Chapter 36: Battery (I)

The deeper they went, the worse the feeling of discomfort became. Marcus used the ISE, shooting at what Dante left twisted for him. Dante's punches were firm and strong, but his concentration surpassed what Marcus thought was humanly possible.

They had been fighting non-stop for almost two hours. Dante's pace hadn't slowed, and he said nothing, merely forcing the enemy line to retreat repeatedly. They had entered the first corridor hours ago and emerged into an administrative area with various rooms. The doors were broken open, long glass windows shattered, and shards on the floor cracked as they or the creatures moved closer.

Even after all that time, Dante grabbed a Felroz by the throat and punched its stomach, making it vomit black blood from its gaping mouth. Once the old man got rid of it, Marcus's weapon was already aimed at its head.

After two hours, the Felroz seemed to have disappeared. No signs or sounds came from the surroundings. Marcus exhaled in relief.

"This is a network," Dante said, approaching a large, dark screen. "Vick, can you power this on?"

"Inaccessible. Without electrical power, none of these machines will be functional."

"Great," Marcus muttered from behind him. "Weren't we after a battery? That doesn't look like one."

"It's a computer. It logs components and even has the location of where our battery might be. I've never used one, but my sister studied this too."

Even without the sounds of the Felroz nearby, the smell of blood and the lack of light inside made everything worse. Marcus kept his guard up, ready for any movement from deeper within.

Watching Dante rummage through some boxes beneath the computer, Marcus saw him pull out a small, thin square device. Dante pocketed it and stopped at the door. The two remained silent for at least three seconds.

"A reservoir," Dante said, more to himself. "The basin is back there, but the machinery should be below."

He stared at the floor. Even in the dim light, Marcus could see him dragging his foot from side to side.

"Marcus, I need you to push yourself now," Dante said, crouching and touching the ground with his bare hands. "I won't let anything happen to you, so don't let anything happen to me. When the creatures sense us, I want you to use your carbine from up here."

The old man was about to break the floor—at least part of it—and descend. Marcus didn't want to do this now, but he quickly knelt before Dante started. If his weapon was slower, he just needed to speed up its firepower.

He placed the ISE on the ground, pulled out two pistols, and set them atop the first, forcing the material. The metal and wood rippled, creating a reddish spark as the three weapons seemed to fuse together.

The barrel became longer, the stock sturdier, and its rail more open, making the weapon even larger and heavier. However, the magazine capacity increased, and the safety was gone. Marcus picked up the weapon and held it cautiously.

"We've got few chances to make this work," he said to Dante. "I don't want to regret this later."

The carbine had transformed into an assault rifle. His arms and legs ached—making this switch and fusion was painful and exhausting, even if quick. Cosmic Energy was also depleted, but the firing speed compared to before was much faster and more efficient.

The only difference was that Marcus didn't need to be as cautious with his shots.

"Here we go."

Dante pressed his fingers against the floor, and it broke apart massively, leaving Marcus above. As Dante dropped, Marcus tossed a lamp down. When it spun toward another research room, the Felroz let out screeches of surprise and rage.

The old man punched once, sending them flying against the walls. One or two tried to follow him, but as they got close, a shot rang out—nearly five consecutive bullets struck the wretched Felroz, killing them.

Dante purposefully ignored some, keeping his gaze high, searching for something. But nothing besides debris and trash seemed to be present. When he bent down, Marcus shot, taking out three of the creatures.

More time passed than it should have, with Marcus continuing to shoot while Dante searched for something. He scoured nearly six rooms, even leaving Marcus's line of sight, but returned empty-handed.

"What are you looking for?"

"Energy segmentation data. Vick needs it to access the battery's control center. We need that before the battery," Dante said, dodging two arms and breaking another's leg, sending it back lifeless. "Can you hold out a bit longer?"

Damn it, they'd been there for almost three hours. Marcus needed a break. Moving forward while exhausted would be inefficient. A mission without a plan to recharge was doomed. Restoring his Cosmic Energy for at least thirty minutes would help, but Dante wasn't stopping.

"Let's keep moving," Dante said from below. "Vick detected an unauthorized low-energy sequence from a lower level. The battery might be there."

Marcus descended but called out to Dante before he vanished from view.

"I need to recharge. I don't know how you trained in the Capital or at home, but I'm not used to fighting non-stop," he said, taking a long breath and relaxing his shoulders. "Honestly, I thought this would be easier."

"We can wait longer."

The old man crossed his arms and pulled out the device he had found earlier. Even though it was small, Marcus felt the Cosmic Energy emanating from it.

"Do you think this will help us find the battery?"

"Not that it will help. These older systems need a specific configuration to work. The Solar Panel might work here because some cables are still functional, but once we place it on the terrace, we'll need to set it up to distribute energy to other areas."

Imagining part of Kappz with light brought a faint smile to Marcus beneath the dark cloth.

"Clara was right—this mission is a suicide run."

"I believe that's how the Capital was conquered," Dante said, leaning against a table and resting his hands. "The Lagmoratos are a kind of conquest race to see who kills the other first. But have you noticed they're not coming for us up here?"

"I thought it was strange at first. Since you didn't mention it, I figured it was normal."

Dante shook his head.

"It means they have something more important to defend than attacking us," he said in a more serious tone. "There might be something worse down there than us."

If that were the case, coming with just two people was reckless. Marcus didn't want to lower morale when they were so close. It would be unfair. Watching Dante casually smoke, however, brought a deep question to Marcus's mind.

"Your calm in moments like this impresses me, old man. Have you done this before?"

"No," Dante said, lowering his arm with the cigar. "The only time I did was during my Recruit test, but I've never fought in a Lagmorato."

"Then why can you stay so composed even with so many of them after your neck? Aren't you afraid of them?"

Dante chuckled softly and shook his head again.

"I spent my entire life training against someone who could've killed me every time we sparred. The intent to kill is etched into my skin. I'm just used to their desire to take my head."

The more Marcus learned about the old man, the more insane his story became. It didn't matter where he came from—this level of confidence in his own strength and physical ability was beyond what a normal person could have.

Anyone else would brag about being strong or taking down so many Felroz at once. Not Dante. He quietly smoked his cigar and drank some water from his canteen.

Does he not realize how absurd he is?