“More pests! You little brat, stay out of my fight with Danang!” Damocles roared.
“Oh? Don’t want to fight me? Fine by me—I hate full-body mechanoids like you. It’d help if you died… I’ll erase you without a speck of dust,” Eve replied.
Her silver wings deflected turret bullets, sliced multi-warhead missiles in half, and absorbed high-compression laser energy. Arms crossed, Eve stood motionless, smirking mockingly at Damocles.
“Danang,” she said.
“What?” he grunted.
“Getting used to Lumina’s bug? Looks like it’s activated. Need me to step in?”
“…Got questions, but not now. Eve, lend a hand.”
“Sure. So, what’s that thing? Your friend? Quite the passionate idiot, but you should pick better company.”
“Don’t be stupid…”
“Authentication, construction, formation, update complete. Administrator Eve, requesting Code Animus activation.”
“Been a while, Nephthys. Go ahead, activate Animus. Danang, one warning,” Eve said.
“What?”
His exhausted body dragged, head pounding as he pressed a hand to it, his eyes locking onto Eve.
“Code Animus lasts three minutes at this stage. I’ll provide max combat support, but finish it in three. You know how, right?”
“Obviously.”
“Good. Fight hard. Code Animus… activate.”
A thudding heartbeat raced in Danang’s chest, his body temperature spiking. Lumina writhed in every cell, half-rampant, granting power beyond human limits through searing pain. His flesh boiled, burning fiercely.
He couldn’t breathe. His vision turned crimson. Liquid dripped from his mouth, the iron tang of blood stinging his nose. Blood sprayed from every pore, activating bio-fusion metal on his skin, transforming it into crimson steel shaped like a knight’s armor.
“An omniscient, omnipotent god doesn’t exist. Gods are just delusions born from human imagination—ravings of the insane. Perfection’s unnecessary. Imperfection’s where beauty lies. Don’t you think, Danang?” Eve mused.
“—”
“Combat viability countdown: two minutes, thirty seconds remaining. Safety beyond that not guaranteed. Apologies.”
“Quit yapping! I’ll slaughter you all! Die already, Danang!” Damocles bellowed.
His electromagnetic claw lunged at Eve, who dodged effortlessly, detaching her silver wings to pierce Danang’s steel-clad form, linking to the Lumina within him.
“Reason triumphs over instinct, Danang. That’s proof of humanity, its testament. Struggle, writhe, resist… Animus’ knight,” Eve urged.
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Penetrating Damocles’ electromagnetic barrier with physical attacks was impossible. Each multi-layered barrier used ultra-dense electromagnetic cohesion to nullify and reflect interference. Only molecular-level attacks could harm him.
Even if the barrier fell, his ultra-carbon alloy armor—his mechanoid body and fortified mechanical heart—stood next. Infused with ruin relics, this over-technology aggregate was impervious to mental interference and toxins, leaving no weaknesses.
Invincible. His mechanized superhuman abilities defined Damocles, the gangster leader, dubbed a personal fortress. Feared by his organization, marked as a top-tier threat across the undercity, mid-levels, and upper city, the madman bared his fangs at the unmoving Danang, roaring like a starved beast.
“—”
What did he seek? Why did this life keep burning?
“—”
It was obvious. To live. To survive, to defy death, he clung to life, stepping on others in this twisted city—a hellish corner reeking of rot like overripe fruit. In this border of hell, he lived.
“—aah!”
His throat tore. A guttural, murky voice spewed with blood-mixed saliva as his mechanical arm roared.
Bio-fusion metal was merely nanomachines steelifying cells. Reading brainwaves, it manifested weapons tailored to the user’s intent. This complex, inhumane weapon, risking brain steelification if misused, scanned Danang’s thoughts, attaching the desired weapon to his arm.
“Thought control manifests large blaster on Black Steel Zero arm. Simultaneously releasing Heres’ limiter. Shield configuration: bio-fusion metal, shield, and barrier deployed.”
Pillars extended from Danang’s armor, anchoring into the asphalt. His mechanical arm morphed into a blaster rifle, rapidly recharging as a glowing orb converged in its barrel.
“Ready to fire.”
A high-pitched ring, like tinnitus, sounded briefly. Then, hyper-compressed energy formed a searing laser, clashing with Damocles’ electromagnetic barrier with wave-cannon-level destruction.
“—damn.”
This wasn’t enough. A blaster rifle couldn’t pierce Damocles’ barrier.
“—damn it!”
He needed a weapon to shatter and slash that barrier! Right—it was in his hand, gripped in his steel-clad left!
“Not yet, Nephthys!” Danang roared.
“Understood. Heres ready. Whenever you are.”
The blaster’s shockwave—heat and electrons swirling around—fueled Heres, its glass-like blade cloaked in dark light waves.
“Danang!” Damocles screamed.
“Disappear, Damocles!” Danang roared.
A single slash. The black light wave tore through Damocles’ electromagnetic barrier, carving a gash across one mechanical eye.
“—?!”
Instinct or experience sensed the danger. The frenzied Damocles dodged Heres’ return swing, sacrificing armor to evade, deploying evasion thrusters to distance himself from Danang.
“…”
His armor was grazed? No, impossible… Only specific weapons could slice it so easily. A ruin relic… That sword must be one.
The madness eroding Damocles’ mind subsided, replaced by cold calculation. Observing Danang’s crimson armor, he witnessed the mechanical arm shift forms.
A low metallic clank, the satisfying grind of meshing steel. The one-shot blaster morphed into a rapid-fire machine gun. With thruster mobility at full, Damocles held the advantage. Yet… a chill down his spine warned of danger.
“Either way…”
Danang would kill him. And he’d take Danang’s life. That was unchangeable, a truth he’d uphold as a gangster.
Igniting thrusters, Damocles circled Danang at blinding speed, locking his turret targeting system on him and Eve, unleashing bullets and lasers.
“Can you dodge, Danang?!” he taunted.
“Pea shooters and water guns? No flair. Danang, you can see it, right? Also, stop scurrying on the ground—it’s annoying,” Eve said.
Soaring upward, her silver wings gleaming, Eve deflected, blocked, and swatted away the barrage aimed at Danang. Her prismatic eyes caught Damocles gearing for high-mobility combat and a lone shadow observing them.
“Danang,” she called.
“What?”
“I’ll handle the other one. You take this guy. Don’t worry—I’ll control things simultaneously, so no risk of rampage.”
“Got it,” Danang muttered, glaring at Damocles with a silver wing still pierced in his back, issuing orders to Nephthys.
“I need speed to match Damocles’ mobility. Can you do it, Nephthys?”
“Leave it to me. Deploying thruster boosters.”
Nephthys’ voice rang with steel. Boosters unfolded from Danang’s back armor, thrusters extending from his leg armor. Locking onto Damocles, he raised Heres.
