Chapter 177: The Legendary Cloth

After organizing the abundant loot from the battle, Sun Fei and Ileena, whose combat power had greatly increased with her new gear, held hands and searched the area. Confirming they hadn’t missed anything, they discovered a hidden black entrance within Duriel’s strange chamber. Stepping through it, the scenery shifted around them, like a teleportation array, and they soon arrived in another vast underground tomb-like space.

Floating in the very center of this space was a small, levitating mountain. Thick chains made of dark iron hung everywhere. One end of each chain connected to the floating peak. This mountain, covered top to bottom in complex magical inscriptions, held the Archangel Tyrael, imprisoned and tortured to the brink of death. As Sun Fei had guessed, this magnificent Archangel in ornate angelic armor, radiating silvery-white light tendrils like a creature of tentacles, possessed no real intelligence. Furthermore, his dialogue matched Sun Fei’s memories exactly: Diablo and his brother Baal had gone east, and he urged Sun Fei, Heaven’s enforcer, to destroy them. It was utterly pointless. Sun Fei had hoped for some kind of reward from the Archangel, but he proved incredibly stingy, demanding work without any sweetener. This irritated Sun Fei so much he gritted his teeth and simply grabbed Ileena’s hand, leaving immediately…

Using a Town Portal Scroll to return to Lut Gholein, Sun Fei visited the NPC merchants. He sold useless magical equipment, acquiring over 30,000 Gold Coins. Hapy, humming a tune, he organized his personal storage chest. Though he had completed all Act Two quests and could ask Captain Meshif at the city docks to take him to Kurast Docks, the Act Three map in the Diablo World, for new challenges, Sun Fei paused. He decided to hold off until his other six professions had also largely cleared the Lut Gholein map before heading there.

Spending time alone with Ileena, even the demon-infested continent of the Diablo World felt romantic.

Sun Fei carefully instructed Ileena to relay messages about Shampoo City’s development back to… well, himself. As the Diablo World’s red moon rose to its highest point, their hands clasped tightly together. Watching the moon side-by-side with a beauty was something Sun Fei had fantasized about in his previous life many times. He hadn’t expected to fulfill it here.

Half an hour later, Sun Fei exited Barbarian Mode and switched to his Sorceress character. Entering the Diablo Lut Gholein map, he began slaying monsters to level up. The Sorceress had reached level 33. Having obtained the green set items of Arcana’s Trickery, the Sorceress’s power had surged, making the leveling process incredibly fast.

…

Blackrock Fortress, Scorching Sun Mountains.

Just before dawn, the darkest hour.

Sun Fei exited the World of Diablo. The portal appeared once again at the pinnacle of the highest tower within Blackrock Fortress. Following the bloody battle of the day, the fortress lay in profound peace and tranquility. No enemies attacked this night. It seemed even the proud, ambitious Blackrock King, after this defeat, realized Blackrock City was no match for this expeditionary force. He hadn’t launched any military action to reclaim the lost territory.

Of course, Sun Fei had guessed some other reasons hinted at by the Blackrock King’s hesitant words earlier. He wasn’t worried, though. It was irrelevant. Before overwhelming strength, everything else was illusion. Though Shampoo City wasn’t yet strong enough to challenge a formal Empire head-on, dealing with Vassal States was absolutely no problem.

Anyone who dared to bare their teeth at him, he’d make them weep with regret.

Lying on his back atop the tower, gazing at the brilliant canopy of stars, Sun Fei let his thoughts drift away, his mind serene. He began to relish this rare moment of leisure, quietly appreciating the stunningly beautiful night sky. Dawn’s approach brought the deepest night, the time when the stars shone brightest. Stars sparkled like diamonds, adorning the inky black sky with breathtaking splendor.

Sun Fei quickly became immersed.

Subconsciously, as he had done in similar scenes in his past life, he began searching for constellations among the stars.

To his surprise, he found some oddly familiar shapes. As a former Saint Seiya fan, Sun Fei had been obsessed with astronomy for a while. He was very familiar with the celestial positions, star counts, and arrangements of all eighty-eight constellations in the sky. Though the constellations he saw now were definitely not identical to his memories, if he concentrated and pieced the stars together, he could gradually outline patterns that were fundamentally similar.

“Pegasus… Dragon… Ophiuchus… Haha! I can actually find them all! This is an amazing discovery!” Sun Fei stroked his chin, a brilliant idea forming in his mind.

Soon—

“Come to the top of the highest tower. Meet me.”

