Chapter 28: Building Mark III
`2330 - Workshop 2-B`
`72 Hours Until Quarterfinals`
The smell of ozone and burnt circuits filled the air.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: EMERGENCY UPGRADE MODE]`
`[Project: [Scrap - Mark III: Anti-EMP]]`
`[Time Until Quarterfinals: 2 Days, 23 Hours]`
`[Construction Progress: 0%]`
`[Threat Detected: EMP / Mana Null Fields]`
Kael hadn’t slept in 36 hours.
Not since Team 03 fell.
He stood in front of Scrap Mark II. 2.4 meters of tungsten and fury.
But it wasn’t enough.
On the wall, projected in red, were Team 09’s stats.
`[Team 09: ANTI-GOLEM SPECIALISTS]`
`[Member 1: EMP Engineer - A-Rank]`
`[Member 2: Mana Null Mage - A-Rank]`
`[Member 3: Anti-Material Sniper - A-Rank]`
`[Tactics: Disable, Isolate, Execute]`
"They’re not trying to beat us," Ren said quietly.
He was sitting on a crate. His arm still in a sling from the last fight.
"They’re trying to erase you."
Lira stood with her arms crossed. She hadn’t left the workshop in 2 hours.
"EMP will fry the neural link. Mana Null will shut down Scrap completely."
She looked at Kael. "You too. The port in your arm is conductive."
Kael nodded. His eyes were bloodshot but sharp.
"I know."
He placed his hand on Scrap’s chest plate. The blue mana lines pulsed once.
"I won’t let them take you."
`[Direct Link: STANDBY]`
Scrap’s eyes flickered in response.
_Hour 1-6: The Problem_
First, they had to understand the enemy weapon.
Ren threw a prototype `EMP Grenade` onto the floor. Academy-issue.
`[Safety Protocols: DISABLED]`
`PZOOOM.`
Every light in the workshop flickered.
Scrap seized. Joints locked.
`[WARNING: SYSTEM FAILURE]`
`[Neural Link: INTERRUPTED]`
`[AI: OFFLINE]`
7 seconds.
Then it rebooted.
Kael collapsed to his knees, clutching his arm. The port was smoking.
`[Neural Feedback: 43% Damage]`
"And that’s a training grenade," Lira said flatly. "Theirs will be 10x stronger."
Kael gritted his teeth and stood. Blood on his lip.
"Then we build something that doesn’t care about EMPs."
`[Design Goal: Mark III]`
`1. [EMP Hardening: 100%]`
`2. [Mana Independence: Backup Power]`
`3. [Anti-Null Countermeasures]`
`4. [Weight: 2.2m. Faster than Mark II]`
"Impossible," Ren muttered. "EMP hardening that good needs A-Rank materials. We have scrap."
Kael smiled. A tired, dangerous smile.
"Then we make scrap into A-Rank."
_Hour 7-18: Day 1 - The Shell_
The key to EMP resistance wasn’t blocking it.
It was grounding it. Channeling it.
Kael tore apart Mark II.
Again.
`WHIRRR. CLANG. SPARK.`
`[Auto-Scrap Arm Lv.2: OVERCLOCKED]`
`[Mental Load: 84%]`
He melted down everything. The tungsten plates. The old frame. Even the broken parts from Mark I that he’d kept.
Then he added something new.
From the crate Lira "borrowed".
`[Conductive Graphene Weave x5 Sheets]`
`[Faraday Mesh - Military Grade]`
"Where did you get this?" Kael asked.
Lira shrugged. "The Academy has a surplus room. It was unlocked."
She didn’t say how. She didn’t need to.
Kael layered the graphene between every armor plate.
Like scales. Like skin.
Every wire, every joint, every circuit was wrapped in it.
`[EMP Shielding: Layer 1 Complete]`
`[Estimated Resistance: +400%]`
By hour 18, the new frame was standing.
2.2 meters. Leaner. Faster.
