Chapter 24 - By orders of the IronClad Armada, surrender!

There wasn't much they could do in that situation. The Navy soldiers were landing everywhere, filling every street, every roof, and every imaginable corner with armored figures. They couldn't even fully move from where they were standing because a gigantic contraption landed in front of them with a tremendous crash. This barely humanoid machine could only be described as a large sphere with mechanical arms and legs, standing about four or five meters tall.

Adam's vision kicked in immediately, revealing information about the machine. The contraption began emitting a large amount of steam from the exhaust pipes located at the back of the sphere that served as its body.

[Steamtread Goliath - Rank C] ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠Robotic enhancing machine, exclusively utilized by mid-rank officers of the Ironclad Armada. The central body is a massive sphere constructed from reinforced steel and adorned with intricate brass gears and copper piping. The pilot sits securely within this spherical cockpit, surrounded by an array of control levers and gauges that allow for precise maneuvering.⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠It uses an ‘[ElectroFlux Dynamo]’ under the cockpit to power up its engines⌡ ⌠Hidden: It’s the only model of the Goliath series that does not have a special skill⌡

That didn't help much. Despite being one of the more basic mech suits, it was still essentially a giant hunk of metal they could hardly do anything against. Even if Adam could use his cursed page, it was hard to know if it would have any effect when they couldn't even see the pilot. Nevertheless, Li didn't seem ready to give up in the slightest. He lifted his open spellbook without delay and attempted to recite one of his incantations.

”[GANZU META…]”

But halfway through the incantation, the steel giant slammed the ground with one of its metallic arms, causing a massive explosion that sent gravel flying everywhere. The blast destabilized the entire group, preventing Li from finishing his spell. The flying debris struck him as well, forcing him to shield himself.

"Under the orders of the 5th Regiment of the Ironclad Armada, all unregistered individuals are hereby under arrest!"

Adam and his companions barely had time to react to such words. Their chances of escape were now nil, as in the brief moment that the giant had interrupted them, many more soldiers had arrived. Some wore standard armor, while others sported heavy battle suits and C-rank shields.

"Hands on your head and chest to the ground!"

The robot's pilot voice boomed again, demanding the group's complete surrender while the other soldiers kept them in sight. Adam, Drake, and Kazue immediately complied, placing their hands on their heads and preparing to lie down on the ground. However, Li thrust his arms forward violently, as if trying to do something, only for a system message to appear before them.

⌠Unfulfilled requirements, impossible to use⌡

“Not fucking now!”

It seemed that whatever Li had tried to do hadn't worked, but it did manage to startle the soldiers threatening them, who interpreted his actions as a refusal to comply.

"Hostile target! Restrain them all with priority level 4!"

Immediately after that order, the roars of lions and screeches of eagles echoed through the air, followed by a light breeze. Numerous system windows appeared before Adam's eyes, revealing the skills being utilized at that moment.

[Skill: Crimson Hex of Wrath Lv3] [No info available]

[Skill: Golden Hex of Sloth Lv3] [You have seen the skill twice, data is being collected] [A curse from the “Golden Pavilion”, it casts a dark enchantment that dramatically slows the target's movements and dulls their reactions and speed, making them sluggish and clumsy.] [Skill [Cursed Vision] is seeing through the deception of this curse.] [Hidden: Skill is being used under the false name [Speed Restriction Lv3] by the caster.]

The updated information on the hex was shocking to Adam. He couldn’t believe the soldiers were wielding it as if it were a different ability. Something was off, but he had little time to ponder it. Meanwhile, Li, Kazue, and Drake had collapsed violently to the ground, exhausted and displaying only expressions of frustration on their faces.

The boy sighed, lowering his arms and looking ahead as his view was nearly overwhelmed by the flood of notifications that appeared before him.

image [https://i.imgur.com/NGEL63W.png]

*

[Your speed has been greatly increased] x4

[Your agility has been greatly increased] x4

[Your reflexes have been greatly increased] x4

[Your strength has been greatly increased] x4

[Your stamina has been greatly increased] x4

[...] [The user's mind is not accustomed to the current physical body level; the altered state [Oversaturation] will be imposed.] [...] [Innate race trait [Half-Undead Psyche (Innate)] has stabilized the user's mind, [Oversaturation] status effect will not be imposed.]

Adam's body reacted even more violently than before, as the effects had now accumulated twice along with others that boosted his physical strength. It was a peculiar sensation, like feeling completely free for the first time in his life and capable of doing anything he wanted.

"What?! One of the targets hasn't fallen, maintain positions!"

The robot’s pilot exclaimed from his spherical cabin, ordering all the soldiers around to stay alert to this irregularity. Suddenly, a large, luminous circle resembling a gear appeared in front of the robot and began to spin, causing another system window to appear before the boy's eyes.

