Chapter 618: Aegis Shield

A Xina arrived quickly.

The female giant entered in human form; since being with Lei En, she has hardly ever shown her true Titan Giant form.

She tied her long, golden, radiant hair into a ponytail at the back of her head, the tail hanging over her shoulders; the close‑fitting, exquisite armor accentuated her tall figure, and her sturdy, rounded, long legs moved with a gait that was both vigorous and light, exuding an aura of heroic elegance.

Her bright, stunningly beautiful face combined with this attire and bearing; even the most discerning eyes could find no flaw in A Xina.

"Elder."

A Xina's face beamed with a radiant smile, her voice fresh and crisp, highly contagious. She gave Lei En a slight nod, said nothing, yet the emotion in her eyes was unmistakable.

Suo Lim nodded.

Since A Xina entered, he had been observing; when this young, outstanding junior approached, the Titan Elder personally poured her a cup of tea and invited her to sit.

A Xina was flattered and startled.

The Titan Elder's status in the eyes of the Storm Giants was so lofty that without an elder, the Storm Temple would have long since fallen and been destroyed, and the tribe would no longer exist. Even though the elder always dote on her like the most benevolent elder, A Xina never dared to be presumptuous, regarding him in her heart as a true deity.

However, seeing Lei En beside her, A Xina felt a bit at ease, moved closer to Lei En and sat properly.

"Lei En, A Xina."

Suo Lim addressed both of them simultaneously, smiling as he asked, "You've already formed a soul contract, haven't you?"

Lei En nodded.

"Yes, Elder," A Xina said, somewhat uneasy; according to the elder's intention she was supposed to sign the contract before the elder, but Lei En brought it up in her own garden, and she couldn't refuse.

Suo Lim offered no rebuke, but looked at Lei En.

Although he could sense the changes in both of their auras, making deception impossible and unnecessary, he still wanted to verify it with his own eyes.

Lei En understood his meaning and immediately activated Titan divine power.

In an instant, his body swelled rapidly like a balloon being blown up, becoming a fourteen‑meter‑tall giant, like a small mountain. He was surrounded by streaks of thunder and lightning, his physique immensely robust, and his ferocious, terrifying power made it difficult even for weak cultivators to approach, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Good!"

Suo Lim clapped his hands forcefully, and finally a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

There are many Elements in the world that can enlarge one's form, and some spells can achieve similar effects, but only Titan divine power possesses such formidable might.

Suo Lim, who has lived nearly four thousand years, advanced to a Titan Giant at a very young age, and never misreads the aura of Titan divine power. He observed Lei En's giant form, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes; Lei En's displayed strength far exceeded expectations.

"Second‑grade Titan divine power!"

Within the Storm Temple there are several Titan Giants, but aside from himself, only two giants have Titan divine power of second grade or higher.

Those two Titan Giants have advanced for several hundred, even nearly a thousand years, yet have not broken through the Saint Rank, so they are probably still no match for Lei En.

"He's only twenty‑five!"

"This human's talent and potential are terrifying."

Suo Lim was secretly terrified.

In his long years, he had never seen such an exaggerated individual. Not only humans, but elves, dwarves, giants, dragons, even celestial beings and all races—including Demons and divine offspring—might have a few with slightly stronger talents, but none possessed such formidable strength at Lei En's age, not even anyone close.

Combining the investigation results on Lei En, Suo Lim felt his decision was wise.

He also became more confident.

It shouldn't take many years; his investment in Lei En will yield abundant returns, achieving the grand plan of revitalizing the Storm Giants!

Suo Lim smiled, "With your appearance and aura, if you walked around the Temple now, everyone would treat you as a stranger among the clan."

"There's still a slight difference," Lei En knew best.

His original form is a human about 1.9 meters tall; any change in size that differs from his original form continuously drains stamina. The more the transformation, the larger the body, the greater the stamina consumption.

A Xina, however, is the opposite.

Her original form is about six meters tall; in this state it is most natural, and whether she grows larger or smaller it consumes stamina. However, in the reduced state, the human form consumes little stamina; with A Xina's robust stamina, even maintaining a human body continuously for an entire day uses less than a tenth of her stamina, and a short rest restores it.

Transforming from human to giant and from giant to human are fundamentally different; if an enemy discerns this in battle, it can be exploited.

While speaking, he reduced his size to that of a normal human.

A Xina said earnestly, "Lei En, you are a Titan Giant."

