“Master Caspian, why are we standing outside of your apartment building? Is this part of my training?”

  Caspian shook his head as his eyes wandered over the abareets. “No. My ceiling.”

  Genos tilted his head, but before he could question what his master meant, his eyes fshed.

  “Object approag at high speed.” Genos readied himself into a bat stance. “It’s here!”

  Crash

  Sounds of destru echoed above from Caspian’s room.

  “You bastard mantis! I’m down here and you still destroy my ceiling!”

  Genos, not expeg his Master’s ceiling to be this important to him, turned solemn.

  “Don’t worry, I will repair the damage done and elimihe perpetrator.”

  Befenos could make a move, he froze as Caspian’s body sunk neck-deep into the ground.

  “Master!” Genos cried, rushing forward, but he halted abruptly when his master’s voice rang out.

  “I’m good. This is actually very fortable.”

  “Elevated energy levels detected.”

  An explosi out from behind, bringing with it a blinding amount of smoke and bolts of blue energy.

  A cyb? Could it be?

  “You are not the target.”

  “Genos! The oanding in front of you is Armoril. He’s not a cyb—his voice is also just him trying to sound cool. Defeat him quickly, but don’t kill him. He’s important to me. I’ll hahe rest, including the ceiling buster.”

  Armoril’s entire figure reared back. “Y-you! How could you possibly know all that?”

  Genos, surprised by his master’s all-enpassing knowledge, mao still his rippling thoughts.

  If he’s not a cyb, then all I o do is plete the first task my master has given to me.

  “No more robot voice, huh?” The buried Caspian mogly asked from behind.

  Enraged, Armoril threw a jumping punch tenos. “You are in the way!”

  Genos sprang into the air, avoiding the punch, whilst dispellis of fme from his hands in order to deliver a spinning kick mid-air.

  Using the force of the kick, Genos’ body flew back, but he wasted no time. He immediately sprang bato a, sprinting toward the fake cyb.

  As soon as Genos was in striking distance of Armoril, the tter threw out a powerful strike with his spiked forearm.

  Genos immobilized the strike. “I’ll deal with you quickly.”

  “It plicates things if they put up a fight.”

  Sensing potential danger for his master, Genos looked backward, only to see that two monsters stood over Caspian.

  “Master!”

  “You dare look away?” Armoril rushed forward. “Quite ceous!”

  Genos surged forward, effortlessly weaving past Armoril’s strike. Raising his arm, he charged an iion bst and nded a direct hit.

  Massive walls of fme erupted from the attack, but Armoril burst through them unscathed, his massive form hurtling through the air. As he nded, his fists smashed into the ground, creating a crater and sending waves of shattered crete rippling outward.

  From the smoking crater, Armoril crawled out. “I am the fruit of the House of Evolution’s sce. Your attacks have no effect.”

  “The House of Evolution? What business do they have with my master?”

  “It does not—”

  Wham

  The upper half of the Beast King’s corpse smashed into Armoril sending him tumbling away.

  “Let’s ge things up, shall we?”

  “Master Caspian!”

  Relief swept through Genos when he realized his Master remained unscathed.

  Standing on a se of sidewalk untouched by the earlier destru, Caspian poioward Armoril, who rose unsteadily to his feet.

  “What’s taking so long? Did you not learn a thing from yht against Mosquito Girl?”

  Genos lowered his gaze, feeling ashamed of his performance, but after a thought, he uood the iion behind the question.

  “Thank you Master. How could I fet?”

  Uedly, Caspian dashed off after giving him a thumbs up.

  Genos, frustrated with himself for needing su obvious reminder, steeled his resolve not to disappoint his master again.

  Armoril moved cautiously, his steps deliberate and quiet, until he was just a few meters from Genos. The air was thick with tension, and Genos couldn’t shake the distinct sehat the monster was gripped by fear.

  “My orders did not include bringing you back alive. I shall eliminate you without fail.”

  Genos, determined and focused, stayed silent. Like a bolt of lightning, he blitzed forward.

  Before Armoril could react, Genos struck his back leg. As the monster spun around, Genos was already on the move, nding a blow to a different part of his body, each strike precise and swift.

  That’s right. After his fight with Mosquito Girl, where she had sshed him apart midair, Genos devised a simir bat style for use on the ground. Thanks to Doctor Kuseno’s enhas, he could make it a reality.

  Piece by piece, limb by limb.

  He turhe defenseless Armoril, who couldn’t react to his speed, into a limbless stump.

  Genos stood tall over Armoril, his arm raised, the iion on ready to disable him further if needed.

  “I am the third most powerful fighter in the House of Evolution,” Armoril decred. “At your power level, you will never even e close to damaging the number oro creation. You will be destroyed.”

  “Keh, heh, let me go!”

  Genos go his side, notig his Master holding a strange mantis monster by the nape of its neck. The creature filed helplessly, sshing its arms around, uo break free.

  “Master, is that the one who wrecked your precious ceiling?”

  Caspian’s smile stretched wide. “Yes, that’s him. And don’t worry about the House of Evolution. I’ll expihing on the way.” His gaze then shifted to Armoril. “You’ll guide us there, won’t you?”

  Genos charged his iion on, a hum of power building.

  “Y-yes! Look, I’m really sorry. I’ll guide you there. Just don’t kill me!”

  Genos, pleased with his response, withdrew his hand.

  “Keh! Armoril, you traitor!”

  The mantis monster cried out at his panion’s ck of honor.

  Armoril furrowed his brow. “Who are you?”

  “Lia—heh!”

  “That’s enough out of you mantis man. Genos, stay right here. I’ll be back shortly. I o go teach this little one about a thing called manners.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  Genos stood straight, proud his master showed such sideration, even to a monstrous enemy. He made the right choi being his apprentice.

  It didn’t take long for Caspian to disappear from view.

  Master said I o stay right here, but he mentioned nothing of me listening to his lesson.

  Genos pushed his hearing capabilities to their limit and honed in on them.

  “Keh heh heh! You will die from the number one creation.”

  “You still don’t uand proper manners. Well, it’s time for your lesson.”

  “No! Why are you doing this to me? Keh! Please let me go.”

  “My ceiling.”

  “Your ceiling! Heh! You are doing this to me because I caused slight damage to your ceiling.”

  “Slight…?”

  “Kehhhhh!”

  Rumble

  Everything around Genos and the Armoril shook violently for a moment.

  Realizing the monster's screams had stopped, he quickly sed his surroundings to reacquire his master's position.

  Amazing! Master is asding at such high speeds. His strength and knowledge are something I must strive to reach. It’s the only way I’ll be able to avenge all that I’ve lost.

  Genos mao catch the final part of the lesson.

  “'Killer Move: Serious Series…Serious Punch.'”