And also......

Hei Chuan Chi Yin couldn’t be sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt as though the sister role was tailor-made for Duanmu Huai, who didn’t even need to act; he only had to be himself.

"Boom...... boom...!!"

Suddenly, the two of them heard heavy footsteps coming from behind. When they turned around to look, they were taken aback.

Standing behind them was a figure dressed entirely in black Iron Armor, advancing towards them.

This figure appeared to be about the same height as the two of them. The black Armor covered the entire body, and the thick shoulder guards covered most of the face. The helmet adorned with a skull pattern emitted a bright, cold red glow.

In the left hand of this Armored Warrior was a Tower Shield of nearly equal height, with the front decorated with a pair of hands clasped in a prayer-like position, topped with a skull. The right hand wielded a huge, heavy War Hammer, projecting an aura of cold might.

"Whoa———! Xiao, Xiao Ai?"

Upon hearing Arima Kaname’s shout, the latter lowered the War Hammer and removed the helmet.

"That’s right, how do I look? Is this style cool or what?"

"It’s definitely cool!"

Seeing it was Duanmu Huai, Arima Kaname also breathed a sigh of relief, walked up to Duanmu Huai, and curiously reached out to touch the Battle Armor.

"Wait a minute, why is it so hard? Is it made of iron?"

"Of course, since I was going to make it, I aimed to make the best."

Duanmu Huai nodded without hesitation. Although this era couldn’t produce Power Armor, being just a prop, it didn’t really require Power Armor. Usually, these props are made from special materials, but Duanmu Huai thought it unnecessary, choosing instead to make a raw, pure steel-crafted analog of a feedback armor shell!

By the way, this set of equipment is from the War Nun’s attire, which Duanmu Huai borrowed to use.

Director Qing Shui was also very pleased with the design and went with it.

"Don’t you feel it’s heavy, Xiao Ai?"

Hei Chuan Chi Yin approached to ask. After all, Duanmu Huai was fully clad in Heavy Armor, carrying a Tower Shield and a large hammer, and appeared heavily laden.

"It’s okay; it’s certainly heavy, but for me, it’s fine."

Considering its texture, nearly everything Duanmu Huai used was authentic. Normally, people couldn’t even move, let alone walk, with this set on. But for Duanmu Huai, this weight was barely noticeable; he could run the Chrysanthemum Prize race wearing this and easily clinch the championship.

Moreover, Duanmu Huai planned to wear this in Subspace.

"By the way, what’s with the skull on the shield?"

"Ah, that’s the protagonist’s mother."

Duanmu Huai tapped the skull affixed to the shield, currently with its hands clasped, entirely trapped within the shield.

"According to the setup, the protagonist and sister’s mother was captured by the Evil Organization while trying to help the sister escape, and was bound to this shield, forcing the now-cyborg sister to carry the mother while hunting Monsters, as the mother continuously tried to awaken her daughter. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do it until her death."

"Whoa......"

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s explanation, Arima Kaname had a look of horror.

"That’s really terrifying, so the sister fights carrying her mother’s bones all the time? If the protagonist finds out, wouldn’t he lose his mind?"

"The protagonist doesn’t need to know, as long as the audience does."

Duanmu Huai clanged the shield down and shrugged.

"What’s all this pasted on the armor? Scriptures??"

Hei Chuan Chi Yin curiously approached the armor, scrutinizing the paper slips affixed to it.

"Advance bravely, purify the unclean. Remove heretics, annihilate external foes."

Duanmu Huai said, with a slight hum.

"Nothing special, just picked some words that seemed appropriate and stuck them on — it looks the part."

"........."

Hei Chuan Chi Yin didn’t respond, instead blinking her eyes and staring at the armor. Despite its different style, she was almost certain she had seen something similar somewhere before — right, in her dream.

In that terrifying, dreadful nightmare.

She still remembered that tall man who wore exactly the same Battle Armor, though the size was somewhat different, everything else was very similar...... thinking of this, Hei Chuan Chi Yin once more looked towards the girl before her.

Suddenly, her vision blurred.

The girl who had been standing there vanished without a trace, replaced by a tall, fierce-looking bald man. He was over two meters tall, and Hei Chuan Chi Yin appeared almost like a child before him. He was clad in heavy black Armor, upon which was clearly visible the emblem of a skull and golden Double-Headed Eagle, with the shoulder guards towering dauntingly, imbuing him with an unprecedented sense of pressure.

Who are you?

Hei Chuan Chi Yin gazed at the man before her.

Who are you?

She had never met him, yet felt instinctually familiar, as if she already knew who this man was.

But who exactly are you?

"........."

The man didn’t speak; he only lowered his head, gazing at Hei Chuan Chi Yin. His eyes showed no happiness or sadness, devoid of any emotion, calm and indifferent.

This gaze...... is very similar to Xiao Ai.

That’s right. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Hei Chuan Chi Yin understood the origin of this familiar sensation, for she was always observing Xiao Ai. Regardless of the situation or the emotions involved, Xiao Ai was always calm and indifferent.

Except during combat.

She recalled what had happened at that time, facing those Evil Spirits, Xiao Ai, usually indifferent to everything, had her gaze ignited like gasoline, erupting in unparalleled anger and hatred. At that moment, she turned into a fiery blaze, seemingly consuming and incinerating anyone who dared approach......

"Chi Yin?"

Arima Kaname’s voice echoed beside her, jolting Hei Chuan Chi Yin back to reality. When she gathered herself, the apparition that had appeared before her was gone, and Arima Kaname was curiously staring at her.

"What’s going on with you? The second part of the script reading is about to start."

"Ah, um...... I know."

Hei Chuan Chi Yin restrained her emotions, nodding. Duanmu Huai’s figure was already gone, likely left due to some urgent matter.

What was that just now?

At least for now, Hei Chuan Chi Yin didn’t believe it was merely an illusion.