"A Xina is correct," Suo Lim agreed, "Possessing Titan divine power makes one a Titan Giant, and also one of our clan. Lei En, welcome to the Storm Giant clan."

Lei En immediately understood.

Since he's now a clan member, shouldn't he be more attentive to clan affairs? When he gains power, he shouldn't refuse to clear the Storm Plane's enemies, right?

This move is called identity recognition; I've seen it many times in my past life.

"I've taken the elder's words to heart," Lei En thought sarcastically, but his face was full of a taught expression, solemnly saying, "From now on I'm a member of the Storm Giants; the Storm Giants' affairs are my affairs, and as long as I can do it, I will never shirk."

His statement made Suo Lim very satisfied.

A Xina was also deeply moved, and through the soul contract conveyed gratitude to Lei En. The soul's eye saw that her affection for him grew stronger.

Suo Lim got the answer he wanted from Lei En, and asked, "When are you leaving?"

"Immediately," Lei En replied.

The Empire is now in turmoil; whether the Ge La Mo Gen Ling or Title: Duke Ao Gusu Du, they cannot do without him. He must soon head to the capital Nuosiruier and cannot linger in the Storm Temple.

A Xina's expression changed slightly.

She had long yearned to see the outside world, but when the time to leave arrived, she suddenly felt reluctant. She couldn't bear to part with her family, her friends, or everything in the temple where she had lived for decades.

Lei En sensed A Xina's emotions and took her hand.

Suo Lim felt little; having lived so long, he had seen countless separations and reunions, and the clan members in the temple had changed through countless generations. He was accustomed to focusing on the rise and fall of the entire race rather than overly concerning himself with any individual's departure.

But this time was different; A Xina was not an ordinary clan member, and she mattered to his plan.

"A Xina, this is your first time leaving the Storm Plane, and you have just come of age; I will give you several items as a coming‑of‑age gift. I hope they will ensure your safety and better maintain the Temple's relationship with Lei En."

Suo Lim seemed to have prepared beforehand.

As he spoke, he took out several items, placed them on the table, and smiled, "They are all yours now."

A black ring forged of dark iron, its inner band adorned with star‑flower patterns; a full set of delicate, light‑blue, female armor; a silver headband; a single‑handed longsword; and a round shield.

"Elder!"

A Xina was greatly surprised and also very excited.

Lei En, upon seeing these magical pieces of equipment, couldn't help but be astonished, and his impression of the Titan Elder changed dramatically.

The black ring is the Nebula Ring.

The female armor is also familiar; it is a set of Titan Power Armor composed of six pieces—chestplate, shoulder guards, arm guards, gloves, skirt, and war boots—each piece bearing powerful enchantments, and the overall effect is to raise the Element of "Power" by one level.

This Titan Power Armor was clearly custom‑made for A Xina, being lighter and not as heavy as my own set, yet its enchantments are no less potent, fitting A Xina's combat style perfectly.

That bright‑silver headband is also an Epic‑grade piece of equipment.

The headband's surface is engraved with olive‑leaf‑shaped patterns as decoration; its aura is restrained, appearing unremarkable, but Lei En's All‑Seeing Eye pierces the interior, directly observing its enchantment runes, finding them extremely intricate, combining Titan runes and Elf runes, making its effect indecipherable at first glance.

Obviously, this headband was forged by the Titan Elder himself.

That one‑handed sword is entirely deep‑blue; its material is not metal yet is extremely hard, the blade as wide as a palm, its shape simple yet elegant, the blade about one meter long, perfectly suited for A Xina to wield with one hand in human form.

Lightning energy flows over the sword, etched with a line of ultra‑minimalist yet wondrously luminous runes.

Lei En recognized it at a glance.

The sword has two enchantments: one is Lightning Strike, releasing a powerful lightning attack upon hitting a target, and the other surprisingly dispels magic!

Any weapon that carries a dispel effect is Epic‑grade!

However, all those magical items pale in comparison to the round shield that follows, and even Lei En cannot help but have his gaze fixed on it, his eyes unable to look away.

It is a dark‑gold round shield, not very large, about eighty centimeters in diameter, just the right size for A Xina to cover her upper body. Its face is lavishly decorated with concentric exquisite and intricate patterns; upon close inspection each pattern is composed of smaller runes, essentially a miniature rune array etched onto the shield.

At the center of the round shield is a lifelike depiction of a Snake‑haired Gorgon's head, each of its serpentine heads flickering with crimson glints, as if not painted but with real heads hanging on it.