The armor was matte black. No more exposed wires.
Blue mana lines ran underneath the graphene, like veins.
`[Scrap Mark III - Frame: 100%]`
`[Weight: -15% from Mark II]`
`[EMP Resistance: Tier 1]`
Ren whistled. "It looks like a ghost."
_Hour 19-36: Day 2 - The Heart_
EMP kills electronics. Mana Null kills magic.
So what if Scrap didn’t rely on either?
Kael stared at the two `High-Density Mana Cores` from Mark II.
They were the power source. And the weakness.
"We need a backup," he said. "Something that works when mana is gone."
He walked to the corner of the workshop.
Pulled out a tarp.
Underneath: a pile of junk.
Old batteries. Broken engines. `Kinetic Dampeners` from training dummies.
Trash.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: ANALYSIS]`
`[Potential Energy Source Detected: Kinetic + Thermal]`
`[Compatibility: 31%]`
"You’re crazy," Ren said. "You want to run Scrap on... motion?"
"Not just motion," Kael said. "Impact. Heat. Vibration."
He held up a `Kinetic Dampener`. "Every time we get hit, we get stronger."
For 17 hours, he worked.
Welding. Soldering. Coding.
He built a second core. Not mana.
`[Core Type: [Kinetic-Thermal Reactor]]`
`[Fuel: Movement + Heat + Impact]`
`[Output: 60% of Mana Core]`
It was crude. It was ugly.
It was beautiful.
`[Backup Power: ONLINE]`
`[Mana Null Test: PASSED]`
When Lira cast a small null field, the mana core died.
But Scrap kept moving. Slower. But moving.
Kael pumped his fist. "Yes!"
`[Scrap Mark III - Power System: 100%]`
`[Dual Core: Mana + Kinetic]`
_Hour 37-54: Day 3 - The Mind_
The last problem: the link.
His arm.
If the EMP hit the port, it would fry his nerves.
Kael looked at his arm. The new port with 3 cables.
Burn marks around it.
"I need to disconnect it," he said.
Lira immediately stepped forward. "No."
"I have to," Kael said. "Or they kill me to kill Scrap."
"Then don’t disconnect it," Ren said. "Armor it."
For the next 8 hours, they didn’t touch Scrap.
They worked on Kael.
Lira used ice to numb the area.
Ren held his arm steady.
Kael did the surgery himself.
`[WARNING: SURGERY IN PROGRESS]`
`[Risk of Nerve Damage: 71%]`
He removed the external port.
And implanted a new one. Subdermal.
Covered in graphene and ceramic plating.
A cable ran from his arm, under his skin, to a port on his back.
Hidden. Armored.
`[Neural Link: RELOCATED]`
`[EMP Resistance: Tier 3]`
`[Pain: 9/10]`
When he woke up, 4 hours later, his arm was wrapped.
And Scrap was standing over him.
It hadn’t moved. It had waited.
`[Direct Link: STANDBY]`
`[Synchronization: 0% - Awaiting Test]`
_Hour 55-68: Final Test - 0300_
The yard. Again. Off limits.
Team 47 stood in a triangle.
Kael. Lira. Ren.
In the center: Scrap Mark III.
It looked different. Deadlier.
No wasted mass. No exposed parts.
Just black armor and blue eyes.
"Final test," Kael said, voice hoarse. "Full EMP + Mana Null."
Lira nodded. She raised both hands.
`[Skill: [Absolute Mana Null Zone]]`
Ren armed 3 `Military EMP Grenades`.
"On your mark."
Kael took a breath.
Placed his hand on the port on his back.
`[Direct Link: INITIATE]`
`ZZT.`
Pain shot up his spine. But he didn’t flinch.
`[Synchronization: 15%... 42%... 78%... 91%]`
"Now," Kael said.
`THROW.`
`PZOOOM. PZOOOM. PZOOOM.`
3 EMPs detonated around Scrap.
At the same time, Lira’s null field activated.
