Ryan disliked playing coy; a tiger was a tiger; overwhelming power crushed all opposition; there was no need for theatrics.
At this point, in this world, few could intimidate him; certainly not Cocoon.
Purple lightning ravaged; the spectacle was secondary; the intense Honkai energy was like an invisible hand strangling them, making breathing difficult; even seasoned assassins felt panicked.
The pink-haired woman gasped, as if using it to fight fear, but her mind was still reeling.
Who... was this?
The appearance was unremarkable, but the power was real; she suspected mind control.
Mind control? Was he their pursuer, creating illusions?
She recalled previous investigations; a companion reacted faster.
Whizz whizz whizz.
Miniature missiles and projectiles launched; a tallic storm descended on Ryan; he rely raised an eyebrow.
The full-power barrage lasted only five seconds; Cocoon's psychological resilience was impressive, but—
What now?
Electricity sliced through the air; bullets and missiles vanished, disintegrated into atoms; there wasn't even a spark.
The mysterious scene created a brief silence, until furious roars erupted.
"It's mind control! Kill him!"
The powered exosuits hissed; under mind control, the Cocoon mbers drew their blades and charged.
"Wait!" The pink-haired woman called out; her exceptional eyesight had noticed the weapons lting; it wasn't an illusion.
But no one listened; the sounds of charging, hissing exosuits, and gunfire rged; the Cocoon mbers attacked like wolves.
"Faced with the incomprehensible, humans prefer to believe what they want to believe."
Ryan looked around; the Cocoon mbers were pushing their exosuits to the limit; their movents were agile; their speed reached 100 ters per second.
Fast, but not fast enough.
He took a step forward; a massive hamr slamd into the ground; rocks scattered; the equipnt smoked from the overload; a hulking figure wielding the hamr swept across.
"Die!"
Thump!
Ryan used a rabbit-style leg-sweep; the figure vanished; a cloud of dust erupted from the cliff a hundred ters away.
One down.
Ryan looked sideways; a small figure had approached silently; a short crossbow was aid at his ribs; he slapped him.
Twisting electricity enveloped the figure; the optical camouflage vanished; only a pair of legs remained; the rest was a crimson sar.
Two down.
Projectiles and blades converged on Ryan's vital points; then, they froze, looking horrified.
An invisible barrier surrounded him; their attacks were ineffective; the scene was incomprehensible.
"Authority changes essence; no wonder Mobius is so obsessed." Ryan was pleased; previously, this would have required significant effort; with their will, mind control would be useless.
He could kill them, but he wouldn't crush them. But now—
Before they could retreat, Ryan gathered lightning into a blade and swept it across.
Swish.
The alloy armor was sliced like tofu; everything was bisected.
One left.
Ryan spun, seeing the last figure charging; he admired her courage and judgnt.
Escape ant death; a valiant counterattack was just as likely to end in death.
Seeing her sprint, Ryan casually tossed a bolt of Honkai energy, which resembled a laser; as she dodged, he threw exploding lightning blades.
Boom!
The blades struck the ground like grenades; but instead of shrapnel, arcs of electricity disintegrated matter at the atomic level.
But the figure suddenly accelerated, brushing past the electricity.
Huh? My perception is off.
Ryan raised an eyebrow; this individual was skilled; she'd feigned weakness, then unleashed her full power; moreover, that hair color was familiar.
The pink-haired woman pushed her body and exosuit to the limit; her final leap was like an arrow aid at Ryan; with a desperate desire to survive, she unleashed a final strike—
Desperate attack; a single, swift strike!
A lightning-fast slash; a dragon's roar echoed; the blade even cut through Ryan's defenses, nearing his neck; then the attacker vanished.
Ryan crouched, feeling the cold blade graze his hair. Cocoon had mistaken him for a destructive mage; but he was—
A martial artist.
His counter-strike, a single, instantaneous attack, was faster; the woman's hope turned to despair; her defenses were open; he could obliterate her with a gesture.
But I can't give up!
Without hesitation, she swung her sword with all her might, only to see a fist.
