant she stopped attacking, Maria darted toward Xia Yu.

“Mr. Xia Yu,” she asked breathlessly, “this armor, I mean, those patterns… are they yours?”

"How is it? My enhancements are pretty good, right?" Xia Yu patted her shoulder armor with a smile. "Are you satisfied?"

Upon hearing this, Zofia's eyes widened in astonishment.

Wait, was it him who enhanced it?

But how did he do that? He'd only been in contact with the armor for a little over twenty minutes at most.

In such a short time, they managed to transform a piece of armor that could only be considered good into this?

Isn't this too outrageous?

Where did Margaret find such an amazing colleague?

Zofia watched in stunned silence.

Even Skadi on the balcony glanced at it, then went back inside to get her greatsword.

"Satisfied!" Maria shouted excitedly, "I couldn't be more satisfied!"

"But why can a few lines improve the quality of the armor?"

"Moreover, this is simply inexplicable. It's just a few more lines. If the change is due to these lines, where does the energy that drives it come from?"

"I'm curious!"