The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 97: Proving Grounds (2)

Jason smirked as both of them paused. Michelle could absorb the impact of the blade and remain unharmed, but the heat would bypass that feature of her Power. Naturally, she would not want to get roasted just to get the energy to release her Power in an attack against him.

Gerald, on the other hand, was concerned about what effect it might have on him. He had never seen a weapon like it, so he had no experience to go off of in this situation. Seeing that they were hesitating, Jason decided to take the initiative. He once again activated the RDB's and aimed directly for Michelle! 

The pair panicked when they realised that he had targeted the powerhouse of their team without any hesitation on his part. Gerald lunged to try and intercept Jason during his charge. However, he had not expected Jason to cancel the charge after a short distance and point his right wrist towards him!

Jason unleashed a quick burst of his flamethrower. The flames engulfed Gerald, who screamed in pain for a split second before passing out because his brain could not handle it. As Jason glanced at Gerald's burnt and still burning body, he noticed that Gerald had used his Power to protect his head from the flames.

'Smart move.' Jason commented in his mind as he trained his sights on Michelle once again. 

This time, Michelle found herself without any backup and with no way to counter either the flamethrower of the Firebrand Blade. Jason was surprised when she resolutely decided to abandon her teammates and make a quick exit through the same window she had entered from!

Jason cursed as he unleashed another quick burst of fire towards her escaping figure. A girlish scream told him that he had managed to catch her on time, but he figured that the damage would be minimal. After all, she had not received a full-blown bath like Gerald had. 

Jason waited for a few minutes before the tension finally left his body. He felt exhausted due to the prolonged chase and subsequent battle. 'I need to start working out. This armour puts a lot of strain on my muscles.' Jason groaned as he pinpointed his own physical weakness as a problem that was already affecting him.

Now he understood why Sentinel had insisted on the importance of physical training. Jason had just assumed that he could get through life by just creating items to make his life easier. He never thought about if he happened to get caught up in a large scale battle that would be both physically and mentally exhausting.

'They'll either come up with a new plan of attack, or they'll fall back for now.' Jason took this chance to analyse what would probably happen next. 'If they fall back, then Dani will probably keep an eye on me. So I should be prepared to face a sudden ambush either towards the end or when I look like I'm at my weakest.'

'Come to think of it. What should I do about them?' Jason glanced towards Adam's and Gerald's unconscious bodies. Nobody had explained the rules of this exercise to him, so he was a little concerned that he may have gone overboard. Especially when he considered the extensive damage that he had done to Gerald in particular.

However, before he could get too lost in his thoughts, a woman wearing a Lieutenants uniform appeared out of thin air right next to him! Jason glanced at the woman in shock as she studied the situation.

"Not bad. You're wracking up quite the count already." She chuckled as she ran a hand through her bob cut brown hair. "I'll just take these two with me. Keep doing what you're doing, kid."

The woman grabbed Adam before walking over to place a hand on Gerald. A slight smile appeared on her face as she winked at Jason, and all three of them vanished!

Despite the brief shock, Jason felt relieved that he did not have to be responsible for the pair. He did not know what he would do if she had left Adam behind because he was not really injured. Adam was a friend now, and Jason would rather not have to break a few bones just to take him out of the fight.

'Let's take a look outside.' Jason crept along the wall for cover before peering around the edge of the window frame. His curiosity was met by a wave of fire washing over his helmet and flowing into the room.

Jason cursed as he realised that Dani's team had not given up on taking him out yet. At this point, they were just showing how stubborn they were. It definitely made more sense for them to fall back and regroup. 

'What are they up to?' Jason wondered as he ducked back behind the wall. Although he could not see it, the paint job on his helmet had been melted away. Leaving black scorched steel behind in its wake.

Jason tried waiting a few more times while occasionally peeking out of different windows. However, he was always met with a wave of fire or ice in return. Jason cursed under his breath at their tenacity. He had tried to leave the room he was in through the doorway, but the hall ceiling on the other side had completely collapsed. Trapping him inside of this single room.

'Should I just make a break for it? Amy would be the easiest one to take out if I use the Firebrand and the flamethrower.' As Jason puzzled over his next move, the wall a few metres to his left suddenly exploded inwards as a crimson beam penetrated it. The sudden attack had surprised him, which made him fail to react in time as the beam quickly swept through the wall horizontally until it hit him!

Jason yelled through gritted teeth as the impact rattled him around inside of the exoskeleton. The blast had sent the Infinity rolling across the floor. 'Damn it! How did she manage to charge her Power!' Jason was furious about his own miscalculation in failing to consider Michelle's presence properly...