Absolute Cheater - Chapter 527
Chapter 527: Bionics XXX
The Blade Unit’s arm-blade came down fast, aiming to split the Knight open.
The Knight met it head-on.
Metal clashed. Sparks burst between them.
He slid one foot back, pushed hard, and deflected the blade to the side before driving his elbow into the machine’s chest. The Blade Unit staggered but didn’t fall—it simply reset its stance and came again.
Asher didn’t get a break.
The Speed Unit rushed him for the third time, claws flashing in rapid jabs.
Asher blocked one strike with his forearm, dodged the second, then stepped in and punched the machine in the chest. It barely moved.
“Figures,” Asher muttered. “Fast and tough.”
The Speed Unit spun, its leg whipping out to kick him.
Asher raised his arm—caught it—got pushed back a full meter.
Before he could recover, the Power Unit charged from the side, both arms raised like hammers.
“Asher, move!” the Knight warned.
Asher threw himself to the floor just as the Power Unit slammed its fists down. The impact cracked the metal tiles, sending a shockwave through the whole bay.
Asher rolled to his feet.
“That thing hits like a truck.”
The Blade Unit on his right rushed in, swinging its arm-blade in a clean horizontal cut.
Asher leaned back—the blade passed right in front of his face.
He stepped forward and drove a knee into the machine’s midsection. It dented but didn’t stop.
Behind the pack of machines, the Strategic Unit finally moved.
It tapped its staff against the floor.
All the machines paused for a moment.
The red line on its visor brightened.
“New tactic calculated,” it said calmly.
“Speed Unit: isolate Asher.
Power Unit: suppress Knight.
Blade Units: flank both targets.
Execute.”
The machines moved instantly.
The Speed Unit blurred and zipped behind Asher, cutting off his retreat.
The Power Unit charged the Knight like a battering ram, forcing him away.
The Blade Units split up—one rushing Asher, the other pressing the Knight.
Asher tightened his stance.
Three of them now focused on him.
“Great,” he said. “They really listen to orders.”
The Blade Unit attacked first—simple, direct, two clean diagonal cuts.
Asher dodged the first, slapped aside the second, and punched it hard in the throat joint, making its head snap back.
The Speed Unit came right after—low, fast, trying to cut his legs.
Asher jumped over the sweep—but the moment he landed, the Blade Unit tried to stab him in the back.
Asher turned, blocked the strike with his palm, and shoved the machine away.
Then he felt a gust of air.
The Speed Unit was already behind him again.
It swung its claws straight at the side of his neck.
Asher ducked, twisted, and kicked backward. His heel hit the machine’s knee joint and knocked it off balance for a moment.
That moment was short—but enough.
Asher stepped forward and cracked the Blade Unit across the head with a heavy punch.
It staggered—but didn’t fall.
“These things don’t go down easy,” he muttered.
On the other side of the bay, the Knight was fighting both the Power Unit and one Blade Unit, holding his ground but struggling against their combined pressure.
Asher clenched his jaw.
He couldn’t drag this out.
He needed to break one of them—fast.
He eyed the Speed Unit.
The smallest.
The least armored.
The biggest problem.
“Alright,” Asher said, lowering himself.
“Let’s get rid of you first.”
The Speed Unit crouched, ready to rush him again.
Asher steadied his breath.
This time, he wasn’t planning to dodge.
He was planning to catch it.
The Speed Unit launched forward.
It moved like a streak of silver, claws stretched out, aiming for Asher’s throat.
Asher didn’t move aside this time.
He waited—just half a second—long enough for the machine to fully commit.
Then he stepped in.
His hand shot out and grabbed the machine’s wrist.
The impact was strong enough to make his arm shake, but he held on.
The Speed Unit tried to twist free. Its whole body blurred, vibrating, trying to break his grip.
Asher gritted his teeth.
“Not this time.”
He pulled the machine forward and slammed his knee into its chest. Metal cracked. The Speed Unit jerked from the force, but it still fought, its other claw swinging upward.
Asher blocked it with his forearm and twisted the wrist he held.
Hard.
There was a sharp metallic snap.
The Speed Unit’s right arm bent the wrong way.
It screeched and tried to kick him again, but Asher wasn’t letting go.
He grabbed its neck with his free hand, lifted with all his strength, and smashed the machine down onto the ground.
The floor dented.
The Speed Unit’s visor flickered, but it still moved, trying to get up.
“Stay down,” Asher growled.
He lifted his foot and stomped on its chest—once, twice, three times—until the plating caved in.
The Speed Unit’s movements slowed.
Asher reached down, grabbed its head, and tore it off with a hard pull.
The machine stopped.
One down.
He tossed the broken head aside and turned toward the Knight.
The Knight was still being pushed back by the Power Unit, each punch shaking the whole room. The Blade Unit with it kept slashing from the side, forcing him to divide his defense.
“Asher!” the Knight called out, blocking another heavy strike. “I could use a hand!”
Asher wiped metal dust from his fingers and started forward.
“On it.”
Before he could reach them, the Strategic Unit stepped between him and the fight, raising its staff to block his way.
Its visor glowed a deeper red.
“Correction,” it said.
“You are not permitted to assist.”
Asher narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah? Try stopping me.”
The Strategic Unit spun its staff and slid into a ready stance.
Asher cracked his knuckles.
“Round two, then.”
He rushed forward.
Asher charged straight at the Strategic Unit.
The machine didn’t back up.
It swung its staff in a tight arc—fast, precise, aimed at Asher’s ribs.
Asher raised his arm and blocked it, but the hit still shoved him sideways.
The force was stronger than he expected.
“Alright,” he muttered. “You hit harder than you look.”
The Strategic Unit followed up instantly, jabbing the end of the staff toward his throat.
Asher tilted his head back—the strike grazed his chin.
He tried to grab the staff, but the machine twisted it away with perfect timing, keeping distance while moving smoothly around him, reading every shift in his stance.