The clash erupted with terrifying momentum.
In the intelligence reports circulated among corporations and fixers, Adam Smasher was always portrayed as a mobile artillery platform—heavy machine guns, shoulder-mounted missiles, hand cannons, and so on—but nowhere in his record was it mentioned that he excelled at close-quarters combat with swords.
Such a massive greatsword, even if one's body was strong enough to swing it, would be useless without skill—like a child flailing a stick. But Adam Smasher wasn't a child, and the jet greatsword he wielded wasn't a toy. Gaps in the intel were normal. After all, Arasaka's counterintelligence division would have gone to great lengths to cover for Smasher, and Smasher himself understood the benefits of hiding his trump cards.
However, while Smasher was powerful, Leo was just as formidable.
Enhanced by Falchion combat gear, Leo's strength, speed, and stamina even surpassed Smasher's DaiOni power armor. Although both Time Zero and Smasher's Sandevistan had already worn off, the intensity of their battle made it impossible for outsiders to intervene.
The courtyard outside Konpeki Plaza looked as if a tornado had swept through—polished marble tiles were shattered, green trees uprooted, railings smashed to pieces—a scene of complete devastation.
V who had woken up and Jackie stared in stunned silence. Not only could they not help, they could only hide behind the Delamain cab. Otherwise, the shockwaves alone from the battle could have killed them.
Smasher, moving like a predator, dodged the red blade and lunged low into Leo's chest, locking his arms around Leo's legs and dragging him to the ground. Then, spinning like a top, he hurled Leo through the air.
Leo twisted his body midair, managing to land against the exterior wall of Konpeki Plaza in a half-crouched position instead of crashing into it. At the same moment, he sheathed his blade.
Leo's legs bent. He braced himself—then exploded forward.
The wall cracked underfoot, a deep crater forming as Leo shot forward like a cannon round. Smasher hadn't expected him to recover so quickly and reflexively raised the jet greatsword to block.
Leo's right hand gripped the sword hilt, while his left index finger squeezed the trigger on the sheath.
Bang!
The crimson blade, wrapped in a burst of dazzling sparks, flashed downward. The explosion of force split the air with a high-pitched screech.
Muramasa collided with the jet greatsword—and cut through it instantly.
Smasher froze. A deep gash split from the top of his head, down his face, chest, and abdomen.
If it were anyone else, they would have died instantly. But Smasher, even grievously wounded, still clung to life.
Thud!
His massive body dropped heavily to one knee. Gasping heavily, he growled, "I'll kill you. I'll smear your brains and blood all over the floor. Then I'll hunt down everyone you ever cared about and make sure they know it was your fault before they die."
His voice dripped with malice, hatred, and fury.
"Adam, has no one ever told you how brainless you are? If you had begged for your life, maybe I would've let you crawl away. Too bad you chose to piss me off," Leo said as he stepped up to the kneeling Smasher.
Suddenly, Smasher lunged forward.
Although his jet greatsword was destroyed, his massive body was still a deadly weapon. Leo sidestepped the charge with a flash and drew his blade, severing Smasher's right arm at the shoulder. Another flash, and Smasher's left arm was sliced off as well.
Smasher, his arms severed, lost his balance and crashed to the ground, roaring like a wounded beast.
"AAAAHHHH—"
At his level of cybernetic enhancement, Smasher's body was nearly entirely mechanical, with even a Pain Editor installed. He shouldn't have felt pain. The scream wasn't from physical agony—it was from the unbearable humiliation.
He, Adam Smasher—who had crushed countless enemies beneath his feet in the name of Arasaka—was now reduced to this miserable state. The sheer humiliation was unbearable.
"Noisy," Leo muttered impatiently, dragging Smasher's mangled body toward the overturned Delamain cab they had abandoned earlier—the one smashed during Smasher's initial landing.
"Delamain, max out the wheel speed," Leo ordered.
The AI, though puzzled, didn't question it. After all, to Delamain, a customer's command—especially from a platinum-tier client—was absolute.
The cab's four wheels, despite the vehicle being flipped, began spinning at maximum speed.
Smasher, sensing what was about to happen, struggled desperately. But with both arms gone, he was powerless.
Leo dragged him in front of the spinning tires.
Without hesitation, he grabbed one of the mechanical protrusions on Smasher's back and slammed his face down onto the screeching wheels.
The moment Smasher's face touched the tire, it was like being branded by a red-hot iron. He thrashed even harder, but Leo pressed him down with both hands, grinding his head deeper into the rotating rubber.
Smasher's struggles weakened more and more, until at last, when Leo finally let go, his body collapsed to the ground like a pile of scrap, utterly devoid of the arrogance he had once shown.
The system panel displayed a notification—Potential Points gained for defeating Adam Smasher.
"Let's go," Leo said.
He righted the overturned Delamain cab and climbed inside. V, with Jackie's help, got into the second Delamain that had rushed over to pick them up.
The two cabs drove out of the courtyard in tandem, heading toward the outside streets.
But as they turned the next corner, both Delamain cabs braked hard at the same time.
Leo managed to brace himself. In the car behind, however, V and Jackie were almost thrown forward from the sudden stop.
"What the fuck? Dumbass AI got a glitch or something?" Jackie swore.
V patted Jackie and pointed ahead. "Jackie, look."
Jackie turned his head—and froze.
Ahead, the street had been completely sealed off by Arasaka's special response teams. Multiple armored SUVs blocked the road, forming a barricade.
Soldiers, fully armored and armed to the teeth, crouched behind the vehicles, their weapons aimed and ready. Two Arasaka-developed walker mechs loomed behind the barricade, with six-barreled Gatling guns and rocket pods deployed, ready to unleash hell.
Above, two AV gunships hovered, commanding the skies.
The atmosphere was suffocating, a killing intent so thick it was almost tangible.
"Motherfucker... all this for one stolen chip? Isn't this overkill?" Jackie muttered, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Just moments ago, he had felt triumphant after defeating Smasher.
Now his face turned ashen once more.