The world went dark.
For 3 seconds, nothing.
Then:
`[EMP DETECTED: GROUNDED]`
`[MANA NULL: ACTIVE]`
`[SWITCHING TO BACKUP POWER]`
`[SYSTEMS: ONLINE]`
Scrap’s eyes stayed blue.
It took one step.
Then another.
Then it moved. Fast.
It dodged a training bot. Punched through a steel wall.
Fired the `Scrap Cannon`.
`THOOOM.`
The target was gone.
`[Test Complete]`
`[EMP Resistance: 100%]`
`[Mana Independence: CONFIRMED]`
`[Synchronization Peak: 94%]`
Silence.
Then Ren started laughing. Like a madman.
"It worked! The crazy bastard did it!"
Lira let the null field drop. She walked to Kael.
Checked his eyes. His pulse.
"No nerve damage."
Kael sagged. The adrenaline left him.
"3 days," he whispered. "We did it in 3 days."
Lira caught him before he fell.
"Idiot," she said softly. "You could have died."
Kael smiled. "But I didn’t. And neither did he."
He looked at Scrap.
The golem raised its fist. And tapped it against Kael’s chest.
Once.
`[Master Confirmed]`
_Hour 69: 0600 - Eve of Quarterfinals_
`Bulletin Board.`
The entire Academy was there again.
`TEAM 47 vs TEAM 09`
`[Odds Updated: 8% -> 15%]`
`[Betting: OPEN]`
`[Note: Team 09 Specializes in Anti-Golem Warfare]`
15%. Up from 8%.
The whispers were different now.
"Did you see the new golem?"
"It’s black. No wires."
"They say it’s EMP proof."
"Team 09 is nervous. I saw their captain."
Kael stood in front of the board.
He looked like hell. Dark circles. Bandaged arm.
But his back was straight.
Scrap stood behind him. 2.2 meters. Silent.
A shadow.
Ren was eating 2 sandwiches. "15%? We tripled it in a week."
Lira stood on his other side. Cleaning her spear.
"Team 09 isn’t Team 03," she said. "They’re smarter. Colder."
"I know," Kael said.
He closed his eyes.
And felt Scrap.
No fear. No hesitation.
Only purpose.
`[ANNOUNCER VOICE]`
`[LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! QUARTERFINALS!]`
`[TEAM 47: THE TRASH KING AND HIS PHANTOM GOLEM!]`
`[VS]`
`[TEAM 09: THE GOLEM HUNTERS!]`
`[ENTER THE ARENA!]`
The doors opened.
This time, the crowd didn’t just cheer.
They chanted.
"TRASH! KING! TRASH! KING!"
50,000 voices.
Kael walked forward.
Lira on his left. Spear ready.
Ren on his right. Swords out.
Scrap behind him. Footsteps silent.
Across the arena: Team 09.
3 people in gray tactical gear.
No smiles. No bravado.
Just cold, professional eyes.
The leader, the EMP Engineer, held up a device.
A `Portable EMP Cannon`.
He aimed it at Kael and smiled.
Kael smiled back.
`[Mana: 100%]`
`[Backup Power: 100%]`
`[Synchronization: 95%]`
The referee raised his hand.
`[BEGIN IN 3... 2... 1...]`
Kael remembered.
The Dump.
The 200 pieces of trash.
The 5 days.
The blood.
He opened his eyes.
"Scrap," he whispered.
`[BEGIN!]`
`BOOM.`
Team 09 fired first.
`PZOOOM!`
The EMP Cannon released a wave that should have shut down anything electronic for 100 met
ers.
The lights in the arena died.
For one second, there was only darkness.
Then:
Blue eyes lit up in the dark.
And Scrap Mark III was already moving.
`[SYSTEMS: ONLINE]`
`[TARGET ACQUIRED: EMP ENGINEER]`
To Be Continued...
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