The Man Within the Artifact

Indeed, Du Chen truly only intended to pilfer a minor sacred artifact. Yet, as Deboning diligently chiseled along the sacred artifact's iron rod, after excavating a small, half-meter-deep cavity, the rod's root remained elusive. Instead, clasped within the rod, was...

A hand!

This hand wore a black iron gauntlet, quite ordinary, resembling the charge knight's gauntlets common in armies. Made primarily of beast hide, it was inlaid with thick black iron plates, and at the joints, resilient and elastic beast sinews provided connection.

The gauntlet bore numerous scratches, though all were shallow. One, in particular, was inadvertently made by Deboning when he first discovered the hand. Yet, not even Deboning’s full-force strike could damage the gauntlet, proving its material was of the same exceptionally high-grade heavenly treasure as the black rock!

Only a portion of the gauntlet was exposed, tightly clenching the new sacred artifact. But it was entirely conceivable that within the black rock, a figure stood, right arm raised, wrist clenched around what was very likely an Eleventh-Tier, or even Twelfth-Tier, peerless sacred artifact capable of compelling the Golden Circlet of the Divine and the Dragon God's Scepter to submission!

Battle armor that even Deboning couldn't destroy, a sacred artifact capable of driving deities to madness... Who exactly was this person!?

"Deboning, you were right not to dig any further!" Du Chen murmured, squatting quietly beside the new sacred artifact, his gaze fixed on the black armored gauntlet. "By the heavens, if this man is still alive, wouldn't that mean he's been sealed within the sacred artifact for over a thousand years? If we were to release such an ancient monster, who knows what would happen!"

He turned, drew a finger across his throat, and eyed Deboning sidelong. "Tell me, once he breaks free, will he be grateful for our salvation, or will he simply slay us!?"

Deboning's cold eyes fixed on the gauntlet. "If he is a Fallen Gods hero, then we are his benefactors. But if he is a sealed Fiendkind Marshal, like Marshal Kuban... I fear the Eye of Heaven Forest would face a great catastrophe!" It was precisely this apprehension that had prevented him from digging further.

Upon the resplendent Lotus Pedestal, the black rock stood at its heart, a disc-shaped sacred artifact embedded within. On either side of the artifact, Deboning and Du Chen exchanged glances, both somewhat at a loss as to how to proceed!

***

"Young Master, what should we do now? This man's gauntlet is of the same material as the rock; I cannot pierce it to check his condition!"

Du Chen lightly tapped the iron gauntlet with the Vanishing Snow Sword, while his other hand stroked his nose. "First, we must ascertain if he's still alive. If so, just how formidable is his strength, and which faction does he belong to...?"

Flipping from the Lotus Pedestal, "Wait here, I'll go fetch Beibei and Aliza!"

The moment Beibei saw the gauntlet, her eyes widened instantly, as if she'd discovered an intriguing new toy! She then, with absolute certainty, informed Du Chen that while the man's Spiritual Power fluctuations were faint, they were undeniably present—he was alive!

"Indeed, an old monster who has lived for over a thousand years!"

Du Chen patted his daughter, who was still fixated on the gauntlet. "Beibei, can you discern the extent of this person's power? Or rather, is the intensity of his battle qi still within the range of your Spiritual Power perception!?"

"What a big hand!"

The little one playfully circled the gauntlet a few times, then hopped into the pit, producing two diamond magic crystals from her small belly-band and tapping them against the gauntlet. Suddenly, she looked up, her expression solemn!

"Papa, do you want to dig this person out?"

Du Chen nodded. "This person is buried in the rock along with the sacred artifact. To obtain the new sacred artifact, we will inevitably have to excavate him as well... My dear, what is his strength like? If he is too powerful for us to control for now, then we shall simply wait for another day!"

Beibei thoughtfully tugged at her pigtail, then very slowly said, "You *can* dig him out, but after he's out, Papa must give *her* to Beibei, so Beibei and little brother Alex can watch over *him* together!" With that, the little one positioned herself defiantly in front of the gauntlet. "If Papa doesn't agree, then Beibei won't let Papa dig him out!" Her eyes wide, utterly serious and remarkably exaggerated, she declared, "Otherwise, it's too dangerous!"

His daughter rarely displayed such earnest concern. Du Chen's heart felt heavy. "So, he *can* be excavated? Deboning, proceed!"

The little one returned to Du Chen's embrace, tugged a strand of his hair, and repeated earnestly, "Papa, after he's dug out, you *must* give him to Beibei!"

Deboning immediately resumed his work. A little over half a day later, the new sacred artifact and the man within the rock appeared before Du Chen! The very instant he was fully freed from the rock's embrace, Beibei darted forward, tightly clutching his leg!

The new sacred artifact's upper section was a disc, while its lower part resembled a crescent-bladed great saber's hilt, tapering to a point. It looked like a round-headed impact blade used by heavy-armored charge knights on the battlefield. As for the man...