[Skill: Threat Analysis Lv2] [No info available]

“Holy shit! Attack now!”

It seemed the pilot had a skill to measure the threat level of a particular target, and it must have alerted him to the insane increase in Adam's stats. He then ordered all the soldiers to attack without hesitation.

Upon that command, all the Ironclad Armada warriors surrounding the group launched themselves at the boy, propelled by steam and brandishing their serrated swords. However, no one anticipated that Adam's body would disappear from their view in an instant.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“What?!”

Even though the soldiers were approaching from all directions, Adam reappeared on the left side, right behind the lead soldier. It was an incredible sight—despite the armor propelling them at immense speed, Adam perceived them as if they were moving in slow motion. With ease, he reached the lead soldier, grabbed him by a neck fold, and, using his newfound Herculean strength, hurled him back at the others following behind.

To the soldiers, everything happened in a second or less. One of their own suddenly changed direction, crashing into the others. The same thing occurred moments later with the other squads approaching from different flanks, leaving Adam and his companions momentarily clear of enemies. However, the conflict was far from over. Only the lowest-level soldiers had been repelled, a fact quickly underscored as dozens of heavily armored enemies with massive shields began advancing toward him.

Even with his abilities enhanced to such an extreme, Adam wasn’t sure if he could handle so many C-rank item users quickly enough. He briefly considered using the smoke bombs he still had to create a cloud of sleep-inducing gas, but that was no guarantee, especially with the enormous robot and its pilot likely in an isolated compartment.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter; he had to try. He wasn't sure how much longer the curse effects would last, but he knew every second was crucial. Taking advantage of the inherent slowness of the soldiers in 'Steel-Marine Captain High Armor', he rushed towards the nearest one and did exactly what he had done with the two others in the factory. He used the small opening between the soldier's helmet and armor to detonate a smoke bomb.

He managed to do this twice, quickly and precisely. However, as he was about to leap at the third soldier, he saw a large shadow loom over him, even with his enhanced reflexes. It was one of the robot's arms, which had been maneuvered by the pilot, who wasted no time in deciding to attack directly.

Adam's first reaction was to try to escape, but he didn't, as doing so would mean the sleeping soldier would take the direct hit—something he didn't actually want. The impact was sharp and caused a small gust of wind, but the robot's pilot didn't seem satisfied at all. In fact, inside the cockpit, one could see the pilot's face tense and anxious upon realizing that his blow had been stopped by a random young man with his bare hands.

“What the hell is this monster?!”

The robot tried to retract its arm and the pincered plate it had for a hand, but for a moment, it couldn't. Adam had firmly anchored himself to the ground and gripped the limb that was intended to crush him with a powerful hold; he wasn’t going to let go so easily. Then, to the astonishment and disbelief of everyone present, the boy tensed his muscles and limbs violently, channeling all the power he could muster at that moment, and lifted the Goliath into the air with a single motion.

Mimicking how Drake had finished his last fight on the pirate ship, Adam decided to use the momentum to hurl his target headfirst into one of the nearby structures. The impact produced a loud crash, causing the nearby heavy-armored soldiers to freeze in place, terrified.

The boy, amazed by his strength, returned to the center where his teammates were still on the ground, affected by the debuff from the shields, however, this situation wouldn't last long. After a moment, the robot resumed its movement, anchoring itself to the ruins it had collided with and showing that, even after being tossed aside, there was no damage, meanwhile, the pilot started shouting again from his cabin.

“Requesting reinforcements! Unit 4C of the 5th Brigade urgently requires support due to a level six threat!”

[Skill: Instant Transmission Lv2] [No info available]

It seemed to be an information transmission skill, something Adam found quite intriguing. The idea of using skills for something that could use a radio made a lot of sense in a practical scenario. However, the pilot didn’t stop there; he continued issuing orders to the soldiers still in the area, with more arriving by the second.

"Slowly close the perimeter! Have a team enter the factory behind us and check for survivors. We need to hold out until the specialized reinforcements arrive!"

This was bad, really bad. The thought of grabbing his companions and bolting at top speed crossed Adam's mind, but that idea quickly fell apart when he realized that carrying all three of them was impossible, even with his enhanced strength—not because of their weight, but because there was no effective way to hold them. His hesitation and lack of experience began to work against him, as the strategy employed by the Armada was spot on; none of the soldiers engaged in direct combat, instead, they were slowly closing the circle around them.

The worst-case scenario was unfolding. Maybe he could try forcing his way out in a straight line, but how would he get his companions out of there? Damn it, every second wasted was one less second of his buffed state. The moment it wore off, it would all be over.