Sun Fei’s voice sounded softly in the ears of Frank Lampard, Prison Warden Oleg, Personal Guards Captain Fernando Torres, and the Heng-Ha Twin Generals (Drogba and Pierce). These few hadn’t slept a wink all night. Aside from occasional patrols around the city to ensure safety, they spent every moment training intensely, raising their power. All were determined to win a good standing for Shampoo City in the upcoming Martial Arts Combat Tournament and share Sun Fei’s pressure, pushing themselves relentlessly.

Hearing Sun Fei’s call, swift figures sliced through the night air, landing silently on the tower peak.

“Your Majesty the King!” The six knelt on one knee and saluted.

“Rise,” Sun Fei instructed, his back towards them as he stood at the edge of the tower platform. The night breeze stirred his waterfall-like black hair and lifted the hem of his robes. He looked up at the sky, pointed at the dazzling stars, and said something seemingly cryptic with a smile: “Look. How beautiful and brilliant the stars in the heavens are? Innumerable. But did you know, there is a wondrous legend? The stars in the sky are not truly scattered without order. They occupy different regions, forming vivid patterns. These patterns are called constellations, and the entire sky can be divided into eighty-eight constellations…”

Constellations?

Although the Azeroth Continent had its own theories and mythological lore concerning celestial phenomena over time, the term “constellation” was entirely new. For a moment, the men were confused. Why was the King talking about this? What whimsy had struck him? They listened quietly.

“And according to the legends,” Sun Fei continued, “these eighty-eight constellations in the heavens correspond, one by one, to eighty-eight of the most powerful warriors on earth. These warriors exist to guard love and justice. With their fists, they could slice the heavens; with their legs, they could cleave the earth. They possessed invincible power. Their name is something you know very well: They are the Saints! This is why I named the King’s Guard of Shamboo City the Saints… Now, look closely again. Over in the northern sky, that constellation formed by ninety-six stars of varying brightness. Doesn’t it look like a golden lion roaring towards the heavens?”

Following Sun Fei’s pointed finger, they saw a dazzling expanse of stars. If they used their imagination to connect those gleaming points, as their King described, it truly seemed to outline a majestic golden lion bellowing at the sky.

“This constellation is the legendary Leo.”

Sun Fei turned to face them, his gaze eventually settling on Frank Lampard. He continued: “The warrior corresponding to Leo is the Leo Saint. Legend states that the golden lion’s fangs could crush all enemies, and the Leo Saint’s fists overflow with the power of lightning!”

As he spoke, Sun Fei gently extended his palm. A black iron chest engraved with a lion design suddenly appeared out of thin air atop the tower. Under the astonished gaze of the others, Sun Fei personally opened the chest. Inside, they saw a lifelike black, steel lion poised to pounce, radiating an unparalleled aura of might. Looking closer, they realized this iron lion was composed of ninety-six intricately shaped armor pieces. Though inanimate, it felt alive, as if a ferocious lion was truly about to charge them.

“The Leo Cloth. Frank, this Cloth exists solely for you. Put it on, and you shall feel the power of the Leo constellation from the heavens above!”

Before Sun Fei’s final word faded, something incredible happened—

The Leo Cloth stirred. It emitted a strange force and flew into the air. At the same moment, Lampard, drawn by this power despite not channeling any Battle Qi, found himself floating upwards, his feet lifting off the tower top. The black Cloth erupted with dazzling radiance, then automatically disassembled, separating into ninety-six distinct pieces. They shot through the air toward Lampard, swiftly attaching themselves to him in perfect sequence and order.

BOOM—!

His feet landed firmly back on the tower, shaking the entire Giant Tower.

Prison Warden Oleg and the Heng-Ha Twin Generals (Drogba and Pierce) involuntarily widened their eyes, expressions of utter shock etched on their faces.

Before them, Lampard was now completely encased in a suit of armor of an unprecedented design. Fingers, palms, wrists, forearms, upper arms, shoulders, head, back, waist, chest, abdomen, crotch, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet… almost every part of him was flawlessly protected by the ninety-six armor components. The meticulous arrangement surpassed any preconception, safeguarding each body part ideally without hindering movement. They had never conceived that such a perfect suit of armor could exist. It was simply unbelievable.

Lampard himself also stared in stunned surprise.

An unprecedented sensation of comfort and immense power flooded him. The armor felt imbued with a profound, primal force that seemed connected to his very lifeblood. It bonded with his body instantly, becoming one with him upon contact. Gone was the cumbersome, restrictive weight of ordinary armor. Instead, it moved with absolute fluidity, like an extension of his own flesh.

Power!

That was the sole impression the Cloth gave Lampard.

Meanwhile, Sun Fei, the orchestrator of this astonishing display, also froze. For echoing in his ears was the mysterious, icy, and long-absent voice, starting to explain the miraculous scene they had just witnessed.