Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 570: Black Skull. (Part Two)

The Red Oni Club had been emptied, and the same went for the intersection facing it. The sound of gunfire made sure everyone with a brain got as far away from the place as they could. There were a few foolish enough to stay back, hoping to witness what was about to happen, and for those, a second, much louder warning was issued.

An explosion ripped off the club's entrance, painting everything in a burning orange. The blast that accompanied it carried something coated entirely in black, its silhouette vaguely humanoid. Landing a short distance away, it drove the blades it had for arms into the ground to kill its momentum.

The creature, if it can even be called that, was an amalgamation of different mechanical parts coming together to form a single whole. It slowly rose to its full height, easily clearing the two and a half meter mark. Its shoulders were broad and covered in obsidian alloy, just like everything. Cylinders hung behind each, attached to a mechanism ready to move them around when the need arises.

Its arms seemed to have unfolded, their plating retracting to reveal their inner components. The right had a three-headed machine gun, while a single cannon was on the left. Long bands fed into both weapons, each one made from rounds joined together into a single belt. The weapons themselves pointed behind the obsidian monster, as if put aside in favor of the glowing blades extending from each arm.

Contrasting the rest of its body, the obsidian monster's face was the only thing that was colored in white, which only caused it to appear like a mask made from a cracked human skull.

As it came to a stop, the obsidian raised its head and directed the glowing red lenses it had for eyes at the club's entrance. Two more landed by its side, their appearance differing in some aspects but identical in most. Another three joined them soon after, and unlike the rest, they weren't entirely unscathed.

Despite the damage they suffered, they showed no reaction, immediate poising themselves for the next attack. Their target soon made his presence known, and as he emerged from the wall of flames, a chill rolled over the machines, bringing with it a reminder of the flesh they had long since cast away.

~[ ]~

[Level 4 ascended Cyborg. There are some differences, but they're essentially the same.]

Dante listened to Volcan's evaluation with a sombre expression. If it wasn't for his resident AI, he would have believed them to be a bunch of robots so different from his androids.

Five Level 4s at the same time. Though he wanted to dismiss them, Dante couldn't deny how dangerous they were in this situation. He could tell they were geared with high-quality military-grade bionics just by looking, and just like him, they appeared to be mobile weapon platforms.

Though he knew Black Skull would send its top executioners around that time, not having anything exact made it difficult to prepare. He had gone about his daily life as usual to make sure the enemy wouldn't suspect anything, and at the same time, he had gone on extended rides alone, creating the perfect opening for an attack. Instead of using one of those opportunities, the bastards decided to attack him on a busy night when he was surrounded by people. With so many witnesses around, equipping his armors wasn't an option, and that meant he would have to handle those things with nothing but the 8-3 Module he already has on him.

It was going to be a close battle, and brute forcing his way through it wasn't an option. Right now, the best he could do was buy time and look for an opening.

As they stood a short distance from each other, the two sides stared at each other in silence. Dante considered taunting them a little, but his Absolute Awareness picked something, and his perception accelerated to the max.

Banding backwards, he watched as the tip of an incandescent blade pierced the spot his head had been. A second one fell from above, almost impaling him, but he had already put a dozen meters between himself and the attackers. A click drew his attention to the trio who kept their distance, and seeing the machine guns aimed at him, he accelerated his movements.

The barrage of gunfire would have been enough to turn a grown man into dust. The obsidian bastards had spread their shots instead of aiming directly at him.

Reaching out with his right hand, Dante grabbed the space in front of him and twisted his wrist. An invisible spiral spread outward from his hand, and upon entering its range, the bullets flying straight at him suddenly changed direction, veering off away from him.

The obsidian cyborgs kept concentrating their fire on him, yet the results didn't change. The bullets flew everywhere but toward him, piercing holes into the road and building, shattering glass and crushing anything made from metal.

Some of the bullets shot at a higher angle and ended up reaching the residential apartments. Hearing the screams that followed, Dante clicked his tongue. Volcan spoke in his mind at that moment, allowing his focus to return to the battle.

[No one has been injured. Currently sending evacuation warnings.]

Not a minute had passed since the fight started, but it was already looking like an EI incident. Dante was a gang boss—a full-blown villain. Collateral should've been the least of his worries, but this was his territory. There was no avoiding the enemy bringing the fight to him from time to time, but when that happens, he had to do everything in his power to ensure the civilians aren't severely impacted, mostly to avoid the problem making it to the light instead of remaining in the underworld, but also because the trust people put in the local gangs can be crucial to their survival.

As the salvo of high-velocity bullets came to an end, Dante went through the space he bent through Spatial Distortion and lunged at the nearest obsidian cyborg, the two clashing halfway as the war machine rushed at him with his glowing blades.

'Alright,' Catching both with his bare hands, Dante glared into his opponent's ominous red eyes. 'Let's deal with this before it becomes a bigger mess…'