Noah looked down at him, hovering in the air before slowly landing atop a pile of debris amidst the unstable facility.
"That's right. You're a 'destroyer'; nothing more. You've encountered existences of supreme mysticism and intrigue beyond the realm of known science, yet you don't strive for answers," Asiimov said, "That lack of innate curiosity is the very evidence that your humanity has left you, Noah Grays."
Without any further words, Asiimov tore off his laboratory coat, revealing a mechanical core on his chest that expanded like nanomachines, stretching over the surface of his body as it clad him in pitch-black, sleek steel.
"You may have formed your own theories, but my Reath metal can vary in strength greatly. Spreading it thin to create this facility, the foundation is the weakest; crumbled by your abilities like paper," Asiimov explained as his suit of Reath armor hummed with systems booting up, "--However, my personal suit of armor is my most advanced, precious creation of Reath. Try and overcome me, destroyer."
The exoskeleton armor constructed itself fully as the armor plating stabilized into multiple-layers, allowing azure hues of light to give off in the grooves.
"Blah, blah, blah…Let's just get this over with," Noah replied.
"On that, we can agree," Asiimov replied.
As the battle began, Noah found his options in combat tremendously limited against somebody like Asiimov; the full suit of Reath made his spells unable to directly have an effect on Asiimov.
'He's a perfect counter to me. I'll have to rely on self-enhancements,' Noah surmised.
["Absolute Enhancement: Electro"]
["Absolute Enhancement: Bullet Time"]
["Absolute Enhancement: Kinetic Absorption"]
["Weapon Construction: Vanta Black"]
["Absolute Enhancement: Godskin Sharpness"]
All at once, he invoked a series of enhancements that bestowed his body with abilities far beyond their normal stats.
The moment Asiimov pointed one of his electrokinetic, palm-sized railguns at him, he moved with blinding speed, only leaving a trail of azure electricity behind as his gray eyes now held a glowing, blue hue.
"Electro" granted him the speed of lightning and infused his attacks with that very element.
Turrets constructed themselves on Asiimov's shoulders as he moved back, levitating with propulsors on his boots. The turrets began rapidly firing special bullets, recognized by Noah with his enhanced reaction, as being made of Reath.
"At least in death you will make reparations for your damage done to humanity," Asiimov said as his voice came off with a robotic filter through his mask, "I will dissect you and your system."
Before they could hit him, he watched as the bullets approached in what seemed as slowed time before moving out of the way like a bolt of lightning curving around, though such magic wouldn't be able to affect Reath; it was simply his enhanced reflexes.
"Bullet Time" gave him reflexes at such a level that even hypersonic speeds seemed to move in slow-motion to his eyes.
Every step he took unleashed a small shock wave, pursuing the man wearing the exoskeleton, nuclear-powered armor of Reath while more bullets came his way.
The core surgically embedded in Asiimov's chest unleashed a hum, vibrating the air before a gargantuan shock wave that flooded the chamber propelled outward, hitting directly against Noah.
It had no effect though as Noah remained sturdy on his feet.
"Kinetic Absorption" allowed him to negate the effect of the attack, feeling it seep into his skin like a sponge siphoning water.
Launching forward like a bolt of lightning that blared like thunder, he closed the gap between him and Asiimov in an instant, gripping the handle of Vanta Black tightly.
He already knew that the innate ability of his pitch-black sword wouldn't be able to bypass Reath, but with ["Godskin Sharpness"], it would be able to at least cut through it.
Assimov countered before the blade could reach him, using a propulsion of shock waves and fuel to move back quickly.
Though the Russian system wielder evaded the incoming strike, he found Noah gone from his sights again as the air heated up and expanded with static charges sweeping in.
Noah already closed the distance in an instant, still midway through his sword strike as strands of lightning followed his eyes.
["Spatial Warp"]
"--?!" Asiimov reacted in shock.
The entire initial clash had taken no more than a few seconds from their beginning preparations to the moment that the abyssal edge of Vanta Black slashed against Asiimov's torso, cleaving into the armor.
Behind the blow was herculean strength that knocked Asiimov down harshly, slamming into the metal flooring, caving it in beneath the impact.
"...Grk…!" Asiimov spit out blood within his helm.
The singular slash had cleaved through the hulk of the exoskeleton, leaving sparks fizzling as wires were left exposed. A laceration was etched across Asiimov's pale torso, but it wasn't anything lethal due to the armor stopping most of the cut.
'Even my most refined Reath…he cut through it so casually. 'Anomaly of anomalies'--I was frighteningly correct in my assumption,' Asiimov thought.
Undeterred in the face of Noah's godlike abilities, Asiimov propelled himself to the side before picking himself up, evading a plunge of Vanta Black as Noah crashed onto the ground, stabbing the abyssal blade into the floor.
The impact caved the flooring in before the black sword was pulled out with Noah looking over with his glowing, azure eyes before dashing over as lightning just as Asiimov picked himself up to his feet.
In an instant, Asiimov fixed the damage in his armored exoskeleton, manipulating the Reath and the technology ingrained in it before clashing with Noah.
["Reath SURGE: Level Four"]
The system ability possessed by Assimov caused the nuclear core in his chest to overflow with power, amplifying his physical capabilities, allowing the Sentinel to swiftly evade the incoming sword strike with a clean duck.
Asiimov countered with a strike, hitting Noah in the stomach with no effect to his surprise, being forced to jump back as the adolescent followed with another swipe of his enhanced blade.
"Nrgh…!" Asiimov winced as he leapt back.
Even when simply slicing air, the darkness of Vanta Black parted the winds briefly with a shock wave, cutting through Asiimov's helmet as the right side of his face exposed from the shattered armor.
'...Even more power? Just the wind pressure of his slashes alone? What a monster,' Asiimov thought.
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