Frontier 7

It was early morning when I reached the edge of GRID 25.

A few minutes later, my great-grandfather arrived on his black hoverbike.

“You look great today, Little Rin,” he said, nodding at my black combat uniform.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“You’re not even nervous? We’re about to face one of the deadliest machines ever created,” my great-grandfather remarked.

“I won’t lie, I’m a bit excited to see them,” I answered.

“As expected, you're fearless, unlike most people,” he said with a smile.

“Hop on, Little Rin,” he added.

The black hoverbike took off into the sky.

“Deploying conceptual barriers.”

“Waiting for destination input,” the hoverbike’s system announced.

Grandpa Tor selected Frontier 7.

“Destination accepted: Frontier 7.”

“Autopathing activated, adjusting elevation, calculating travel time, T-minus 92 minutes.”

“Checking passenger status. Status all green. Firing hyper engine in 3… 2… 1.”

Despite the hoverbike reaching Mach 1, the ride was surprisingly smooth.

“Thanks for coming, Little Rin,” my Grandpa Tor suddenly said.

“You’re welcome, Grandpa Tor,” I replied with a grin.

“Little Rin, do you know how Death Dolls move and why they’re so deadly compared to the other eight dolls?”Grandpa Tor asked.

“Yes, I know, Grandpa Tor. Death Dolls move through the corrupted consciousness of a human,” I answered.

“Do you know how a human consciousness becomes corrupted?” Grandpa Tor asked.

“I have an idea, but I don’t know the exact process,” I replied.

“To corrupt a human consciousness, it’s first extracted from a living human who has lived for at least two decades, then trapped in what could be called a dream-like reality,” he explained.

“Do you know what breaks a human consciousness?” he asked.

“Death? I guessed”, I answered.

“To be precise, Little Rin, it’s the death of someone important.

By trapping a consciousness in a dreamlike reality, it forms bonds with imaginary people that the consciousness met in real life, like their family or friends.

And when they witness the brutal death of someone close to them and are forced into a helpless situation, their consciousness shatters.

From that point, all that remains is an overwhelming desire for vengeance,” Grandpa Tor explained.

“And by altering their perception, they can only see the face of the person who took everything from them,” I added.

“That’s correct.

That’s why Death Dolls are among the deadliest machines, they possess the cunning of a human and the relentless thirst for vengeance,” he continued.

“Aren’t you afraid to face such a bloodthirsty machine, Little Rin?” he asked.

“I won’t lie.

The first time I fought a Death Doll in the simulation, the malice behind it struck fear into me.

My legs were shaking,” I replied.

“But dying wasn’t the scariest thing. It was the feeling of being helpless, of not being able to protect what’s important to me,” I added.

“Plus, letting those abominations find rest after a century of suffering would be a nice thing to do,” I continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, Grandpa Tor, I never planned to die in battle,” I continued.

“And I won’t let you, Little Rin,” Grandpa Tor replied.

“Just leave your back to me, old man,” I said.

“Here, eat this before we arrive at Frontier 7,” Grandpa Tor said, handing me a sandwich.

“Thanks,” I replied, taking the sandwich from his hand.

We both ate the sandwich, likely prepared by my Great Grandma Yuka.

It was a simple chicken sandwich, the kind she used to bring when she dropped by when I was still little.

“Arriving at Frontier 7 in T-minus 1 minute,” the system announced.

A minute later, we landed in front of the Frontier 7 gate, where a couple of people were already waiting for us.

“Welcome, Sir Artor Sextus Propera… and you are?” one of the Neomans asked.

“Rinares Nonus Prospera,” I said, bowing slightly.

“It’s nice to have you here, Seventh. I’m Kotaro Septi Corvus,” he replied.

“You’re quite famous now, Little Rin,” Grandpa Tor said, patting my head.

“Sir Tor, here is the report on the most recent sighting of the Death Doll,” one of Kotaro’s comrades said, handing a document over.

“Thanks,” Great Grandpa replied.

“Are you two heading there now?” Kotaro asked.

“Can we accompany you, Sir?” he added.

“You can, but you’ll probably die,” Grandpa Tor replied.

They paused for a moment, taken aback by the bluntness of the idea.

“You should stay. After all, you specialize in long-range fighting,” Grandpa Tor added.

“The Death Doll’s strength comes from its extreme agility. In an open space, they’re like sitting ducks, which is why they avoid places near Frontier 7 or any other outer GRID,” Great Grandpa continued.

“By staying here, you’ll give us peace of mind that Frontier 7 is secure,” I said.

“Thanks, Seventh. We’ll stay and protect Frontier 7 while you’re gone,” they replied.

