The world slowed to a crawl.
Kai could see everything.
Not just movement—but intention.
Dante's shoulders tensed.
The angle of his blades shifted.
The assassin's mechanical arms adjusted by fractions of degrees as his targeting systems recalculated.
In Kai's enhanced perception, those tiny movements were as obvious as flashing lights.
ORION's voice echoed clearly in his mind.
"Neural Overclock active. Eleven seconds remaining."
Kai inhaled slowly.
The air tasted like ozone and burned metal.
Around them, the underground market had transformed into chaos. Vendors had abandoned their stalls. Neon lights flickered across the cavern walls. A few brave—or foolish—spectators watched from behind metal barricades and support pillars.
But Kai's focus never left Dante.
Six blades hovered around the assassin like the limbs of a mechanical spider.
Then Dante moved.
To everyone else in the market, the attack looked instantaneous.
But to Kai—
It was predictable.
The first blade came from the right.
Kai stepped inside the arc, twisting his body just enough for the plasma edge to slide past his shoulder.
Heat burned the air beside his face.
The second blade stabbed forward.
Kai grabbed Dante's mechanical wrist and redirected the strike downward. The blade stabbed into the metal floor with a violent hiss.
Sparks exploded upward.
"Eight seconds remaining," ORION said.
Kai didn't answer.
He was already moving.
His elbow smashed into Dante's jaw again, snapping the assassin's head sideways.
Before Dante could recover, Kai drove his knee into the man's torso.
Metal armor dented.
The assassin slid backward across the floor.
The watching crowd gasped.
Dante had been hunting targets in the city for years. His reputation was legendary among the underground networks.
People didn't fight Dante.
People ran from him.
Yet now—
Kai was pushing him back.
Dante stood slowly.
One of his mechanical arms twitched violently before resetting itself.
His glowing eyes locked onto Kai.
"Neural enhancement detected," Dante said in a calm mechanical tone.
Kai cracked his neck.
"Yeah."
He grinned.
"Still think I'm an easy job?"
Dante's back plates shifted again.
The mechanical arms rotated, adjusting their combat alignment.
"You remain a target."
Kai shrugged.
"Worth a shot."
Dante lunged.
This time all six blades attacked at once.
To the crowd, it looked like a storm of steel.
But Kai saw every motion.
He stepped sideways.
A blade cut through the space where his neck had been.
Another blade slashed downward.
Kai ducked beneath it.
A third blade stabbed toward his ribs.
Kai twisted and drove his fist straight into Dante's elbow joint.
CRACK.
Metal snapped.
The mechanical arm spasmed wildly.
Dante staggered back.
"Six seconds remaining," ORION announced.
Kai breathed heavily.
The overclock felt incredible.
But also dangerous.
Every nerve in his body burned with electrical heat.
His brain felt like it was being pushed far beyond its limits.
Still—
He wasn't done.
Kai rushed forward.
He slid under Dante's next strike and slammed his shoulder into the assassin's chest.
The impact sent Dante crashing into a nearby vendor stall.
Metal tables collapsed under his weight.
Cybernetic parts scattered across the floor.
Mira stared from the entrance of her workshop.
"Holy hell…"
She had expected Kai to die within seconds.
Instead—
He was winning.
Dante rose from the wreckage slowly.
His head tilted.
Then something strange happened.
A low mechanical hum began vibrating through the assassin's body.
ORION reacted instantly.
"Warning."
Kai frowned.
"What now?"
"Opponent activating secondary combat systems."
Dante's chest plates opened.
A glowing red core ignited inside his torso.
Energy surged through his cybernetic limbs.
The broken mechanical arm suddenly realigned itself with a sharp metallic click.
Kai blinked.
"…That doesn't seem fair."
"Four seconds remaining," ORION said.
Dante attacked again.
But this time—
He was faster.
Much faster.
The first blade came dangerously close to Kai's throat.
Kai barely dodged in time.
The second blade slashed across his jacket, slicing through the fabric.
Kai jumped backward.
"ORION!"
"Yes?"
"Why is he faster now?!"
"Enemy overdrive system activated."
Kai groaned.
"Everyone has one of those except me?"
"Two seconds remaining."
Kai braced himself.
The neural overclock began fading.
The world sped up again.
Reality returned to normal speed.
And suddenly—
Dante was terrifyingly fast.
Kai barely blocked the next strike with a metal pipe he had grabbed earlier.
The pipe exploded in half from the impact.
Kai stumbled backward.
The overclock ended completely.
Pain slammed into his skull.
His knees buckled.
"Neural strain detected," ORION said.
Kai clutched his head.
"Yeah I noticed…"
Dante approached slowly now.
Six glowing blades aimed at Kai's chest.
The crowd held its breath.
Mira cursed under her breath.
"Kai, move!"
But Kai struggled to stand.
His brain still burned from the overclock.
Dante stopped a few feet away.
"You fought beyond expected parameters," the assassin said calmly.
Kai forced himself upright.
"Thanks."
Dante raised a blade.
"But the outcome remains unchanged."
Kai glanced around quickly.
His mind raced.
He needed something.
Anything.
Then he noticed it.
A power generator behind Dante.
One of the massive machines that powered the underground market.
Thick cables ran along the floor.
Kai smiled slightly.
"Hey ORION."
"Yes?"
"Think you can hack something?"
"Clarify."
Kai tilted his head toward the generator.
"That."
A brief pause.
"Accessing system."
Dante stepped closer.
Blade raised.
Kai stalled for time.
"So… quick question."
Dante paused.
Kai continued.
"You ever think about getting a different job?"
The assassin stared at him.
Kai shrugged.
"Less stabbing. More vacation days."
ORION spoke again.
"Generator overload initiated."
Kai grinned.
"Perfect timing."
Dante's blade began descending toward Kai's chest.
Then—
The generator exploded.
A massive burst of electricity blasted across the chamber.
Blue lightning arced through the cables.
The entire market plunged into darkness.
Lights flickered wildly.
People screamed.
Smoke filled the air.
Dante's sensors glitched from the electromagnetic shock.
Kai didn't hesitate.
He ran.
He dove through the chaos of the market, weaving between overturned stalls and fleeing crowds.
Behind him, Dante recovered quickly.
The assassin's red eyes cut through the darkness like lasers.
"Target escaping," Dante announced.
Kai sprinted toward Mira's workshop.
"Mira!"
She was already moving.
"This way!"
She grabbed his arm and dragged him through a hidden doorway behind her workbench.
They rushed down a narrow maintenance tunnel.
Metal pipes lined the walls.
Emergency lights flickered dimly overhead.
Kai gasped for breath.
"Please tell me you have an escape plan."
Mira glanced back.
"I do now!"
They ran deeper into the tunnels.
Behind them—
Dante stepped into the corridor entrance.
His glowing eyes scanned the darkness.
His mechanical arms folded back into his armor.
The hunt had changed.
This target was no longer ordinary.
Dante activated his communicator.
"This is Hunter Unit D-6."
A cold voice responded through the channel.
"Report."
"The target has obtained combat enhancements."
"Estimated threat level?"
Dante paused briefly.
Then answered.
"Increasing."
Silence followed.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Understood."
"Additional hunters are being deployed."
Dante's red eyes brightened.
"Bring the AI core back."
The voice continued coldly.
"By any means necessary."
The connection ended.
Dante looked down the tunnel where Kai had escaped.
Then he began walking forward.
Relentless.
Patient.
The hunt was no longer just his mission.
Now—
It belonged to Helix Dynamics.
And they never stopped hunting.