Chapter 95: Black Armor
The voice emanating from the armor was deep, dull, and somewhat mechanical.
This sudden speech startled Su Xiao. He looked at the armor with confusion, quickly noticing the blood-red glow within its eye sockets.
"What is this?"
Takatsuki Sen stared at the armor in disbelief.
Under everyone's puzzled gaze, the armor trembled slightly, its arm slowly reaching toward the "Source."
Crack, crack~.
The sound of metal grinding echoed as the armor's steel-forged hand grabbed the "Source." The faceplate opened, seemingly intent on swallowing it.
"Stop it."
Kirishima Arata roared, charging ahead without hesitation, with Takatsuki Sen and Arima Kishou following closely behind.
Su Xiao and the Priest remained in place. Su Xiao hadn't moved because he sensed the armor was extremely dangerous—so much so that a chill ran down his spine.
The armor's steel hand released its grip, and the "Source" fell into its visor.
Bang.
The faceplate snapped shut, and the steel armor stood motionless.
Kirishima Arata, leading the charge, had his hands covered in kagune, forming two claws with dark green tips gleaming ominously, appearing exceptionally sharp.
He lunged forward, swiping a claw at the armor's head.
Squeak! The claw scraped across the armor's surface, producing a sound like a blade on glass. The armor's head remained intact, but the entire suit was sent flying backward by Kirishima Arata's strike.
The armor tumbled several times upon landing, seemingly reverting to an inert object.
Whoosh!
A faint red flame erupted across the armor's surface, making it resemble a blazing war god.
The armor slowly rose, now completely transformed. If it had seemed lifeless before, it now appeared fully animated.
A faint crimson glow emanated from within the armor, as if it were filled with some gelatinous substance.
"Hah~~~."
The armor tilted its head back, exhaling a cloud of blood-red mist. Its fists clenched, and fine cracks spread across the ground beneath its feet.
Just clenching its fists caused the ground to fracture—what terrifying strength.
Su Xiao stared at the armor, a chill rising from his feet to the top of his head. He suddenly felt an urge to turn and run.
"Who... am... I."
The armor spoke slowly, each word deliberate. Kirishima Arata, Takatsuki Sen, and Arima Kishou, who had been charging toward it, halted abruptly, also sensing the armor's terror.
After a few seconds, the armor seemed to recall something.
"Hmm? Experimental Type Three? And an even better Type Four."
The armor first glanced at Takatsuki Sen, then at Kirishima Arata.
"Type Four's flavor is sweeter."
With those words, the armor stomped the ground.
Boom!
Stone chips flew as a crater about a meter in diameter appeared where the armor had stood. It had vanished.
"Impossible."
Kirishima Arata's pupils contracted as he leaped backward with all his might, for the armor had already appeared before him.
Before he could get far, the armor blurred and reappeared in front of him, its crimson eye sockets seemingly fixed on him.
The armor raised an arm as thick as a thigh and punched toward Kirishima Arata's head. The fist, the size of a sandbag, left a blur in the air.
Smack!
Kirishima Arata's head burst like a watermelon, splattering red and white fluids.
Kirishima Arata was instantly killed!
The remaining four felt their hearts sink at the sight. What kind of creature was this armor, to be so terrifying?
The armor crouched down, its hand easily piercing Kirishima Arata's chest as if it were tofu.
"Gulp, gulp."
Kirishima Arata's body gradually shriveled, eventually becoming a headless, dried corpse.
"Delicious, hehehe~."
The armor let out a dull, eerie laugh, turning its gaze to Su Xiao and the others.
No one needed to say anything now. The Priest, Arima, and the others quickly moved closer to Su Xiao, standing shoulder to shoulder, staring intently at the armor.
This thing was too dangerous. Without cooperation, there was no chance.
Su Xiao activated [Basic Detection] to obtain the armor's information.
[10 Mana Points consumed. Basic Detection successful. Obtained the following information:]
Name: Mars (The First Ghoul in History)
Strength: 30 (World Limit)
Agility: 24
Endurance: 26
Intelligence: 15
Charm: 10
Skill 1, First Generation Ghoul (Passive): Strength +15, Agility +10.
Skill 2, Source Radiation (Passive): Health recovery rate increased by 200%.
Skill 3, First Generation RC Cell Carrier (Passive): No fatal weaknesses, immune to mental control skills.
Skill 4, Erudition (Passive): Deactivated.
Skill 5, Primordial Absorption (Active): Absorbs RC cells from ghouls upon use, restoring health based on absorption amount.
Skill 6, Earth-Shattering Stomp (Active): Stomps the ground to create a powerful shockwave, causing dizziness and stun effects to enemies.
Skill 7, ???
...
After seeing the armor—Mars's data—Su Xiao drew a sharp breath.
The python Blood Eye he had encountered earlier also had 30 Strength, but there was a fundamental difference. Blood Eye's high Strength came from its massive size.
But Mars, at three meters tall, possessed such immense Strength, along with high Agility and Endurance, and all attributes were in the double digits.
Earlier, its movement had left afterimages, though that was partly due to Su Xiao's insufficient dynamic vision.
"Let's cooperate sincerely, or we'll all die."
Takatsuki Sen's kagune surged as she transformed into her kakuja form.
"That's my thought too. I don't know what this thing is, but after it 'awakened,' the vitality of my RC cells has started dropping."
The Priest's usual fake smile vanished, replaced by a grim expression as he stared at Mars.
"When the fight starts, try to hold it off. I'll handle flanking."
Su Xiao had no choice but to cooperate with the three; otherwise, victory was impossible.
Takatsuki Sen took the front, her kakuja form being more durable. Arima Kishou moved to the flank, looking for an opening. The Priest stood on Takatsuki Sen's other side, while Su Xiao sought opportunities to deal heavy damage to Mars.
"Who allowed you to set foot here? Do you have Marquis Boken's permission?"
Mars spoke, but its words left everyone bewildered.
Marquis Boken? What era was this guy from? No, this thing wasn't even human anymore—the armor was the only thing keeping it in humanoid form.
"Ah, enemy rats sneaking in again, trying to steal our sacred fish."
Mars muttered to itself. Its mind seemed dull; earlier, it hadn't even remembered who it was.
"Let's go."
Takatsuki Sen charged at Mars, while Arima Kishou pressed a button on his quinque case, producing a sword-shaped quinque.
The sword quinque had a very thin tip, but the guard was as thick as an arm, with a long hilt.
This was the SSS-rank quinque "Owl," the strongest quinque ever created by the CCG.
Seeing the two move, the Priest didn't hesitate to join the fray. He dared not harbor any other thoughts now. This monster might be too much even for the four of them combined. Kirishima Arata's instant death was a bloody lesson. To survive, they had to temporarily set aside selfishness and cooperate honestly.
Su Xiao didn't rush in with the others. Instead, he ran to the side, moving in a semicircular arc, intending to circle behind Mars.
This was a wise choice. Charging head-on with all four would be the height of stupidity.