Chapter 736: Complete.

He didn’t know where it had started. Whenever he closed his eyes to sleep, only darkness met him. Nothing was odd about that; many people experience the same, and they go on to live their lives normally. Things were different in his case. Though he didn’t know why, he was convinced that dreamless nights had always been a rare occurrence for him. They weren’t something he enjoyed frequently.

A change had occurred at some point, and that led to things becoming the way they are now. That led him to wonder how they were before. Were his nights restless? Did he dream back then? With dreamless nights being a rare treat he enjoyed, were the things he saw in his sleep so awful that nothing was a far better deal?

-Isn’t that great?-

Indeed. It was for the better. Peaceful nights were something that must be cherished, for their opposite meant nothing but torment.

-Sleep well.-

-Travel around.-

-Hang out.-

-Bang some chicks.-

-You have all the time in the world.-

-Who cares if you waste some of it?-

-It’s not like you have anything important to take care of.-

No. That wasn’t the case. He was sure of it. He had a goal. That’s why he sought power. That’s why he had been working himself to near death. He had someone to kill. He had someone to kill.

-Wrong.-

-That wasn’t it.-

-Not anymore.-

Not anymore. Killing wasn’t the goal anymore. It was just a means to an end. But...

-So it finally happened, huh?-

-The one thing you have feared.-

-After all those years.-

He continued to float in the endless darkness, trying his best to recall what it was that he had forgotten. His mind was strangely clear, running on nothing but instinct. They kept pulling him in the same direction, bringing him to a certain destination, and the closer he got, the louder it got. The sound of waves.

-Why don’t you take a dive?-

The voice spoke to him just then.

-That would surely help jog your memory.-

~[ ]~

Dante opened his eyes, and the ceiling came into view. He stared at it for a couple of minutes, his mind clear of all thoughts. That strange feeling still lingered in the back of his mind—the feeling that he was forgetting something.

It seemed to have gotten much worse, and along with it came a sudden sense of urgency. Even then, it refused to come back to him, and that caused the frustration he felt to flare.

[Good evening, Dante.] Volcan’s voice helped pull him away. [How do you feel?]

’Like shit...’

Clicking his tongue, Dante pushed himself up and immediately noticed the stiffness taking over his body. The light blanket covering him fell, revealing his bare chest. The pale white skin that should have covered it was gone, and only layers of alloy remained, segmented and full of plug ports.

Getting up, he walked to the mirror in the corner and took a look at himself. He then removed the Modules on his arms and legs, taking in the sight of his full set of MBIs, now completely installed. To put it bluntly, he looked like a malnourished android. Like a machine that had been stripped of everything valuable, leaving only the frame behind. It didn’t help that said frame looked as if it had been dipped in tar and left to dry.

The traces left by Volcan’s upgrades erased the sleek surface of Suzuka’s design, leaving behind an alien creation that appears as if it had been grown rather than built. Its robotic nature was easy to spot, so one couldn’t mistake it for the corpse of some humanoid abomination. After a moment of thought, Dante gave a mental command, equipping 4-3’s Modules all over his body.

The transformation was immediate. The skeletal frame was enveloped in white threads, and once they were gone, a bulky alloy figure was in its place, covered in the shiny green plating of a freshly produced car.

"You know, this would have looked a lot better if your dick wasn’t hanging out."

Dante let out the sigh he was holding back, then glanced over the shoulder of his reflection. Larry was standing there, a large mug in his hand instead of the usual lit cigarette.

"You should find a codpiece or something." Said the surgeon. "Or would you like me to remove it?"

"What are you talking about?" Dante asked, sighing again. He gave a mental command, equipping some underwear and shorts. His brain didn’t have to be the only part of him that was still human.

"Guess you still plan on using it." Gulping from his cup, Larry pursed his lips as if annoyed by the bitter taste of his coffee. "So, how is it?"

"Don’t know," Dante replied. "I have yet to test it in a fight."

Though he said as much, Dante didn’t really need to test anything. Somehow, he felt complete to the point that he couldn’t imagine himself going back to only having bionic arms. His mind hovered over the command to activate his abilities, and a pulse of energy spread through the seams between the alloy plating. Letting it fade before Larry could have a heart attack, Dante gave a different command, bringing up his status screen.

[

Name: Dante

Species: Human

Threat Level: 5

Baseline Retention: Ascended (5%)

Stats:

Strength: 220

Durability: 200

Agility: 150

Dexterity: 156

Computing Power: 120

Energy: 340/340

Implants:

Kinetic Absorption Protective Sub-Layer Generation 15 (C)

RespiraCore Series VI (C)

Overmind Cortical Interface Module (A)

Overmind Neural Response Enhancer (A)

Ares Iron Cage (A)

Ares Iron Fiber (A)

Ares IronPulse Engine (A)

NephroCore Series XI (C)

NutrimaCore Complete Series XI (C)

Voxcore Series XI (B)

Eroscore Series V (C)

Suzuka’s Modular Bionic Interface (Arms) (SS)

Suzuka’s Modular Bionic Interface (Legs) (SS)

Suzuka’s Skull Guard (S)

Oculuscore series XIII (C)

Suzuka’s Modular Bionic Interface (Torso) (SS)

Modules:

Right arm: Type 4-3

Left arm: Type 4-3

Right leg: Type 4-3

Left leg: Type 4-3

Torso: Type 4-3

Abilities:

Force Amplification

Kinetic boost

Impact Amplification

Recoil Suppression

]

The first thing Dante noticed was that he now had access to all of 4-3’s abilities, even in Module form. His energy reserves expanded greatly as well, and his stats reached a point they had never been to, even with the bonus granted by his armors. Then there was his Threat Level.

"Level 5..."

Now that he had the last piece of the MBI series, he was able to equip the Modules of all his armors without it impacting his balance or movements. He could equip Level 6 versions whenever he wanted, rising to heights humans didn’t dare to dream about. Finally, he was complete, and yet...