I am a former Flame Chasers

Ryan was tiny compared to the huge ice tornado, but when his fist struck, the resulting shockwave was even more violent.

The triple air rings exploded, accompanied by a raging arc of electricity, like a giant's fist smashing into the roaring tornado head-on.

For a brief moment, there was silence, followed by a deafening roar.

Boom!

The tornado shattered, and the warrior at its center was sent flying backward. The violent wind pressure swept over his head, hurtling toward the distance and blasting a section of the armor plate into a deep dent. The once sturdy armor, which had just withstood the force, now appeared fragile.

Is this... Ryan now?

Kevin's pupils contracted. He hadn't been involved in the previous battle, thinking that he was only a few times stronger than before. Not that he thought he would win, but he believed they could at least have an even fight.

Now, it seemed that this man was on an entirely different level than the last time.

Even if Ryan's starting point was higher than his own, his rate of growth was accelerating far too quickly.

Kevin bounced several times as his back hit the ground, sliding out several dozen meters. He half-crouched, raised his head, and locked eyes with Ryan.

Ryan was surrounded by white smoke and electric arcs, and his leather shoes left deep footprints on the steel floor. Kevin was stunned for a moment. Why did Ryan seem even more fierce than the rumors?

"Since Mei wants me to play the BOSS and let the fusion warriors experience despair, then I'll change my fighting style."

Ryan thought about the purpose of this battle, raised his hand, and casually tore off his windbreaker.

Zing.

The windbreaker was shredded, revealing muscles as hard as steel. He didn't take out the Herrscher of Ice, but instead, raised his foot and stepped forward.

Dong, Dong, Dong.

Each step made the trial field tremble, leaving deep footprints. Ryan in front of him wasn't elegant in the least, but exuded an aura of domination that flattened everything in his path.

When thinking about his current identity—

"Kevin, there's something you should know."

"What?" Kevin tensed his muscles, sensing that this was no longer the friendly sparring match he had imagined.

Countless ice cones appeared behind Ryan, each one charged with electric arcs, forming a dense electromagnetic grid in front of him.

The man at the center clenched his right fist and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Strength is the reason for becoming a king!"

Kevin couldn't even process how powerful this was. Before he could think, nearly a hundred ice cones shot toward him at several times the speed of sound, like thousands of arrows piercing his heart.

He wasn't as cunning as Coleman, but he didn't try to dodge. Instead, he gripped his two guns tightly, gathered his fighting spirit, and braced himself to meet them head-on.

Boom!

The violent collision of energy formed a giant ice ring, scattering in all directions. The force from the Honkai energy that surpassed the power of a normal Herrscher made the entire underground tremble.

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

A giant ice flower bloomed in the center of the two combatants. For a moment, nothing was visible. Kevin, in the middle of the blast, blinked and noticed cracks spreading through the ice.

He's coming from the front!?

Crack.

A pair of black palms tore through the ice like it was steel, coming at him with violent force. Kevin retreated while firing continuously. The blue beams from his guns collided with Ryan's fists, but the blows were too strong, tearing them apart.

There were no tactics here. Ryan pressed forward like an unstoppable beast, and his speed outpaced Kevin's retreat.

In mere seconds, Kevin realized the gap was closing. He threw down his guns, as if wielding the hilt of a sword.

The Ice Sword. The blade made entirely of Honkai energy stretched several meters long, and with a mighty swing, he tried to strike Ryan. This sword had forced back the Seventh Herrscher, but Kevin's eyes twitched.

Without dodging, Ryan charged forward and raised his hands, clamping onto the sword's blade. Despite the force of the strike, it still cut into his left shoulder.

"Ah?? Is it really necessary to fight this hard??"

Kevin was confused. Wasn't this training? Why did it feel like a full-blown battle against a Herrscher?

It was a fluke. He couldn't adjust his movements in time. Just when he was about to crush Ryan's hands, the beast before him surged forward.

Originally, they were of similar size, but now Kevin felt as though Ryan's shadow completely covered him. Just as he prepared to abandon the sword and retreat, he suddenly felt his movements slow down.

Molecular freezing.

The ice power activated, and Ryan pressed his bloody hands against Kevin's shoulders. From the beginning, Ryan hadn't intended to collect data—he just wanted to understand why Kevin had become the savior.

The result? Kevin did have the aura of a protagonist. It couldn't be explained, but at critical moments, he always summoned energy beyond his limits, throwing people off guard.

Just like now, Kevin subconsciously tried to headbutt Ryan, a last-ditch effort to break free from the oppressive force.

What should the boss do when he meets the 'protagonist'? Simple—

"First, never lose momentum. Crush with stronger power."

Bang!!

Headbutt collided with headbutt. Both men's heads tilted back at the same time, and their bodies recoiled. But Ryan did a backflip, landing on his feet, and his knee drove into Kevin's chin with force.

Swish—

Ryan suddenly shot up from the ice mist, hit the ceiling, and bounced back. As he tried to regain his balance, a chill swept over the back of his neck.

Before he could catch his breath, Ryan was already in front of him again. The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, but he didn't seem to care about healing it.

