[To put it simply, I, the weapon, was used by you, the wielder, to kill the enemy.]
'... you're an AI…'
[Yes. That is correct.]
While it wasn't much, knowing that he wasn't possessed provided Dante with a bit of relief. The voice sounded so human it was difficult to notice anything off about it. If he hadn't asked whether the speaker was AI or not, he probably would never have realized the truth on his own.
Shaking his head, Dante started following a familiar path toward the nearest train station.
'I used you to kill that bastard, huh?'
[Indeed. You used me to kill that bastard.]
Though The Clinic was inside a megacomplx just like the one he lived in, it was located on just the second floor. While it wasn't that big of a deal, such a place meant that one could reach the street just by going down a few sets of stairs.
'That's a little difficult to believe.' Dante thought. 'Aegis was a Level 5 Prime. He's stronger than most nations in the world.'
Enhanced Individuals are generally categorized based on two criteria: Baseline Retention and Threat Index, also known as Power Level. Baseline Retention measures how close someone is to a standard human and has five stages; Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Ascended, and Prime. Basic is a normal human with 100% natural human cells. Prime, on the other hand, means that an individual has replaced every cell in their body somehow, be it through genetic modifications or cybernetic implants.
Threat Index speaks for itself. It measures how much of a threat something is, but in the case of an Enhanced Individual, it measures how dangerous they can be without external factors. It has seven Levels starting from 0, which represents a physically fit adult male, and up to 6, which represents the military might of the entire world.
Dante was a Level 0 Intermediate, but that was only because he had replaced the bones in his hands with ones made from a metal alloy, making his fists a weapon he could rely on when unarmed.
Aegis was a Level 5 Prime, which means he underwent a change on the genetic level, making him, in a way, no longer human. Whatever Eidolon did to him, it gave him a high level of superhuman strength, agility and durability, and to top it off, he got the ability to fly as well. Though he can't survive nuclear explosions like how Level 6 Primes are said to be able to, he can easily take tank shells to the face and not even flinch.
[Indeed, my threat evaluation did put him at Level 5. It is for that reason that I elected to deploy Type 5-6.]
'And that is…'
[The most optimal countermeasure to Level 5 threats such as the one names Aegis.] The AI went silent, and as if having realized what Dante was referring to, it clarified. [It is a highly advanced suit of armor designed to counter Level 4 physical properties.]
'A… suit of armor?'
The first thing that came to Dante's mind was the exo-armor that is widely used in the military nowadays, but those can only be Level 3 at most.
[Would you like to see a virtual model of Type 5-6?]
'Yes…'
A floating screen appeared in front of Dante—an AR -Augmented Reality- projection created through his OAM. On it was a three-dimensional rendition of what he thought was a toy from one of those giant robot shows.
Its limbs were long. Each arm ended in three blade-like claws, while its legs had two joints bending to form the letter Z in a similar way to the saltatorial limbs found in rabbits and kangaroos. The torso linking them appeared thin, taking the shape of an inverted triangle with broad shoulders and a rather thin waist. The head looked like an overly designed helmet, with a big hole at the front from which an ominous red light glowed.
As he looked over the display, a shiver washed over Dante. The armor, as the AI had called it, felt quite sinister. Its frame was all edges and corners—a collection of jagged angles and razor-thin blades, and its plating was layered in interlocking, knife-like sections. Like a creature of darkness, it was shrouded in an inky black color, and even while at rest, it appeared to be leaning forward, bent like a predator poised to lunge.
[Type 5 armors specialize in extreme speeds and high velocity.] Said the AI. [My evaluation of Aegis concluded that speed was his strongest attribute, though his physical strength and durability can be considered Level 5 as well. Type 5-6 is a perfect counter for someone like him.]
While listening, Dante discovered that he could rotate the model using his thoughts. He turned it around and was surprised to see that the back had six rocket thrusters, a large one at the center with three smaller ones surrounding it. Coupled with the armor's sharp, angular shape, Dante understood why it's considered a speed type.
'How fast can it go?'
[From a static position, it can accelerate to Mach 15 in 0.5 seconds.]
Dante stumbled on nothing and almost fell on his face.
'Did you say… Mach 15?'
[Yes. Type 5-6 is capable of reaching the speed of 5150 m/s nearly instantaneously, which is just slightly over Mach 15.]
Suddenly, Dante understood why he was in the condition Larry found him in. Math was never one of his strengths, but he didn't need to make any calculations to know that suddenly accelerating to fifteen times the speed of sound would've flattened him.
'How… how the hell am I even alive?'
[I raised the output of the inertial dampeners to their maximum.] said the AI. [Unfortunately, Type 5-6 was not designed to be used by low-gravity organic life. I had to limit its use to 30 seconds, otherwise, the strain would have obliterated your body.]
'Low gravity…'
Dante felt nauseated with every new revelation. A thought flashed in his mind and his head jerked up, his eyes going wide.
'Hey, don't tell me the 6 in its name is…'
[That is its threat level designation.] The AI replied. [It is a 5th type armor of the 6th Level.]