Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 571: Black Skull. (Part Three)

In terms of speed, the obsidian cyborgs were on par with Dante. Technically speaking, at least. One wouldn't make ascended cyborgs just to skimp on SREs, and with most of their joints being bionic, there was almost no lag between their thoughts and movements. Unfortunately for them, weight and size played a big role in these things, so even though they can practically match his speed, Danta could still run laps around them.

Then there was the most important factor for using all those implants—mental resilience. Though the malleability of one's soul determines whether they can live as a cyborg, commanding all those implants undoubtedly puts a lot of strain on their brains. One could get around that by having an AI handle some of the processes, like auto aim, allowing the cyborg to enhance their perception and reflexes only when needed, but that causes their movements to be robotic and predictable.

In comparison, Dante's movements were more fluid. His reflexes had always been monstrous thanks to his martial arts training, and with his Overmind Neural Response Enhancer and Cortical Interface Module enhanced them further. Even if the AI he was up against was trained for combat, it could never surpass him, even if his opponent was ahead in the cyberfication route.

The obsidian cyborgs divided their role, with two vanguards engaging in melee combat, another two sniping at him from a distance, and one standing guard in front of them, using a shield.

The vanguards unleashed a storm of slashes and stabs that came close to cutting Dante, but they didn't as much as graze him. Every now and then, they would suddenly retreat to open a path for the gunners to shoot. Unfortunately for them, it was almost impossible to catch Dante off guard. The bullets never reached him, no matter how many they fired, and before long, they would be forced to stop, switching with the melee fighters.

Looking at how much effort they were putting in and how few results they were getting, one would think Dante had the upper hand. Reality was often disappointing, however.

PAANGGG

The sharp ringing of metal echoed through the streets. It resembled the sound a steel beam would make when hitting the ground after a long fall. The impact itself seemed to carry incredible force, but going by the grimace on Dante's face, the results were far from what he had anticipated.

After spending the first few clashes trying to get a feel for how the obsidian cyborgs moved, he had moved on to countering. He didn't do anything fancy, only docking under a swing, aiming at his neck and delivering a left hook to the bastard's flank. It felt as if the bones in his hand shattered after he attempted to punch a blastproof door, and that spoke for the bastard's hardness, seeing as Dante's arms no longer had any bones.

It seems the Level 4 evaluation included their toughness as well, not just their firepower. Dante kept up close to one of them, following his movements as if he were his shadow. The obsidian Cyborg welcomed that and increased the intensity of his attacks, and Dante used the opportunity to deliver more blows, keeping them lighter than the first as if he was tapping the bastard's frame.

'What do you say?' He asked internally.

[It is quite the exceptional selection.] Volcan said. [This is close to what I had envisioned when we first discussed your cyberfication.]

'That's not what I'm talking about!'

Though 8-3 was his favorite armor, its module didn't grant much strength, meaning his punches couldn't cause as much damage. The abilities at his disposal could likely end his opponents in one or two strikes, but he had to ration his energy. After all, the obsidian cyborgs weren't the only enemies stalking him today.

'Don't they have any weaknesses?'

The most obvious one should have been their implants as a whole, but the bastards had done their homework and disabled all of their signal receptors. At this point, it would be idiotic to face him while allowing a path from which a Dive attack could be performed.

Dante didn't want to believe that winning as he is now was impossible. Even with 8-3's module, he was still a Level 4 as well. Something was urging him to prove that he was superior to the obsidian cyborgs, and having to resort to other cards so soon in the game didn't sit right with him.

A red line appeared on the cyborg he was dancing with, going from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. As it went up, several spots were left around his alloy-covered body, as if marked after the brief scan.

[These are the weakest points in their frame,] Volcan said. [You might require more power to damage them, however.] 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

In other words, it was not possible with the blunt strikes he had been dishing out so far.

'Damn it…'

Dante gritted his teeth and parried the incandescent sword, swinging it, using the back of his hand to strike his opponent's wrist, or where it should have been. As expected, the blow didn't have much effect even though he targeted one of the spots marked with red. It was then that a wild idea sprang up in his mind.

Dodging a couple more swings, he moved to parry the third. His opponent's movements slowed down to a crawl as Dante accelerated his mind to the max. He timed himself as his fist headed for the handle of the incandescent blade, the area connecting it to the cyborg's arm. The moment of the impact, Dante gave the command to activate Spatial Severing, limiting its output to a single point.

The instant his fist connected, the blade snapped off as if it were a dry twig. The obsidian cyborg couldn't have reacted, and with the power he was putting into that swing, his body lost balance when the resistance that should have met him never arrived.

Dante sidestepped him and reached up, grabbing the severed blade as it was about to fly away. His hand whipped down immediately, driving it straight through the cyborg's skull like one would drive a knife into a ripe watermelon.