Volume 1, Chapter 42: High-Firepower Combat Armor - Purgatory Knight Moon Ash

Xia Chen accompanied Otto to the Holy Research Institute, where they were joined by Nagamitsu, whose lineage stretched back countless generations.

"Lord Bishop."

Nagamitsu nodded slightly and asked, "What brings you here today?"

"I've found someone to test the armor Moon Ash; please make preparations accordingly."

Xia Chen, observing Nagamitsu, greeted her politely, "Hello, Researcher Nagamitsu."

"Oh, have you become an S-Class Valkyrie already? How swift!" Nagamitsu expressed surprise. "Just recently, Rita took your previous armor from me." A hint of resentment crept into her tone when mentioning this.

Ever since learning that Xia Chen possessed Stigmata's power, she anticipated it was only a matter of time before he became an S-Class Valkyrie. Combining the Mark-III Valkyrie Armor with Stigmata technology seemed too wasteful.

Even without suitable armor currently available for Xia Chen, the research institute would design the Fourth-Gen Valkyrie Armor based on his physical capabilities.

After all, he was destined to wear the fourth generation sooner or later; just not as quickly as she expected.

"Not yet, I haven't completed the S-Class assessment."

With the use of Stigmata, Xia Chen indeed displayed S-Class Valkyrie abilities. However, without relying on Stigmata, his strength fell short of the required level.

Of course, Schicksal considers Stigmata as part of one's own power, so there is no issue there.

The challenge lies in the fact that the S-Class evaluation is far more rigorous than the A-Class test.

Although nominally, becoming an S-Class Valkyrie requires defeating an Imperial Honkai Beast, to date, very few such beasts have been identified by name.

As a result, the Memory Battlefields serve as a means to assess Valkyries' true potential.

However, the key difference between Memory Battlefields and actual combat scenarios is their psychological impact, fundamentally altering the experience.

As a result, evaluating S-rank Valkyries became challenging, with no fixed criteria.

Currently, Otto essentially decided who met the requirements for S rank, designating them accordingly.

Durandal and Rita were selected through this process.

Naturally, producing new S-rank Valkyries had become increasingly difficult, not due to combat strength limitations but because Honkai Events were easily managed, making the need for additional S-rank Valkyries unnecessary.

Thus, the eligibility threshold for Fourth-Gen Valkyrie Armor was lowered somewhat.

For instance, Fu Hua, an A-rank Valkyrie, wore the Shadow Knight Moon Ring armor.

"If they haven't completed the assessment yet, it implies they possess sufficient capability. That works too."

Nagamitsu certainly didn't mind having someone assist with testing data collection.

Under her guidance, Xia Chen followed her to the basement of the Holy Research Institute.

There, he saw a Valkyrie Armor predominantly red-brown, adorned with fiery patterns reminiscent of flames.

Nagamitsu began his introduction, "This is a high-powered suppression combat armor, Purgatory Knight - Moon Ash. Covered with ammunition ports, it can rapidly condense entropy particles from the air and suppress enemies through swift gunfire in its normal form. When abundant Honkai Energy is available, it constructs floating devices for even greater power output. Theoretically, it could directly neutralize a Herrscher."

"To be honest, we owe a significant debt of gratitude to Anti-Entropy's data. Without their armor insights, the creation of Moon Ash might not have been possible."

"However, Moon Ash's primary purpose isn't specialized attacks against Herrschers but rather group combat on the battlefield. Go ahead and give it a try."

Xia Chen started donning the armor.

Immediately, he felt a strong sensation of suffocation in his chest.

He finally understood why the minimum requirement for piloting Fourth-Gen Valkyrie Armor was an S-rank Valkyrie's physical attributes.

It was simply too heavy.

If the third-generation armor weighed at least twenty pounds, then the fourth-generation aimed for fifty kilograms. This weight was after the armor's activation, which lightens the load using energy.

When the system is completely shut down, it would likely weigh several hundred pounds.

