The Legendary Junkmaster

With the basic models out of the way, Jason started to refine his new ideas over several days. It was a long process, but he felt like it was worth it once he saw the finished item.

The new version of the Infinity looked like a much tougher version of the old. The chest had been slimmed down but now packed thicker armour. The abdomen had eight smaller plates that made it look like it had a toned stomach, but behind them were treated leather. This was to increase the flexibility around the waist area. 

The legs had become quite broad due to them now housing the fuel canisters and hoses as well as the engines for the improved RDB's. The kneecaps had a heavy armour plate on them with leather to the rear of the joint. This was something Jason had done for every area where it was needed, such as the elbows and knuckles. 

Mechanical launchers were placed at various spots on the armour connected to the spherical ammo he had created. They looked like small metal orbs that were half inserted into the Infinity.

Jason was thrilled with the finished product as he waited for the paint to dry. 'With this, I won't have any blind spots.' Jason walked around the armour as he considered the last-minute modifications he had managed to make. Such as shock-absorbing mechanisms in the legs and feet so that he could jump off from decent heights and be fine. 

Naturally, it could not absorb the shock from, say, jumping off a skyscraper. That would be too much strain on it. But that was maybe something that could be possible in the future.

The air pressure shotgun made using old pipes and a pump-action to pressure air was underwhelming. He added metal casings around it to make it heavier and more stable. However, it was only really useful in close to mid-range. It would still hurt quite a bit for an opponent if they got hit by even one of the small pieces of shrapnel. But it should not be enough to take them out of a fight unless they were extremely unlucky.

"Sir, I'm here to alert you that you are scheduled for training in ten minutes. If you don't leave now, you will be late." Friday said as he suddenly appeared and glanced at the new Infinity.

"Thanks, Friday. Is it the same location as before?" Jason asked as he wondered if it would be the same format again.

"Yes, Lord Sentinel will not be attending this time. He is currently busy with other duties." Friday bowed before taking his leave.

'I wonder what he's up to? I haven't seen him since the last training.' Jason frowned as he wondered what could be taking up Sentinel's valuable time. 'Still, I should focus on what's in front of me right now. Dani's team is sure to target me again.'

Jason let his mind wander as he considered different scenarios. The Infinity opened up to let him in, and he immediately felt a sense of comfort and belonging as he stepped into it. There were no loose wires as everything had been sealed up by the internal plates, and the padding on his back as the Infinity closed felt great.

As it booted up, it was a lot quieter than before. It just gave off a smooth slight hum as everything worked the way it was supposed to. The sound was like music to Jason's ears as he happily listened to it for a moment. 'Let's go see how they'll react.'

Jason let out a broad grin as he grabbed the Firebrand Blade and looted it into its new sheath on his right thigh. While the Air Pressure Shotgun (APS) slotted into a holster on his left one. With everything hooked up and ready to go, Jason made his way to the training grounds. 

Meanwhile, Dani and Adam were feeling nervous. They were okay with trying to take Ouroboros down again. However, their teammates, who suffered the most at his hands, wanted to go further. The things they were saying could get them kicked out of the Guardians.

"I say we force him into a building and collapse it on him," Michelle grunted as she glanced at the rest of the team.

"Yeah, and how do we explain that one? It's excessive use of force for training, and you know it!" Adam shouted back with a red face.

"Don't you want to see him fail? He took you out too! And from what I hear, you won your town's tournament! What does that say for the capabilities of those living in Highrise, huh?" Harry growled as he looked at Dani, Adam, Amy and Gerald in turn.

"Look, we teamed up with you guys because you seemed strong. But that Ouroboros guy walked all over us!" Michelle was obviously frustrated as she said this. However, it seemed to stem from her own failure more than anything else.

"He hardly walked all over us," Dani replied with a calm tone. "Michelle, you saw it for yourself. He was in terrible condition when the exercise ended. This time he can't take us by surprise. We already know everything he can do."

"No, we don't." Gerald cut in to give his view on it. "Everything he threw at us came from his armour and weapons. He never used his Power even once."

The others frowned when they heard that. They had not even thought or even noticed that fact. 'What's his Power then?' Dani wondered as she considered everything they knew about Ouroboros. 'Is it something lethal? Maybe he's been restricted from using it. That would explain all the equipment he has.'

'It isn't normal. I've never heard of armour like his with all of those gimmicks. I doubt even Jason could make something like that.' Adam frowned as his own mind analysed what they were up against. 'So what? Did Sentinel make that armour personally? No, if his Power let him make that, it would definitely be better. It looked 'rough'.'

"Alright, cadets! Line up! We're heading out!" Captain Hyde shouted from outside of the barracks.

The team glanced at each other once more before sighing. They would just have to come up with something on the spot. They lined up and followed their Captain obediently to the training grounds. However, everyone was shocked to see the new Infinity already standing there and waiting.

Dani was the first on her team to spot the significant differences. Some were obvious, like the armour. Others were more difficult to pinpoint what they were for. The shotgun, for one, made her feel weird. Like it was something she should be afraid of but had no idea why.

Needless to say, the rest of the team did not like what they saw either. It looked like Ouroboros had come prepared to withstand a beating this time. It did not look like the Infinity had any major weaknesses anymore except the larger visor. As their expressions turned dark while glaring at Jason, Captain Hyde walked up to him after bringing the platoon to a halt.

"Good afternoon, Sir. Is Lord Sentinel not joining us today?" The Captain asked with an inquisitive voice.

Jason restrained himself from answering with his voice. Simply shaking his head instead to show that Sentinel would not be coming.

"Ah, right. You're banned from talking. My apologies, I forgot." Captain Hyde cursed internally. He was hoping that Jason would ignore that order so that he could try and figure out who was hiding under all of that armour. It could not hurt to get close to Sentinel's apprentice after all.

"Okay, then let me fill everyone in on what we'll be doing today!" Captain Hyde turned to face his platoon. "We will not be doing team combat today! Instead, you will all be fighting for yourselves! You will be graded on your performance. Points are awarded based on how long you last for and how many other cadets you take out."

Captain Hyde grinned sadistically as he looked around at the despondent faces of his platoon. "There are obviously a few of you who prefer a supporting role in a team, but this is for your own good. You have to be ready to fight for your life. You will not always have anyone to watch your back while surrounded by enemies."

'Isn't this the same speech that Sentinel gave him the last time?' Jason chuckled. This was obviously good news for him. A free for all would mean that anyone who targeted him would still have to watch out for others instead of feeling secure. 'If I only have to deal with one or two at a time, this should be pretty easy.'

Just as he thought this, he noticed that more than half of the platoon was staring at him with intensity in their eyes. He began to have a bad feeling about this. 'Oh, right. They'll want to take me out first.' Jason groaned as the Captain gave the order for them to start.