บท 266: Finished Product #266
Crime Alley
As he ducked under an assassin's blade, Richard used the momentum to kick the assailant away. "There's no end to these guys..." He said as he dodged another attack, gripping the attacker's wrist and forcing the weapon out of his hand by twisting it.
"The League always had a surplus of manpower if nothing else..." Ben said as he punched an assassin in the throat and slammed him into one of his comrades as the latter charged him.
"Well, they'll run out of bodies to throw at us at some point..." Richard used the blade he pried off his attacker's hand to decapitate him before throwing it at another assassin attempting to sneak up on Benjamin.
"Either way, we will have to keep fighting until we put the fear of god into the grunts or put them all down..." Benjamin said with a shrug as he pulled the sword Richard threw out of the assassin's neck and used it to deflect an arrow.
Suddenly the two stopped talking, their expression turning sharp as a feminine figure jumped into the courtyard, lunging at the assassins and taking out five of them before anyone could react.
Richard and Benjamin shared a glance, coming to a silent agreement as they ignored the newcomer as they realized she was not an enemy and resumed fighting.
Soon another feminine figure appeared in the courtyard; she was not as forceful as the former, but she took out the assassins one after the other as she moved and danced around, dodging projectiles and sword slashes.
The courtyard was soon clear of any threats thanks to the combined effort of the four people, giving Richard time to take a better look at the two girls who suddenly appeared.
"You're... Sandra's daughter..." Richard said with a frown as he recognized Cassandra as Lady Shiva's daughter, then turned to Crush. "And you are Crush if I recall correctly, no...?" He calmly asked, having recognized her from the Penguin's tournament.
"Oh, I remember you. You two were with the pretty boy back in the Penguin's place weren't you...?" Crush said after a brief pause as she frowned in confusion before she recalled meeting Richard, to which he gave her a weird look before nodding.
"Pretty boy, eh...?" Benjamin said with a chuckle. "Looks like your student is making all kinds of unusual friends..." He added, playfully slapping Richard's back.
"In any case, we're here to take out the League..." Benjamin said, his expression turning cold as he turned to the shadows. "And the guy you brought along happens to be one of them..." He added, to which Apha sighed and stepped out of the darkness.
"I wasn't the one to bring him along..." Crush said, shaking her head with a sigh. "She did..." She added, gesturing with her thumb towards Cassandra, who let out several grunts as if to explain.
"He came clean and led us here, but I trust this guy as far as I could throw him..." Crush said, trailing off as she realized her mistake. "Well, I could throw him pretty far, but I still don't trust'em," She added as she awkwardly scratched her head.
"I get the idea..." Richard said with a smile. "Still, Cassandra is a very gifted young lady. Her talents not only allow her to predict the movement of her opponents but makes her a good judge of character..." He added as he turned to Cassandra.
"If she vouches for him, then I'm sure he won't pose a threat..." Richard concluded as he put a hand on Benjamin's shoulder, causing him to relax somewhat.
"Regardless, I'll be keeping an eye on you..." Benjamin said, crossing his arms as he continued to glare at Alpha. "You better not do anything funny, or else..." He concluded.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you would..." Alpha said, clearly exasperated as he rolled his eyes. "It's not like I heard this exact line ten times already today..."He muttered in annoyance.
...
Gray's hideout
"Here goes nothing..." I muttered as I stood over my forge, levitating a chunk of Gray Matter over its fires, imbuing my energy into it as I cut it into smaller pieces and shaped the different segments to coat the prosthetic arm's skeleton.
Who needed high-precision cutting machines when you had energy and a mega brain? Am I right?
In any case, the process was brief and smooth. Five minutes was enough time to finish it, leaving me with the required parts to complete Richard's new arm.
"Fucking finally..." I heaved a sigh of relief, prompting scooping the pieces as I headed for my worktable, where I left the skeleton. I couldn't help but smile, humming a tune as I began assembling the outer shell.
"There's not a soul out there...♫ No one to hear my praaaaaaayer...♫"
...
Crime Alley
"It has been a while, Bronze Tiger..." The Sensei said, putting on a calm smile as he sat on his throne, watching as Ben and the others walked into the room. "Have you decided to return home...?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned into the throne's armrest.
"Clearly not long enough. Your mug is as ugly as ever..." Benjamin replied with a scowl. "I'm here for payback..." He added as he approached the throne, unsheathing the sword on his side.
"Revenge...? How quaint..." The Sensei questioned, shaking his head in disapproval. "It seems my lessons to you have proved fruitless during your time with our little family..." He added, calmly looking at Benjamin, showing no reaction even as the latter rapidly approached him.
"So be it. I will beat my lessons into your soul and body this time..." The Sensei said, his expression hardening as he snapped his fingers, and countless assassins crawled out of the shadows.
"The League's minions won't protect you from me..." Benjamin said, scowling, as he brandished his sword and lunged at the closest assassin, followed by Richard and the others as they had to defend themselves.
...
Grays hideout
I couldn't help but smile as I plopped into my chair, appreciating my masterpiece, which I dubbed the Dragon Claw. I could basically hear the religious music playing on the ground as I watched the faint light reflect off the gray outer shell, giving it a sleek metallic sheen.
I have already tested the arm's various functions, simulated every fucking possible combat scenario with the Starheart ring's power, and found only a handful of little problems with its performance, which I immediately fixed.
I've done some crazy shit and pulled a couple of whacky stunts here and there since I came to this world, but creating Dragon Claw was likely the most impressive thing I've accomplished so far.
Not only does it come equipped with a shit ton of features and toys, but it also channels, amplifies, and manifests energy so efficiently that it almost made me jealous.
It can negate gravity and magic, amplify physical attributes, grant a decent healing factor, and, most importantly, it could tank a punch from a Kryptonian without breaking.
"If only I had more Nth and Marvelium metals..." I muttered with a sigh. I would easily accomplish everything I've ever planned if I had an infinite supply of the stuff, but that's basically impossible, so there's no point brooding about it.
Still, I had some free time now, and I unconsciously thought about the system, eventually giving in the bringing up the interface.
[You have reached the maximum level of your current Acrhtype]
[Would you like to choose your next archetype now?]
'Fuck yes...'
Available archetypes: [The Occultist] [The Warrior] [The Mercenary] [The Trickster]
I didn't hesitate and instantly chose The Occultist archetype. I didn't go with it the first time because I knew nothing about magic and feared causing a catastrophe as I had no mentor.
However, now that I had Faust's memory and magical knowledge, I knew what not to do to cause problems for myself and others with magic.
[You have selected the Occultist archetype]
[The Occultist (level 0)]
[You may now select a new class]
Available archetype-specific classes: [Alchemist] [Astrologer] [Dark Mage] [White Mage] [Potioneer]
Available basic classes: none
...
'No more basic classes...?' I mused, tilting my head, before prompting shaking it off. I already had more skills than I knew what to do with, so I didn't really care.
I paused for a moment, hesitating between the five available classes before making up my mind.
[You have gained a new class: Dark Mage]
[You have gained the skill: Dark Arts]
[+3 stat points]
...
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