["…And that's how I found myself in this situation."]
In a colosseum made of titanium set in the middle of the academy grounds, being spectated by the entire world, he stood across from a mechanical soldier stationed on the other side.
The Director's voice played through a speaker:
"//THE PROTO-REAPER MARK IV IS HUMANITY'S LATEST INGENUITY IN FULMINARE RESISTANCE! IN COMBAT WITH A FULMINARE OF A 6.5 MAGNITUDE, IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, FORCED THE ENEMY TO RETREAT!//"
It wasn't anything new to Seven, well aware of the prestige given to the weaponized cyborg.
The humanoid weapon stood two meters tall, made of sleek, silver-and-black steel with a body that concealed its many weapons.
He was more than familiar with its capabilities, at least from the various news reports about it.
'I'm seriously meant to fight a Proto-Reaper? It's said a single one is more lethal than an atomic bomb—the greatest weapon developed by mankind so far,' he thought, breathing in and out.
As he stood in his combat uniform, feeling the countless eyes on him as he looked up at the pale sky, he felt his muscles coiling with strength.
That's right, he reminded himself, he defeated a Fulminare. Even though it was in the heat of the moment, life-and-death, he did it.
'I can do this,' he prepared himself.
[Heart rate accelerated. Reinforcing muscle fibers, increasing bone density.]
As he listened to the system's words in his head, he felt his body filling with supernatural strength. Across the titanium arena, he watched the stationary cyborg before—
"//BEGIN—!//"
Like a bullet launched from its chamber, the super weapon sprang forward. It wasn't a moment after it moved that the wind cracked, shattering the sound barrier with a single dash.
Just as the claims had said, the Proto-Reaper was as quick as a jet on its feet.
[Enhancing reflexes.]
—He ducked down just as the cyborg arrived in front of him foot-first. The wind pressure of its kick pierced the air above him, feeling the gust pass through his hair.
There wasn't a moment to waste; blades extended from the calf of the Proto-Reaper as it immediately brought its leg down.
"—!"
Seven leaned back, watching the sharpened edge pass inches in front of his face. It wasn't a normal blade by any means; small ridges, like a chainsaw empowered by red-hot energy.
'This thing is designed to battle the Fulminare. It's a killing machine of the highest order—if I slip up, I'm dead,' he thought.
It seemed to sprout blades from any part of its metallic body, moving like a martial arts master as it nimbly swung its lethal limbs.
Seven moved defensively, kept on the back foot as he kept his eyes on those all-cutting edges.
The Director's voice boomed through the speakers: "//FASTER THAN A BULLET. MORE LETHAL THAN AN ATOMIC BOMB. MORE PROFICIENT THAN A MARINE. YET, THE PROTO-REAPER IS BEING CHALLENGED BY THIS MAN—A HUMAN!//"
With tens of thousands of eyes on him, the cheers and gasps, equally praising and worried for him, he focused on nothing but surviving.
As one of the atom-splitting blades of the metal weapon came for his neck, he ducked down. In the same motion, he cocked his arm back—
[Swelling biceps and triceps. Hardening knuckles. Increasing flexibility of the rotator cuff.]
His body optimized itself for the action he took: punching forth with everything he had. As his fist was sent forward, the wind howled as if a railgun had been fired.
All he could see was dust kicked up from the lethal punch, finding the crowd silent in that moment before—
It erupted; the spectators cheered, in awe and disbelief of the display.
In the stands closest to the arena, May watched with her hands on the railing, "Holy shit…They weren't kidding about him—that was crazy."
A little down the row, the fellow elite of shaggy, black hair exhaled, "He's got the power, sure. Rough around the edges though." Shin observed.
"Oh, c'mon!" Between them, a girl with pink hair in a bob cut chimed in. "Admit it—even you're impressed, Shin!"
"Lily…I wouldn't expect you to understand the nuances of combat," Shin exhaled, brushing his hair aside.
"Haaah?!" The pink-haired girl shouted.
—
As the dust settled, Seven found his fist not having directly met the steel body of the Proto-Reaper. His knuckles pressed against a translucent, hexagonal wall produced by some kind of mechanism built into the cyborg's chest.
"//THE PROTO-REAPER IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A FAUX-MATTER SHIELD CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING BLOWS EVEN FROM FULMINARE!//"
—Hearing the Director's words echo through the arena, it was feeling more like an advertisement than a showcase of his abilities.
As he pulled his fist away, the barrier vanished with the swift cyborg immediately lunging for him. It swung its right arm, seeming to go for a punch before—click.
Its entire limb shifted as the compartments hidden beneath its steel skin revealed cannons protruding from its arm.
'That's not good,' he thought.
The muscles in his calves worked overtime as he leapt to the side just as the built-in cannons fired. Everything in the immediate area he previously stood was burned, the air itself being sizzled.
He ran around the cyborg, attempting to reach its blind spot before—its arm was already pointing behind itself.
