Steel was one of the eight survivors of the Tournant, alongside Albert, Edward, Max, Coco, and Julian—with two others following behind from other cities.
While the others had managed to settle themselves after returning, Steel had always been different—fragile, anxious, perhaps even broken from the start. No one could quite understand how soone like him had made it through the horrors of the Tournant alongside such powerful individuals... but he did.
And then, not long after their return to Earth, Steel killed himself. Not just himself—he took his wife’s life too. The incident shocked many, yet the details were buried, hidden away by the authorities. Most people never learned the real reason why a well-established General, a survivor, would do sothing so horrific.
But those who survived... people like Albert—they had their own ideas.
"The Tournant was too much for him," Albert muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing slightly. "Maybe for all of us. But what’s done is done." He straightened up, his voice sharper now. "Let’s move to our objective. I want you to get him in contact with ."
"Sir?" Livai blinked, stunned. "That’s not possible... he’s insane. A lunatic. He doesn’t listen to anyone."
Albert turned toward him slowly, a flicker of nace in his eyes.
"Then make him listen," he said coldly. "Because whether you realize it or not, that lunatic might be the key to my success and revenge"
Livai gulped. "I... I’ll see what I can do, sir. I’ll follow whatever you order."
-----
anwhile, in Lower City, Livera
The Ranger ran through the damp alley, nano-particles surging around his armor as it repaired the damage to his suit. He was huffing, terrified—like a ghost was hunting him.
He ducked into a dark, cramped alleyway, eyes scanning the shadows. Rain dropped from above, in eerie stillness.
"I need b-backup," he whispered into his earpiece connected inside his helmate. "Please... hurry, I beg you."
"w-what happned?" A responce ca from other side, "Where are others? Did sothing went wrong while arresting Rogues?"
"Yes! its its-" The Ranger went quite hearing footsteps behind him. "He killed the Rogues, He even killed the Rangers! He is freaking d-Dancing Devil"
The line went silent from other side as if they also knew Who it was "D-Dancing devil? Get out of there now, We are coming!"
"he is here-" He gulped hearing footsteps, slow and delibrate.
A young man danced in the rain with a strange grace. He had donned his tallic purple armor while his face was exposed and his purple hair were soaked in the rain.
The deathly silece was now filled with his strange song, he was singing while dancing in his own rythem. The song was filled with Rage unlike his steps which seed oddly calm.
Let them baost of their hollow fa,
Their fraigile power will scream my na.
Let them cower, Let them plead,
I will dismantle all their dream from depth unseen.
He paused then his eyes drifted toward the shadow where the Ranger hid, cowering in the corner. His grin stretched ear to ear. Then, as if so unhearable music played for him, he spun again,
The Tree’s will fall, the skies will burn,
Every man will see my Return,
No freedom here, no room for care
only terror will find those who dare.
He spread his arms wide, as though embracing the storm itself. Lightning cracked above, and the purple light on his ta- bot blink on the left side of his chest.
"That was a good song, don’t you think... Ranger?" Ryzen whispered, his eyes still on the sky, voice almost playful. "Co on now, don’t be like that. My neck’s already on the line—make a move"
Ryzen traced a finger along his neck. "Co on, you have five seconds."
"I beg you, let leav—"
"Four... three... two..." Ryzen continued, not even sparing the Ranger a glance.
The Ranger swallowed hard, then lunged from the shadows, his axe swinging toward Ryzen’s neck with a desperate cry. A smirk flickered across Ryzen’s face.
In an instant, a chain materialized in his hand—ford from nano-particles. He ducked, stepping back and spinning the unique weapon in a fluid arc.
The chain’s end bore a hook—sharp enough to latch onto anything, everything.
"You missed it," Ryzen said, voice low and amused. "Try again. Harder this ti. Don’t disappoint like your friends did."
The Ranger shouted, raising his axe again and charging forward, but Ryzen side-stepped smoothly, In the next breath, the chain lashed around the Ranger’s neck, tightening with brutal precision while he grabbed both ends as if trying choke him to death.
