Chapter 188
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188
Outside Akbaran, the galaxy is home to countless fascinating powerhouses.
Within the Akresia Empire, and especially in Akbaran, the vast majority of people enhance themselves with cybernetic prosthetic bodies. To other nations and alien species, this practice borders on the extreme.
Once you leave the Empire, however, prosthetics are just one of many paths to power. There are those who fight using only advanced equipment, those who strengthen their flesh and blood with biotechnology, and even those—though rare—who wield the supernatural power known as the Force.
Just as I possess an enhanced nervous system and a prosthetic body, the truly powerful usually combine two or more methods to push their capabilities to the absolute limit.
Some might wonder why rulers and those in power don't enhance themselves. The reason is simple: any form of combat enhancement inevitably comes with risks and side effects.
Nervous system enhancement drastically increases the risk of various neuroses and mental illnesses. Regeneration or bio-enhancement is like planting a time bomb in your own body, making it impossible to predict what side effects will manifest and when.
Those risks are borne by the underlings. The rulers and leaders at the head of a nation or faction can mobilize an entire army of enhanced soldiers like me with a single word or gesture.
In essence, that guy and I are the same. We are expendables who face every danger head-on for the sake of our superiors.
By ‘that guy,’ I mean the Menoa Elite Guard Captain.
Whirrr, whirrr.
The Elite Guard Captain was emitting an ear-splitting whine—or more precisely, his exoskeleton combat suit was.
He’s decked out in advanced equipment from head to toe.
His helmet featured six lenses. Two were positioned where his eyes would be, with one on each temple and one each on the crown and back of his head, granting him a full 360-degree view. The six lenses whirred and spun, continuously gathering environmental data.
He’s the captain of a well-trained unit. This won’t be easy.
During the explosion, many of his Elite Guard had willingly thrown themselves in the path of the blast to protect him. His unit moved like a single organism, a hallmark of an exceptional military force.
Sizzle. Crackle.
Debris skittered across the blade of my Hwagwang Yedo, sending sparks flying as its temperature climbed.
In the aftermath of the explosion, the room was sweltering. The floor, stripped down to bare metal plates, was hot enough to cook meat. The soles of my shoes had long since gone from sticky to actively melting.
The Hwagwang Yedo was forged from Ignium, a metal with heat-amplifying properties. It reacted to even the residual heat in the air, its temperature steadily rising. Once it reached a certain threshold, the coolant steel interwoven with the Ignium would trigger a chemical reaction and begin to dissipate the heat.
The shimmering haze of heat dissipation was noticeably more pronounced than usual.
A commercial failure, but an artistic masterpiece.
The Hwagwang Yedo was forged from pure metal, with no electronic components. It had no manual coolant cartridge or recharging port. It would have been far easier to design it with a mechanical device that discharged coolant at set temperatures, like most weapons that required heat management.
But instead of taking the easy route, its creators meticulously calculated the properties of the materials to control a plasma phenomenon using nothing but an analog circulation design. Stubborn artisans, truly.
Though it was deemed a failure, the pioneering spirit of the Galactic Artisans was worthy of respect.
"Hwagwang…" the Elite Guard Captain muttered, his gaze fixed on me. He was gently laying aside the bodies of the subordinates who had died protecting him.
I was in a hurry, but I didn't interrupt his mourning.
In truth, the captain was the one who should have been rushing. His unit was all but wiped out, and Japa's mercenaries would arrive soon. If he intended to survive, he didn't have the luxury of wasting time.
He's already prepared to die. The mission failed, and there’s no escaping this place alive.
The Elite Guard Captain finished arranging his fallen men and slowly raised his head, staring at me. The bright blue glow of his helmet’s visor left a cold trail in the air.
Clack.
The captain picked up two of his subordinates' fallen rifles, one for each hand.
"...Kergetta."
He spoke in the Tajirun language. I guessed it meant something like "let's begin," because he pulled both triggers at the exact same time.
Whirrr!
I instantly dropped my stance and dodged to the side.
The captain had two guns. One was aimed directly at me, while the other fired predictive shots to cut off my escape route.
Whoosh!
I flipped the Hwagwang Yedo into a reverse grip and grabbed a nearby corpse by the collar. My coat sizzled where it brushed against the superheated blade.
Hoisting the corpse, I easily blocked the incoming bullets. With a sturdy combat suit layered over flesh and bone, there was no better shield.
