Chapter 21: The First Big Bang

The battlefield, once trembling with the fury of the Overlord Machine, now stood still—silent save for the crackling remnants of burning foliage and the distant cries of the wounded. The smoke began to part, revealing two figures locked in a tense standoff: the towering Overlord Machine and a lone old man in a tattered black overcoat.

Ryun.

The machine's hulking frame loomed over him like a demonic titan of war, steam billowing from vents, one of its arms trailing sparks from its previous clash with Marcus. Inside the cockpit, Goat's skeletal fingers twitched with anticipation, his cracked lips pulling into a madman's grin.

"Well, well, well," Goat hissed, his voice echoing through the comms inside the Overlord's metallic chest. "The infamous Ryun... head of the United Shield Authority. You actually came alone? Hah! You must be dumber than I thought."

He leaned forward against the console, eyes gleaming with manic joy. "Once I kill you, your corpse will be the beacon. The head of the great USA falling here will signal the beginning of the age of chaos!"

Outside, Ryun merely raised an eyebrow, hands clasped behind his back like a curious grandfather observing a misbehaving child.

"You're mistaken," Ryun said with a calm, almost amused tone. "I'm just an old man. If I fall, others will take my place. The world doesn't spin on one man's shoulders, no matter how important he may seem."

He smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with power.

"But even so… you are still far too weak to defeat me."

The smile vanished from Goat's face.

"What did you say?!" he snarled.

With a roar, the Overlord's remaining arm cocked back, hydraulic pistons locking into place, preparing a devastating punch aimed directly at Ryun.

"DIE!"

The machine lunged.

But Ryun vanished.

BOOOOOOM!

The punch crashed into the earth, sending up a tidal wave of dust and shattered stone. Trees splintered, and the ground quaked from the impact.

As the dust cleared, Kael and Lira blinked in disbelief.

"W-Where did he go?" Kael whispered, clutching his ribs. Blood trickled from his temple, but his eyes were wide with wonder.

A shadow fell across them.

They looked up—and Ryun stood before them, holding Marcus gently in his arms. A warm, grandfatherly smile graced his face.

"He did well," Ryun said softly. "Now, it's my turn."

He placed Marcus on the ground beside them.

Lira's throat tightened. "Wait, you… You're going back in?"

Ryun winked at her. "Of course. I've only just started my warm-up."

And then he was gone.

A blur of motion. A sonic boom.

The Overlord Machine whirled around just in time to see a blur of black and white appear before its chest.

CRACK!

Ryun's palm drove into the machine's plating with such force the metal dented inward. The entire construct staggered back several meters, its footfalls shaking the earth.

Goat howled inside. "This isn't possible! You're just—!"

Ryun flashed above the machine.

SLAM!

A white blur streaked across the field as Ryun appeared at the machine's shoulder and kicked it with a force that sent its massive frame crashing into a mountain of rubble.

The battle had begun.

Kael's POV

Kael could barely believe his eyes.

What is this power? he thought, watching the old man leap from the machine's head to its side, pummeling it with devastating strikes, each blow cracking reinforced armor like it was glass.

Ryun wasn't just fast. He was transcendent.

Every time the machine retaliated, its attacks met empty air. Ryun blurred and shifted like a ghost, his body always in motion, impossible to pin down.

"He's not even serious," Kael muttered in disbelief. "This is his… warm-up?"

Lira, kneeling beside Marcus, looked on with wide eyes.

"He's like a god…"

The Overlord lashed out again, this time with its remaining fist followed by a barrage of missiles.

Ryun sighed.

With a lazy motion, he raised his hand.

FWOOOM!

A dome of white Prana exploded from his body, neutralizing the missiles midair in a cascade of blue and white sparks.

Then he moved again—appearing at the machine's knee, striking once.

The leg snapped inward.

The Overlord collapsed to one knee.

Goat screamed in frustration. "Enough! Let's see how you like this, old man!"

The massive cannon on the machine's left arm whirred to life, power building in its core.

Ryun's expression shifted for the first time—he frowned.

Then the Overlord swiveled its arm—not at Ryun, but toward Kael, Lira, and Marcus.

Kael's heart froze.

"He's aiming at us!"

"No… No, we won't make it in time!" Lira cried.

The cannon flared bright red, glowing ominously.

Ryun stood still.

"No," he said softly. "You won't."

In a flash, he appeared between them and the cannon.

His hands glowed—bright, searing white, like molten starlight condensed into flesh.

Kael shielded his eyes as the cannon fired.

And then Ryun moved.

He stepped forward, pulled his right arm back, and whispered:

"First Big Bang."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire field became a sea of white.

There was no sound.

Only silence and blinding light.

Time seemed to stop.

Kael's POV

His ears rang.

His vision returned slowly, colors bleeding back into the world.

Before him, the battlefield was no longer recognizable.

Where once stood trees, rocks, and earth, now there was only devastation. Deep craters lined the ground like meteor strikes. The terrain looked as if a god had punched the land itself.

And at the epicenter stood Ryun—cloaked in white flames, unscathed.

The Overlord Machine was gone.

Or rather, it had been annihilated.

Only the cockpit remained—partially buried, cracked, scorched, smoking.

Ryun walked toward it, slow and deliberate.

He raised a hand and tore open the hatch with ease.

Inside…

Goat was dead.

Or more accurately, he had been reduced to a skeleton. Charred bones lay slumped against the pilot chair, armor fused to what remained of his frame.

Ryun's brows knit together.

"This…" he murmured.

He reached inside and retrieved the blackened crown—the same sinister artifact they had fought so hard to prevent falling into enemy hands.

He turned it over in his fingers.

"As I suspected… this isn't the real one," he said. "It's a prototype. A decoy."

The sound of helicopter blades filled the sky.

A fleet of black helicopters marked with the USA insignia descended like a swarm of hornets. They landed with military precision, soldiers immediately fanning out and securing the area.

One helicopter's door slid open.

Elra stepped out, briefcase in hand, her pristine uniform untouched by battle.

She approached Ryun and bowed slightly. "Sir."

Without speaking, Ryun placed the crown into the open case.

Elra snapped it shut.

Behind them, medical teams had begun rushing toward the wounded.

Marcus, still unconscious, was being carefully loaded onto a stretcher.

Kael and Lira were both placed into support beds, paramedics fussing over their wounds.

But their eyes never left Ryun.

The old man stood tall amid the ruin—cloaked in power, surrounded by the aftermath of victory.

And as the helicopters lifted into the air, carrying them back to the city of Virelia, Kael couldn't help but whisper:

"That wasn't just an old man."

Lira nodded slowly.

"That was a monster… on our side."

To be continued…