Chapter 134: Revelation
Now Rohan understood. He understood why this Hoplite had been acting so weird from the very beginning. It wasn’t that it was any different from the stories of hoplites he’d been told in his youth, and been educated about all throughout his school life.
No. It was that all the information he’d been fed about them was incomplete!
’Likely because many Awakened would cower away from facing off against them if they knew the true horrors of what they are up against...’ Rohan considered internally.
To him, this made the most sense.
This Hoplite in front of him wasn’t just a powerhouse, he was a complete psychopath. Killing Elane and cutting her time in the Origin Realm short just because he wanted the ’weakling’ out of the way, not disturbing their fight?
"Is there a need to go through all of this just to kill me? You said it yourself, I’m but a measly F rank."
Rohan watched as the Hoplite didn’t even react to his question. Standing in the middle of the road and wiping the blood away from his mouth, he pondered. ’I can’t believe a fucking Hoplite had to show up in front of us, in this place of all places.’
When he was first hit, Rohan knew this wasn’t a fight he could win. Taking that one blow from the hoplite was enough to not only take the wind out of him, but also crack his ribs and rattle his internal organs despite the fact his E rank Elite Molten-stone skin was protecting them.
It was clear this hoplite was no ordinary E rank, if such hoplites even existed.
’They really hit the nail on the head naming this disgustingly horrifying race after the ancient Greek warriors. They are quite literally the embodiment of an obsession with armour and equipment.’
Rohan could tell from the hit he took that the Hoplite’s strength wasn’t just derived from its cultivation, but a combination of factors also involving its armour, but likely also some Genetic Armaments as well.
There was no possible way he could compete with a being on such a level with his current strength.
’All its equipment is E rank at the very least, and I wouldn’t doubt that most of it or even all is Elite tier or higher given this race’s reputation.’
But despite all this, Rohan stood tall.
The reality of his situation was clear — there was no escape, the hoplite could catch up to him faster than he could process it. The only choice left was to fight.
Now battle ready, he observed the alien creature before him. The gallant knight stood a good two metres tall, and covered from head to toe with its bronze armour, Rohan wouldn’t get the chance to see the real image of the Hoplite. The truth was, nobody in the Federation had — that Rohan knew of.
Before Awakening, the hoplites kept their true appearance so tightly locked away from any spying of the other races that it was nearly impossible to catch even a glance. Why would they do this? Nobody knew. But everyone was eager to find out — as the hoplites wouldn’t be so protective of their image unless there was some weakness related to it.
’But one thing for sure is that this fucker has definitely never skipped a day at the gym.’ Rohan looked down at his abdomen, still feeling the lingering pain from that one attack.
Both sides gave each other a stare down, then the hoplite charged in. Rohan advanced in response.
They met instantly. Rohan’s spear was driven into the gut of the huge armoured hoplite, while the hoplite swiped its hand back at Rohan’s spear.
Different from Elane’s attacks, Rohan’s spear actually managed to deal some damage. Not to the hoplite itself, unfortunately, but its armour.
’Fuck! It’s like trying to pierce through a block of titanium.’
His strike dented the hoplite’s armour inwards, nearly an inch deep. But that was all, his strike didn’t even penetrate through, only making this small dent. Rohan knew that he could have driven the spear even deeper than that, but the hoplite’s swift counterattack against his spear sent it flying from his hands, and obviously far away from the dent he’d just created.
Rohan unsummoned the spear and then re-summoned it, feeling his hands wrap back around its shaft.
"ARRRGGGHH."
Despite his attack never actually penetrating through its defence, the hoplite yelled and groaned as if in a great deal of pain.
Rohan’s disappointment vanished in an instant. His eyes sharpened like blades as he watched the hoplite stumble a half step back, one gauntleted hand instinctively flying to the dent in its abdomen.
The sound it made wasn’t the frustrated grunt he was expecting. That was a groan of holding back pain. Real pain.
Something clicked into place in Rohan’s mind as he realised that. ’Of course.’
The answer was in front of him.
’Hoplites are fused with their armour. Damaging their armour is the same as damaging them.’
From the moment they awakened, that bronze shell ceased to be equipment in the human sense and quite literally became a part of them.
By fusing with their being, growing with them, strengthening them a great deal, it was natural that it also had its drawbacks, and this was it.
Striking their armour was no different than striking their bare, unprotected flesh — if that flesh were as tough and dense as magically reinforced titanium.
Rohan’s lips peeled back into a devious grin.
"What’s wrong," he taunted the hoplite. "Surprised that this weak, pathetic little F rank human was able to hurt you?"
The hoplite snapped its head around to face Rohan. "Damned human. Only a Commander tier equipment should be able to harm my skin."
Rohan sneered and waved his spear around. "What do you think this is?" He questioned.
He wasn’t expecting the hoplite to reveal such welcomed information. Telling Rohan one of its weak points? That was unexpected.
But then again, in the eyes of the hoplite, this might be common sense, and so not a big deal to utter so casually.
After all, it wasn’t often one encountered an Awakened with a Commander tier equipment in their possession — even in the hoplite territory.
