Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System

Sensing a strange tremor, the remaining white hunters turned their lenses in its direction. At first, they only saw a pile of debris, the destruction resulting from their constant use of energy beams. Before they could scan for what was beyond it, something suddenly burst out, scattering broken concrete and bent metal sheets.

Dante landed a short distance away, already in a fighting stance. Behind the dark visor of his black armor, his face was contorted with anger. His glare was locked on a short distance away, on a girl with honey brown skin and short curly hair, the color of charcoal. The look on her face was more childish than intimidating, but all it did was fuel his anger and fear.

That thing went for his neck. It swung that blue energy blade just as he was distracted, and if it wasn't for 8-3, his head would have gone flying.

'How is it?'

[Your quick reaction has minimized the damage.] Said Volcan. [The damage is only surface level, and none of the essential components have been damaged.]

The report brought Dante a sense of relief that was quickly burned away by his persisting anger. Most of it was directed at the clanker who almost killed him, of course, but some turned back to him, seeing as his mistakes were what led to him being in that position.

It wouldn't take a genius to realize that the black circles were portals, and with that knowledge, figuring out which one led to where wasn't too difficult. Opening one toward his location while making it large enough for people to pass through was like asking to be found.

Though he reacted fast enough to avoid the worst-case scenario, his opponent was mostly fine.

'Screw it, I'm crushing that thing.'

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the cloaked android straightened then pointed her blade at him.

"Return what stole, vile thief!"

Standing in the same spot, Dante continued to stare at it, showing no reaction. It took him a moment to realize it was being serious. Of course, Dante offered no reply. He only questioned if it was specifically programmed to look and sound stupid, but that seemed like the default for most Androids.

"Where did you hide it!"

Not waiting for an answer, it suddenly lunged at him, its bladed arm ready to swing. Dante didn't move, still holding the same stance, and just as its blade cut through the air, he held a hand up and activated Spatial Severing. The instant the blue blade touched his palm, it disintegrated into a shower of sparks.

Facing no resistance, the android was momentarily stunned. Its arm continued the motion, drawing a far wider arc than anticipated, leaving it wide open for retaliation. Dante brought the same hand he blocked with down on it, intending to erase half of its face, but he was currently fighting an android, not a human, and expecting it to move like one was shortsighted.

The android girl twisted her body, spinning on one leg and swinging the other, kicking his arm upward. She continued the spin, going for a diagonal slash with her blue blade, and for a moment there, it appeared as if the slash was going to land. A black circle appeared in the blade's path at just the last moment, but before it could sink into it, the android came to a sudden halt.

Quickly regaining his footing, Dante jumped away, clicking his tongue while putting some distance between himself and the enemy. The android girl distanced herself as well, but instead of jumping back like he did, it moved sideways.

'Clever little shit…'

Right behind where it stood while attacking him was a black circle the same size as the one that appeared in the blade's path. If it had continued with that attack, the blade would have passed through and slashed it from behind. Not only did it figure that out and stop it from happening, but it also avoided making contact with the portal, which would have cut a hole through it with ease.

Glancing at the corner of his field of vision, Dante saw that the energy counter had dropped to the single digits, meaning he couldn't use any of the armor's abilities anymore. It was time to switch, and Volcan had already suggested the most optimal armor to deal with not only the cloaked android, but the white hunter as well.

'4-3!'

Type 8-3 disintegrated into threads of light, a second later, a new armor weaved itself. It was much bulkier than the last one, coating Dante in a shell triple his size. Its emerald green plates locked into place with the hiss of compressed air. Broad shoulders framed a bulky torso, connecting it to arms that were a collection of actuators and synthetic muscle fiber hidden beneath layers of condensed alloy.

Each of its joints shone with potent light, adding to the threat radiating from its massive gauntlets. Its legs bent slightly, as if struggling to carry its weight, but the way it leaned forward showed the energy it stored as it prepared to lunge.

The visor of its helmet, shaped like one long rectangle, was bent in a way that made it appear as if the whole thing was lowered, and the short, blunt horn jutting out of it only added to that image, giving it the appearance of a rhino's head.

With his gaze fixed on the cloaked android, Dante ignored the status screen and lowered his stance further, putting more strength into his legs. As if responding to his movements, the armor flooded its lower half with energy. That energy exploded the moment he rushed forward, and in a single step, he crossed the distance between him and his opponent, his fist already pulled.

As he flexed every muscle in his right arm, the gauntlet covering it shone with a brilliant green light. His fist exploded forth, reaching the android before it could react. The impact was inaudible, but the violent tremor that followed shook the surroundings, its source being the android who had just been slammed into the Tunnel's inner wall.