Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Expanding the Arsenal

The synchronization sequence completed. Dante appeared back inside the private booth of the Gilded Boar tavern in Ironhold.

He didn’t immediately leave the safe zone. The revelations from the dream were still resounding in his localized neural link.

Kaelar’s legacy, the cyclical nature of the Zenith Protocol, and the reality of the Orthodox successors completely shifted his operational parameters.

He couldn’t just play as a solo assassin anymore. If the system was preparing to launch a purge like it had in the First Cycle, he needed an established, heavily fortified base of operations to protect his allies.

He opened his private party interface.

[Dan: Meet me at the central fountain. We’re moving our operation to the Capital.]

Lila, Mei, and Casanova were already online, having slept through their own lockout timers. The responses came back instantly.

[Lila: The Capital? You mean Aethelgardia? Dante, the minimum level requirement to even walk through the gates of that city is 40!]

[Casanova: Boss, I am Level 21! If a stray cat sneezes on me in a Level 40 zone, I am going to explode into a fine red mist!]

[Mei: Hotpot in the capital is supposed to be amazing! I’m in!]

Dante smiled slightly.

[Dan: Don’t worry about the level gap. I’m carrying. Meet me in ten minutes.]

Before Dante left the tavern, he needed to make a stop.

The siege of Ironhold and the fight with Void-Bishop Morgrim had pushed his equipment to the absolute limit.

The [Sun-Forged Cu had survived the localized acid wash, but relying entirely on Aura and Erebus for defensive fail-safes was dangerous. He needed structural mitigation that didn’t rely on his pets’ cosmic energy reserves.

He left the tavern and navigated the busy morning streets of Ironhold, heading directly toward Blacksmith Tang’s massive open-air forge.

Tang was hammering a glowing piece of steel on his anvil as Dante approached. The NPC looked up, his artificial eyes immediately recognizing the [Zenith Epaulet].

"You return, Champion," Tang grunted, setting his hammer down. "The localized gossip networks are screaming your name. They say you dropped a sky-beam on the Demon army."

"It was an effective crowd-control measure," Dante said smoothly. He placed his heavy, pitch-black [Mantle of the Void-Dragon] onto the wooden counter.

"I need an upgrade," Dante instructed. "I’m heading to Aethelgardia."

Tang’s eyes widened slightly. "The Capital. You are moving fast, Outworlder. The localized corruption in those outer zones is incredibly dense. Your Divine Emperor cloak is powerful, but it relies heavily on its active passives."

Tang reached under his heavy leather apron and pulled out a small, incredibly bright, glowing piece of crystalline fabric.

"During the siege yesterday, I managed to procure a shipment of highly restricted materials," Tang explained quietly.

"This is [Astral Silk]. It is woven from the residual light of a dying star. If I infuse this into your Mantle, it will shatter the system’s baseline scaling."

Dante didn’t ask how a simple NPC blacksmith had acquired illegal cosmic materials. He just nodded. "Do it."

Tang didn’t charge him. The blacksmith placed the glowing silk over the black starry fabric of the cloak and began chanting the high-frequency incantation.

The white light flared violently, completely sinking into the dark material, fusing the cosmic elements together perfectly.

[System Override: Unauthorized Material Detected.]

[Item Upgraded: Mantle of the Void-Dragon (Awakened)]

[Item Tier Elevated: Divine Emperor -> Saint Destroyer]

Dante stared at the interface.

The cloak had jumped a massive tier, completely bypassing standard progression. It was now sitting at the exact same cosmic weight class as the [Bow of the Eclipse].

The system text expanded, detailing the new passive.

[New Passive Unlocked: Source of Recovery]

[Description: A manifestation of absolute resilience. Upon receiving physical or magical damage, the cloak instantly halves the total incoming damage value, and immediately regenerates 50% of the lost HP pool. Cooldown: None.]

Dante exhaled slowly.

It was a completely broken, self-sustaining mitigation loop. If a boss hit him for 10,000 damage, the passive would instantly cut the hit down to 5,000.

And the moment his health bar dropped, the cloak would instantly heal him for 2,500. He was functionally taking only a quarter of the intended damage from any given strike, completely independent of Aura’s active healing.

"You are a lifesaver, Tang," Dante said, equipping the massive, heavy cloak.

"Do not die in the Capital, Champion," Tang replied, picking his hammer back up. "The Orthodox remnants are active there. They do not appreciate anomalies."

Dante paused. Tang knew about the Orthodox factions.

"I’ll keep that in mind," Dante said.

Before he left the forge, Dante opened his infinite inventory. He scrolled through the massive pile of low-tier skillbooks he had completely ignored during his rush through the beginner zones.

He was looking for something very specific.

He found a thin, unremarkable gray book.