In reality, there might have been ways to escape the situation using his superhuman physical abilities, but Adam lacked the combat experience to recognize them. However, he knew he had to do something—anything—because standing still was the worst possible option.

Maybe he should try grabbing them by a limb and be extremely careful, no, that didn’t make any sense… The only option was to leave them behind and prioritize his own safety, it has a bitter taste, but there were literally no choices left.

“Sorry”

He thought for a split second before a powerful whistle cut through the noise of the surrounding battle, causing Adam to halt his ideas abruptly and widen his eyes. It was a sound he distinctly remembered hearing not long ago. Quickly looking up, he saw it—a slender figure with three limbs descending from the sky directly toward him. What worried him most was that, even with his distorted perception of the surroundings, which allowed him to see everything in slow motion, the entity was closing in extremely fast.

He barely had time to react, twisting his entire body and shoving aside the fallen bodies of his comrades. Though they were fully aware of everything happening, they seemed like ragdolls tossed by the wind. Kazue was the only one who seemed to be enjoying it.

The impact with the ground created a small shockwave, but the dust that was kicked up settled almost immediately, revealing the figure at last.

"Oh? I was right; I should have killed you first."

The voice belonged to none other than the woman who had intercepted them earlier. She wore a satisfied smile, having finally cornered her target. However, Adam noticed her current appearance: her suit was smeared with dirt and blood in various places, and one of her mechanical arms was destroyed, leaving only a stump of cables and gears exposed.

The woman seemed to notice the boy's gaze and simply snorted, as if she found the situation quite amusing.

"Oh yes, this—just a little memento from the man who tried to help you. In fact, he even took one of my hands with him."

As she said this, she raised her left arm, revealing that her fingers were indeed completely shattered. Just looking at them was painful, and one could only imagine the agony she must have been feeling, even though she seemed to be unaffected by it.

"But don’t feel bad; it doesn’t hurt. I’m currently under a combat drug. It just makes me a bit… euphoric."

The woman said with a laugh, looking at her injuries as if they were a good joke.

"But you should see how the other guy turned out, haha. I doubt he’ll be able to walk again anytime soon. But oh well, it doesn’t matter; he won’t need his legs while he’s in prison waiting for his execution order, haha."

What? Captain Magnus was…? Adam gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at the news. Despite everything that had happened, that pirate was still the person who had saved his life, and... and... why did he feel such heaviness for someone he barely knew? Anger and bitterness were natural for anyone, but he still felt strange.

"Commodore Kathlene! Thank you for responding to the call. We need to... Are you alright?!"

The pilot of the enormous robot said immediately, sighing with relief upon seeing that a high-ranking officer had responded so quickly to the call for reinforcements. However, he hadn't expected to find her so badly injured, something he had never thought possible for high-ranking officers.

"Huh? Oh yes, I’m fine, it’s nothing. I’ll handle this threat. Just get the survivors out of here."

She said with a smile and a slight wobble, as if she were a bit drunk, before disappearing from view in an extremely swift movement. Adam was prepared, just like before. He saw her move at high speed, but he managed to follow her with his eyes, noticing how she charged directly at him, extending both her intact arm and the robotic one she still had available.

Using every bit of agility his body could muster at that moment, the boy moved sideways, narrowly avoiding the woman's grasp. She didn’t stop there and immediately spun around to try the same maneuver, taking advantage of their proximity. This time, Adam couldn’t dodge; he had no stable footing to do so. Instead, he braced himself with his arms and slapped his enemy's hand away.

To both his and the Commodore’s surprise, that involuntary action worked, and he managed to deflect her grasp. It became apparent that Adam had a bit more strength than Kathlene in her weakened state. This scene repeated itself over and over, with neither of them gaining any ground.

To the eyes of everyone present, the arms of both combatants had vanished, and only blurred flashes of movement were visible. They couldn't see how the boy was using all his strength to fend off the woman's attacks. However, this situation was only temporary. Adam couldn’t do anything if he only focused on defense, but it was the only thing he could manage. He didn’t know how to fight, and he could only deflect his opponent's blows because of the temporary difference in their physical skill.

"You’re almost as entertaining as the other guy. How did you go from being a kid to this? Is it some kind of special ability? Haha, well, too bad for you."

Kathlene said with a smile, as a strong blue light emanated from her chest, followed by the distinctive sound of an owl hooting.

“What?”

Adam couldn’t believe what he was seeing as another system window appeared right before his eyes.

[Skill: Azure Hex of Pride Lv5] [No info available]

[Your skill proficiency has been extremely increased] [Your skill power has been extremely increased] [Your ■■■ ■■■ ■■■] [...] [Warning: [Mark of the Damned LV10] is reacting on its own!]