After following Grandpa Tor for a few minutes, we reached the nearby forest where the Death Doll had been last seen.

“Good job, Little Rin, for making them stay,” Grandpa Tor said.

“I know how they felt, people always want to prove themselves, even if it means taking a risk,” I replied.

“By giving them important responsibilities, they tend to avoid reckless actions,” I added.

“Sounds like you’ve learned that from experience, Little Rin,” Grandpa Tor teased.

“You bet, Grandpa Tor,” I replied as we neared the edge of the forest.

Before entering the forest, I materialized my Dual Photon Edge, while Great Grandpa equipped his Blitz Gauntlet and Boots, both made from Black Osmium alloy.

“Little Rin, request another layer of your Conceptual Barrier,” Great Grandpa suddenly said.

“Akasha, requesting another layer of your Conceptual Barrier,” I requested.

“Permission granted, activating another layer of Conceptual Barrier,” Akasha responded.

While a Death Doll could break a single layer Conceptual Barrier, it wouldn’t be able to breach a Double layer Conceptual Barrier in a single strike.

This would give me and Grandpa Tor the time we needed to react. After all, we were like sitting ducks in the middle of the forest.

Artor Sextus Prospera, my great grandpa, specializes in close-combat martial arts focused on powerful punches and kicks.

His Blitz Gauntlet and Boots weren’t just tough enough to withstand dozens of attacks from a Death Doll’s claws, it also amplified the power of his blows.

“I’m still curious why you prefer those two knives, Little Rin,” Grandpa Tor said after a few minutes of walking through the thick forest.

“In terms of destructive power, they’re incredibly strong.

They can cut through anything like butter, but the reach is pretty short,” he continued.

“And you need absolute precision to block deadly attacks,” he added.

I was about to respond when I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of malice.

I turned to look back, but before I could react, Great Grandpa pushed me aside.

I heard the sound of his Conceptual Barrier being struck.

He managed to block the second attack with his Blitz Gauntlet.

The black figure immediately withdrew, realizing it couldn’t penetrate his defense.

Quickly, I materialized ten Warding Knives and hurled them in all directions.

The Warding Knives acted like surveillance cameras that Akasha could access, allowing me to gain an eagle-eye view of our surroundings.

Grandpa Tor seemed unscathed as I continued scanning for the Death Doll.

“Grandpa Tor, above!” I called out.

Grandpa Tor quickly dodged the first attack, while I blocked the second one.

The Death Doll was about to retreat when it realized one of its feet had been entangled in a black wire.

As I blocked one of its claws, I wrapped one of its legs with the wire from my Photon Edge.

Realizing it couldn’t escape, the Death Doll lunged at me, but Great Grandpa had already anticipated its move.

With a swift motion, he unleashed a powerful punch to the Death Doll’s abdomen, sending it flying a few meters into the air.

“Akasha!” I shouted.

In an instant, the ten warding knives released homing spear-like projectiles toward the Death Doll.

The small spears were connected to black osmium wire mounted to the knives, and in no time, the Death Doll was ensnared in a web-like trap, its movements temporarily restricted.

Without hesitation, I leaped onto its back and, with precise strikes, sliced off its head and arms.

I kicked its head toward Grandpa Tor, who unleashed a devastating punch that shattered the Death Doll's head, destroying it completely.

“Why does it feel a bit more fragile?” Grandpa Tor asked.

“Its Conceptual Barrier protected it from direct attacks.

By severing its head from the core located in its abdomen, it lost its access to the Conceptual Barrier’s protection,” I explained.

“Are you hurt, Little Rin?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine, Grandpa Tor. How about you? Did it get you?” I replied.

“It didn’t get me, but it did scratch one of my gauntlets,” he said, showing me a slash mark on one of his gauntlets.

Death Doll claws are known to be poisonous and toxic to humans.

Neomans are somewhat more resistant, but if injured, Akasha provides several antidotes stored in the hoverbike compartment.

“Thanks, Great Gramps, for pushing me out of the way so quickly,” I said.

“You’re welcome, Little Rin,” he replied.

“But that Death Doll is moving really fast,” he added.

“Especially in a forest where it can easily hide and ambush,” I said.

“Little Rin, can I take a look at the black wire?” Great Grandpa asked.

“Sure,” I said, handing him one of the Photon Edges.

Great Grandpa tried pulling at it.

“You won’t break it unless you cut it off with a weapon like the Photon Edge,” I explained.

“No wonder the Agile Death Doll was immobilized,” Grandpa Tor said.

“Good job, Little Rin,” he added.

“I’ve already called the cleaner bots to retrieve the destroyed Death Doll,” he continued.

“I guess our job is done then,” I said.

“Yes, we can head home now,” Grandpa Tor replied.