And this is only the surface portion of the shield, like the tip of an iceberg.

The All‑Seeing Eye peers into its interior, where dozens of times more runes are packed within the shield only half a finger thick, layered upon layered, as if compressed countless times, ultimately forming multiple layers of arrays.

It is hard to imagine how this round shield was forged.

Lei En already knows its origin.

"Egis Divine Shield!"

A Xina blanched and exclaimed, first with great delight then shaking her head repeatedly, "Elder, it is one of the supreme treasures of our giant race, truly too precious…"

"No matter how valuable something is, if it goes unused it holds no value," Suo Li Mu said calmly, "I've held the Egis Divine Shield for over three thousand years; I haven't needed it for ages, and it has sat idle until now—better to pass it to you for inheritance."

"Of course, if you meet an accident and the shield is taken, I will retrieve it personally."

"I hope that day never comes."

Suo Li Mu's words made A Xina even more uneasy; she stared blankly at the dark‑gold round shield, finding it hard to voice a refusal.

Lei En can understand her.

A Xina's reaction was relatively restrained; another person would have readily agreed. This is a Legend Grade shield, and one of the most powerful, famous, and ancient shields of Ai Lun E Si.

The Egis Divine Shield was forged in the Second Epoch.

During the peak of the Giant Empire, the era gathered the finest demigod‑level Titan Elders of the time, who used the best materials and craftsmanship, spending several years to forge it as a tribute to the Giant King who ruled half the world, symbolizing the king's great achievements.

That Giant King's most famous heroic deed was protecting a great number of his people during a Demon invasion.

Thus the shield was named "Shield of Protection."

The word for protection is pronounced "Egis" in the giant tongue and also means safeguard; over time people have come to call it the "Egis Divine Shield."

This round shield is now over fifteen thousand years old.

It is also one of the few magical items that have survived intact from the Second Epoch to the present.

When Lei En first met Suo Li Mu, the latter also listed the Egis Divine Shield for exchange, pricing it at 30,000 pounds of source crystal. In hindsight, the Titan Elder probably wasn't truly offering it, merely using it as a gimmick, never expecting anyone could gather 30,000 pounds of source crystal.

Having spent large amounts of source crystal in these trades, Suo Li Mu must have been quite flustered.

Giant treasures cannot truly be traded away, so they simply gave it to A Xina to use; the meat rots in the pot, and it also serves as a favor to oneself—a win‑win.

After that, Lei En returned and researched the Egis Divine Shield.

During the Third Epoch, it circulated among several non‑giant individuals, so the shield's power was not a secret.

First, the Egis round shield constantly provides "Spell Deflection," bouncing any single‑target spell cast at the shield, regardless of spell rank; second, it grants five daily "Spell Reflection" uses, also only affecting single‑target spells, reflecting them back at the caster.

Then comes "Vector Rebound," a legendary Element.

The shield can bounce back any physical attack that strikes it, provided the force does not exceed three times the wielder's strength; regardless of the weapon used, the shield returns the blow along the opposite vector, leaving the holder unharmed.

The fourth effect is "Wall of the Sturdy Shield," which consumes stamina to erect a transparent force‑field wall that blocks magical and physical attacks, protecting the user and allies behind them.

Additionally, there are two more magical effects.

The advanced Stone Skin technique of the Seventh Ring activates continuously while holding the shield, as if constant.

And the Seventh Ring's Petrification Ray, which emits light from the Snake‑haired Gorgon's eye at the shield's center toward forward enemies, producing effects equivalent to petrification, usable five times daily.

Six powerful enchantments make the Egis Divine Shield unbreakable!

If, in a prior battle with A Xina, she wielded this Legend Grade shield, Lei En believes that unless he brandishes the Thunder God's Hammer, he could not defeat her within a minute.

If she also dons these other pieces of equipment, then there's no chance at all.

Now A Xina is my soul mate, so the stronger she is, the better; the Titan Elder's gift can cause her power to surge, preventing her from being injured or encountering mishaps, for a soul contract that would otherwise grievously wound her soul—how could such a boon be refused?

"Elder's sincere intention, A Xina, please accept it," Lei En calmly urged.

Happy Women's Day to everyone, hahaha!

Give me two days; I've set a long‑term goal to write three million words by June 30. If I fail, I'll create a group to give everyone huge red envelopes… the really big ones! Only money can pressure and motivate me, so I'm setting a high target, though I haven't decided the exact figure yet…

(End of Chapter)