From Bullets To Billions Chapter 618: I Will Only Lose Once

Stephen's defeat of Jett in the courtyard accomplished far more than he understood. Though the Ranger couldn't offer much physical help in clearing out the leftover grunts at the moment, since he urgently required stamina recovery time, the impact of his triumph proved essential. It ensured the battlefield's overall situation remained unchanged. The enemy's front line stayed completely halted.

This allowed the Syndicate troops to direct all their focus toward the critical battles unfolding inside the building.

The initial major confrontation within the facility raged in the expansive, open showroom. Na had been positioned there to defend the line, and now he clashed directly with a Gilt Rat grunt donning a high-end Exoskeleton.

Na adjusted his stance and hurled a massive right fist ahead, targeting to rip the grunt's head straight off. Yet the Exoskeleton wearer dodged the deadly blow with ease. Servos whirred as the man smoothly pivoted his feet aside, sliding beneath the hefty arm, and plunged his armored fist into Na's vulnerable ribs.

Despite Na's terrifying superhuman strength and his tough, dense frame built to match that power, such direct strikes still pained him like any other. The mechanical hit still bruised his flesh and jarred his bones.

Even more than the bodily agony, frustration built quickly in Na. He clenched his jaw, fought to disregard the pulsing ache in his flank, and lunged forward with another fierce punch at the Gilt Rat member.

He unleashed two broad, arcing swings, channeling full power from his back. But the massive fists sliced through nothing but air. The Exoskeleton proved far too agile. Finally, Na changed approach, raising his sturdy leg for a powerful front kick.

The boot smashed into the man, yet the grunt easily crossed his mechanical arms to block. He skidded back a bit on the shiny showroom floor, boots screeching, suffering minimal harm from the forceful strike.

"This exoskeleton technology truly is amazing," the man boasted, easing his defense a touch. He rapped the chest armor. "It elevates my innate combat skills to their utmost peak. And my vastly superior speed lets me seize the advantage over you at every turn.

"It's obvious you have some kind of enhanced, unnatural power in those muscles. But raw strength alone can't overcome this exoskeleton. It's the ideal tool against superhuman freaks."

The man smirked confidently from behind his guard. He seemed to utterly dismiss the lethal threat before him, more enamored with his gear than engaged in battle.

This blatant cockiness fueled Na's rage further. It set his blood aflame. Yet, reluctant as he was to concede, Na knew the grunt spoke truth. In his prior underground cage fight against another Exoskeleton user, despite his immense strength, he'd lost. The speed gap had crushed his power.

'Did I truly learn nothing from that shameful defeat?' Na wondered, fists balling hard. 'Will I keep making the same blunders until I'm dead on the ground?'

Amid Na's wandering thoughts, the Gilt Rat member's assurance swelled. The grunt figured it was time to switch from defense to offense.

He dashed across the showroom floor, gathering speed, then leaped skyward for a classic superman punch, coiling his mechanical fist with full hydraulic might.

Na reacted fast, raising both burly arms to shield his face.

He staggered back a heavy step to brace against the immense force, his wide back thudding into a peculiar cube-shaped metal display in the room's center. Spotting the next punch incoming, Na instinctively crouched and twisted his body aside.

The dodge sent the armored fist crashing into the block behind him. The Exoskeleton's power shattered a big, ragged piece from the sturdy metal.

"Haha! You can't touch me at all, can you?" the man cackled, yanking his undamaged fist from the cratered metal. "I see you're well-trained with solid technique. But since I'm just a bit quicker mechanically in every clash, you can't land a thing!"

Na countered the smug jab with a crisp straight punch at the throat. But the man fluidly deflected with his mechanical arms, swatting it aside. Seizing the moment, the Gilt Rat grunt closed in, hopped lightly, and hammered his armored fist savagely into Na's face.

Pain jolted through his solid frame as metal knuckles smashed his jaw. It spun him off balance, forcing him to crash to one knee on the showroom floor.

Na gasped for air, glancing up. The man was already cocking back for a finishing blow straight at his open face.

But the attack was obvious. The fighter trusted only the suit's velocity without varying attacks. Na exploited this, snapping up his hand to intercept perfectly, fingers clamping vise-like around the armored fist. The mechanical limb froze solid.

"I picked up this lesson battling one of your buddies earlier," Na growled, rising steadily from his kneel while crushing the fist. "Every part of me has advanced since that cage fight—bone density, muscle, even grip. I'm way stronger overall. But you're just an average joe depending on batteries, aren't you?"

Na met the man's eyes and saw panic. The grunt flung his free Exoskeleton arm at Na's head to escape.

Instead of dodging or blocking, Na met it squarely. He tensed his neck and rammed his forehead into the oncoming fist.

The skull met metal with a thunderous crash echoing through the showroom. Shockingly, it stung less than anticipated. Even the Gilt Rat was stunned—his powered punch stalled against Na's head.

"As I said, I've improved across the board," Na rumbled lowly and menacingly. "Your suit hasn't!"

Na surged superhuman force through legs and torso. Gripping the pinned arm with his left, he drew back his right for a cataclysmic punch into the Gilt Rat's gut. Armor buckled inward on impact.

He released the hold post-strike. The grunt soared backward from the explosive force, back smashing into the wrecked ornament.

A jagged metal shard impaled his back, shredding Exoskeleton and flesh effortlessly from the launch's momentum. It drove through his chest.

The impaling piece came from the mangled cube—the edge he'd cracked earlier now lethally sharp.

"You won't survive that," Na declared, dropping his fists to eye the fading foe. "Unless you're superhuman yourself."