Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 468: Don’t Look So Confused.
"It’s all your fault."
It started when he saw the videos Volcan showed him. The first one came from the security cameras surrounding a certain police station. Dante recognized the place, and because of that, he knew what was going to happen. Nobara had already told him.
What he didn’t expect was to see the hulking man walk in with the rest of the filth. When he came out, a bastard with a metal arm followed after him. That same metallic arm appeared in another video. As he watched its owner throw molotovs into the old noodle shop, Dante came to a realization.
"It’s all your fault."
He had known they were going to be trouble. The first time he ran into the bastard with the cheap arm, he had known that he needed to put him down before he could cause trouble. When he heard Riot was trying to cause trouble in Hollowgrid, he knew that he would have to crush him sooner rather than later.
"It’s all your fault."
He kept delaying the matter. He pushed it to the back of his mind, occupying himself with other things. Eventually, with the chaos quickly taking over his life, he forgot all about it.
"It’s all your fault."
If he had taken care of the problem early on, Jonah wouldn’t have ended in that state, and the Bowl of Fortune wouldn’t have been burned.
"It’s all your fault."
If he had just crushed them early on, none of that would have happened.
"It’s all your fault."
If he had just paid a little more attention, none of that would have happened.
"It’s all your fault."
If he hadn’t messed with those people, if he hadn’t picked a fight—
"It’s all your fault."
The words slipped out in a whisper, but in the silence shrouding the underground Arena, it was loud enough for a deaf person to hear. Their true meaning failed to reach anyone, however, and as the strange pressure fell on them once more, each and every thug that had gathered to watch the massacre felt that the words were directed at them.
"Daaamn! You sure know how to throw a punch!"
Once again, all eyes shifted, going from the hole in the arena to the spot where the giant who had been blasted through it lay. A faint chuckle grew louder a the giant of a man rose from the ground, pulling along the muscles wrapping his body.
He patted off the rubble and dust then made for the arena, walking leisurely as if nothing had happened.
"Nice toys you got there. They look kinda... expensive..."
Seeing nothing but red, Riot’s words didn’t register in Dante’ mind. He didn’t even stop to consider how, after taking that hit, the large man was still standing. Accelerating his reflexes and perception, he took the shortest route to the mountain, his fists already clenching.
At the last moment, his eyes veered upward. The giant was still looking at the arena, but his eyes suddenly shot down, meeting Dante’s. With that broad grin on his face, the sight was rather unsettling.
A tremor shook the basement floor, knocking the crowd off balance. A short distance from its source, Dante landed with a light step, his right hand touching the floor.
[Dante, be careful,] Volcan’s voice rang in his head. [This individual...]
With his fist planted into the ground, cracks spreading from it like a spiderweb, he turned his head in Dante’s direction. He still wore the same unsettling grin.
[Maaaan! You can actually keep up...] With his perception accelerated, Riot’s words appeared as text to Dante. [Cyborgs these days-] his figure blurred. "Sure got it nice!"
Before he could react, Dante found himself looking at the spread palm of a giant hand. It closed around his head, yanking it away along with the rest of his body. Dante’s hands shot up to grab at the giant arm, but before he could, he was slammed down with enough force to rattle his innards.
Thankfully, he didn’t have any, so he didn’t need time to recover and freed himself right away. As he turned to glare at his opponent, he realized that they were once again at the center of the arena.
[If you came here to pick a fight.] Said Riot, cracking his fingers. [Then you have to play by our rules!]
Once again, he tuned into a blur. Next thing Dante knew was that a giant fist was swinging his way. He weaved out of the way only for the giant to whip his arm, forcing him to block.
Dante was sent flying, and his back hit the metallic cage surrounding the arena. He didn’t feel any pain, but being thrown around was still far from a pleasant experience.
’What’s... what’s happening?’ Confusion overcame the anger clouding Dante’s mind. ’Why can he...’
Riot moved again, charging like a raging bull. Dante had to accelerate his perception beyond what he’s used to, and even then, he could barely keep up. The giant swung his limbs as if they weighed nothing, each punch and kick stirring a violent gust of wind. Dante managed to evade them each time, just barely.
"What’s wrong!?" Riots voice reached him despite the speed they were moving at. "Your fancy toys can’t keep up? Huuh?"
Slipping slightly, Dante lost the chance to evade, forcing him to block the kick Riot threw. Once again, he was sent flying. Flipping in the air, he landed close to the cage. Riot didn’t follow him, straightening up and raising his arms by his side. Cheers erupted from the surrounding crowds.
"It kinda sucks, you know?" Said Riot. "Fighting at this speed—few people can actually see it, you know?" He looked up at the overhead light. "That’s why I had them set up those screens. It’s not as good as watching it live, but there is no other way around it."
Dante didn’t offer any comments, continuing to glare at the mountain of muscles.
’Volcan...’
[I... I don’t understand...] Volcan said, sounding as confused. [This individual... I previously evaluated him as a Level 2 Intermediate Cyborg, and yet...]
Dante had only met Riot once before, and at the time, Volcan determined that the giant of a man didn’t have any significant enhancements save for metal knuckles and a bionic heart. That sounded convincing, seeing how Red Rage was built around violent fist fighting. At the time, Dante assumed that their leader relied on his intimidating size to remain in control, but their clash just now completely shattered that impression.
’Not a Genome?’
[No... still an Intermediate Cyborg.]
’A sorcerer?’
[No, the Aether around him is unmoving...]
"C’mon now..." Riot took a step. "Don’t look so confused!"
Dante rolled, escaping the hand trying to grab him. He pushed himself back to his feet then put some distance between him and the giant. His anger died out as rationality seemed to take over, and his vision was no longer painted red. Because of that, he was finally able to see that his opponent was slowly turning red.
Riot didn’t waste any time coming after him, but Dante was prepared. Standing his ground, he took in the giant’s form, studying all the path from which the next attack might come from. His arms moved a fraction of a second before that, and his hand met that of the giant, pushing it aside before it could reach him.
Riot’s face twitched, but the attacks kept coming. Each time, Dante killed their momentum before they could reach him or countered from a different, forcing his opponent to defend. He was still pushed back during the first few exchanges, but soon enough, his feet only left the floor only when he needed to parry a low attack.
The cheers surrounding the arena died, and the grin Riot wore quickly vanished. Anger warped his face, and his attacks grew heaver, carrying more force. Dante seemed unbothered by it, however. His counters became more frequent, and though most were light jabs, each one shortened Riot’ fuse.
"Fucking... bastart!" Roaring, he threw a wide kick, forcing Dante to evade. "How are you... a filthy a filthy machine..."
[Dante,] Volcan’s voice rang in Dante’s head as he parried another attack. [I’m not too sure about this, but I think I figured out the source of his strength.]
’Oh yeah...’ Evading a punch, Dante planted a hook of his own into the giant’s left flank. ’What is it?’
[Soul.]
’... What?’
[This individual is enhancing himself with his Soul.] Volcan explained.
’That’s not explaining anything!’
Dante parried several blows then leaped back, trying to create some distance so he could process what his resident AI was saying.
[I am struggling to process it myself.] Volcan replied. [This is not something that should be possible under normal circumstances.]
’Okay, it’s clearly possible...’ It was happening right in front of their eyes. ’Aren’t you integrated with my Soul or something? Shouldn’t you know more about this?’
[It is for that reason that I am struggling to understand.] Volcan replied. [Something of this nature would require technology beyond VOLCAN’s level, and yet...] Going silent for a few seconds, Volcan seemed to force the words out. [He isn’t using anything...]
