Chapter 1193

It was as if that sword no longer a simple thrust, but a fusion of a thousand swords, ten thousand sword techniques, all merged into that single strike.

There was an unfathomable quality to it—impossible to block, destined to land.

To the spectators in the stands, it looked as though Lin Cheng had already charged in front of the Heavy Sword, and had followed through with that slash. If it weren't blocked, the Heavy Sword could very well have fallen on the spot.

But just at that moment, the Heavy Sword moved!

Gripping the sword with both hands, he thrust out that seemingly ordinary strike in a flash. That sword gathered all the strength he had left, imbued with momentum and his comprehension of the sword Dao, and even carried an ineffable, mysterious sense—something that could be grasped only by intuition, never put into words.

At that moment, Lin Cheng's will suddenly cleared.

In Lin Cheng's eyes, that sword seemed so slow, as though he could dodge it at any moment.

But at that instant, time itself seemed to freeze. He could only watch helplessly as that slow sword thrust toward him, and the clamoring voices of the Demon Armor in his mind fell silent as well.

And his own falling heavy blade finally collided with the sword thrust out by the Heavy Sword.

The sword's lingering force did not diminish as it continued to thrust forward. The heavy blade completely dispersed into the air, and even the Demon Armor covering Lin Cheng's body dissolved into specks of starlight at the very moment that sword thrust out, vanishing swiftly into the air.

By the time the Demon Armor had completely vanished from Lin Cheng's body, that thrusting sword had finally come to a halt at Lin Cheng's neck, stopping less than five centimeters from his skin.

Lin Cheng closed his eyes and smiled.

He had lost.

Just as he was about to admit his defeat, he heard the heavy thud of something collapsing beside his ear.

Lin Cheng opened his eyes and looked—only to see the Heavy Sword had fallen to the ground first, eyes tightly shut, seemingly having lost consciousness.

The referee below, seeing this scene, directly announced Lin Cheng as the victor.

"Let us congratulate the Forger on winning this match! Congratulations on his advancement!"

"Huh?" Lin Cheng was baffled.

"Didn't I lose? How did the Heavy Sword fall to the ground first?"

"Ding. Detected that the Demon Armor's consciousness has vanished. Congratulations to the host on taming one Demon Armor. It can be summoned to possess the host at any time. Spirit Resistance +200."

"What on earth happened?" Lin Cheng asked the system in confusion.

He vaguely remembered using the Undying Demon Armor skill, and then it felt as though a terrifying voice had crowded into his mind, and after that, he had lost consciousness.

When he woke again, he saw the sword thrust out by the Heavy Sword.

The disappearance of the Demon Armor's consciousness?

Could it be that what had invaded his consciousness was the Demon Armor's own will?

Does that mean it was the Heavy Sword's sword that killed the Demon Armor's consciousness?

He recalled that in the background story about Kai, it seemed to mention that the Demon Armor was a kind of mysterious living object. He refused to submit to the Demon Armor's will, and in the end conquered the Demon Armor through immense difficulty.

Had he now also conquered the Demon Armor?

"Yes, host. Like Kai, you have conquered the Demon Armor. But not quite the same—Kai's Demon Armor was an extremely powerful one, not so easily killed. They merely reached a symbiotic contract. Kai borrowed the Demon Armor's power, and the Demon Armor needed Kai's body to survive."

"But your Demon Armor has lost its will forever. Under that sword thrust that came infinitely close to the power of miracles, the Demon Armor's consciousness was directly destroyed. And the host's will has re-occupied the Demon Armor. Now the Demon Armor is a part of the host—you can use the Demon Armor to empower yourself at any time."

"Oh, oh."

Lin Cheng roughly understood, but he still had one question.

"Are Demon Armors very dangerous?"

The system gave an explanation.

"Yes. Demon Armors are a special symbiotic type of demon species, possessing their own will and life. Before parasitizing a human, they often require people to offer up lives and flesh and blood to grow and survive. Once they find a suitable host, they will absorb the nutrients within the human host's body, achieving symbiosis with the host."

"Usually, a Demon Armor will destroy the host's will in order to control the host's actions and body. The rarer cases, like Kai and his Demon Armor, are ones where neither can overcome the other, reaching a balance and coexisting together!"

"A case like the host's, where the Demon Armor's will was destroyed, is still the first of its kind! Congratulations to the host on obtaining a growing Demon Armor!"

"Can I understand this as getting a Demon Armor that grows stronger as I grow stronger?"

Lin Cheng felt he could understand it that way.

"Yes, but please note that the host must replenish nutrients. Now the Demon Armor and the host share in prosperity and in loss. If the Demon Armor does not receive enough nutrients, it will automatically absorb nutrients from the host. In mild cases, this will cause the host to become anemic; in severe cases, it will starve the host into unconsciousness."