Biocores: The Legendary Weapon Designer-Chapter 71: Nine Punishement Needles

Nioh woke to the feeling of cold metal beneath his cheek and the distant hum of machinery. His body ached, his nerves felt flayed raw, and every breath came with a dull, lingering pain.

Instinct kicked in—he tried to move. freёnovelkiss.com

The moment he did, a sharp spike of agony tore through his body, forcing him back down with a strangled groan. His muscles screamed in protest, his Biocore felt hollowed out, and the events leading up to his collapse slammed back into his mind with brutal clarity.

The fight.Grimmes.The Auditory Overflow.

His vision blurred for a moment before settling. His bag was nearby, untouched. A small mercy. Just as he exhaled, relief creeping in—

"Finally awake?" The presence sent a jolt through him.

Grimmes emerged from the shadows, the same way he always did—like he had never truly left, only waited. His steps were measured, his expression unreadable as he studied Nioh with something between amusement and curiosity.

"I expected you to be out for at least a few more days."

Nioh clenched his teeth and forced himself upright.

"How long?" His voice was hoarse. "Two days."

Grimmes studied him for a moment longer before speaking.

"I still don’t understand how you managed to borrow such powerful intent..." he mused, tilting his head slightly. "But your Biocore is already showing signs of collapse. You won’t be able to handle it much longer."

Nioh ignored him, reaching for the water bottle near his bag. He drank greedily, swallowing in heavy gulps, letting the cool liquid wash down his burning throat.

The room was silent except for the sound of his drinking.Then, without looking up, he spoke.

"When I was five, I survived a nuclear explosion."Grimmes didn’t react, but Nioh could feel the shift in his attention.

"My Biocore protected me... but it left me deaf." "I lost my legs, too. It took me ten years to move again, to function like a person."

He lowered the bottle, his grip tightening.

"I trust my mind more than anything. It’s the only thing that’s never failed me."

His gaze met Grimmes’s, unwavering.

"So if you won’t teach me—then at least stay out of my way."

Silence stretched between them.

Then—Grimmes smiled. Not out of kindness. Not out of amusement but something darker.

"Still insolent." He raised a hand and suddenly Nine black bones materialized in the air.

They hummed with something vile and corruptive. Nioh’s breath hitched.

"What are you doing?" The bones shot forward.

Pain.Unimaginable pain.

The moment they pierced his body, it was like fire and ice seared through his veins at once. The spikes burrowed deeper, sending shockwaves of agony radiating through every nerve in his body. A scream ripped from his throat, raw and broken.

"This is the Nine Punishment Nails."

Grimmes’s voice was calm—too calm—as he watched him struggle.

"An ancient torture technique once used by the World Councils on criminals. It blocks your Biocore energy pathways and slowly corrodes your body from the inside out."

Nioh’s fingers clawed at the ground.

"Every month, one of these nails will explode, releasing a burst of hell energy."

Grimmes crouched, his voice dropping to something almost gentle. If your body can’t handle it... you die."

Nioh barely heard him. The pain was everything. It roared through his body, drowning out thought, reason, everything except the raw, burning agony.

"For the next nine months, you will be unable to use your abilities. No Biocore, no tricks."Grimmes stood."Let’s see how you survive now."And then—He vanished.

Leaving Nioh alone, writhing in agony, drowning in his own blood and sweat.

He didn’t know how long he lay there.Minutes? Hours?The pain refused to fade.

Then—He forced himself to breathe.Forced his fingers to move.

"Ekoh...?" Silence.His stomach dropped.He tried again, louder.

"Ekoh?"Nothing.

The presence that had always been there, whispering in the back of his mind—the voice he had lived with for years—Was gone. And for the first time in a while—Nioh was truly alone.

He was consumed by anger, yet the agony from the nails was excruciating. His mind spun, and his body, chilled by a mysterious hell energy he’d never encountered before, felt shockingly vulnerable—he was at his weakest in years.

"I have survived worse; I will overcome this," he murmured as he assumed a meditative stance. The Nails intermittently discharged pulses of cold, almost metallic energy that surged through every fiber of his being, gradually freezing him from the inside out.

"Now! I need to keep my body warm," he deduced, firing up the heater and launching into a series of rapid jumps. Although exercise had temporarily countered the hell energy’s effects, it wasn’t sustainable. He needed a way to remain active continuously.

"Weights!" he shouted, scrambling through the lab to locate the heaviest material available. With a makeshift contraption attached to his vest, every movement turned into a laborious effort. Still, his body fought back by generating extra heat, battling the relentless chill.

Drenched in sweat, he reached for a holographic screen and began searching for anything related to hell energy or the infamous nine punishment Nails, but his queries yielded nothing.

"I need access to the Knowledge Hall, and for that, I require Conqueror points," he resolved.

He dialed Akron’s line.

"What is going on with you? You look like shit," Akron barked as soon as the line connected.

"If you shut up, no one will think you’re mute," he snapped back.

"Send me the recording from your sister’s conquest," Akron demanded.

"The results from the weapon modifications were phenomenal—her performance was stellar. Many have been asking about the designer, but she’s remained silent," he explained.

"That’s good. Set up an auction. Tell them I’ll design one weapon per month. The highest bidder gets the slot—bids can be made in rare materials or Conqueror points. You’ll oversee the bidding process."

"Why should I?" Akron retorted.

"Be useful for once," Nioh shot back before ending the call.

As time passed, Nioh gradually adapted to his condition. He edited the video from Akron and uploaded it to the laboratory’s virtual blog, along with the performance sheets.

"Now, all I need to do is wait," he convinced himself.

"Soon, my body will adjust to the weight, and there’ll be nothing I can do about it," he mused.

"If I’m to be confined to seclusion, I might as well make the most of it," he declared, pulling out his drawing board and beginning to work.