Chapter 43: Final Assessment

A high-caliber projectile tore through the air.

Time seemed to slow as Arthur turned and saw it. Immediately, he ducked.

The projectile passed over his head.

He rolled across the floor to put some distance between him and all the other inmates who had gotten closer.

Another shot followed.

BANG!

Arthur kicked off the ground.

His body twisted in midair as the projectile passed beneath him.

He landed several meters away.

Arthur slowly rose.

His blade remained firmly in his right hand.

The instructor’s voice echoed through the neural link.

"Cadet 81. Your opponents are equipped with three Generation Four implants each, but weren’t given any prep time."

"Your survival probability will significantly decrease if you allow them to get proper control of them."

Arthur ignored him.

His gaze moved across the six men.

Six opponents.

Different implants.

They’ve probably been given these modifications specifically to counter him. He would expect nothing less from what he had seen from the Empire.

Given how his swordsmanship was his strongest suit, it was obvious who he had to do away with first.

The man with the firearm implant raised his arm again.

Arthur’s eyes turned toward him.

Ranged attacker first.

Arthur suddenly moved.

Whoosh!

His body shot forward in a sudden burst of speed.

The gunman fired in panic.

BANG!

Arthur tilted his head a second before contact.

The projectile grazed the side of his helmet.

Sparks flew.

Arthur didn’t slow down.

The gunman looked genuinely startled.

"What?!"

Arthur reached him.

His blade flashed.

Shing!

The inmate instinctively raised his mechanical arm.

Clang!

Arthur’s blade struck the reinforced limb with immense force.

The impact forced the man’s arm downward.

Arthur immediately stepped inside his guard.

Then—

BAM!

His knee slammed into the inmate’s stomach.

The man’s body folded as he grabbed his abdomen, the air forced out of his lungs.

Arthur swiftly grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air.

The man looked angrily at his glowing visors.

"Why you—"

SHING!

Arthur swiftly drove his blade into the inmate’s open mouth.

The blade pierced straight through his skull, emerging from the back of his head in a violent burst of blood.

Arthur immediately twisted his wrist and dragged the blade sideways.

The inmate’s skull was cleaved apart from the mouth upward, sending fragments of bone and blood spraying across the metallic floor.

The man’s body went limp.

Arthur casually tossed the corpse aside.

It slammed against the floor with a heavy—

THUD!

"That’s one..."

Arthur lowered his blade.

Blood dripped from its edge onto the metallic floor.

The remaining five inmates stared at him.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then—

One of them suddenly laughed.

"Heh..."

Another inmate cracked his neck.

"So that’s how it’s going to be."

The five men had entered the chamber expecting to overwhelm a single cadet.

Instead, one of them had already been killed within seconds.

One of the inmates with crimson eyes suddenly stepped forward.

"Don’t underestimate him."

His gaze remained fixed on Arthur.

"The kid’s fast."

Another inmate glanced toward the corpse.

"And he isn’t hesitating. Going straight for the kill. What do they feed these kids?"

The man with the mechanical arms and legs slowly lowered his body into a fighting stance.

"Then we’ll just have to kill him first. We outnumber the little shit. Fuck him up."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

The five inmates suddenly moved.

All at once.

BOOM!

The inmate with the mechanical legs launched himself forward.

At the same time, the crimson-eyed inmate disappeared from Arthur’s vision.

...A speed implant... That might prove troublesome, even with Genesis.

Another inmate charged directly toward him while the remaining two spread out, attempting to surround him.

They’re coordinating...

Arthur immediately pushed his use of Genesis.

He began seeing five seconds ahead.

The reddish circuitry across his right eye began to glow more intensely.

The world slowed.

The first attacker would reach him in less than a second.

The second would attack from his blind spot.

The third would fire from behind.

Another hand-cannon implant...

Arthur moved.

Whoosh!

He ducked beneath the first punch from the one with the arm and leg implants.

Arthur immediately pivoted.

Shing!

His blade flashed toward the attacker’s exposed side.

But—

Clang!

A metallic arm suddenly intercepted the strike.

The crimson-eyed inmate with the speed implant had appeared beside him.

Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.

He’s too fast.

The inmate instantly closed the distance, and his elbow slammed into Arthur’s ribs.

BAM!

Arthur’s body was thrown sideways.

He crashed against the metallic floor and rolled several meters.

Pain erupted through his side.

Arthur gritted his teeth.

Fuck...

Before he could stand—

BANG!

A projectile tore through the air.

Arthur rolled.

The projectile struck the floor beside his head.

BOOM!

Metal fragments exploded outward.

One of them cracked Arthur’s helmet and cut across his cheek.

A thin line of blood appeared beneath his helmet.

Arthur immediately pushed himself upright.

Five against one.

And they’re actually working together.

The instructor’s voice calmly echoed through the neural link.

"Cadet 81, your combat efficiency has decreased by seventeen percent."

Arthur ignored him.

The mechanical-legged inmate charged again.

Arthur raised his blade.

Clang!

Their weapons collided.

The force nearly knocked Arthur off balance.

The inmate grinned.

"You’re strong, kid, but pure muscle just can’t keep up."

"Hmm. Did all that chrome drive you psycho? Saying crap as if you’ve already gotten your freedom."

The man gritted his teeth in anger.

His mechanical knee suddenly slammed toward Arthur’s stomach.

Arthur twisted his body.

The knee grazed his abdomen.

Then—

BAM!

A second punch struck Arthur across the jaw.

His head snapped sideways.

Arthur staggered.

The crimson-eyed inmate appeared behind him.

Arthur’s foresight allowed him to see the man coming this time.

He turned, but...

Too late.

BAM!

A mechanical fist slammed into his back.

Arthur was sent crashing into the wall.

CRASH!

His shoulder struck the metal hard enough to send a sharp burst of pain through his body.

His grip loosened.

His blade nearly fell from his hand.

Arthur slowly pushed himself away from the wall.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes remained calm.

"So..."

He tightened his grip.

"This is what Generation Four implants can do. Gotta say, I’m impressed."

...I have to kick things up a notch.

He pushed Genesis further.

He began seeing seven seconds ahead.