Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 603: Black Skull. (Part Thirty five)

"You actually survived," Jason said. "And here I thought you already made a run for it."

"Well, I just had to grab something real quick."

The thing he mentioned was easy to spot, and the frown that took over Jason's face told as much. Dante had both arms. Not only that, but they were different from the green ones he had before. They were different from the dark gray, sharp tools made from 5-3, though they shared their slender form and light plating, the color of which was a stark white. Even as they rested by his side, they appeared to emit a subtle glow, creating a faint halo around the red demon.

Dante looked at his palm for a moment, clenching and spreading out his fingers.

[

Energy: 320/320

Implants:

Kinetic Absorption Protective Sub-Layer Generation 15 (C)

RespiraCore Series VI (C)

Overmind Cortical Interface Module (A)

Overmind Neural Response Enhancer (A)

Ares Iron Cage (A)

Ares Iron Fiber (A)

Ares IronPulse Engine (A)

NephroCore Series XI (C)

NutrimaCore Complete Series XI (C)

Voxcore Series XI (B)

Eroscore Series V (C)

Suzuka's Modular Bionic Interface (Arms) (SS)

Suzuka's Modular Bionic Interface (Legs) (SS)

Suzuka's Skull Guard (S)

Oculuscore series XIII (C)

Modules

Right Arm: Type 7-3

Left Arm: Type 7-3

Right Leg: Type 5-3

Left Leg: Type 5-3

Abilities:

Instant Acceleration.

Inertia Reduction.

Velocity Retention.

Radiant Flash.

Radiance Control.

Radiant Kaleidoscope.

Radiant Beam.

]

'I haven't used this one before…' he thought to himself.

"You got a new toy, so what?" Jason scoffed. "I broke the last one, and I will break this one too."

"Break, huh?"

Shifting his gaze to the surroundings, Dante took in the destruction with a much calmer mind. His gaze eventually came to land on his enemy, and the conflicted feelings he had returned once more.

"Guess you won the lottery, huh?"

"I see you are familiar with the miracle drug." Jason nodded, reaching into the inner breast pocket of his jacket. "That's right. I struck a one-in-a-billion chance and made it big. Great ability, minimum drawbacks. I can pretty much kill anyone. Don't hold your breath, though. I'm not about to explain how it works like some old cartoon villain."

"Shame it's not permanent," Dante said.

"It will be. One day."

A smirk returned to the skull-faced bastard as he took out a small cylinder. Though it looked like a normal pen, Dante knew what it was the moment Jason pressed the tip to his neck. The veins around the spot bulged, turning blue before returning to normal. The bad feeling that came with watching it happen fueled the urgency hammering at Dante.

"Since you are familiar with it, I guess you know the time limit on its effects." Cracks spread through the pen-shaped injector, and right away, it turned into a pile of dust that slipped from between Jason's fingers. "The folks who made it know how to sell you something—they have more than one way to keep you coming for more, too. Like a booster for when you're about to run out of juice." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Damn…" Dante's tone was flat. "Hope you got a bunch of those prepared."

"Arrogant, aren't we?" Once again, skull face pulled his arm back, preparing to punch. "I won't be needing another round. You won't last that long!"

Physically speaking, Jason was a Level 0—not even a high-end one, considering he's pushing fifty. Dante would have to try really hard to feel a punch from him, but the physical side of the attack wasn't what made it dangerous.

Jason's fist shot forward, and his ability activated. The space in front of him broke apart, shattering like a glass screen. As the cracks spread farther, a tunnel was created. Both ends began pulling on each other, like a rubber band that had been stretched to its limit. Being on the end unaffected by the destructive force, Jason's body shot forward, pulled by the force of the world trying to mend itself. As if teleporting, he appeared right in front of Dante, his hand already outstretched.

This time, Dante knew he was coming, and yet he didn't even attempt to move. The smirk on Jason's face continued to spread as if victory was already in his hand. He only needed a single touch, and it would be over. A single touch.

'Got you-'

The thought spawned in both their minds, but only Jason's was shot down by a sudden shock. He was well aware of his opponent's speed, expecting him to try to run to evade contact. That's why he planned on activating his ability even if he failed to make physical contact, destroying the space in front of him with the red demon inside it.

Dante didn't run, however. He remained in the same spot, his body tilted to open a path for his opponent. As Jason floated right in front of him, Dante held his right hand to the bastard's face, spreading his palm wide open as if tying to grab him. At the center of the segmented plating covering it, faint white light seeped into the world through a circular opening.

A sudden flash banished color from the world.

"Ge-aaaAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Silence had enveloped the crater for a second, and a pained scream shattered it right after. Jason's hands reflexively shot back to his face, covering his eyes as he staggered backwards. Every thought in his mind was erased, leading to his ability being deactivated before he could turn it on himself.

"FUCKING… HELL!!! MY EYES!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY EYES!!!"

Tripping and falling on his back, he began rolling around as if his body was on fire. A few seconds in, and the realization that he was entirely defenceless set in, prompting him to break the space around himself to create a barrier. He remained in that shell until he gathered the will to open his eyes again, but even though the pain had mostly subsided, his sight was still far from a full recovery, leaving him with a vision so blurry he couldn't distinguish his surroundings.

One thing seemed to stand out in the haze. A red mask floated in the air, two knife-like horns jutting out of its top. Like the face of a wrathful demon, it gazed down at collapsed Jason, instilling dread into the depths of his very being.