"Shit—"
All he could see was a blinding light before a heat rushed across his body. It was difficult to hear the crowd as the wave of explosive heat ran against him, sizzling and popping in his ears—
[Genetic evolution integrated: "Heat Resistance"]
"Phew—"
As all that was left of the Proto-Reaper's cannons were steam, he found himself still standing. Even the audience seemed stunned that he was more than ash on the ground.
Though the same could hardly be said for his uniform, left as tatters on his muscular, though reddened frame.
"He survived that—?!"
"There's no way!"
"Is that guy a cyborg, too?!"
"—He's a beast!"
The words of the audience seemed to change, starting to believe in the strength wielded by the one chosen by the Origin.
"//THIS IS THE POTENTIAL OF SEVEN, THE YOUNG MAN WILLED BY THE ORIGIN. WHAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE IS NOW POSSIBLE.//"
Even if the words of the Director inspired hope, Seven still felt scathed by the entire ordeal.
'I agreed to this, but I didn't know what I was getting into. No, that day—I could've died, like everybody else put before the Origin. I was chosen, so I have to fight,' he resolved.
[EXP: +100] [103/300]
[Adjusting genetic structure.]
[Storing external heat within frame. Increasing potency of the captured fire, igniting it within.]
[Genetic Evolution Obtained: Fire Release]
As the faceless cyborg launched towards him with its blades primed for his neck, he pushed his palm forward. Through his pores, all of the steam siphoned through his skin was amplified and expelled—FWOOM.
A roar of fire emerged from his pores, brandishing a supreme heat that flourished throughout the arena. The spectators were left speechless at the unexpected sight of a young man manifesting fire like a mage out of a fantasy world.
He held much the same surprise, looking towards the smoke with an exhale as he wiped his chin. As the smog dispersed, the vibrant shield around the cybernetic weapon faded, revealing its frame left unmarked by heat.
'That's not surprising. If a little fire could bring it down, this thing wouldn't be the pride of humanity,' he thought.
The initiative was taken by him as he dashed forward, cracking the ground at his feet as he pursued the robot. To no surprise, the Proto-Reaper moved in response as it matched his speed, unmasking the weapons hidden within its advanced frame.
All the noise of the crowd was silenced by the rapid fire of each barrel from the robot's body. As quickly as Seven moved, changing direction, pivoting off one foot, the guns tracked him perfectly.
"Ghh!--"
There was no avoiding the projectiles colliding with his body, though none piercing through his flesh, only marking his skin.
[Adjusting genetic structure.]
[Hardening skin in response to trauma.]
"//ODIN ROUNDS! CAPABLE OF PIERCING THE VEHICLES OF FULMINARE, THE GUNS ATTACHED TO ITS BODY SURPASS THE GREATEST ARTILLERY! AND YET–THEY FAIL TO PIERCE HIM!//"
Though it hurt, it was only like being struck by hail, allowing him to push forward as the high-caliber bullets bounced off his skin. As he approached the robotic weapon, he clenched his fist, setting his focus entirely on reaching it.
[Maximization of triceps, rotator cuffs, deltoids, hamstrings, and calves activated. Optimizing current action; "Mjolnir Impact."]
As he cocked his fist back, feeling the weight of the spectators' expectations, that of humanity's own hope, the Proto-Reaper presented a change: the guns retracted into its frame as instead, its torso opened, revealing a massive barrel that expanded from its abdomen.
'What?--' He witnessed.
"//THE SECRET WEAPON THAT ALLOWED IT TO DRIVE A FULMINARE BACK, THAT BROUGHT ONE TO THE BRINK OF DEATH…THE NEGATIVE BOMB!//"
All that filled his vision was a bright, azure light paired with an intense hum as the robot's body rumbled, brimming with energy. Rather than move out of the way, he slammed his foot down, pushing forward as he drove his fist towards its body.
His arm shot his knuckles forth like a railgun, delivering an impact born of humanity's own genius–the Mjolnir. The moment his knuckle made contact with the metallic body, it tore through the seams of the artificial soldier, ripping through it without mercy.
Throughout the stadium, a loud wind roared, leaving only bits and pieces of metal left in place of the Proto-Reaper.
[You have defeated a [6.5 Magnitude] enemy. The appropriate experience will be instilled into your frame.]
[EXP: +450]
[Level 13 reached.] [153/500]
As he stood there with a body stronger than it was the moment prior, he looked up as his ears rang, soon hearing the thunderous applause of humanity.
"//WE'VE LOST OUR HOMES. OUR FRIENDS. OUR FAMILY. YET, HOLD YOUR HEADS UP. HUMANITY HAS HOPE. WE CAN FIGHT BACK–WE CAN WIN!//"
A second roar ignited within the audience, and sure enough, the world itself as he held himself tall, looking towards where the Director announced such heavy words. It was an incredible weight placed on his shoulders, one perhaps too much for one person, yet he wore it.
["Even if it's too heavy now, I'll adapt to it."]