Allen lunged at Calibur without a second thought, swinging the axe in a brutal arc that crashed against Calibur's right bracer.
"Do not speak of things you cannot comprehend!"
With his free hand, Calibur seized the blade and yanked it toward himself, driving his right fist into Allen's stomach. The impact forced a spray of blood from Allen's lips—one droplet landing on Calibur's cheek.
Calibur smiled.
"I will speak however I please!"
The ground rumbled—first a tremor, then another, each stronger than the last.
"Ah. It seems one of the remaining prototypes has arrived."
Allen's grip loosened. He released the axe and leapt backward, pain twisting his features.
"What do you mean by 'remaining'? Wait—don't tell me…!"
A wide, predatory grin cut across Calibur's face.
A colossal black goat stood at the far edge of the iron wall, its two crimson horns pulsing with malignant light.
"Correct. Allow me to present another member of Project Perfection: Gigax Aries. Category 6—the closest thing to a 7 since the great Umbralux Draco."
Allen's stomach tightened. A Category 5, Gigax Leo, had nearly been the end of him. A 6… the devastation it could unleash defied imagination.
"You lunatic…! You and that other bastard used Marc for your experiments?!"
Calibur chuckled—slow, cold, and delighted.
"Marc… yes, I remember him. Experimental Phase No. 5. I believe the chief named him Zodiac Dreamer of Aries. Not that it matters now. If any part of him still exists… it is worthless."
Gigax Aries stepped forward. Orbs of pitch-black energy spun into existence around it, detonating on impact with the ground and buildings.
"You may keep the Emotional Staff and the Emotional Stones. The chief declared them useless in the pursuit of perfection. They are worth less than a Category 4 corpse."
Calibur tossed the axe back. Allen caught it instantly and leveled it toward him, but Calibur only laughed.
"So you would rather fight me than address Gigax Aries? What of the innocent people? Who will save them?"
Allen hesitated—only for a breath—but then flames engulfed his body and he shot skyward in a blazing arc, crashing his heel into the monster's snout.
"Ha! Ever the idealist, aren't you? Evolving Sentient Weapon… an awfully grand title for someone with no true strength."
Calibur turned his gaze toward Shinobi and Titan—the only A-Rank heroes who had survived his earlier assault.
"Shinobi… your name, if one reads the original kanji separately, means 'Heart of the Blade.' Fascinating. I suspect that alone is why Allen tolerates you. A shame you will not live beyond today. Do you know why?"
Titan forced himself upright, the bones in his legs snapping and grinding with every movement.
"It's a shame… that Allen… will be the one to win."
Calibur met Titan's gaze, eyes narrowing.
"The chief assessed Allen's growth potential as nonexistent. In simpler terms—you two should understand this—Allen should not possess even F-Rank strength. It is only thanks to the chief's intervention that he became this little aberration."
Titan laughed, helping Shinobi to stand. The two braced against each other, looking at Calibur with unwavering resolve.
"Allen… Firmament… Mad Knight… whatever name he chooses," Titan said, "Allen has what heroes lack—passion, will, honesty… even truth."
"He defeated Gigax Leo," Shinobi added. "He will do it again with Gigax Aries."
Calibur dismissed their words with a flick of his hand—yet Shinobi's final comment tugged at something in his memory, drawing out a wicked smile.
"Impossible. Allen only defeated Seira due to luck—and because his power momentarily surged to the peak of Level One from resentment. He will not manage it again. Especially considering that…"
Calibur turned away, walking off, leaving the battered pair leaning on each other—pondering the hidden variable that made Calibur's grin so sharp.
---
Allen slashed across Gigax Aries's coat, cutting through its wool—but every strike was repelled the moment it touched skin.
With a frustrated sigh, Allen ducked a swipe of living, stretching wool. After countless exchanges he had identified the monster's abilities—each manageable alone, but overwhelming in combination.
Aries could repel attacks from its vital organs. It could induce sleep in anything close to it. Its wool extended and moved under its control. It could manipulate its own gravity. And it could harden its legs to deliver devastating kicks. The final ability had yet to be revealed—but the five already displayed were more than enough to make Allen's blood run cold.
And through it all, he still had to pull civilians out of danger whenever one crossed his path.
"Damn it… Style Change. Truth Knight."
He drew the emerald and crushed it—its powder merging with the prism set into the staff's pommel. His suit turned a pale green; the sword melted away into a gleaming jade crossbow.
He fired repeatedly, green bolts cutting spirals through the air toward Gigax Aries.
---
The battle streamed across an enormous wall-mounted screen.
Before it sat a man in a black suit, a glass of dark liquor in his hand. Behind the sofa stood nine individuals—each in a different style of armor.
"Marc's growth potential dropped after multiple abilities were added to him, my lord. As for Allen—he has shown a slight increase."
The woman at his side spoke without emotion. The man in the suit exhaled sharply.
"Meaningless. Allen is merely a vessel. The only thing I required of him was to prove the viability of the evolutionary gene within human blood."
He took a slow drink, set the glass aside, and smiled faintly at the screen.
"'Knight', is it? I did not expect him to use that term for the result of the Emotional Elemental Weapon Project, much less give each form a name. A pity he cannot wield the darkness element—his potential might have reached Level Two. Still insufficient to become a true weapon capable of evolving on its own."
The woman said nothing further. She knew all too well that when her lord spoke to himself, silence was survival. To interrupt without permission was to invite death.