Interfering

"What just happened?" The Primers on the scene were stunned at first before coming to their senses. They looked at each other in confusion, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

An ordinary-looking man had just tripped a Primer to the ground? That was something they never thought they'd see! Not only was this man unafraid of offending the Primers, but he had also managed to send one face-first into the dirt!

Although they weren't the ones who had eaten the dirt, it still felt like a slap to their faces, leaving them with mixed emotions.

...

Kael turned around, glancing at the fallen Primer, who still hadn't dared to stand up. "Hey, what does the earth taste like? You seem to have fallen in love with it."

"Y-You!" The leader stood up, furiously wiping the dirt from his face. "That was luck! It won't happen again! Take this!"

"Kill him, Leader Aaron!"

His teammates shouted encouragement, making Aaron even more determined to redeem himself. With a shout, he lowered his body and dashed toward the White Prime.

"Again? Seriously?" Kael muttered with a sigh. Just like before, he sidestepped at the last moment, then casually stepped on Aaron's foot, causing the leader to fall face-first again. "What a lousy move."

"Argh!" Aaron scrambled to his feet, refusing to waste another second eating dirt—it would only make the situation more pathetic. "I'll kill you!"

Like a fool who hadn't learned his lesson, he charged toward Kael a third time. But this time, he remained focused and activated the second mode of his suit's Speed Module. His speed skyrocketed, drawing gasps from the onlookers.

Using this much power just for an ordinary man? Aaron was truly desperate to take Kael down.

However, even with the increased threat, Kael remained unfazed.

If he kept tripping his opponent, he wasn't sure when this would end. It was better to finish it now—cleanly and definitively. More importantly, he needed to make an example of Aaron so the others wouldn't try anything stupid.

Kael glanced at the leader's teammates and saw them reaching for their weapons. If Aaron went down again, they wouldn't tolerate the humiliation any longer—they were ready to tear him apart.

Knowing this, Kael had to act fast. He raised his sniper rifle and aimed at the charging Aaron. At the same time, he reached for his remaining shields and grenades, preparing to deal with Aaron's teammates.

But before he could pull the trigger, something unexpected happened.

A figure landed between them.

"Stop right now," a woman's voice came from within a sleek black Exoskeleton suit. One of her hands clutched the barrel of Kael's sniper rifle, while the other halted Aaron's charge with ease.

Her transparent protective face shield darkened to full black, making her suit look even more streamlined and imposing.

Kael tried to move his sniper away, but the woman's grip was like a vice. He couldn't even budge it an inch.

Meanwhile, Aaron jumped back the moment he noticed the New One logo on her armor.

"Tsk, this is annoying," Aaron muttered, clicking his tongue. As much as he wanted to smash Kael's face in, there was nothing he could do now that the strongest Primer on the scene had personally intervened.

"This is enough," Carina said, standing up straight. With a tap on the side of her helmet, the black shield over her face became transparent, revealing her breathtaking features.

Although the men in the crowd had seen her beauty before, they still found themselves mesmerized every time they laid eyes on her.

Carina's gaze shifted from Aaron to Kael.

"You two have already delayed the closure of this Fissure long enough," she stated. "We need to enter the portal now and end this."

"I'm just playing along with him," Kael said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Playing along?!" Leader Aaron was further offended upon hearing Kael's words. His face had already turned as red as it could. "You are underestimating me!"

"I said enough!" Carina glared at the Leader. "You've already embarrassed yourself enough. You're a disgrace to anyone wearing a suit."

Leader Aaron didn't know what to say. He looked around and saw the Primers staring at him like he was a clown. Even his own teammates didn't dare to meet his gaze.

Finally realizing the depth of his humiliation, he lowered his head and took a couple of steps back.

Seeing this, Carina didn't react. She simply turned to Kael with a serious expression. "You… you're strange. You defeated 2nd-Grade Behemechs on your own, right? That's impossible unless you have a suit."

"Oh?" Kael raised an eyebrow. "Not only are you beautiful, you're also smart."

"I've heard that a lot," Carina replied. "Let me guess—you have an Advanced Shrinking Module to hide your suit, or a nanotech system that can activate instantly? Just to appear normal?"

"No," Kael smiled, his eyes staring intently at her.

She's a beauty… and her body…

Kael's gaze wandered from her face down to her chest. Even though she was wearing a suit, it couldn't completely hide the shape of her curves. Not huge, but he could tell—this was a sleeping tiger.

As his eyes drifted lower to her hips, a black-covered fist stopped just a few centimeters away from his face.

A burst of wind erupted from the punch, startling everyone in the area.

If that punch had landed, Kael's head would have exploded—blood and brain matter splattering everywhere. Yet, he didn't even blink. The smile on his face only widened.

"You're strong," Kael said, raising a hand to push the clenched fist away from him.

"And you're just like every other man," Carina said, her eyes glinting for a moment before returning to normal. "Arrogant just because you know some martial arts. That kind of behavior will get you killed someday."

"Someday? Why not some night?" Kael winked at her.

"Hmph!" Carina shot him a cold stare before walking past him. "Behave yourself. You're not in a suit. Anyone here could kill you with a single punch."

"Let them come. I'm not afraid," Kael replied.

Staying low profile? That's for the weak. If these Primers, wearing their knockoff Exoskeleton Suits, wanted to fight him, he wasn't going to back down. He wasn't even afraid to say his real name.

Carina didn't say another word as she made her way toward the portal.

"Let's go and clear this Fissure!"

Kael's eyes followed her—more specifically, the Half-Aegis she was wearing. Suspicion rose in his mind, but he needed more data to confirm his thoughts.

Suddenly, he felt dozens of glares land on him, the strongest ones coming from the four others wearing the same sleek Half-Aegis.

"It's been a long time since I felt this," Kael muttered with a small smile.