Absolute Cheater - Chapter 526
Chapter 526: Bionics XXIX
They stepped closer to the corridor, the dim lights flickering above them. The metallic hum in the distance grew clearer—steady, rhythmic, like machinery powering up.
Asher wiped the remaining oil from his hands and took a slow breath.
“Great. Round two is already warming up.”
The Knight stepped beside him, keeping his blade low but ready.
“Be careful. If something modified the Omega… we don’t know what else is here.”
Asher nodded. “Yeah. That’s why we’re checking it out.”
They moved into the corridor.
The walls were darker here—scratched, dented, and marked with long streaks of burn lines. Something had fought through this place before… or escaped from it.
Asher ran his fingers across one deep claw mark in the metal.
“This wasn’t the Omega we fought. These cuts are older.”
The Knight examined another mark. “And larger.”
They walked deeper.
The hum grew louder and heavier, almost like a massive engine turning.
Steam hissed from broken pipes above them. Loose wires sparked. Everything felt wrong.
Asher’s voice dropped.
“Feels like we’re walking into something’s nest.”
The Knight agreed quietly, “Or its workshop.”
They reached a wider room—a loading bay with multiple broken pods lined against the walls. Most were empty. A few were shattered from the inside.
Asher walked up to one of the pods. He brushed dust off the cracked glass.
Inside were torn restraints.
And next to the pod was a label burned into the metal:
OMEGA-3 // ADAPTIVE PROTOTYPE
Asher read it twice.
“…Great,” he said. “We didn’t just kill the Omega.”
The Knight’s eyes moved to the other pods.
“There were more.”
Asher exhaled slowly.
“And at least one of them… got out.”
Suddenly, the lights in the bay flickered—once, twice—
Then everything turned red.
A deep, distorted voice echoed through the room speakers:
“ADAPTIVE PROTOTYPES: ONLINE.”
Asher clenched his fists.
“…Of course they are.”
The sound of heavy footsteps came from the hallway behind them.
One set.
Then another.
Then another.
The Knight raised his blade.
“Asher,” he said quietly, “they’re surrounding us.”
Asher turned his head just enough to see shadows moving in the hall.
His jaw tightened.
“Good,” he said. “Saves us time.”
The footsteps grew closer, metal scratching against metal.
Asher lowered his stance.
“Let them come.”
The footsteps kept echoing, slow and heavy, coming from every direction.
Asher’s eyes followed the shadows forming along the walls and ceiling.
The Knight shifted his footing, blade angled forward.
“There are at least four signatures,” he said quietly. “Maybe five.”
Asher cracked his neck once.
“Five is fine. Six would be annoying.”
The red emergency lights pulsed again, casting long shadows across the room.
For a few seconds, nothing stepped out. Just the sound of metal dragging and the low hum of power running through the walls.
Then the first one appeared.
A tall, thin machine stepped into the loading bay. Its body was leaner than the Omega’s, but twice as fast-looking. Its claws were needle-like and long. Its visor flickered with shifting data.
A label across its chest:
OMEGA-3A // SPEED UNIT
Asher muttered, “…Great. A faster one.”
The Knight’s grip tightened. “Don’t let it circle us.”
Before they could move, a second machine walked out from the opposite side.
This one was bulky—much larger than the Omega. Its arms were thick like pillars, its armor layered and reinforced. Its footsteps made the floor shake.
Label:
OMEGA-3B // POWER UNIT
Asher stared at it.
“…Yeah, that one looks like a problem.”
But it didn’t end there.
From the upper walkway above them, two more figures appeared—moving smoothly, silently. Their bodies were slimmer, with long blades attached to their forearms like extensions.
Label:
OMEGA-3C // BLADE UNIT
OMEGA-3D // BLADE UNIT
Asher rubbed the side of his face.
“Perfect. They really do come in different flavors.”
The Knight stepped beside him, voice low but steady.
“We need to pick one target first.”
Before Asher could answer, the lights flickered again.
A fifth machine stepped into view, emerging from the shadows behind the others.
This one looked different from all the rest—taller, smoother, its armor shaped almost like layered plates.
Its visor was a single horizontal line that glowed a dark, burning red.
It carried no claws, no blades.
Just a long staff-like weapon at its side.
Label:
OMEGA-3S // STRATEGIC UNIT
It spoke first—its voice calm and clear.
“Objective detected.”
“Threat priority: Asher.”
Asher raised an eyebrow.
“…Me? Why me specifically?”
The Strategic Unit tilted its head.
“Probability of resistance: highest.”
Asher shrugged at the Knight.
“Hey, at least they’re honest.”
The machines stepped closer, forming a loose half-circle around them.
The Speed Unit crouched low.
The Power Unit cracked its metal knuckles.
The Blade Units lifted their arm-blades.
The Strategic Unit raised its staff.
Asher took one slow breath.
“Alright,” he said. “Five against two.”
He stepped forward.
“Let’s make it fair.”
The Speed Unit moved first—a blur of motion slicing forward—
The Speed Unit shot forward so fast the air snapped behind it.
Asher barely had time to shift his weight before the machine was already in front of him.
A silver blur—then the claws slashed.
Asher dropped low.
The claws cut through the space just above his head, missing him by inches.
The Speed Unit didn’t stop.
It twisted its body and darted around him again, moving in a tight circle, trying to strike from another angle.
The Knight stepped forward to intercept—
But the Power Unit blocked him with a heavy stomp, shaking the floor.
It raised one huge fist and swung straight at the Knight.
The Knight caught the punch with both hands, metal grinding against metal as he slid backward several feet.
Asher didn’t have time to look.
The Speed Unit came at him again.
This time, Asher caught its wrist—but only for a second.
The machine twisted out of his grip like water, its claws slicing across his shoulder, leaving a shallow cut.
Asher hissed in pain.
“Yeah. You’re definitely the annoying one.”
Above them, the two Blade Units jumped down from the upper walkway.
They landed silently on either side of Asher and the Knight, their forearm blades humming.
The Knight pushed off the Power Unit and moved to shield Asher’s left side.
One Blade Unit dashed toward him with a sharp swipe.