Inside the cold iron cage, Hercules glanced at the rusty broadsword Menoetius had left at his feet. Its blade was mottled and its edge blunt. Rather than a weapon, it looked more like a piece of junk fished out of some Adeptus Mechanicus scrap heap.
But now, he bent down and picked it up without the slightest hesitation.
The rough hilt felt strangely cold in his hand, utterly out of place in the high-tech training arena around him, yet somehow it settled his turbulent thoughts.
His gaze locked back onto the massive shape before him: the eight-meter-tall Training Robot designated H-30.
Its crimson electronic eyes scanned Hercules mercilessly, its enormous body casting a suffocating shadow across the cage's confined space.
The hum of the electronic net launcher on its shoulder grew louder and louder. The enormous steel claw on its arm spread open, its cold gleam shining between the cage's bars.
The battle erupted in an instant!
Hercules chose not to defend. His instincts as a warrior drove him to attack!
With a low growl, he pushed off the ground. His massive body unleashed astonishing speed that belied its size, hurtling toward the Training Robot like a shell fired from a cannon!
He clenched his right fist, the muscles in his arm twisting taut like steel cables. He poured every ounce of his newly awakened, surging strength into the blow, aiming straight for the armor over the robot's comparatively slender knee joint!
Bang!!!
A deep crash, like a massive hammer striking an anvil, echoed through the training arena!
But the result caught Hercules by surprise.
He felt his fist, powerful enough to shatter rocks on Tenerum, slam squarely into the dark metal armor. Yet the dented plate and shattered joint he had expected never materialized.
Instead, an immense recoil shot