After overcoming the initial shock of freefalling over an unfamiliar region, the participants began morphing into their Mechas. One by one, they filled the sky like shimmering stars, pairing off and heading in different directions.
Nioh reached into his backpack mid-air and fished out a pair of goggles, struggling to secure them against the relentless wind. "Ekoh, help me look for familiar landmarks to identify the cradle zone."
"There's a swamp at three o'clock, a lake cutting through it, towering trees, and Mechanical vines. Looks like the Metallic Wetlands," Ekoh replied.
"Got it," Nioh acknowledged, his mind raced as he coedited their position to memory. He flipped onto his back and began to scan for his partner. His wind-tossed hair blurred his vision as he searched left and right, finally spotting a massive Mecha—a colossus painted red and white—plummeting like a stone. Its embarrassing descent was punctuated by clumsy and erratic attempts to hover, the barest semblance of control.
"This idiot," Nioh muttered, frowning. "Does he think a one-star colossus can fly like the other Mecha?"
Ekoh's voice cut in. "The shock of the landing will be catastrophic. We need to stop him."
"The communication devices are off-line. They must've activated a jamming system to prevent cheating," Nioh thought while clenching his teeth. "We need to take him out now."
The crown-like runes on Nioh's forehead lit up with a radiant golden glow. His morphing triggered, enveloping his head in a sleek black and gold helmet adorned with a single, sharp horn.
A metallic exoskeletal support unfurled along his spine, spreading out to his limbs. His hands were now encased in black metallic gloves and golden wiring that vibrated like speakers. This was Ekoh's partial morphing state. It was not a complete Mecha transformation, but it offered a sufficient biomechanical enhancement to be a superhuman, for the cost of less energy. It was the perfect state for new corebinders
The horn atop his helmet pulsed with light as a ball of golden energy materialized in front of him, steadily growing until it was the size of a football.
"I've got him on the visor," Ekoh confirmed.
"Fire," Nioh whispered.
The energy ball vanished and reappeared directly in front of Aksel's Mecha, popping with an eerie, resonant burst. High-pitched soundwaves rippled outward, distorting the air.
Aksel cried out as the vicious vibrations overwhelmed him, blood pouring from his ears and nose as the sound assaulted his senses. His body slackened, and he passed out from the unbearable pressure.
With Aksel unconscious, his Mecha reverted to its dormant biocore form, leaving his limp body hurtling toward the ground.
Nioh didn't hesitate. He twisted mid-air, diving like a falcon, his glowing helmet cutting through the wind. Just as Aksel neared the treetops, Nioh grabbed him by the collar, wrenching his trajectory upward to lessen the impact. But gravity and momentum had other plans.
The pair hit the ground hard. Nioh's body absorbed the brunt of the crash. The impact sent a thunderous shockwave through the clearing they landed in uprooting the smaller vines and plants In the vicinity. Dust and debris billowed into the air as Nioh continued to tumble across the wet terrain.
When they finally skidded to a halt, Nioh gasped in pain as he clutched his right shoulder, which hung at an unnatural angle.
The pain surged through him like lightning. He struggled to breathe, feeling the sharp grind of bone fragments in his shoulder joint.
"Damn it," he hissed bravely. Despite the strain in his voice he forced himself to stand. Sweat mixed with dirt streaked his face beneath the helmet. Aksel lay unconscious beside him, miraculously unharmed, thanks to Nioh's last-minute intervention.
"Ekoh...How bad is it?" Nioh rasped, his left hand gripping his wounded shoulder.
"Your right shoulder is dislocated. There is possible fractures in the humerus and scapula," Ekoh responded clinically. "You're lucky it wasn't worse."
Nioh exhaled sharply, forcing a wry grin despite the agony. "Yeah, lucky me!" He cast a glance at Aksel, muttering, "I really want to kill this idiot"
"Can you heal it?" Nioh asked, wincing as he adjusted his grip on Aksel's collar.
"If you give me twenty-four hours, you can regain partial use," Ekoh replied in his usual mechanical tone.
Nioh gritted his teeth, annoyed but unsurprised. "Figures. The dramatic entrance probably drew some unwanted attention. Find us a defensible spot and run a complete energy report."
Ekoh pulsed out a casual soundwave, while using echolocation like a bat he mapped the perimeter and provided a response. "There's a cul-de-sac 20 meters to the right. Narrow entry, rocky walls. You can defend without exposing your back."
Nioh didn't waste time. Dragging Aksel like a sack of supplies, he trudged toward the designated spot. The cul-de-sac was flanked by jagged rock formations that towered several meters high, creating a natural bottleneck. It was just wide enough for Nioh to face any incoming threats one at a time.
As soon as they reached the enclosure, Nioh tossed Aksel's unconscious body against the rock wall and took a defensive stance. He pulled out a short metal dagger, gripping it tightly in his one functioning hand. His shoulder throbbed painfully with every breath, but he ignored it focusing his mind on survival.
"My energy reserves are at 60%," Ekoh reported. "If we use 40% to maintain partial morph for three hours. 10% could be available for another sound attack and the leftovers will be allocated to your shoulder repair."
Nioh nodded exhaling sharply before looking in the sky. "Not ideal, but we'll make it work. I hope he is watching."
The moment of calm was shattered by the sound of clanging metal. Nioh's dagger collided with the jagged, metallic fangs of a Feral Biocore—Mechanical Jaws.
The creature was an F-rank predator, a bipedal lizard-like monstrosity with short arms and reinforced metallic jaws designed to crush prey. Its biting mechanism was augmented by mechanical systems that tightened over time, ensuring once it latched on to a pray, it would never let go.
Nioh reacted instinctively by slamming his knee into the beast's lower jaw. The force staggered the creature, thus giving him just enough time to plunge his hollow dagger into its throat. With a golden glow from his horn, the dagger vibrated violently, ripping through the creature's metallic windpipe. Black fluid splattered across the rocky ground as the beast collapsed into a twitching heap.
Nioh barely had time to catch his breath before a second Mechanical Jaw lunged at him. He jumped back and flung his dagger into the air while he reached for his pulse gun. He fired a shot mid-dodge. The blast striked the beast causing it to stagger.
With a glow from his horn, Nioh recalled the airborne dagger, sending it hurtling toward the creature at breakneck speed. It plunged deep into the feral biocore's chest. He fired another pulse round, propelling the embedded dagger deeper inside the beast, which crumpled to the ground in a smoking heap.
--
High above, aboard the flying ship, hundreds of screens floated in holographic displays, each screen showing the actions of the different participants in the evaluation. University representatives and army scouts sat in rows with their eyes glued to the performances.
Lieutenant X sat in the central command chair, his sharp eyes darted across the monitors with a mixture of boredom and irritation. He was once the leader of one of the deadliest units in Daewyth Fiefdom, and now he found himself reduced to babysitting trainees in this backward location because of an altercation with a high-ranking official.
The corruption within Biohive 81 was so pervasive it made his blood boil. Even this evaluation was rigged. Some privileged participants had received in advance leaks about the environment, the test methods, and the requirements. It was evident in their over-prepared strategies and equipment even the fake acting was deplorable. Those without access to such advantages—were floundering, destined for failure or a lifetime in the infantry corps as expendable foot soldiers.
"The quality of education in a new BioHive and a Legacy one is like night and day," he muttered under his breath. "What a scam!"
As he scanned the screens, his attention landed on the feed assigned to Team 19. His eyes narrowed, "Interesting," he murmured, leaning forward.