The Ranger’s armor groaned under the tightening force, nano-particles flickering as they scrambled across the surface, trying to assess the damage. But they weren’t responding correctly—repair sequences were failing.
Not because the damage was too severe... but because it wasn’t.
Ryzen wasn’t destroying the suit outrightly. He was crushing it with pressure that the damage remained just below the threshold for full repair. The nano-bots detected the injury, but not as critical. They assud the affected bots were still operational, still salvageable.
It was a flaw—one buried deep in the suit’s core programming from the beggining.
Nano-suits prioritized conserving resources. If damage wasn’t sevre, the suit wouldn’t replace the damaged bots—it would simply reroute power and hold out, assuming the particles could recover. But Ryzen was cramming the bots into a limbo state—neither fully destroyed nor functional.
A fatal weakness. only soone like him would notice... and weaponize.
The Ranger gasped, his axe slipping from his hand as he clawed at the chain, struggling in desperation but to no vail.
"P-Please... have rcy..." he choked out.
"This is rcy," Ryzen whispered, leaning in close. "This world is cage and i am setting you free. You dont have to try, struggle or fight anymore"
Ryzen placed his foot on the Ranger’s spine, pinning him down like a predator toying with prey. The chain tightned around the Ranger’s neck, cutting into the armor as sparks flew. The nano-particles struggled to nd the damage this ti but Ryzen was too powerful.
He roared.
With a vicious pull upward and a crushing press of his boot, the chain cut through Ranger’s armored neck with a sickening crack!
The Ranger’s head tore free from his shoulders, helt covering head and the spinal cord dangled like roots of drying tree.
The body collapsed to the wet ground thud, while blood spreayed on Ryzen’s face.
Ryzen said, "This is a true freedom"
Ryzen retracted his chain, the links slithering back into his armor like a serpent. He bent down, lifting the severed head by the chin. The Ranger’s suit, no longer sustained by life, crumbled into nanodust and scattered into the rain-soaked air.
"A freedom we don’t want, but we need" Ryzen whispered, staring into the lifeless eyes. "Because... you dont have to thank . I did my duty as Fellow human"
Heavy footsteps echoed from both ends of the alley. Eight figures—Rogues and Rangers alike—closed in, weapons drawn, panic barely veiled in their breath.
Ryzen threw the sevred head, as his helt sealed over his face. The chain reford, curling around his arm.
"There he is" one shouted. "d-dancing Devil. lets kill him"
"Here cos the Freedom" Ryzen smiled wickedly.
A few mont later, a young man stepped out from the other end of the alley. Rain dripped from his soaked, purple hair. His white shirt, stained red and clinging to his muscled fra, revealed no sign of injury.
He slipped into the masses outside, just another face in the Lower City’s rain as he gave a final look to the towering structure of the Rangers association of livera.
Then the sirens wailed. Officers poured into the alley, guns raised—only to freeze at the sight.
A pile of mangled bodies. Twisted limbs. Severed heads stacked like discarded dolls in a sick manner.
One officer stumbled back, slipped, and hit the ground hard while his eyes were wide. they knew who’s work it was... He stamred, pointing toward the horror. "I-it’s... the Dancing Devil..."
Ryzen walked ho, his isolated almost abadoned apratnt littred with junk of tal scraps. He pushed the door open lazyly, eyes locked into the room’s darkness.
Ryzen took a seat while music kept playing from the boom box at corner table. The perpel light reflected from his chanicale tattoo like ta-bot on the chest. He was looking at old photo of his father.
A man who smiled back from the fra. The Ranger of Livera and the one who was supposed to be leader but died like Caward at least thats what others says. The man who killed his wife and then himself.
"Dad! this is how you should have saved them" Ryzen was looking at the photo when his AI inside the house ca to life, informing him that soone had just intruded into its system without authorization.
The hologram appread front of screen, the hologram of Albert with smug smile. "There you are, Ryzen son of Steel"
"umm...Who might be you?" Ryzen settled photo on the desk. "Why you are searching for ?"
Albert laughed.
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