The emergency lights inside the Axville Academy compound pulsed crimson, bathing the steel corridors in an eerie glow.
The air stank of ozone and melted circuits—evidence that the security grid had already failed.
Ryuuto jogged alongside Tony Stark, his boots clanging against the floor panels.
Every step echoed with the rhythm of the academy's automated alert: Warning. Thermal signature detected.
[System Notice]
Incoming projectile: Thermal Core Missile.
Time to impact — 47 seconds.
"Forty-seven?" Tony muttered, pulling up his holographic display. "Who the hell fires a tactical-grade missile at a school?"
"Someone who wants a headline," Ryuuto replied dryly. "Or a crater."
He reached into his coat and tapped the silver interface at his wrist. A pulse of energy spread outward as Shion, the system's voice, purred into his mind.
[Shion Online]
Host, the blast radius exceeds five kilometers. You should probably start running.
"Or," Ryuuto said, "I could stop it."
Shion sighed in mock despair.
Statistically, your survival rate is 0.3 percent. Congratulations—you've reached Stark-level recklessness.
"Finally some recognition," he muttered, stepping through the sliding doors to the surface courtyard.
Outside, the night sky glowed orange as the missile's fiery tail ripped through the clouds.
Tony's armor snapped shut around him with a hiss. "I'll intercept it mid-air."
"Negative," Ryuuto said, eyes narrowing. "You can't neutralize a Thermal Core with brute force. The warhead feeds on kinetic energy."
Tony froze mid-launch. "Then what's your plan, Hotshot?"
Ryuuto smiled faintly. "I improvise."
[Skill Activated: Origin Severance Mode]
Energy threshold exceeded—stabilizers disengaged.
Silver tendrils of light wrapped around his arms like living chains, and the ground split beneath his feet.
For a heartbeat, even Tony's suit sensors flickered.
Then Ryuuto vanished—reappearing high above, surrounded by streaks of plasma.
The missile loomed ahead, its thermal coils blazing like a newborn sun.
"Alright, big guy," Ryuuto whispered. "Let's cool you off."
[Sub-Skill Activated: Spectral Fog Technique]
A swirl of frost and shadow erupted around the projectile. The heat bled away, trapped in a cocoon of dimensional mist.
When the explosion finally came, it bloomed soundlessly inside the fog—contained, redirected, harmless.
The shockwave tore the clouds apart, but the academy below stood untouched.
Back on the ground, Tony landed hard beside him. "You're insane."
Ryuuto brushed ash off his coat. "Took you this long to notice?"
Susan sprinted toward them from the command tower, relief etched across her face. "You did it!"
He turned his head slightly, smirking. "We did it."
[Mission Complete]
Reward: 10× Life Potions + System Upgrade Key (Unknown Tier).
"Unknown tier, huh?" Ryuuto murmured. "That never ends well."
[Shion Reply]
Correct. It usually explodes.