Of course, weight alone wasn't a significant issue; after all, Valkyries were monstrous beings, and this load was manageable for them.

The most critical aspect was that upon connecting the armor to his body, it nearly drained his Honkai Energy instantly.

Compared to the Mark-III Valkyrie Armor, the Fourth-Gen provided more auxiliary functions but required significantly higher amounts of Honkai Energy. Naturally, this energy had to be supplied by the Valkyrie themselves.

Fortunately, due to Xia Chen's increased compatibility with Honkai Energy, he could now meet the demands of the Moonscorch Armor.

"Impressive," Nagamitsu couldn't help but praise him.

Unlike other Fourth-Gen Valkyrie Armors, Moonscorch demanded more Honkai Energy from its wearer due to its high firepower requirements. Specifically, the system converting Honkai Energy into intense thermal energy placed considerable strain on the Valkyrie's physical endurance.

Although Xia Chen could only barely operate the Moonscorch Armor at present, it indicated that his physical capabilities were already comparable to an S-rank Valkyrie.

She paused briefly before continuing, "Next, we'll commence a simulated combat exercise."

Following Nagamitsu's command, Xia Chen donned the Moonscorch Armor and left the research institute via a flight vehicle, heading towards Old Siberia.

After the Second Honkai Eruption, old Siberia became uninhabited and transformed into one of Schicksal's numerous testing grounds.

Within two hours, Xia Chen arrived at Siberia. Nagamitsu briefed him, "I've already informed you about the armor usage. Next, we will unleash intense Honkai Energy, and your task is to swiftly clear the Honkai Beasts."

"Understood."

Otto, meanwhile, remained remotely monitoring Xia Chen's performance via satellite.

In an instant, a high concentration of Honkai Energy erupted.

Whether artificially induced or naturally occurring, the moment it struck, Honkai Beasts filled Xia Chen's field of vision.

"Purgatory Knight Moonscorch, Annihilation Mode."

His eyes deepened with focus.

The armor, adorned with fire-like patterns, riddled with bullet holes, automatically targeted the enemy units ahead.

"Fire."

The armor rapidly drained nearby Honkai Energy and unleashed a swift barrage. In an instant, over two-thirds of the Honkai Beast swarm was annihilated.

Only War Chariot, Templar-class Honkai Beasts, and peak-tier Low-rank Honkai Beasts like the Monarch of Honkai remained.

"Data collection on armor transforming Honkai Energy successful." Nagamitsu issued the next command: "Initiate the next form."

Xia Chen frowned, feeling the armor rapidly drain his Honkai Energy.

Floating warheads materialized around him.

Inspired by Anti-Entropy's designs, these floating warheads could swiftly harness Honkai Energy as high-intensity weapons, providing instant firepower coverage.

With a slightly pale face, Xia Chen launched the floating warheads.

Instantly, the battlefield was cleared.

Nagamitsu couldn't help but sigh, "The firepower is impressive, yet it's overly wasteful. Moonscorch is best suited for combating large-scale Honkai armies. In this scenario, its usage seems rather inefficient."

"In individual combat, Moonscorch would actually hinder the Valkyrie."

"To put it in Shenzhou terms, using a sledgehammer to kill a fly is unnecessary."

Moonscorch is only appropriate during massive Honkai Events. However, the Valkyries capable of wielding Moonscorch have more critical roles on such battlefields.

This is the awkward design aspect of the Moonscorch Armor - perfect for crowd control, but severely lacking in one-on-one engagements.

Following this, Nagamitsu conducted several more tests with Xia Chen, all of which he successfully completed.

In summary, Nagamitsu stated somewhat awkwardly, "The design of Moonscorch itself is exceptional. However, due to its intended use, this armor is most suitable for large-scale Honkai Events; employing it otherwise is largely inefficient."

"Furthermore, the armor does not fully harness Xia Chen's Stigmata power. Personally, I believe it is not well-suited for him."

Otto didn't elaborate further and simply stated, "Bring Xia Chen back now."