Chapter 469 - 469: Rust Puppet.

"You… how the hell are you that good?"Stopping his attacks, Riot straightened up, raising his head as if to emphasize that he was looking down on him. Dante, on the other hand, kept his fighting stance.

"That's my question," Dante replied. "How is a Basic like you moving like that?"

Volcan's explanation didn't make any sense, nor did anything related to Soul, for that matter. To make things worse, it looks like even his resident AI doesn't understand what's happening.

Riot watched him in silence, the displeasure on his face becoming more prominent by the second. Eventually, he went down into a fighting position.

"Basic?" He said. "You wish."

From the perspective of those watching from the sides, those two were standing still in one moment, and in the next, they were clashing at the center of the arena. A blast of wind spread out, as if something had exploded in the underground floor. Dante's fist pushed against Riot's, and at first, size seemed to be the deciding factor of the clash.

Dante fired a mental command, activating Force Amplification. The green plating of his 4-3 module expanded, and light pulsated from the joints, quickly spreading through the seams. As it reached his knuckles, Dante's fist moved forward, pushing back the giant.

The tension exploded, separating them for a brief moment. Riot went on the attack right away, and Dante moved to meet him. However, instead of blocking or parrying the next blow, Dante dodged, sliding in an attack from under the giant's arm. Unfortunately, it didn't connect.

"Damn it!" Riot jumped back. "Little runts like you are always troublesome!"

Just as his feet touched the ground, he lunged forward once more. Something seemed to change at that point. The two of them launched a barrage of attacks at one another, but nothing connected.

Riot's blows were wide and heavy, and with the speed he was moving at, each one kicked a gust of wind. Dante's smaller size and precise movements allowed him to evade every time, but his counters seemed to miss by a hair's breadth, even when he had such a big target in front of him.

The big bastard wasn't just keeping up—he was on par with Dante, and that caused his frustration to rise. Not even Volcan could do this much, and he had been analyzing his fighting style the entire time.

Unable to take it anymore, Dante made a risky decision and went for an opening his opponent deliberately created, ignoring the fact that it was a trap. With both Force Amplification and Impact Amplification active, his punch exploded forward, sinking into the giant's shoulder.

Riot's eyes shot open before his face contracted in a grimace. Ignoring the impact spreading through his body, he let it collapse to the ground, placing a hand down and spinning his body around it, his right leg swinging like a whip.

Still carried by the momentum of his last punch, Dante was left in a position where he couldn't dodge. The kick struck him to the side, bending his body before blasting him through the metal cage, sending him flying beyond it and through a wall in the distance.

The crowd was speechless for a moment, but they soon understood what was happening. Just as they were about to cheer for their boss, a head of her hair appeared in the arena once more, silencing them instantly.

'Volcan…' he thought while rubbing his nose. 'You still haven't figured it out?'

[Unfortunately…] The AI still sounded doubtful. [All I can say is that he is at Level 4, and the bionic enhancements he has are not what pushed him that far.]

Dante clicked his tongue as he continued to glare at the muscly gang boss. Though he had just kicked him into the parking lot, which had been separated from the arena with a concrete wall, Riot didn't look too pleased with himself.

"It's rare…" He said, holding a hand to his bruised shoulder as he got up. "No, not just rare. It has been years since I met someone with techniques that good."

Not bothering to reply, Dante dropped into a fighting stance once more. His sight was focused on his opponent, looking for the slightest sign of movement. When Riot finally took a stance as well, Dante's eyes widened slightly, and confusion clouded his mind once more. The bruise left behind by the punch he had just landed was gone. Riot's shoulder was back to normal, as if he hadn't suffered any injuries.

"That reaction…" Riot grinned. "I get it now…"

His body tensed up, and he charged with fists clenched.

"Your technique is good, but you're still young." He launched a barrage of jabs and kicks, forcing Dante to constantly dodge. "You're one of them geniuses, aren't you?"

That accursed word ticked Dante off, slowing him for enough for his opponent to land a three-hit combo.

"Let me guess-" Riot brought his arms down like a hammer, but only struck the floor. His head turned in the direction Dante escaped, and he jumped after him right away. "You got impatient!" He swiped with his right hand. "You thought no amount of training would beat cold machines and mutated freaks!"

Dante leaped back, but just as it seemed like he was out of reach, a massive hand closed around his left leg. The world around him spun, and before he knew it, the white arena floor was within sight. If he hadn't raised his arm in time to shield his head, he would have been slammed into it face first.

"Pathetic." He said. "Your teacher must be really disappointed. Who taught you anyway?"

Yanking his leg away, Dante used the force of his arms to launch himself in the air, spinning into a kick aimed at Riot's head. A massive arm shot up and blocked his leg, leaving him no choice but to redirect the force of the blow into kicking himself away from the wall of muscles.

"Hey now, you can't keep ignoring me like that!"

Another swipe came at Dante before he could even land.

"Who taught you!?" Riot shouted. "What kind of idiot would leave a talent like you to become a rust puppet!"