Chapter 36: The Extraordinary Garen

The second round of battle began. As before, the Radiant Armored Soldiers, relying on their superior numbers, surged toward the four mercenaries’ formation.

“Get out of my way!” Ed roared, his body pressed completely behind his heavy shield. Using the exoskeleton’s power and the burst from the cell activator, he charged forward at a speed far beyond his usual.

The two Radiant Armored Soldiers directly ahead barely hesitated before swinging their war hammers down onto his shield. Cracks appeared across its surface, but they were not enough to halt Ed’s advance.

This time, the two Radiant Armored Soldiers gained no advantage. Both recoiled violently, forced to a stop by the counterforce.

A flash of madness crossed Ed’s eyes. He could have halted to deflect their attacks, but instead he endured the impact head-on. Even with the shield’s protection, blood spurted from his mouth.

But, having lost all sense of pain, he no longer cared about injury. He forced his way up to the two Radiant Armored Soldiers, and the other mercenaries converged on his path.

Croc’s spear, with the greatest reach, glimmered with a faint phosphorescence. The instant the two Radiant Armored Soldiers paused, he struck both left and right in quick succession, his blows landing directly on their chests.

The first-tier alloy chest plates of their exoskeletons absorbed much of the force, and though both men were thrown back, blood streaming from their mouths, they suffered no fatal injuries. Most of the force was absorbed by their exoskeletons, which diffused and weakened the impact. With the protection of first-tier alloy, the blows left them only with fractured ribs and churning blood.

As soon as they landed, they injected themselves with healing agents—cold medicine flowing through their veins, rapidly mending their fractures and calming their blood.

However, they lost their encirclement of the mercenaries. The other three Radiant Armored Soldiers tried to pursue, but Fischer alone met their charge with wild abandon.

At first contact, Fischer’s great axe was shattered by a second-tier war hammer. Blows landed in quick succession on his shoulder and back. He managed to wound one Radiant Armored Soldier and block the other two.

The Black Diamond exoskeleton on Fischer’s shoulder and back was smashed open, revealing deep wounds and splintered bone. In that instant, Fischer suffered grave injuries, yet he continued to laugh wildly, swinging his blunted axe as though untouched.

The two Radiant Armored Soldiers hesitated, unnerved by his frenzy—such wounds should have left him crumpled on the ground.

Fischer and Ed’s desperate efforts, and Croc’s attacks, were not in vain. Captain Froman, like a wraith, surged toward Garen and David. No armored soldier remained between him and his targets.

“Uncle Garen, we need to retreat!” David shouted as Captain Froman closed in, stunned by how quickly the tide had turned. The mercenaries had broken through the Radiant Armored Soldiers’ advantage and were now charging straight for them.

Garen simply pulled David behind him and extended his right hand. His hand was now encased in an eerie blue metal.

Captain Froman, seeing Garen approach, brimmed with hope. The man wore no exoskeleton. With five Radiant Armored Soldiers under his command, Garen was clearly a person of importance. Taking both him and David hostage would guarantee their escape from Stone Star and might even yield a massive ransom.

His hopes for advancement reignited, Captain Froman quickened his pace. In his eyes, Garen and David were a fortune within arm’s reach.

But as he drew nearer, he saw only scorn on Garen’s face—a look of disdain reserved for the weak. Captain Froman knew that look well; he wore it himself when facing lesser men.

As a top-ranked Armored Soldier, equipped with two second-tier swords, he was used to being superior. Why, then, did Garen, unarmored, gaze at him with such contempt? Could they possibly have a hidden ace?

Yet, at this distance, no secret weapon could save them now.

As Captain Froman reached him, reversing his sword and preparing to seize Garen with three fingers, Garen moved.

Captain Froman was cautious—not out of fear of attack, but to avoid harming Garen and David, his valuable hostages.

To David, Garen’s arm simply vanished—his speed was too great. Even with a physique rating of 3.0, David could not follow his movement.

“Captain, look out!” Croc shouted from behind, a chill of dread running through him.

But it was too late. Captain Froman’s hand was outstretched, but a blue-glowing hand had pierced his first-tier armor and plunged into his chest.

That blue light marked second-tier alloy. How could close-fitting armor unleash such power? Exoskeletons were formidable only because of their krypton crystal-powered enhancement converters, which took up much of their bulk.

Only David was unaware of the truth. The terror in Captain Froman’s eyes revealed that he understood.

He stared at the hole in his chest, at the hand wrapped around his heart. He knew it was over.

“You’re extraordinary—” he began, but Garen crushed his heart before he could finish.

The light faded from Captain Froman’s eyes. Without its master, his exoskeleton powered down instantly.

Garen tossed the corpse aside and, with one hand, caught the spear thrusting toward him.

Croc’s final act was to strike with his spear, but Garen seized it, and with a flick, Croc’s armored hands and the bones inside snapped.

When Croc released the spear, Garen reversed it, thrusting the shaft into Croc’s chest. The first-tier armor yielded like paper. The spear pierced Croc’s heart. Gripping the embedded weapon with useless hands, Croc’s eyes reflected both a longing for life and a sense of release. With his death, his story faded from the world.

“Aaah!” Ed howled like a wounded wolf. The cell activator raging in his veins, he charged at Garen behind his shield, unafraid of death.

Garen’s expression did not change. He extended his blue-glowing hand, which sliced through the shield and Ed’s heart as if it were the sharpest blade.

Fischer, distracted by the carnage, forgot his enemies for a moment and was struck in the head by a war hammer. Even with the cell activator and a first-tier helmet, he could not withstand the stunning blow. Several Radiant Armored Soldiers battered his head again and again, until it was smashed like a shattered melon.

David was unfazed by the brutality unfolding before him. He sensed his Shadow Attendant absorbing four souls, sending back a wave of satisfaction.

“Gather the spoils,” Garen ordered the five Radiant Armored Soldiers in a low voice. “And have the local police clean up this area thoroughly.”

“Yes, sir!” the five responded, bowing.

“Return and intensify your training. You’ve disappointed me!” Garen waved them off.

The five Radiant Armored Soldiers were filled with shame. In a battle where they held every advantage in both equipment and numbers, they had been badly battered by four mercenaries.