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Leaving aside all the unfinished prototypes, Henry stopped in front of the Duck-Leopard Armor in its duck configuration, which was still standing on display.
"This is a fully enclosed powered exoskeleton I designed and built myself. Its primary weapons are all modern firearms.
"The ammunition compartment in the duck's rear houses close-range combat rounds. Both arms and all ten fingers are connected to electromagnetic railguns that can fire specialized ammunition. The externally mounted Gatling gun on its back provides sustained suppressive fire with conventional rounds.
"However, if we're heading into the sewers against the Reapers, I'd probably remove the Gatling gun and replace it with a grenade launcher capable of firing UV flash grenades or other specialized rifle grenades.
"With this suit, I can conceal both my identity and my abilities, relying solely on the armor to fight. Against enemies like the Reapers, whose weaknesses are so obvious, it's much easier than going in personally."
Stepping forward to inspect the armor, Gilgamesh pointed at the leopard-form suit.
"This one clearly isn't made for a person. So Kitty has a suit too?"
"That's right. Kitty can follow simple commands pretty well. As long as I don't give overly complicated instructions—or rely on remote control—she's a perfectly capable partner. Besides, these two suits were designed as a pair. They have synchronized functions."
"And this one that looks exactly like a bear...?"
Henry answered,
"That's reserved for someone else. He's a soldier who's received modern tactical training and has real combat experience. He owes me a favor, and I plan to call it in.
"Having someone like him beside me is a lot better than fumbling around alone in a maze like the sewers. Besides, if someone owes you a favor for too long, it becomes uncomfortable for both sides."
Some debts of gratitude, if left unpaid for too long, eventually turned into resentment.
The person owed felt awkward.
The person indebted felt equally uncomfortable.
It was better to settle such favors when the opportunity arose so both parties could return to treating each other as equals.
Aleksei had asked more than once whether Henry needed any help, making it obvious that he still regarded being rescued from prison as a tremendous debt of gratitude.
The problem was that Henry's usual laid-back lifestyle rarely gave him any reason to ask a super-soldier for assistance.
Until now.
After hearing Henry's explanation, Gilgamesh hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him close with a mischievous grin.
"Kid, how about a deal?"
"What kind of deal?"
"Finish the bull suit and let me use it. I can help clear out the sewers."
Henry stared at him in surprise, slipping free of the Eternal's arm before glancing at the massive man and his companion.
"I thought the Eternals weren't supposed to interfere in human affairs."
Gilgamesh grinned even wider.
"I'm not interfering.
"The bull is.
"And when bullets start flying, people can identify the gun that fired them—but not the person behind it.
"Even if Ajak herself showed up, I'd say exactly the same thing. The reason Eternals don't interfere is because we're too powerful and could upset the balance. But if we're only using these suits, then any imbalance comes from your technology, not us."
Behind the giant, Thena, who was also examining the unfinished armor, nodded slightly.
She apparently agreed with Gilgamesh's rather questionable logic.
Henry couldn't shake the feeling that he was being shamelessly exploited...
But if it meant getting the Eternals involved, the potential benefits were enormous, even if he couldn't immediately calculate the downsides.
So he simply asked,
"Are you sure?"
He deliberately didn't try to drag the still-silent Thena into the discussion.
"Absolutely."
The towering Eternal answered without hesitation before turning toward his companion.
"What about you, Thena? Want to have some fun?"
"Finish the rabbit suit for me."
Her eyes rested on the rabbit-headed frame intended to become an agility-focused armor. Compared to the others, its build was noticeably slimmer, though its legs were exceptionally well developed.
Only then did Henry realize something.
Among the ten Eternals, these two were both frontline warriors.
People often imagined that those who excelled at close combat became peace-loving to create some kind of ironic contrast.
That was complete nonsense.
Anyone who reached the pinnacle of a discipline inevitably possessed the temperament suited to it.
If they didn't have an instinctive love of battle somewhere deep inside, how could they possibly hone hand-to-hand combat skills to such heights?
Even if years of retirement allowed them to suppress that restless impulse...
Even if they could enjoy peaceful lives...
Even if they were perfectly capable of stepping back during conflicts and calmly judging right from wrong...
None of that meant they could resist the itch to throw a punch when an opportunity presented itself.
And in this case?
Whether the Reapers were humanity's own fault or not...
Beating them into the ground certainly wasn't the wrong answer.
Now that Henry was providing them with convenient disguises, what they wanted wasn't to unleash their overwhelming Eternal powers and slice enemies apart in an instant.
They simply wanted to enjoy the thrill of battle again.
Who could resist joining in?
Then Gilgamesh suddenly remembered something.
His expression immediately changed.
"Wait... finishing this armor won't take forever, will it? If it won't be ready before the fighting starts, then forget it."
His disappointment was impossible to hide.
Thena remained much calmer, but she also looked toward Henry.
Her gaze silently asked:
Will they be finished in time?
Scratching his head, Henry replied,
"The Continental still needs time to stockpile ammunition. Since we're using specialized rounds, even with their own arms factory it won't happen overnight.
"I also need time to manufacture ammunition on my end, and I'm waiting for a friend in Europe to bring back some raw materials.
"That's more than enough time to finish both suits.
"The only reason they've stayed unfinished is because I never decided exactly what direction to take them. Do either of you have any ideas? What kind of suits do you want?"
Most of the unfinished armors existed only as vague concepts.
For example, the bull was meant to be strength-oriented.
The rabbit was supposed to focus on agility.
But beyond those broad ideas, Henry had never figured out their detailed functions or combat roles.
If they all ended up like the Duck-Leopard Armor—relying primarily on firearms with nothing but different animal-shaped exteriors—he simply wasn't interested in finishing them.
They would all be redundant.
People could talk about sniper variants or long-range fire support all they wanted...
But until remote-control technology and artificial intelligence became reliable enough, Henry simply didn't have enough teammates to form an entire mechanized squad.
Since two Eternals wanted their own suits, making custom versions for them—just as he intended with Aleksei's bear armor—posed no real problem.
After all, for Thena and Gilgamesh, these suits were merely toys.
In fact, they'd actually limit their true strength.
Aleksei was another matter entirely.
The reason Henry still hadn't delivered the bear armor was because he genuinely feared the man would immediately wear it to "have a chat" with NATO Headquarters...
Or march back into Siberia and turn the entire region upside down.
This Red Guardian wasn't the mellow, beer-bellied middle-aged man Henry remembered from before his transmigration—the one who'd spent decades in prison until all his sharp edges had worn away.
This Aleksei was still in his prime.
Wrongfully imprisoned.
Burning with anger and resentment.
If someone placed a nuclear launch button in front of him, he'd probably press it without a second thought.
He'd just down a bottle of vodka first...
Shout, "Ura!"
...and launch the missile.
How could Henry possibly trust him with advanced powered armor?
Meanwhile, Henry's question thoroughly excited the two Eternals.
They enthusiastically proposed one bizarre idea after another.
The primary weapons would still be firearms, but they had all sorts of creative concepts regarding mobility, melee functions, and even the overall appearance of the suits.
What else could Henry do?
He pulled out a notebook and began recording everything, sketching rough designs while listening to the pair enthusiastically discuss what their "toys" should look like.
As long as they didn't ask for an eleven-meter-tall giant wielding a planet-destroying cannon...
Henry considered it no different from accompanying two friends on a shopping trip for new clothes.
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