He doesn’t even flinch at me using his subordinate’s body. If he were the type to get worked up over something like this, he would’ve been screaming insults long ago.
I poked the muzzle of my auto-tracking pistol through the corpse's armpit.
Click.
I pulled the trigger, sending tracking rounds flying toward the lenses of the captain's helmet.
Ping!
The captain spun the gun in his left hand, swatting the rounds out of the air with its barrel. His combat suit could have easily blocked them, but he likely deflected them in case they were special rounds with secondary functions.
As expected. It didn't work.
Tracking rounds are slower than regular bullets. Against an opponent of this caliber, they’re only useful for a surprise attack, not a direct confrontation.
Creak.
I advanced, keeping my body hunched behind the corpse.
Thump!
The captain leaped backward, pulled out a pistol-sized disposable grenade launcher, and fired.
That’s no ordinary grenade.
My eyes widened as I watched the projectile. It traced a parabolic arc before splitting midair into eight small spheres.
The eight spheres accelerated, curving in multiple directions. Their combined impact zone covered my entire path. It was an area-of-effect attack.
Well, that’s a troublesome weapon.
I could avoid the grenades themselves. I just had to max out my output and accelerate. With Lapis's prosthetic body, it was certainly possible.
But the moment I commit to a path, he'll direct other firepower there—something much harder to dodge.
This was a battle of wits.
The captain was keeping his distance, wary of the Hwagwang Yedo. He seemed to have realized my ranged arsenal was limited.
Discerning the opponent's intentions and strengths, dismantling them, and forcing an advantageous environment.
He was a high-level opponent. It felt like we were taking turns posing and solving difficult problems. The first one to fail would die.
I had to do something completely outside his expectations. Only then could I seize the initiative.
Whoosh!
I tossed the corpse aside and leaped, digging my fingertips into the heated metal plates of the ceiling. Bracing my feet against the surface, I hung there, upside down.
Boom!
The grenades detonated directly beneath me.
Thud!
I kicked hard off the ceiling, launching myself toward the floor.
The instant my toes touched down, I bent my knees and used the momentum to spring right back up to the ceiling. Kicking off the ceiling and floor in rapid alternation, I built up incredible speed. The rebound acceleration was so intense it made my head spin.
Now, change direction.
Before the captain could adapt to my vertical movement, I leaped diagonally and clung to a pillar. Pushing off with my hands and feet at maximum output, I closed in on his flank.
Perfect. I’d caught him completely off guard.
What I had just performed was high-speed maneuvering using all four surfaces of the room—a stunt that required a high-performance, high-output prosthetic body, superb reflexes, and a perfect sense of balance.
Even a veteran like the captain couldn't track my movement with his weapon. The maneuver was so far beyond his predictions that his mind couldn't keep up.
Recognizing and processing an unexpected situation creates a momentary lag. I had successfully created that opening.
I flew toward his flank, gripping the Hwagwang Yedo tightly. An image of cleanly slicing through his waist flashed in my mind.
If this is the limit of your skill, you’re dead.
And I would be disappointed. Fortunately, it seemed the captain had another trick up his sleeve.
The captain bent his knees slightly and kicked off the floor. Launching himself to the ceiling, he used the momentum to accelerate, maneuvering up and down just as I had, and closed in behind me.
The feeling of having my back taken sent a chill down my spine.
Screeech!
I braked hard, dragging my right foot along the floor as I spun around. The Hwagwang Yedo followed my centrifugal motion, drawing a sharp arc through the air.
Whoosh!
The blade sliced through empty space. The captain had already slipped out of my range and was reloading his magazine.
"Haha, did you just copy my movement after seeing it once?" I said, adjusting my grip on the Hwagwang Yedo.
That wasn't a technique one could copy just by watching. No matter how good an exoskeleton's performance, it could never match the responsiveness of a prosthetic body.
Yet, just now, the captain had moved as nimbly as I had.
"Hmm, judging by your reaction speed, you've directly linked your nervous system to the exoskeleton," I muttered. Still, one question remained.
Even if the exoskeleton assists with output and a direct neural link boosts responsiveness, moving like that would shatter the biological legs inside the suit.
Accelerating by repeatedly kicking off the floor and ceiling generates immense impact forces. A prosthetic body could withstand it, but a combat suit's shock absorption wasn't nearly that good.
