Chapter 385: Another Go.

Dante was still frozen in place, feeling the heat cutting through his face. His life had just flashed before his eyes, and with his perception enhanced, he watched all of it with details he had never noticed before. His mind was quickly overwhelmed. Thankfully, he came back to his senses and decelerated just in time, barely avoiding his mind getting fried by his own thoughts.

[HAHAHAHAHA! Look at you! You should see your face!]

Jake burst out laughing as he watched him gasp for air, but Dante paid him no mind. His thoughts were still a mess after being brought to a sudden halt, so he couldn’t even be angry right now. Finn had said that the beam’s output was reduced to a point where it wouldn’t deal any damage. That seemed to be true, seeing as he wasn’t split in half, but the heat streaking across his face spoke the story of what could have happened.

“Fucking… hell…”

[You let your guard down!] Jake walked over, his capsule-shaped body leaning back as if he was holding his head high. [You thought you could shut me down with a quick Dive, didn’t you?]

’Volcan…’

[My apologies.] Volcan replied in his head. [It seems I have been outmaneuvered.]

’You got to be kidding me…’

Dante felt like he had had enough surprises for the day. Despite knowing the yellow bot was equipped with the same weapons as the white androids, he was still caught off guard. He then learned that it could match his accelerated perception, and as if that wasn’t enough, it was able to resist his resident AI, sneaking a move that would have killed him if its weapons weren’t disabled.

“H-hey, you okay?”

Finn had walked over at some point and was kneeling beside him. That made Dante realize he was on all fours, hunching over the floor as he showered it with his sweat.

[Just leave him be.] Jake said. [Poor guy probably pissed his pants.]

Hearing his dismissive tone, something snapped in Dante’s mind and his right hand shot up in the bot’s direction.

BLAM!

[YAOUCH!]

Sparks scattered from between the bot’s pixelated eyebrows, and as he leaned back from the impact, gravity took hold of him and he collapsed on his back only to roll and get back on his feet the next second.

[Hey! What was that for!!?]

BLAM!

Dante answered with another bullet.

[H-hey! Stop it! I said stop it!]

The yellow bot quickly ran away, jumping at the sound of gunfire as he looked for a place to hide. A few clicks informed Dante that his gun had just run out of ammo. He pierced it with a glare and was about to smash it on the floor, but then he held back, sighing the frustration out of his body. Looking to his left, he saw the pale-faced Finn sweating bullets as he stared at him.

“You… you beefed up his defenses,” Dante said.

The boy remained frozen in place, taken aback by his mild tone. He snapped out of it as Dante stood up to his feet, and driven by anxiety, he spat an explanation as fast as he could.

“He’s an independent bot, you know? You can even call him an android! I made the shell bulletproof, and his motor functions are the best they could be, thanks to the actuators I got from the white androids. Even so, the main danger independent bots face is still digital! One successful Dive and they’re out of commission. That’s why I put a lot of effort into closing the loopholes that can be used to access the exocore and developed some-”

“Alright, alright, I get the idea.” Sighing, Dante turned to where the bot was hiding. “Yellow shit! Get over here!” He said. “Let’s have another go!”

[You sure about that!!?] Jake peeked from behind some crates stacked in one of the corners. [It’s okay if you can’t! You don’t have to push yourself!]

Ignoring the obvious provocation, Dante turned to the boy standing beside him.

“Activate his weapons. Hold nothing back.”

“Huh? But-”

“Just do it!”

Dante cracked his knuckles and stepped toward the yellow bot, leaving Finn stammering for a response. Asking him not to hold back when his brains could have been on the floor right now struck the boy as nothing but madness. He was starting to wonder if the new implants had messed up his brain when Dante turned to him with a grimace.

“On second thought, maybe hold back a little.” He said. “We don’t want to ruin this warehouse.”

Noticing that the maddened glint in his eyes was gone, Finn breathed in relief.

“I can raise the output just a little.” He said. “It would give you a good sting without cutting your flesh.”

[And where is the fun in that!?] Jake shouted. [Hey Finn! Just let me slice him a few times!]

“Keep talking like that and I will reset you!”

[Sorry!]

Facing each other once more, both Dante and Jake took a stance as they prepared for the second round.

[Ready to get your ass kicked for the second time?] Said the yellow bot, smirking.

“There won’t be a second time,” Dante replied, the distress now gone from his face.

As if an invisible bell rang, and the yellow bot didn’t hesitate to lunge. He went straight for the kill, producing the same green energy blade as he swung at his opponent’s neck. Dante moved a split second after him, pushing himself forward with one leg and closing the distance between them.

His right hand shot out, striking Jake’s arm as it traced an arc of light in the air. The blow knocked the energy blade back, but only slightly. Even while midair, the bot still managed to spin his body and finish the swing, but his target was gone by then, leaving only the air for him to cut.

Dante had ducked at the last moment, barely evading his head almost getting decapitated. He was leaning on one side, his legs spread wide as he pulled his fist back. With his eyes locked on the oversized capsule, Dante twisted his body and swung his fist up.

PAANGG!

A sharp metallic clang followed the impact. Jake’s round body rose like a weightless tin can kicked into the air. Holding his position, Dante ground his teeth and forced down the pain coursing through his left arm. Refusing to be stunned, he moved his body and went after his opponent, reaching out and grabbing one of his outstretched arms just as he was about to fix his posture.

[Wai-]

“Hol-”

Not listening to the alarmed cries of the boy and his AI friend, Dante swung the bot over his head and slammed him onto the floor. The soul left Finn’s body as he watched his masterpiece crack the concrete, but that was only the beginning. As the yellow capsule bounced back up, a leg came swinging at it with full force.

“RRRHHAAAAA!!!”

Dante roared, putting all his strength into one powerful kick. The yellow capsule didn’t fly that far, but it still slammed into the floor, bouncing a few times before it settled down.

“FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!”

As Jake’s body continued to roll, Dante yelled at the top of his lungs, folding in on himself and holding his right leg, an expression of excruciating pain twisting his face.

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