Chapter 26: Worst Possible Scenario
The echoing boom of Galaxy's laughter, combined with Michael's grunts in the distance, faded as Kail pressed on, but each sound felt like a thorn buried in his side. Every step made him wince as he clutched his bruised chest, feeling the toll of the previous battle weigh him down like lead. Yet, the urge to turn back gnawed at him. He felt helpless walking away, but he knew Michael had to have a plan.
Kail staggered forward, teeth clenched, focusing on the path ahead—until he heard it. A robotic, chilling voice reverberated from a nearby alleyway, the syllables twisting and cold, like metal grating against itself.
"GOT YOU."
Kail barely had a second to brace himself before a massive wave of ice roared toward him, crackling as it crystallized the air in its path. He threw his arm up just in time, summoning a shield of bone that shattered on impact, sending icy splinters across his skin. The frost clung to him, biting into his exposed arms and legs.
As the mist cleared, he spotted his attacker. A figure emerged from the alleyway, hulking and inhumanly still, with metallic skin that gleamed dully under the streetlights. Its face was void of expression, save for a set of mechanical eyes that hummed a faint, icy blue. Kail stared, a chill creeping up his spine as he realized who he was facing.
The android's voice was void of emotion. "I am D.Y.L.A.N. The Destructive Yielding Lifeform and Assimilation Nexus. Your resistance is noted but irrelevant." The last words were uttered with a detached finality, as if Kail's fate was already sealed.
Kail's breath hitched, but he steadied himself, his exhaustion quickly replaced by a simmering defiance. "Great. Another freak that talks too much." He straightened up, taking a fighting stance. Starting off at 30% of his power was risky, but he couldn't afford to hold back here.
"Let's get this over with."
D.Y.L.A.N. raised one hand, and the temperature plummeted as a sheet of frost began spreading across the ground. The air grew dense and cold, fogging with every breath Kail took. The android launched another blast of ice, this one sharper, more concentrated. Kail dodged, darting in to close the distance, summoning a bone trident as he lunged forward, aiming straight for D.Y.L.A.N.'s chest.
The trident struck true, but the impact felt off—almost wrong. D.Y.L.A.N. didn't flinch. Instead, his body absorbed the blow as though it were nothing more than a gust of wind. The android took a step back, and Kail felt his stomach drop as his weapon slipped away, leaving no mark on the metallic body.
The android's voice was flat, indifferent. "My defenses are absolute. All magic is redirected into structural reinforcement." His hand moved again, and a gust of frost lashed out toward Kail, sweeping him back with brutal force. Kail staggered but caught himself, refusing to go down so easily.
"Well, maybe I just need to hit harder," Kail muttered, more to himself than anything. He was going to have to push it further. Summoning a reserve of energy, he raised himself to 50% power. Immediately, his muscles screamed, pain rippling through his body as bone and sinew strained under the pressure. A metallic taste filled his mouth as he coughed up blood, but he didn't care. D.Y.L.A.N. wasn't going to go down easy, and neither was he.
He dashed forward, his speed ramping up to a blinding pace, bending sound itself as he closed in on D.Y.L.A.N., each step leaving cracks in the icy ground beneath him. With the speed of a lightning bolt, Kail struck, his movements a blur as he thrust the bone trident in a series of quick, brutal strikes. But each blow barely dented D.Y.L.A.N.'s metallic frame. The android remained unfazed, his eyes cold and calculating, as if Kail's attacks were little more than inconveniences.
