He jumped over the first.
Ducked under the second.
Caught the third and snapped it apart with brute force.
He reached the chest.
Asher grabbed the exposed plating around the red core.
And he pulled.
The tal bent, resisting him.
The Titan tried to slam its body forward to shake him off—
But the Knight tackled its legs from behind.
Asher growled, muscles straining.
The plating ripped open.
The glowing core was fully visible now—pulsing like an artificial heart.
Asher punched it once.
A crack ford.
He punched again.
The glow flickered.
He punched a third ti—
and the core exploded in a burst of red light.
The Titan let out a distorted, broken roar—half-machine, half-static.
It collapsed forward, shaking the entire hall as it crashed.
Its systems flickered, sparks shooting across the floor.
Asher stumbled back, breathing hard.
The Knight stood beside him again, sword lowered.
The Titan’s remaining eye dimd.
Its body went still.
Silence filled the hall once more.
Asher wiped the tal dust from his arm and cracked his neck.
"That," he muttered, "was a workout."
The Knight turned toward the far end of the hall.
Another heavy door—massive, reinforced, ancient—slowly began to open.
A cold draft swept out.
Asher stared into the darkness beyond.
"Alright," he said under his breath.
"Next."
Asher let out a long, tired breath.
A real one this ti.
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the dull ache settling into his muscles.
"When will it end..." he muttered under his breath. "How many of these things do they keep in here?"
The Knight gave a quiet chanical hum, like it was acknowledging the question but had no answer.
Asher sighed again.
He stepped forward toward the newly opened door, boots echoing against the now-quiet hall. The cold draft brushing past him felt almost refreshing after the nonstop fighting.
The chamber beyond was darker than the others—no flickering lights, no loud machinery, just a long stretch of empty corridor lit only by faint blue strips along the floor.
Asher narrowed his eyes.
"That’s... suspicious."
The Knight followed behind him, one step at a ti, its tal fra still dented and damaged from the Titan’s blows.
Asher glanced at it.
"You still good?"
The Knight dipped its head, slow and steady.
"Alright," Asher said. "Let’s keep going before sothing else wakes up."
They walked deeper inside.
The air grew colder.
The corridor stretched on and on, quieter than anything before. For a mont, Asher actually wondered if this section was empty.
Then—
A low hum filled the air.
A deep vibration rolled through the walls.
Asher froze.
"...Oh, co on."
The blue floor lights flickered.
Symbols began glowing along the walls.
The hum grew louder—stronger—like a giant engine warming up.
Asher clenched his teeth.
"Don’t tell there’s another Titan."
The Knight raised its sword slowly, ready again.
Asher rubbed his face with one hand and muttered:
"Please... just once... let the room be empty."
The hum reached its peak and—
A massive circular platform at the center of the chamber lit up.
Sothing was rising.
Asher stared, eyes tired but focused.
"Yeah," he said flatly, already annoyed.
"Of course it’s not empty."
The platform kept rising, tal grinding loudly as steam hissed out in thin white trails.
Asher squinted, waiting to see what kind of nightmare machine would appear this ti.
But when the shape finally ca into view...
he paused.
It wasn’t huge like the Titan.
It wasn’t even bulky.
It was tall—thin—almost elegant in design.
A humanoid fra made of silver alloy, its body covered in smooth plates instead of heavy armor. Long limbs. A narrow helt. And on its back, folded like wings, were two blade-like structures.
A different kind of machine.
One built for speed.
Its eyes lit up with a sharp white glow.
"Designation: SQ-L0 Specter Unit.
Purpose: Precision elimination.
Status: Fully charged."
Asher blinked once.
"...Great. A fast one."
The Knight shifted its stance, reading the new enemy.
Asher cracked his fingers.
"Well," he muttered, "at least this one isn’t a walking mountain."
The Specter moved.
One mont it was standing on the platform.
The next—
it vanished.
A thin whistle cut through the air.
Asher’s instincts scread.
He ducked just as a silver blur sliced over his head, fast enough to split the air.
The Knight turned, too slow.
The Specter’s blade-wing extended and slashed across the Knight’s chest, leaving a long glowing cut.
The Knight staggered back.
Asher spun around.
The Specter stood several ters away again, perfectly still.
It tilted its head, voice sharp and cold:
"Speed test complete."
Asher’s eyebrow twitched.
"Oh, shut up."
The Specter disappeared again.
Asher barely saw a flicker.
He raised his arm instinctively—
CLANG!
A blade hit him.
Not deep, but fast—too fast.
Asher skidded back from the force.
The Specter appeared behind him again.
Another slash.
Asher dodged, but it still grazed his side.
He hissed through his teeth.
"Fast little bastard..."
The Knight tried to intervene, swinging its sword through the space where the Specter stood.
But the Specter faded out before the blade even reached it.
This wasn’t like the Titan.
This thing was built to kill quickly.
Asher clenched his fists.
"Fine," he muttered. "If you want fast—"
He dropped his stance lower.
Muscles tightened.
Eyes focused.
The Specter flickered again, appearing right in front of him with a rising slash.
This ti—
Asher caught the blade with his bare hand.
tal screeched.
The Specter pushed harder, trying to cut through his grip.
Asher smirked.
"Got you."
He tightened his fingers.
The blade bent.
The Specter’s eyes flickered, confused.
And Asher pulled his other fist back.
"Your turn."
He punched the machine in the face.
Hard.
The Specter flew backward like a bullet, smashing into a wall and bouncing off it, landing in a low crouch.
Its voice glitched for the first ti.
"Da—damage... detected..."
Asher rolled his shoulders.
"Good," he said, stepping forward.
"Let’s see how fast you are when you don’t get to run."
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