Drip, drip.
My question was soon answered. Blood was leaking from the captain's legs and feet.
So he relies on the exoskeleton to move even if his bones are shattered? I like this guy.
The bones in his legs, from his toes to his thighs, had to be pulverized. If the exoskeleton lost power, he wouldn't even be able to stand. That was the price of mimicking a prosthetic body's maneuvers with mere flesh and blood.
"As long as I'm holding the Hwagwang Yedo, you'll keep your distance. This won't end quickly, and soon, interlopers will arrive."
I spun the Hwagwang Yedo and sheathed it. Then, I unclipped the scabbard from my waist and tossed it to the floor.
Creak.
The captain tilted his head, puzzled. But understanding soon dawned, and he threw his firearms aside.
"...I want to see your close-quarters combat skills. If you want to seize that sliver of a chance at survival, you'll have to play along."
I drew my dagger and took a reverse-grip stance.
Hiss.
The captain reached for his helmet. The hydraulics engaged, releasing the locks.
He, too, cast off his helmet to push his senses to their absolute limit. A human male's face was revealed, about fourteen or fifteen years older than me.
Clack!
The captain also drew a single dagger, mirroring my stance.
"Whew."
I took a short breath. This wouldn't take long. It would be a brief, intense clash.
My combat senses awakened, unraveling strand by strand. It felt as if every hair on my head was standing on end, pointing toward my enemy.
Slide.
I closed the distance, moving on the balls of my feet. It was almost time.
I was throwing away an advantageous position and willingly taking a risk. I knew I looked like a madman.
But I needed this.
I needed to vent my inner aggression. If I survived this fight, I would probably do fewer crazy things for a while. I would think more rationally and avoid unnecessary gambles—probably.
Dash!
The close-quarters battle began. I leaned forward, coiling from my toes to my knees to my waist.
My arms and shoulders moved with crisp precision. He was the same, a beautiful display of textbook form.
Daggers slightly longer than a man’s palm flashed fiercely, aiming for vital points.
Clack!
We batted away each other's arms, blocking the angles of attack. Each time, we switched our daggers to the opposite hand, instantly transitioning from offense to defense.
Crunch!
I tried to stomp on the captain's foot. He pulled his back and tried to crush mine in return. Hand-to-hand combat and dagger techniques blurred together in a brutal dance.
I had to utilize every single one of my senses.
Combat tactics flashed through my mind while instinct and reflex screamed warnings of dangers my conscious mind hadn’t yet registered. The techniques I had honed my entire life struck out like second nature.
My breath grew heavy. My biological muscles tensed and released in rapid succession while my prosthetic body whined softly. With only a single dagger, I was forced to scrape the very bottom of my skillset.
Screeech!
Our daggers locked, clashing together like magnets. In that split second, I felt him catch his breath. His lips parted slightly to draw in air.
…It’s over.
He had tried to rest the moment our blades locked, probably to gather his strength for the next move.
I clenched my fist.
Crunch!
My fist slammed into the captain's solar plexus. I felt the shattered plating of his combat suit give way as my knuckles sank deep into his chest.
"Ack!"
For the first time, I heard the captain groan. With crushed lungs, the air was forced from his throat, the pain impossible to bear.
I had won.
A thrill shot up from the base of my spine and straight through the crown of my head. It felt as if all my accumulated fatigue was washing away.
Crunch!
I grabbed his arm and shattered his elbow with my fist. At the same time, I kicked each of his knees in turn, crushing the exoskeleton that supported his legs.
Thud!
The captain's right arm and both legs went limp. Only his left arm remained, but since he was completely subdued, there was no need to break it.
Only his neck was left. I didn't want to inflict any unnecessary pain.
"Mr. Luka! W-Wait! Stop!"
I heard a familiar voice. Japa, who had just arrived, was shouting.
I have a rebellious streak that makes me want to mess with people for no reason. Anyone from Border City would probably assume I was about to kill the captain right here.
…But not this time.
I was, for the moment, quite satisfied. I had fought Ragnata, and I had clashed with the Menoa Elite Guard Captain.
Slide.
I stepped back, massaging my stiff shoulder.
"Be careful. His fangs are still sharp."
As I obediently backed away, Japa looked even more bewildered.
"Wh-What? Did you actually listen to me just now? H-Huh?!"