Absolute Cheater - Chapter 521
Chapter 521: Bionics XXIV
Asher took another step toward the Specter.
It moved again—fast—but not as clean as before. The hit he landed had thrown off its balance.
The silver blur shot toward him, blade-wings extended like cutting fans.
Asher braced himself.
The Specter aimed for his throat this time.
Asher ducked under the first slash and leaned back from the second. The third came from the side—but he blocked it with his forearm, teeth gritting from the sharp sting.
The Specter vanished again.
But Asher didn’t wait.
He turned instantly.
A blur flashed behind him.
He punched.
His fist and the Specter’s blade collided mid-air, sending a shock through both of them. The Specter was thrown back again, skidding across the floor in a shower of sparks.
This time, Asher didn’t let it reset.
He charged after it.
The Specter tried to flicker away, but its movements were slower. Asher caught its arm mid-escape and slammed it into the ground.
The machine twisted, stabbing upward with the blade on its other arm.
Asher leaned aside, grabbed its wrist, and forced that arm down too.
The Specter struggled wildly beneath him.
“Stop moving,” Asher muttered.
He slammed his knee into its chest.
The plating cracked.
The Specter’s voice broke apart:
“Sys… sys… tem… error…”
It tried to turn intangible again, its body flickering like static. But Asher pinned it with both hands and forced it down harder.
The Knight reached them, limping but still active. It raised its sword and aimed for the machine’s head.
Asher shook his head.
“No. Not yet.”
He grabbed the Specter by the neck and lifted it off the floor. It kicked and slashed, but he held on tight.
He slammed it into the nearest wall.
Cracks formed around the impact.
The Specter raised both blade-wings for one last attack—
Asher crushed its neck joint with both hands.
Metal snapped.
The Specter froze.
Then its body collapsed, blade-wings folding limp as the light in its eyes flickered out completely.
Asher exhaled sharply.
“That’s enough.”
He let the broken machine drop to the floor.
The Knight stood beside him again, silent, waiting for what came next.
Asher rubbed his aching shoulder.
“Fast, but flimsy,” he muttered. “Better than another Titan, at least.”
He looked ahead.
Another door—this one even larger—was slowly opening.
A deep rumble echoed through the room.
Asher sighed.
“…Already?”
He stepped forward anyway, tired but ready.
“Alright,” he said grimly.
Asher walked toward the new door, the rumble growing louder with every step. The Knight followed behind him, its damaged frame scraping softly with each movement.
The doorway opened fully.
A cold blue light poured out.
Asher stepped inside.
The new chamber was huge—bigger than all the others so far. The ceiling was high, the walls curved, and the entire floor looked like one massive metal ring. Strange symbols glowed along the edges.
Asher frowned.
“Great. That looks important.”
The Knight scanned the room with slow, careful movements.
For a moment, nothing happened.
No hum.
No rising platform.
No flickering lights.
Just silence.
Asher stood still.
“…Is it actually empty this time?”
He almost didn’t trust the quiet.
He took another step.
That’s when the floor lit up, every ring glowing bright blue in a perfect circle.
Asher stopped walking.
“Oh no… I know what that means.”
The rings rotated.
Gears shifted underneath the floor.
A deep vibration shook the entire chamber.
The Knight raised its sword again.
Asher braced himself.
A vertical cylinder in the center of the room opened like a giant iris.
Something came out of it.
Something tall.
Something armored.
Something heavy.
But not like the Titan.
This one was built differently—broad shoulders, layered plating, and a single glowing blue line across its face instead of eyes. Its arms were thick, ending in huge gauntlets with rotating energy coils.
A voice boomed from its chest:
“Designation: Goliath-Class Enforcer.
Purpose: Total suppression.
Status: Battle-ready.”
Asher let out the slowest, most tired sigh of his life.
“…Of course. Why not. Big, fast—now something in between.”
The Enforcer stomped forward, each step echoing like a hammer.
Asher rolled his shoulders.
“Knight,” he said, “try not to get crushed.”
The machine nodded once.
The Enforcer raised one arm.
The energy coil spun.
A blast of compressed force shot out—fast.
Asher dodged, but the shockwave still hit him, knocking him sideways.
He slid across the floor, gritting his teeth.
“Okay. Strong too. Great.”
The Knight charged in first, swinging its sword at the Enforcer’s arm. The blade hit—but barely scratched the armor.
The Enforcer grabbed the Knight’s head and flung it across the room like it weighed nothing.
Asher sprinted in.
He punched the Enforcer in the chest.
A solid hit.
But the Enforcer barely moved.
Instead, it grabbed Asher’s arm.
Its grip tightened—like a metal vice closing around bone.
Asher’s face twisted in pain.
“Let… go.”
He pulled back, but its grip was iron.
The Enforcer lifted him off the ground and slammed him down.
The floor cracked.
Asher rolled aside just in time as the Enforcer tried to stomp him into the ground.
He got back on his feet, shaking dust off.
“Okay,” he muttered, catching his breath. “Fine. No fast moves. No weak points.”
He tightened his fists.
“Just a big, tough problem.”
The Enforcer stepped forward again.
Asher took his stance.
“No running this time. Let’s go.”
And the two collided—force against force—as the chamber filled with the sound of metal, impact, and raw power.
Asher met the Enforcer head-on.
Their fists collided first.
The impact shook the entire chamber.
Asher’s knuckles felt like they hit a steel wall. The Enforcer didn’t budge—it simply pushed forward, trying to overpower him with raw force.
Asher slid back a few steps, boots scraping against the glowing rings.
“Yeah,” he muttered, “definitely tougher.”
The Enforcer swung a heavy punch.
Asher ducked and countered with a sharp strike to its ribs. The metal dented—but only slightly.
The machine didn’t slow down.
It turned and slammed its forearm into Asher’s chest.
The hit threw him backward, knocking air out of his lungs. He skidded across the floor and caught himself right before hitting the wall.
“Okay… that one hurt.”