novelraw Chapter 74: Checkmate, Bitch!
Chapter 74: Checkmate, Bitch!
Daniel was close now. He was right in front of the giant. He leaped up, aiming a kick at the Guardian’s knee joint.
"Break!" He activated [Forceburst] through his leg.
BOOM!
His heel connected with the white armor. The kinetic shockwave rippled through the metal, but the Guardian barely moved. It was too heavy and Its stability was too high.
The giant looked down at the insect attacking its leg. It swung its huge left arm in a brutal backhand motion.
Daniel tried to duck, but the sheer speed of the Level 7 monster was overwhelming.
CRUNCH!
The metal fist connected with Daniel’s left shoulder. The sound of bone snapping resonated through the silent room.
Daniel was launched through the air. He flew across the chamber, smashing into the obsidian wall twenty feet up.
He fell to the floor, landing in a heap of broken limbs.
"ARGH!"
Daniel screamed, holding his shoulder. His left arm hung uselessly by his side, twisted at a very crazy angle.
The pain was agonizing. It washed over his vision in waves of red and black. His vision became blurry immediately.
He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled. He coughed, spitting blood onto the clean white floor.
"Get up," he told himself. "Get up or die." He forced himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. His breath came in ragged gasps.
He looked across the room. The Omega Hub Guardian was walking toward him. It moved with a clear purpose. Every step it took shook the entire room.
It wasn’t trying to rush the attacks. It knew it had won. It raised its right arm again.
The plasma cannon began to vibrate. The red light inside the barrel grew brighter, building up a charge that would vaporize Daniel completely.
"I can’t dodge," Daniel realized. His body was too broken. He couldn’t even outrun the tracking speed of that cannon.
He looked at the monster. It was probably ten meters away. He still had one good arm.
He still had his mana, constantly refilling thanks to the ambient energy of the room. And he still had his strongest skill. [Forceburst]. But he had to touch the target to use it. And the target was a cannon that melted steel.
"I might have to gamble," Daniel whispered, wiping blood from his chin. "One last card here."
He pushed off the wall, letting out a raw scream of defiance as he charged straight at the giant.
The Guardian stopped moving. It adjusted its aim, pointing the glowing barrel directly at Daniel’s chest.
The whine of the charging weapon reached a crescendo.
Daniel watched the light. He focused everything he had, every ounce of Agility, every drop of Mana, into this one moment.
"Fire," he dared the machine. "Fire now!" Just as the light turned blinding white, Daniel jumped.
He leaped straight up, pushing his body into a desperate aerial twist. The heat of the pre-fire sequence scorched his boots.
He was in the air, right in front of the cannon. He punched the side of the cannon barrel.
"Fuckin’ die!" he roared, pushing the [Forceburst] skill beyond its limits, pouring his very life force into the strike.
CLANG!
His fist slammed into the hot metal of the barrel. The force was tremendous. It knocked the heavy weapon downward and inward, ruining the aim at the last possible second.
VOOOOM!!!!
The cannon fired. The massive beam of energy didn’t hit Daniel. Because the barrel had been knocked down, the beam shot straight into the Guardian’s own right thigh.
HISS! MELT!
The superheated energy cut through the robot’s own armor. It melted the knee joint instantly.
It fused the leg to the floor in a pool of bubbling, molten metal. The explosion of heat blew Daniel backward.
He hit the ground hard, rolling over his injured shoulder. He screamed in pain, but he scrambled to his feet.
"ROAAAAR!" The Guardian shrieked... a sound of digital agony. It tried to step forward to crush Daniel, but its right leg was gone. Fused to the floor.
The giant stumbled. Its balance was lost. It crashed forward, slamming onto its chest with a noise that shook the entire Keep.
The impact was so heavy that the Omega Shield flickered and vanished. The defense was down. The giant was prone.
Daniel stood there, swaying. His vision was blurring and he was losing blood fast, but he saw the opening.
The Guardian was trying to push itself up with its arms, trying to bring the shard projector to bear.
"Not this time," Daniel growled. He ran. He jumped onto the Guardian’s back. He scrambled up the slippery armor, using his legs and his one good hand to pull himself toward the head.
The robot thrashed, trying to shake him off like a flea, but Daniel drove his boots into the gaps in the armor plates.
He reached the neck. He climbed onto the shoulders. He stood carefully on the metal giant, looking down at the red eye.
The glowing eye stared up at him, pulsing with hate.
"Checkmate, bitch!" Daniel whispered. He dropped to his knees on the robot’s collarbone.
He raised his right fist high. He didn’t have much mana left, but he had enough for one last hit. He drove his fist down.
CRASH!
His hand smashed through the glass eye . It cut his skin, but he didn’t stop. He pushed his hand deep inside the helmet, grabbing the wires and the glowing red circuits.
He released the kinetic shockwave inside the head.
BOOOOM!
The sound was muffled, but the effect was devastating. Smoke and sparks erupted from the neck joint.
The Guardian’s head expanded for a second, then imploded. Metal plates flew through the air.
The red light turned black. The massive body went rigid, then, it slumped.
The arms fell to the sides with a heavy crash. The humming of the cannon died. The Omega Hub Guardian was dead!
Daniel stayed on top of the corpse for a moment, gasping for air. He was dizzy. He was hurt. But he had won.
A soft sound came from his Databand. It was the chime of victory.
[You have slain: Omega Hub Guardian (Level 7 Peak Elite)!]
[Kill EXP Gained : 450 EXP]
[+50% Higher level kill bonus: 225 EXP]
[Total EXP Gained: 675 EXP]
[Level 5: 2335/1700 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 6!]
[Level Up Bonus: All Stats +17.]
[Assimilation Charges Restored.]
A wave of golden light washed over Daniel. It was warmer than before. It was powerful. It flowed into his shoulder.
He felt the bones snapping back into place with a series of wet clicks. He felt the muscle knitting together.
The burning pain began to disappear little by little and was being replaced by a soothing surge of strength.
The arm was badly damaged, but he felt somewhat better, even though there was still some discomfort.
Daniel stood up on the dead robot. He looked at the ceiling of the Central Hub, where the purple clouds of the Astral Verge swirled beyond the glass.
"I did it," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. He was exhausted, but he was alive.