Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2634: Titan Suit

There were no limits on the number or type of artifacts one could use in the duels, so long as they were wielded solely by the combatant. It was a rule that remained uncontested, not out of neglect, but because nearly all high-grade artifacts demanded immense power, focus, and synchronization. To use one was already a feat. Two? A challenge. More than that? Nearly impossible for all but the most gifted or monstrous magus.

And yet, Hephaestus—God of Smithing, master of celestial forges—stood as an exception.

A reinforced inner suit, monstrous gauntlets thick with glyphs, rune-etched greaves, a titanic cuirass that pulsed with molten energy, and the helmet. Together, they became something else entirely: a full-body exosuit, a war engine. A walking fortress.

”This is Titan Breaker,” Hephaestus declared, his metallic voice echoing as the armor hummed with violent energy. ”This suit was forged to challenge a Grand Magus. You? You don’t stand a chance, boy... Give up now—you stand no chance against this masterpiece!”

The crowd roared at the sight, some on their feet in awe. The entire arena seemed to tremble beneath the sheer presence of the towering armor, glowing with runes and divine heat.

But Chumo didn’t flinch.

Without a word, he raised his bow. The air shimmered with pressure as he pulled back five arrows simultaneously—threads of dark energy laced with Khaos—and fired them straight into the sky.

The arrows curved in midair like falling stars, diving toward Hephaestus from multiple angles. They struck the armor in rapid succession—left shoulder, right flank, lower back, left shin, and the chestplate—creating a cacophony of sharp blasts.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A storm of flame and smoke exploded around the armored god.

But when the haze cleared... Hephaestus still stood, unmoved, unscathed.

”Hmph,” his voice crackled from within the suit. ”Good. Keep fighting. Let the world bear witness to the glory of my creation!”

With a mechanical whine, Hephaestus raised his gauntlets. Runic circuits across his arms began to glow crimson, gathering energy into a pulsating sphere at the center of each palm.

”This attack... is called Sunforge Cannon. It will disintegrate any armor beneath Tier 6—and of course... it could erase any magus... like you”

As the charge reached its peak, his arms locked forward. From his palms, twin beams of molten light erupted—laser-thin, but incomprehensibly hot.

FZZZZZHHH!!

The beams flashed across the field, striking Chumo dead center. The force scorched the ground behind him, vaporized the air in their path, and pierced cleanly through Chumo’s chest.

A collective gasp filled the arena.

But when the light faded, there was no impact-no burning body, no shattered remains. Just... smoke.

Hephaestus’s eyes flared within his helmet.

”What?!”

From the shadows, two Chumos emerged—on opposite sides of the arena. Their cold expressions mirrored each other perfectly as they each drew their dark, chaos-infused bows. Without hesitation, they fired five arrows each, ten bolts of swirling Khaos energy that carved through the ai

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Titan Breaker suit shuddered beneath the barrage. Dust and fire erupted across its plated surface, but when the smoke cleared, the suit still stood—untouched.

”Pathetic tricks,” Hephaestus growled through the mechanical amplifier. ”You’ll need more than that to harm my armor!”

Twin beams erupted from his palms again, lancing through the space where one of the Chumos had stood. But just as before—smoke. Another clone dissipated.

He gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, four more versions of Chumo appeared, surrounding the suit from all sides. Each drew five more arrows, and unleashed them in a coordinated storm of energy. ȓÅΝỖ฿Ë𐌔

More arrows rained down. Still no serious effect, but the continuous assault was clearly testing Hephaestus’ patience.

”Damn it—is this an illusion?” he muttered. ”No... there’s no energy signature... I can’t detect any magical residue!”

But even as he questioned it, he dismissed the thought. ”Hmph. No matter. You’re up against the wrong opponent, boy. You think illusions will save you from me?”

His voice deepened as his helmet’s inner array began to whirr and glow.

”You cannot escape Aetherium Sight!”

A sudden high-pitched hum shook the stadium as the helmet activated its full suite of predictive systems—energy mapping, motion vectoring, soul resonance tracking. This wasn’t just a detector; it anticipated movement.

Hephaestus spread his arms and unleashed continuous beams, sweeping the field in precise, mechanical arcs. The crowd watched, mouths agape, as the twin rays of power scoured the battlefield like cleansing fire.

Then, an explosion.

Smoke and debris scattered as one of the real Chumos was finally caught mid-movement. He slammed into the ground, skidding along the cracked arena floor, blood dribbling from his lips. But even wounded, his form flickered—and in the blink of an eye, he vanished once again.

”Hahaha!” Hephaestus laughed. ”You can’t hide from me... You can run... and lose by default.”

Chumo reappeared.

This time, eight of them materialized in a perfect circle, surrounding the towering Titan Breaker. In eerie synchronization, they raised their bows. Their arrows were smaller than before, almost insignificant by comparison. But their shots flew fast, unrelenting—forty arrows pelted the armor from every angle.

The arena echoed with rapid bursts of energy. Each shot seemed harmless. Just sparks against divine steel. Hephaestus laughed through his speaker, even as the suit endured a second storm.

”Is that all?” he bellowed. ”These weak attacks are less than mosquito bites! You’ve learned nothing—”

But mid-laugh, his voice choked.

A blinking symbol lit up on his helmet’s display. Simultaneously, observant spectators noticed something odd—faint energy pulses, no larger than sparks, flickering near Hephaestus’ waist.

Chumo smirked. ”Found it,” he whispered.

The arena hushed.

It wasn’t random—Chumo had been searching. Testing each part of the armor. Arrow after arrow, illusion after illusion—all to locate one vulnerability.

His unique ability, [Eyes of the Raven], had been quietly activated. It allowed him to analyze the flaws in anything he could see. And now, he had it.

Hephaestus’s mechanical tone cracked with rising tension. ”A... flaw? Ridiculous. So what if there’s a small imperfection? No Magus could penetrate this armor!”

But then... Chumo began to draw something different.

He pulled a single arrow—massive, glowing with pulsing runes of red and black. It was nearly the size of a spear. The bow itself trembled as he pulled it back.

Hephaestus panicked.

He shot another beam.

BOOM!

Once again, he hit another smoke.

”Damn it, WHERE IS HE?!” Hephaestus roared.

More beams flew, slicing empty air.

Then a second change occurred.

A glowing blood-like mark flared to life on Chumo’s forehead, pulsing in sync with the arrow’s dark energy. His aura exploded outward, the dark energy growing multifold, dragging winds around him like a vortex.

Hephaestus panicked. He fired another beam—then another—but Chumo moved with ghostlike precision, diving into the shadows, slipping past his targeting systems.

Then, Chumo reappeared from the Titan Breaker owns shadow. The arrow tip now hovered directly, less than a meter from his armor’s weak point.

With dead calm, Chumo whispered, ”You’ve lost.”

He let go.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The arrow struck with divine fury. The explosion tore through the arena, sending shockwaves that shattered the outer wards. Dust and debris blasted across the field.

When the smoke cleared, Titan Breaker was no more.

The armor lay in pieces, scattered like the broken dreams of its maker.

And Hephaestus?

He was collapsed on the ground, unconscious, his expression one of disbelief.

The arena fell silent for a moment...

Until Hermes’ voice echoed through the coliseum.

”Earth faction wins the match!!”