Matching the gauntlet, he was clad head-to-toe in black heavy armor! He was exceptionally tall, almost matching Deboning's height at over 1.9 meters – a rare giant among humans! But unlike Deboning's lean physique, this man was immensely burly, with a wasp waist and a bear-like back, his shoulders even broader than Aliza's. Standing there, coupled with the new sacred artifact he refused to release even in death, he exuded a majestic aura, like a peerless Marshal commanding troops on a battlefield, summoning a thousand armies with a roar!

Yet, this man's eyes were tightly shut. He maintained the same posture he was unearthed in, proudly standing with the sacred artifact held high, utterly motionless, without even a breath!

And his face... it was obscured—beneath a wild mane of earthy-yellow hair, his countenance was hidden by a black iron mask!

"Well, look at this fella! Even brawnier than me! Heh heh, but he ain't as tall as me!" With Du Chen's tacit approval, Aliza knocked on the man's chest, then reached to remove his mask. But the moment he shifted the mask and saw the man's true face, Aliza gasped, "Mama mia!" and promptly slammed the mask back on.

He turned back to Du Chen, his face a grimace. "Young Master, I know why he wears a mask now. This fella's been disfigured, so bad... I guarantee, even his own mother wouldn't recognize him!"

Du Chen stepped forward and gently lifted the mask for a peek... He instantly shut his own eyes, simultaneously covering Beibei's, who was curiously peeking upwards. "My dear, don't look!"

Aliza then tried to pry open his armor. It was a common black General's battle armor, and the mechanism to open it could easily be found on the back. But when Aliza pressed the mechanism, the armor showed no reaction. He then pried open a gap in the armor, intending to see what was inside...

"Mama mia! Young Master, this man's armor is fused to his body!" Aliza pointed at the gap, unable to bear peeling back another layer of the man's scars.

Deboning rushed forward to inspect, his voice cold. "Young Master, this individual must have fallen into a great flame array many years ago while clad in his iron armor. Although the inferno didn't burn him to death, it refined his skin and the iron armor. Once the molten iron and skin cooled... they fused together. He'll never be able to remove this suit of armor again in this lifetime..."

Du Chen scrutinized the man from head to toe. The Armored General stood motionless, silent, his aura like stagnant water—yet capable of stirring up cataclysmic waves at any moment! He was like a thousand armies lying in ambush within a secret, silent valley in the dead of night, waiting only for a command to charge forth, roaring, and tear their enemies to shreds!

"He must have been a peerless fierce General, sweeping across battlefields in his time! What a pity! Beibei, didn't you say he would be dangerous once unearthed? Why has he shown no reaction until now? Is it you and Alex suppressing him?"

Beibei, still clinging tightly to the General's leg, replied earnestly upon hearing him, "Papa, he's already awake, but he just won't speak! Hmm... try taking his sacred artifact; he seems to care about that a lot!"

Pausing, the little one suddenly let out a mischievous giggle. "Don't worry, there's no danger now... Papa already said this person belongs to Beibei!" With that, the little one let go and scampered far away!

***

"Am I awake!?"

The clang of weapons and thunder of cavalry still echoed in his ears, the sacred artifact remained in his grasp, but... where was his army?

He strained to recall, and a scene materialized in his mind... A military formation, like an extension of his own arm, blood-bound to him, surged across enemy lines, dominating all directions. Treading upon the bloody heads of his foes, he ascended a silver-moonlit mountain peak and severed the enemy General's head! The allied forces... Hmph, they had only just begun their advance!

The ceaseless clash of steel, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood...

"In this battle, we utterly routed an allied force of 370,000, slaying two Four-Star Marshals, seven Lieutenant-Generals of the Third Star, twenty-eight Major Generals and Brigadier Generals, and capturing sixty thousand enemy troops... To achieve such a victory, eighty thousand against three hundred and seventy thousand, what a resounding triumph!"

"Who is speaking to me!?"

"Me? Who am I!?"

"Why, why can't I remember anything!? Damn it, what is my name!?"

He suddenly felt a faint ache in his head. Each time a name was on the verge of surfacing, a searing pain would immediately make the nascent memory vanish into thin air...

Everything, absolutely everything, was beyond his recall, save for... the undefeated military formation, intrinsically bound to his very blood!

He thought for a long time, standing perfectly still, proudly erect in a military stance fused into his very being.

But then...

"Someone dares to seize my sacred artifact!? Hmph, courting death!"

***

Since "Little Radar" Beibei had declared there was no danger, Du Chen instructed Deboning to keep a watchful eye on the Armored General, while he and Aliza strained to pry open the General's fingers, intent on seizing the new sacred artifact!

*Swoosh!* The eyes beneath the black iron mask snapped open—a pair of blood-red irises!

"Those who defy my martial might, die!"

The Black-Armored General roared defiantly, his long-handled impact blade spinning like a whirlwind, slashing horizontally towards Du Chen's head! His right knee shot up, the protruding spikes on his battle armor thrusting directly at Aliza!

The situation took an abrupt turn. Deboning, reacting instantly, struck first, his scimitar cleaving towards the Armored General's nape!

"Beibei? Didn't you say he wasn't dangerous?" Du Chen exclaimed urgently within his Battle Soul!

But at that very moment, Beibei was off to the side, clutching her stomach and giggling mischievously, yet utterly adorably...