Each shot ricocheted violently against concrete walls, multiplying into a deafening chorus.
The stench of burned gunpowder mixed with the foul smell of stagnant underground water.
Overhead lights flickered erratically—
buzzing, stuttering, threatening to die at any moment.
Theer, clad in the Hope Cheetar armor, moved at the front.
Blue energy pulsed faintly along the suit’s panels.
Behind him, Dr. Amporn clutched an equipment bag tightly.
At the rear, Ray walked in silence—his posture relaxed, yet coiled like a spring ready to snap.
From deep within the tunnel—
“HELP!!! THEY’RE GOING TO KILL ME!!!”
Tatt’s scream tore through the darkness.
Theer instinctively lunged forward—
But Ray shot out an arm, stopping him.
“Easy, Theer,” Ray said calmly.
“It’s a trap. Has to be.”
Theer nodded, forcing himself to slow down.
His fist tightened.
Electric arcs flickered around his gauntlet.
Heavy footsteps emerged from the shadows.
Slow.
Measured.
Confident.
Then—
one by one—
red lights ignited in the darkness.
Helmet visors.
Eight figures stepped forward.
Massive men clad in hardened black armor, crude yet terrifying.
Unstable mid-grade mineral veins glowed sickly green along their arms and torsos.
Energy leaked from their joints in thin, smoking wisps.
Their leader’s voice rasped through a distorted speaker.
“There they are…
Take all of them.”
The Black Fang mercenaries spread out into a half-circle, encircling Theer, Dr. Amporn, and Ray.
The leader charged first.
Too fast for a normal human—
three, maybe four times faster.
Theer raised his guard, recalling every drill Dr. Amporn had burned into him.
He focused.
Pulled energy into his right arm.
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[Energy Surge — ACTIVE]
Electricity wrapped around his fist, crackling violently.
A sharp hiss filled the air.
“Electric Punch!”
BOOM!!!
Theer’s fist slammed into the mercenary’s chest.
Lightning exploded outward in a blinding flash.
The man was launched backward, smashing into the wall hard enough to crack concrete—
unconscious instantly.
Dr. Amporn’s eyes widened.
“Excellent, Theer!”
But the others didn’t flinch.
Mid-grade mineral reinforcement made them far tougher than ordinary men.
Another Black Fang rushed in from the right.
Theer spun—
counterpunched—
CRACK!!
The blow landed on the man’s shoulder.
Electricity surged.
The mercenary screamed and staggered back—
but stayed standing.
That single second of imbalance was enough.
The leader was already there.
He grabbed Theer’s arm and twisted.
“Kid,” the leader snarled,
“if you don’t know how to use minerals—
stay out of this world!”
Theer struggled.
But the enhanced strength of a mineral-infused mercenary was overwhelming.
He was slammed into the ground.
The impact rattled his helmet.
The situation turned grim.
Then—
—vanish.
Ray was simply gone.
As if someone had switched him off.
The leader froze.
“Where the hell did he—!?”
THUD!!
Ray dropped from the ceiling.
His heel smashed into the back of two mercenaries’ necks simultaneously—
silent.
Precise.
One collapsed instantly.
The other stumbled—straight into a steel pillar.
Ray twisted mid-air.
A nano-wire shot from his wrist, snaring another mercenary’s legs.
A sharp pull—
The man flipped headfirst into the floor.
Out cold.
Theer stared.
Dr. Amporn stared.
It was like watching a Hollywood stuntman—
except faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Black Fang tried to swarm him.
They failed.
Ray flowed through the battlefield:
Bullets missed him by centimeters as he ducked and rolled.
He wall-jumped twice, changing direction mid-air.
Wrapped his legs around an enemy’s neck and flipped him flat.
Slashed power weapons with a short blade—causing them to overload and shock their users.
Less than ten seconds passed.
Only one enemy remained.
The leader.
He dragged Tatt forward, locking him in place, a blade pressed against his throat.
“One more step,” the leader barked,
“and he dies.”
Ray stopped.
Slowly raised his hands.
Theer clenched his teeth.
Electricity surged again around his arm—
But he hesitated.
The leader laughed.
“Good… blue boy. Don’t you dare—”
Ray spoke softly.
“Turn around.”
The leader frowned.
“…What?”
Ray smiled.
“Go on. Turn around.”
Against his better judgment, the leader glanced behind him—
And saw the nano-wire already wrapped tightly around his ankle.
Ray yanked.
Hard.
The leader crashed to the ground.
Tatt broke free.
Theer rushed forward and caught him before he collapsed.
Ray dusted off his jacket.
Not even breathing hard.
As Dr. Amporn helped support the weakened Tatt,
Theer stood still, chest rising and falling.
The tunnel lights flickered violently.
Then—
A red glow ignited at the far end of the tunnel.
Heavy footsteps approached.
THUD…
THUD…
THUD…
Dr. Amporn froze.
His face drained of color.
“No…,” he whispered.
“Not now…”
Theer turned.
A towering figure emerged from the darkness.
Black-and-red armor.
A predatory silhouette.
Death Cheetar.
Marcus.
Dark energy leaked from his armor like black smoke.
Red eyes burned within the helmet—scanning, analyzing.
Theer’s heart pounded.
This was the man who seized his father’s company.
The man who shattered his life after the accident that took everything.
And yet—
The truth about his father’s death remained unanswered.
Electricity surged across Hope Cheetar’s armor.
Not from revenge.
But from instinct.
This was the most dangerous enemy in the world.
Marcus stopped ten meters away.
He raised the Death Cheetar spear, pointing it directly at Theer.
“At last…” Marcus said, his voice cold and deep.
“I finally meet his heir.”
Theer clenched his fists.
“…What do you want from me?”
Marcus’s smile was hidden behind metal—but unmistakable.
“To see,” he replied,
“how great Hope Cheetar can truly become.”
Theer stepped forward.
Lightning danced across his armor.
Marcus took one step.
Dark energy exploded outward like the breath of a beast.
Two forces.
Opposite.
Facing each other for the first time.
Cut to Black.