"This kind of garbage again? Seriously, you're boring."
Ryuuto squinted as two missiles screamed toward him. Sand surged at his feet, wrapped around both warheads, and slung them straight back at the Steel Patriot's head.
"Return to sender."
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The Patriot's sensors blared warnings. He spun, panicked, and fired twin laser beams to detonate the missiles midair, blowing them into a cloud of black smoke.
He shot Ryuuto a venomous glare, then punched his thrusters and dove into the nearest corporate high-rise, shattering an entire wall of pristine glass.
"You're completely unhinged," Ryuuto muttered. "A full-on public menace. Unforgivable."
He flickered forward with High-Speed Movement—
—but stopped cold when screams erupted from inside.
"No! Please! Don't kill us! We—we regret everything! We swear!"
"I-I just finished my sentence last month! I haven't done anything bad recently!"
Inside the building lay a group of men—shaved heads, tattoos, rough-looking—tied up with chains around their necks, bruised from head to toe. They had clearly been beaten half to death.
When they saw Ryuuto, their eyes lit up with desperate hope.
"Savior! Over here! Help!"
"Shut up! One more noise and I'll tear you all apart and dump your bodies in the ocean!"
The Steel Patriot barked the threat with mechanical fury. The hostages instantly froze, trembling like terrified animals. Their eyes darted away from the armor in pure horror.
The Patriot grabbed one man by the throat, lifting him up casually.
"See this, boy?" he sneered. "These scums are terrorists! I am justice. I am humanity's true defender. Do you dare fight me now?"
"What a lunatic," Ryuuto sighed. "You're speaking nonsense."
He gripped his execution blade and stepped forward—
"STOP! PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!"
The Steel Patriot screamed loud enough to rattle the windows. Something in Ryuuto's movement triggered full panic. The suit tensed, every weapon priming at once.
The hostage in its grip choked violently, face turning purple.
"Help… me…"
"He can't save you!" the Patriot said gleefully. "You're going to die, and he'll watch!"
"What do you want?" Ryuuto asked, cold expression unchanged but mind racing.
"Simple!" The Patriot's speakers crackled with mad excitement. "Swear loyalty to me. Become my right hand. I'll make you a god among humans! We'll wipe out every criminal on Earth! You and I will be the greatest heroes in history!"
He expected Ryuuto to bow.
Instead—
Ryuuto lifted his finger.
And flipped him off.
"You're delusional. Every word you say makes me feel physically ill."
"What!? Why didn't you agree!?"
"You really thought we were the same? You need therapy, not a partner."
"Fine! If I can't have you—WE DIE TOGETHER!"
Shadow Imitation.
In a flash of darkness, Ryuuto's shadow stretched across the floor like a living snake, locking onto the Steel Patriot before it could react. His body jerked, frozen completely.
"Hrk—!"
The hostage dropped like a stone, gasping desperately on the floor.
"Run," Ryuuto ordered. "There's help outside. After today, try actually living like humans."
"Th-thank you! We'll change, we swear!"
Ryuuto formed a shadow clone, which began cutting off the prisoners' restraints with the borrowed execution blade. One by one, they scrambled out of the room like men reborn.
"You ruined my plans AGAIN! Twice! You damned brat—!"
The Patriot shook with fury, struggling against the binding. Electricity sparked across his armor from the strain.
To his shock, Ryuuto then dispelled the Shadow Imitation.
Just let him go.
The Patriot regained full mobility. Ryuuto waved casually.
"Go on. Make a move. I'll follow."
Silence crashed over the room.
The Patriot stared at him.
Ryuuto stared right back.
Ten seconds stretched into eternity.
"Fine! Very fine!" The Patriot's voice cracked with fury. "You're the most arrogant human I've ever met!"
Power surged through the armor. The entire building vibrated. Glass fragments on the floor floated upward as pressure twisted the air itself.
Ryuuto smirked.
"Average. Strength decides everything. And finally… you look like a proper warm-up."
The Steel Patriot lunged.
Ryuuto didn't even blink.