Chapter 3: Emperor's Armor, Fusion!

"Holy crap!"

"It really is the Emperor's Armor summoning belt!"

Alan was completely stunned. He never imagined that the first souvenir his frog brought back from its travels would be something this powerful.

The Emperor's Armor!

It's the pinnacle of the Armor Hero series! Even if a child summoned it, its innate combat instincts would be enough to crush ancient beasts like the Four Evils!

And the most exciting part was the phrase "No bloodline requirement." 

That meant all Alan had to do was wear it, and he could summon the armor—no harsh conditions required.

Suppressing his excitement, Alan sprang into action. He opened the [Inventory] page, which had four tabs: [Lunchbox], [Items], [Amulets], and [Souvenirs].

Alan clicked on *[Souvenirs]*. There, a lifelike belt icon appeared in the tab.

He clicked on the belt icon, and a game prompt popped up:

"Do you want to retrieve the souvenir [Emperor's Belt]?"

"Yes!" Alan shouted in his mind.

In an instant, he felt a weight in his hands. He looked down and saw a silver box had materialized in his grasp.

Inside that box was the Emperor's Belt, the key to summoning the Emperor's Armor.

Eagerly, Alan placed the box on the table.

Click! 

With a crisp sound, the box opened, revealing the radiant golden belt lying quietly inside.

Alan reached in and grabbed the belt. As soon as his hand touched it, it felt as though the two had formed a connection. A wave of golden light surged from the belt, and a flash of gold passed through Alan's eyes.

This was the Emperor's Armor acknowledging him!

Without hesitation, Alan strapped the Emperor's Belt around his waist, then spoke calmly, syncing his mind and body:

"Emperor's Armor!"

"Fusion!"

A burst of golden light erupted from the Five Elements Crystal on the belt, enveloping Alan's entire body.

The light solidified, and a magnificent gold-and-silver armor covered Alan from head to toe. In the void, a distinct voice echoed:

"Armor, fusion complete!"

The moment the fusion was complete, Alan felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through him, seemingly endless.

Slowly, he walked over to the mirror and looked at his reflection.

The imposing Emperor's Armor enveloped him completely, yet it didn't hinder his movement or dull his senses in the slightest.

On the contrary, Alan's perception had sharpened to an incredible degree. He could clearly sense everything in the house—even a fly buzzing through the air.

"It seems... I'm still not strong enough. The Emperor's Armor is only in its basic form," Alan muttered, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The iconic Aurora Shield wasn't on his chest yet.

But Alan wasn't worried. With more training and the souvenirs his frog would bring back, summoning the ultimate Emperor's Armor was just a matter of time.

Not to mention the insanely cool Emperor Dragon!

Right now, though, Alan had something else he wanted to do.

Stepping out onto the balcony, Alan took a deep breath and leaped into the air.

In an instant, he shot skyward.

The Emperor's Armor could fly.

"Woohoo! Yeahhhh!"

Alan soared through the sky, his excitement bubbling over. Below him, the bustling city of New York shrank smaller and smaller until it was just a scattering of lights.

At that moment, Alan truly understood the feeling Tony Stark must've had when he first flew with the Iron Man suit. This sense of freedom was simply exhilarating.

While Alan flew joyfully through the air...

On the coast, an ultra-luxurious building sat perched on a cliff, almost as if it had naturally grown from the rock. But inside, the mansion was pitch dark—except for one room filled with sounds of laughter.

Playboy Tony Stark was lying on his bed, a blonde woman sprawled across him. He didn't even remember what she did for a living. All he knew was that she had a nice body, so he'd brought her home.

This was the daily life of Tony Stark, the sole heir to Stark Industries.

But as Tony was enjoying himself, an ill-timed voice interrupted:

"Sir, there's an unidentified flying object in the skies over New York. It's moving very quickly."

The blonde woman jumped in fright, rolling off Tony in panic. She glanced around, terrified.

Where did that voice come from? 

And why did it sound like a man? 

Could this playboy have some kind of... strange preferences?

"What? Jarvis, no need to report such trivial things to me," Tony said dismissively. "It's probably just another one of the military's new weapons. But don't worry, nothing they make can top mine."

Tony said this proudly. As a genius, he was confident that no one on the planet could surpass him when it came to developing weapons—not even his father, Howard Stark, the man who had created Captain America.

"I find interruptions annoying," Tony remarked to the blonde woman beside him.

Hearing Tony's explanation, she relaxed and purred, "I don't like leaving things unfinished either."

Just as she climbed back on top of Tony, ready to continue, Jarvis interrupted again:

"Sir, I still recommend that you take a look."

This time, the blonde wasn't scared. Instead, she found the situation strangely exciting.

Ignoring Jarvis, Tony let him proceed. The AI brought up a holographic screen in front of him.

On the screen, a golden figure soared freely through the sky.

Now, Tony was no longer calm. He pushed the blonde off him and shot up from the bed.

"What is that, Jarvis?"

"I'm not sure, sir. It appears to be some kind of humanoid armored weapon."

"Zoom in!"

The flying figure on the screen froze, and with Jarvis's skillful manipulation, a 3D model of the Emperor's Armor appeared in front of Tony.

Its overwhelming design left even the genius Tony Stark speechless.

"What the fuck is that?!"

...