"Second, ignore the routine and never talk nonsense."

Ryan seemed to know that if he responded calmly, he'd lose, so he poured all his strength into his next attack and raised his fists.

Storm attack!

Time slowed in Kevin's eyes as he quickly raised his hand to block, but even that was futile.

Dongdongdongdong...

It sounded like war drums—fists, elbows, knees, whip kicks, and dense attacks that blurred the trajectory, like a violent storm crashing into Kevin's body.

The rain-like barrage rained down on him, and from the outside, all that could be seen were the white tails of air swirling around, followed by several explosive air rings that burst out. The high-speed cameras captured the shadow of the collision.

Kevin managed to block at first and even attempted to counterattack with a kick. But Ryan caught his leg with one hand, spin him in the air like a windmill, and threw him away.

Bang-Bang!!

The first sound was Kevin hitting the wall. Dazed, he instinctively rolled to the side. Moments later, the follow-up flying knee blasted through the alloy wall, leaving a deep pit.

It was serious now. Kevin realized he was just one breath away from defeat—the kind of breath that could turn the tide in the face of despair. This wasn't his fault. Ryan simply didn't give him any chance.

Indestructible cockroach? Bottom force burst?

That was only because the attack hadn't been continuous or violent enough.

Ryan clenched his palm into a claw and slammed it into the wall beside Kevin's head, ignoring the whip kick aimed at his neck. He yanked out an entire armor plate and swept Kevin away like a fly swatter.

Boom.

Another explosion of dust. Ryan didn't even look at it, raising two fingers on his left hand.

Wind King Hammer.

Boom!!

The invisible air hammer crashed down, denting a large portion of the floor. Kevin bent over, his two ice swords crossed above his head. He felt his bones trembling as the pressure mounted. He gritted his teeth, swinging upward, and the iceberg rising from the ground tore through the air hammer.

'We need to find a way to distance ourselves. I can't match him in close combat, but I can't escape either. His attack methods are too diverse.'

Kevin was slightly confused but remained calm. He was being suppressed up close and bombarded from a distance. His only option was to wait for Ryan to tire out.

Yes, this attack frequency is exhausting. It would be better if there was a key to victory.

The tactics were in place, but before Kevin could put them into practice, the iceberg he had summoned for defense and offense shattered into shards. The ten-meter armor plate spun like a chainsaw, crackling with lightning.

This was bad, but the shirtless warrior behind the armor plate was even more terrifying.

"This... Is there any life-and-death grudge between the General Manager and Kevin? Why is he fighting this hard?"

Erwin stared at the high-speed camera footage, feeling the heavy sound reverberating like thunder. Despite being wrapped in heavy armor, he felt a chill down his spine.

If Ryan wanted to, he could tear it all apart in seconds. There was no safety here.

As he glanced at his subordinates grinning, Mei's mouth twitched. She turned to look at Mobius, whose eyes were also twitching.

Bang, bang, bang.

Each heavy blow caused the control room to tremble. The two women exchanged silent glances. Mobius looked at the screen:

Kevin was struck in the stomach by a punch, sending him more than ten meters back. He used the opportunity to stab an ice sword into Ryan's chest, but Ryan showed no sign of pain. In an instant, he leaped onto Kevin's head, clasped his hands together, and slammed Kevin back into the ground.

"Mei, when you three were in school, wouldn't you be like what the book says..."

"Don't say such boring things. This is my fault. I shouldn't have told Ryan that all soldiers should use him as the final practice target. This bastard is addicted to playing." Mei's mouth twitched more visibly now, looking heartbroken but unable to say anything.

With high EQ, this was to establish authority. After everyone had experienced the simulated battle, even if they knew it was generated by actual data, they would probably avoid Ryan in the future.

Low EQ? It was simpler. This bastard just wanted to be the boss in the game and make anyone who challenged him suffer.

"Record the data. And by the way, triple the staff in the psychological counseling room. Many people will need it. Also, recommend him to the team simulation battle."

No one said anything. Everyone was trembling. People like Erwin wanted to slap themselves. Why did they even do a fusion operation for no reason? Were they ready to experience 108 ways to die?

"Do you find it strange? Ryan is obviously much stronger than Kevin, why does he adopt such a quick success and quick profit tactic?" Mobius noticed something was off as she watched. The combined powers of 3500HW of Honkai energy could defeat Kevin quite elegantly.

And shouldn't someone like the General Manager be calm and composed? Why does he look like a war-crazed barbarian?

Boom!!

A loud sound made the control room shake. The experiment leader, Sene, who had been prepared, shouted: "It's over, emergency team, go out immediately, quickly!"

As chaos erupted, Mei regained her composure.

As Mobius had said, Ryan didn't need to be so violent. It gave people the impression that he feared a mistake, but so what?

She looked at the screen, where the man in the middle, holding a flashing thunder sword, stood like a mountain.

The high-temperature white smoke, evaporating from his blood and sweat, clung to his body, and in front of him was Kevin, lying in the pit, shaped like a giant letter.

This General Manager is undoubtedly powerful, but... is he too cautious?