Chapter 195: The Sparring
Kai shook out his hand, flexing his knuckles.
’No wonder the Plasma Rifle can be deflected by that body.’ He mused.
The alloy was harder than stone, harder than bone. His Bronze Skin had absorbed most of the shock, but the dull ache reminded him that Atom wasn’t an opponent he could brute‑force through.
The A-Grade Sentinel’s sensors then glowed faintly. Its stance remained unshaken, but it had recorded Kai’s attack pattern just now.
In any case, since it was only a sparring, Atom wasn’t hurrying to defeat its opponent. It knew that the opponent wanted to try its skills and other abilities.
With that in consideration, it fought while giving a chance for its opponent to show off. However, it would also record its opponent’s combat ability.
Soon, it advanced again...
Kai also charged forward, relying on his agility. His footwork carried him around Atom’s strikes, his body moving in and out of range.
Thankfully, Kai still had a higher Agility Points than Atom.
He landed a series of punches, each one sharper than the last, but Atom absorbed them all, its alloy frame wasn’t even dented!
Kai grinned despite himself. "Alright... let’s turn this up."
Atom retaliated instantly, sweeping low to knock him off balance.
Kai leapt back and landed smoothly on the ground before charging forward again.
His fists struck against Atom’s frame, and each strike was faster and more forceful than before.
However, the Sentinel absorbed the blows, then drove its knee forward. Kai blocked with his forearm, and the shock rattled through his bones, but he endured it...
He then countered with a kick, forcing Atom to step back for the first time.
"Not bad," Kai muttered as he took a deep breath...
His muscles felt alive as he could still feel the stimulant in his body.
Atom advanced again, and this time, Kai used his speed once again and ducked under a strike, before slamming his elbow into its side!
Bam!
Kai then jumped back before Atom’s counter could land.
Just like that, the battle continued... The courtyard echoed with the sound of flesh and metal colliding. Furthermore, each exchange was getting faster than the last.
The two were slowly adjusting to their speed and attack patterns!
For several minutes, Kai relied only on his natural strength, agility, and passive skills.
Bronze Skin absorbed the worst of the impacts, while Keen Sense sharpened his instincts, allowing him to read Atom’s movements more clearly and pick up the faint shifts in Atom’s movements. Although he wasn’t able to predict its next attack, he was slowly getting used to Atom’s speed.
But Atom was not getting tired...
Its calculation speed was unmatched, adjusting instantly to Kai’s attack patterns.
He had to do some new moves or try to be faster to avoid being predicted...
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before every punch Kai threw was met with a counter, every kick was anticipated, and Kai was no longer striking his opponent.
The Sentinel’s toughness and read on him made it nearly impossible to break through.
Kai exhaled sharply.
This was going nowhere. He had to change his gear now.
"Fine... let’s see how you handle this."
He finally shifted his stance. Finally, he decided to use his Active Gene Skills!
At this time, his reserves were vast... He currently had 350 Spirit Points thanks to the B‑Grade Cores he had absorbed. He could afford to unleash his skills many times!
"Spirit Pulse!"
[ Spirit Points: -70 ]
A burst of Spirit Energy erupted from his palm, slamming into Atom’s chest.
The shockwave reverberated through the courtyard, forcing the Sentinel back several steps. Atom didn’t expect that attack, and of course, it started recalculating his strength.
Kai smirked. "That got your attention, huh..."
Atom didn’t reply and just steadied itself before charging again.
This time, Atom decided to use its advantage. With its body that never gets tired, it didn’t stop attacking Kai, no matter what kind of punches or kicks it received!
Atom stood its ground!
Seeing this, Kai activated Specter Step.
[ Spirit Points: -20 ]
His body formed between two points. Soon, he reappeared behind Atom, delivering a crushing blow to its back.
Bang!
The Sentinel staggered, but it was only for a moment as its mechanical limbs swept in a wide arc, hoping to catch him.
However, Kai just ducked before rolling across the ground before springing up with another Spirit Pulse.
[ Spirit Points: -70 ]
Bam!
The blast hit Atom’s upper body. But it didn’t leave any faint scorch mark on the alloy at all.
Still, the fact that Atom was unable to dodge and could only attack him in brute force, Kai knew that he had really gotten stronger and faster...
’So... without weapons, I can actually hold my own against an A‑Grade Sentinel...’ Kai thought.
Of course, with his Stimulant and Title called Strongest One that amplified his attributes further, he had received a lot of buffs. However, it still showed that he was strong enough not to die against them.
Atom, however, was adapting.
Its calculation continued adjusting as it analyzed Kai’s attack patterns, and was even predicting the timing of his Specter Step.
Soon, when Kai used his movement Skill again, Atom’s arm was already waiting, intercepting him in his movement!
Bam!
The impact of the punch sent Kai skidding across the courtyard.
Kai wiped the blood from his lip and grinned.
"You’re learning... good."
Thankfully, his Bronze Skin made him really durable.
Kai didn’t want to end this with Atom getting the last solid hit, so he continued.
He continued attacking, relying on his speed and the stimulant’s effects!
However, his punches weren’t going through!
Atom blocked, countered, and retaliated!
It was keeping pace with Kai’s enhanced speed.
The battle escalated... The effect of the Stimulant still had a few more minutes, so Kai decided to go all out!
Specter Step allowed him to evade the dangerous counters and attack Atom’s feet to destroy its balance!
However, Atom’s toughness was just too much!
Furthermore, this Sentinel was so heavy.
Kai’s health points were 2,000 in total, and it gave him endurance, but the strain was accumulating.
His muscles burned, his Spirit Points dwindled with each skill activation.
With a few more seconds of his stimulant’s effects, he called out.
"Come on, Atom! Show me what you’ve got!"