[Item Appraised: Skillbook - Parry]

[Tier: Novice]

[Description: A basic defensive maneuver. The user raises their weapon to block an incoming strike, reducing damage by 15%. Cooldown: 5 seconds.]

He already had [Aegis Deflection] for perfect parries, but he didn’t care about the base skill. He cared about the interaction between his [Chrono-Shift] talent and his Zenith-tier multiplier.

He tapped the book, absorbing it instantly.

[Skill Learned: Parry (Novice)]

He didn’t draw [Voidsever]. He drew the Gold-tier [Dawn-Breaker Blade] from his hip. He stood near the edge of Tang’s forge and activated the skill.

[Skill Executed: Parry.]

[Talent Activated: 10,000x Multiplier.]

The combat enlightenment wasn’t about blocking a physical strike. It was the absolute, fundamental understanding of spatial defense.

Dante learned how to mathematically predict the exact trajectory of incoming kinetic energy. He understood how to fold ambient mana into physical barriers, creating walls of intersecting force that completely overwhelmed an attacker’s offensive momentum.

[Parry has reached Adept tier.]

[Parry has reached Master tier.]

[Parry has reached Grandmaster tier.]

The air around Dante didn’t just shimmer; it violently fractured into hundreds of glowing, localized geometric planes.

[Parry has reached Zenith tier.]

[Skill Evolution Triggered.]

[Parry has evolved into: Aether-Blade Storm.]

The system interface updated violently, the text glowing with a brilliant, blinding silver light.

[Aether-Blade Storm (Zenith)]

[Description: The ultimate expression of localized defensive aggression. The user summons 100 autonomous, floating phantom swords forged from pure Aether. The swords actively seek and intercept all incoming projectiles and melee strikes within a 50-foot radius. Upon intercepting an attack, the phantom sword explodes, dealing 1,000% True Damage to the attacker. Cooldown: 0 Seconds (Chrono-Shift Active).]

Dante stared at the description.

It wasn’t a parry. It was an automated, floating minefield of localized destruction. And because of [Chrono-Shift], he could maintain the swarm of phantom swords indefinitely, without spending a single point of mana.

He triggered the skill.

There was no localized casting animation.

One hundred glowing, silver broadswords instantly materialized in the air around him. They didn’t fall to the ground.

They floated effortlessly, circling Dante like a school of predatory, metallic fish. The ambient hum of the Aether blades was incredibly loud, vibrating the localized atmosphere.

Tang stopped hammering again, staring at the swirling storm of swords completely blanketing his customer.

"Just testing the new hardware," Dante smiled.

He dismissed the skill. The hundred phantom swords dissolved into silver light, vanishing instantly.

He turned away from the forge and walked toward the central fountain of Ironhold. He was geared. He was upgraded. He was completely mathematically broken.

He arrived at the fountain.

Lila, Mei, and Casanova were already waiting for him.

Lila was leaning on her Dark Demon staff, looking incredibly nervous. Mei was casually bouncing her colossal pan on her shoulder, clearly excited for a new localized combat zone.

Casanova was busy combing his hair, looking terrified but trying to maintain his flamboyant persona.

But they weren’t alone.

Standing awkwardly near the edge of the group, wearing heavily mismatched, rusty iron beginner armor, was a familiar, middle-aged man.

Garrick.

Dante stopped walking. He stared at the oblivious tank from the real-world pub.

"What is he doing here?" Dante asked, pointing a dark purple gauntlet at Garrick.

"Sera added him to the roster!" Casanova explained brightly. "She said we needed a dedicated aggro sponge if we’re moving to the Capital! And he’s incredibly motivated!"

Garrick beamed, offering Dante a massive thumbs-up.

"Hey, buddy!" Garrick boomed. "Sera told me you guys needed a main tank for the big leagues! Don’t worry, I spent the last two days grinding boars. I’m Level 8! I’m completely ready to hold the line!"

Dante looked at Garrick’s Level 8 tag. Then he looked at Lila (Level 35), Mei (Level 40), and Casanova (Level 21).

"He’s going to die instantly," Dante said flatly.

"I won’t let him die!" Mei promised, patting Garrick on his rusted iron shoulder. "I’ll just block for him!"

Dante sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

He was supposed to be a highly efficient strike team. Instead, he was dragging a reality-warping toddler, a chantless gravity mage, a brawler with a kitchen appliance, a flamboyant coward, and a middle-aged man dealing with severe marital issues into the most dangerous city on the server.

"Fine," Dante said, completely giving up on the concept of military discipline. "We’re going to Aethelgardia. Stick close to me, and don’t touch anything glowing."

Dante opened his system interface, preparing to activate the fast-travel network.

The Anomaly Squad was moving out.