Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 574: Black Skull. (Part Six)
That seemed like the right time to catch his breath, and so he took a moment to allow his nerves to relax. It was only a moment, however. Right away, he reached into his Storage and took out a tube the size of his palm. Flicking the cap off to reveal the needle underneath, Dante immediately stabbed it into his leg.
The tube was a Nanomeds injector used for emergencies. Though it contained only a small dose, each one still cost more than what most people made in a year, which is why Dante felt a sting while using it, one that didn’t come from the needle.
Dante was looking forward to the day he would no longer have to heal himself in these ways. He was well aware of his dependence on REDs, and though money wasn’t as big a problem anymore, he didn’t like using Nanomeds at all. It could be said that he just hated getting injured, just like most sane human beings. Nevertheless, there was no avoiding being hurt when he willingly chose such a dangerous life path.
As the Nanomeds did their job and his wounds started to close, Dante gave the command to switch 8-3’s Module for 4-3’s. In the end, the simple strength Type was the best for his current capabilities simply for the stat boost it provided.
In his heightened perception, the time it took to swap Modules was simply too long. He considered putting on one of his armors instead and making quick work of everyone coming after him, but that veered too much from his original plan.
If dealing with the hunters was all he needed to do, Dante would have had Riots and the others help. Knowing the obsidian cyborgs weren’t Black Skull’s last move, he was keeping his cards close just in case.
With both of his arms once again encased in green plating, Dante got up and was about to rejoin the battle.
’What’s the situ-’
His right arm suddenly snapped up, his body twisting as he swung behind him. Hitting nothing but air, Dante remained standing there, confused beyond words. What was he trying to hit just now?
A strong sense of deja vu assaulted him, and he found his anxiousness shooting through the roof. He was in danger, that much was clear, but being unable to pinpoint its source only made things worse.
’What in the...’
[My sensors aren’t picking anything.] Volcan spoke in his head. [This can mean one of two things. Either there is no danger, and you were just imagining things, or-]
’Ninjas...’
Dante clicked his tongue and immediately took off. One of Volcan’s androids was fighting someone on the club’s dance floor. The man wielded a wooden staff that seemed to extend and contract on command, but that meant nothing in the face of a lightsaber. That was likely the reason why he focused on evading instead of blocking Volcan’s attacks, but that didn’t matter. As he sped up toward the exit, Dante gave his resident AI a signal and switched places. The punch he delivered next sent the staff wielder bouncing off the ceiling. To make sure he wouldn’t stand again, Dante kicked his head like a soccer ball and continued on his way.
No sooner had he stepped through the exit than a bullet came flying his way. It was expertly hidden in the salvo launched at him by another gunner, but his Absolute Awareness made it easy for him to distinguish it as the same silent bullet he faced earlier.
As stealthy as it was, Dante was still able to react to it, which told him that the shooter wasn’t the source of his newest problem. As if to tell him it wasn’t his imagination, his body snapped once again, but his fist touched nothing, making him doubt his sanity.
’Hey! Can you really not sense them!?’
[I detected Aether fluctuation, but that is not enough to accurately determine their position.]
’Damn it!’
Dante found himself surrounded before long. Two cyborgs, one Sorcerer. None of them were above Level 2, but the weapons they had equipped pushed them up at least one Level.
Sensing the shift in the Aether around him, Dante jumped up a moment before the ground under his feet melted into a bog. His movements must have been read as several chains wrapped around his body the moment he was in the air.
Not a fan of being tied, he used the monstrous strength of his bionic arms and shattered the chains, then grabbed on to one of them, using it to pull himself away from the mysterious bog. The hair on the back of his neck stood, and he found himself jumping up once more, tucking his legs close. Just now, it felt like something had swung through the spot he had been standing in. There was nothing to confirm it—not even his Absolute Awareness had picked anything. But his instincts screamed that something was there, and he found himself dodging without a thought.
At this point, he had no doubt about it. This was the Silent Breath Art of the Shirogane clan.
The Eastern ninjas were his first encounter with Sorcery, so they left a very deep impression. Dante knew only one way to counter them, but right now, he couldn’t resort to it for an obvious reason.
As if being surrounded by enemies wasn’t bad enough, now he had invisible ones coming after him. Not just invisible. With their presence entirely erased, countering them felt almost impossible. They could be anywhere, holding back on attacking while waiting for the right moment. Dante was able to react to them somehow, yet he had no idea how he was doing it, or if he could keep doing it. He needed to find a solution and fact, but how does one go about defeating an enemy they can’t sense?
’... I have an idea...’
Though it was manifested by his own mind, Dante found it ridiculous and believed the chances of success were close to zero. Still, he didn’t have many options, and so he gave his resident AI the instructions.