Bang—Clang—
Half her blade flew into the air, reflecting the fear in her eyes; the fist roared, generating a wind that blew away her mask, revealing a beautiful, cold face.
Before she could react, a sharp pain made her muscles tremble; before her consciousness faded, she heard a final statent.
"It's you."
Ryan exhaled, looking at the girl, her body crackling with electricity; her eyes were wide, her pupils still showing fear and reluctance; only her chest rose and fell.
This was the Fla-Chaser known as [Setsuna]; Ryan hadn't expected to encounter her here. He considered it; her swordsmanship was incredible; without his Authority, he'd likely have been defeated.
She was still human; if she were a fusion warrior, he wouldn't have caught her.
"You're really unlucky, Sakura."
A curse was forming, but Sakura had tried to assassinate i, thwarted by Kevin; her luck was abysmal; she'd encountered him while targeting Vill-V; she'd deserve a beating.
The most troubleso thing was that Sakura was initially one of his planned allies.
"This is my first ti assaulting a Fla-Chaser; Kevin doesn't count." Ryan laid her down; then he called out. "Vill-V, co out."
A small head erged from a hole in the ground—Vill-V; her expression was unlike her previous brashness; she looked calm, almost ordinary.
"I lured them, detonated the ground, creating a false escape; the body in the open space was a decoy; the real you was hidden in the hole. Clever deception; you're a genius trickster."
Ryan spoke with admiration; her deception was on par with his; without his electromagnetic perception, he would have fallen for it.
"Thank you for the complint." Vill-V erged from the tunnel, soaked; her clinging clothes revealed her figure; she extended her hand.
"It's a pleasure to et you, Dr. Ryan."
This was Vill-V's true self; she was adept at manipulating multiple personalities; a skill she possessed before becoming a fusion warrior; this was still an act, lacking the later refined "splitting" effect.
Impressive.
"No wonder you were difficult to track; your multiple personalities would drive any intelligence analyst mad." Ryan leaned down, gently grasping her delicate hand. "Seems I wasted my ti."
"Not really. I could fool them countless tis, but I couldn't escape your pursuit." Vill-V's voice was soft; her expression was blank; she seed...
Slightly withdrawn?
Each Vill-V personality was difficult—brash or deceptive. But the task was complete.
What about Sakura?
Ryan felt a little awkward; she was rely a pawn; killing her was pointless; her potential made her a top-five individual combatant; her identity was the problem.
"You didn't kill her for a specific reason?" Vill-V had noticed the third survivor; she couldn't guess Ryan's intentions.
"Yes, a very specific reason; she can't die."
"Then she can't be left alive; Cocoon will eliminate her."
Ryan paused; Vill-V was right; Cocoon never showed rcy to traitors; even eloquent explanations wouldn't change that. Due to this unexpected encounter, he needed to adapt his plan.
Rescuing Vill-V ant proceeding to phase three; he needed to return to the lab quickly.
He wasn't afraid of exposure, but of Mobius taking advantage; bringing Sakura back would be even more troubleso; he could already imagine Mobius's sarcastic expression.
"Let's leave; continue the plan; Fire Moth will be here soon."
Ryan used Honkai energy to disintegrate the remaining corpses and erase the battle's traces; then, he hoisted Sakura onto his shoulder.
The electric shock had relaxed her body; he destroyed her exosuit; her body was now limp.
Just as he was about to jump into the tunnel, Vill-V stopped him.
"This way."
Ryan paused, then saw a drill erging from the rock; he was stunned.
"The escape through the river was a decoy?"
"Yes. If I waited for them to react, I wouldn't have escaped. I prepared another route; while they pursued underground, I escaped."
"So, your panic was an act?"
"Genuine." Vill-V, walking ahead, turned, a faint smile on her face. "But before deceiving others, you must deceive yourself."
If he weren't carrying Sakura, Ryan would have applauded.
The deception was complex; even his ntal abilities had been deceived; if Cocoon had soone with similar skills, even mind reading wouldn't have helped.
This Vill-V was truly cunning.
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