From Bullets To Billions Chapter 633: One Minute

From his spot at the stage's heart, Max stared over the divide and met Aron's gaze. Even across those few meters, his comrade's dire condition stood out clearly. A heavy coat of sweat plastered Aron's face, his breaths ragged and erratic. Max never once bought that it stemmed from a quick sprint here; he knew his companion too well to overlook the markers of a fighter teetering on the edge of blackout amid searing torment.

'Will he truly brush it all aside?' Max wondered, guilt twisting like a vise in his chest. 'Push his battered frame to clash with Ramon in that shape? His wound must explain why he warned of just one minute for me.'

Deep unease gripped Max, his thoughts spinning wildly over what catastrophe in the gym had wrecked the ex-Rank 1 powerhouse so thoroughly. Yet Aron's arrival offered a grim sliver of relief; it proved the rear guard had endured. No surprise foes were pushing up to crush him between Gilt Rats and Black Hounds.

Aron exploded into action before Max could utter a word of dissent or response. No strategy or cue awaited. He charged ahead in a frantic, diving burst that Max took as the sixty-second clock's true launch.

Aron lashed his baton sideways in a vicious, crackling sweep. Ramon, wrapped in his humming exoskeleton, countered with machine-like accuracy. His arm shot up, hydraulics snarling as he slipped the attack by a whisper. A follow-up baton slash hurtled at the scientist's neck, but Ramon stood prepared once more. He unleashed a massive, steel-clad punch to smash the incoming weapon.

Aron battled far from like a beginner. He snapped the baton away pre-impact, harnessing the swing's force to whirl around Ramon's side. In a streak of motion, he shifted position, targeting the armor's rear where protection could prove flimsier.

The exoskeleton still granted Ramon boosted awareness and agility. He twisted into a devastating kick against the side assault. Aron barely vaulted backward in time to evade it. On landing, Max watched him clamp his lower lip fiercely, fresh blood dribbling down his jaw. That piercing bite's agony staved off the looming darkness.

'Aron's carved out this opening for me... I can't waste it,' Max mused, brain churning furiously. 'But what exactly does he intend with that minute to "figure it out"? Expect me to spectate their duel and spot some secret flaw in the suit?'

Max scrapped the notion the instant it surfaced. 'No way. I've tangled with him up close already. Can't mimic Ramon's actions either, since nearly all his prowess is pure exoskeleton power, not technique.'

'So does he mean we team up? Holding back for me to dive in and drop him together in sixty seconds?'

Max deemed that improbable too. Otherwise, Aron would've called for a flanking tactic or synced a signal. Even Max grasped that, battered as they were—himself aching and Aron gravely hurt—they couldn't brute-force past the complete suit. He kept puzzling over the reasoning for that one-minute span.

'He's not banking on some miraculous recovery in sixty seconds. Yeah, I took hits, but nothing that crippled me much. My power remains largely whole, courtesy of the boost.'

More than any strategic shortfall, Max fretted over Aron's well-being. The guy had grated on him early in their path, yet now ranked among Max's rare true allies. Their bond was peculiar, particularly with Aron convinced he was the genuine Max Stern, but the devotion rang true. Aron had exhausted every resource to keep Max alive tonight, even wiring over his life savings to activate the Vow's enhancement.

With the brawl dragging on, Aron turned markedly more guarded. Gone were the bids for a decisive strike; survival consumed him fully, dodging Ramon's crushing blows by razor-thin margins. He pushed his perceptions to their utter limit simply to persist.

A fist hurtled toward Aron’s head, but he swiftly parried it at the wrist, redirecting the momentum, and found himself repeating the block against a low-sweeping leg kick. He kept shifting positions nonstop, avoiding any spot for over a second. In the midst of his dodges, the frightening truth about the full-body exoskeleton hit Aron hard.

Ramon showed no signs of fatigue. Why would he? The exoskeleton handled almost every bit of the strain, supplying kinetic power for each strike and balance for every footfall. The battle felt nearly effortless to Ramon, letting him unleash a furious barrage of rapid assaults that would drain any ordinary fighter dry.

’Can all I really do... is just give Max one minute?’ Aron pondered, his sight starting to blur. ’Can’t I do something else? Can’t I at least damage the suit? Maybe if I just break one of these actuators!’

Aron charged forward, smashing his baton into Ramon’s forearm amid a burst of sparks, yet no damage appeared. Ramon merely crouched low, readying a retaliation.

To offset his waning stamina, Aron executed bolder maneuvers, thrusting the baton ahead. His extension proved perfect to strike Ramon’s chest plate dead-on. Electricity crackled from the baton upon impact, channeling a blast of high-voltage into the armor. However, the charge flowed harmlessly across the chest armor; the power dissipated fully, leaving Ramon utterly unscathed.

The clock was racing away, Aron’s vision fraying at the borders. Doubt crept in whether he’d last the full minute, yet he’d sworn Max sixty seconds and vowed to grant them all.

’Is it because I’m darting around so much, breath held tight against the agony? How much time remains... I’ve lost track...’

At that instant, Aron’s eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment. Dizziness crashed over him like a tidal wave, convincing him he’d collapse on the stage any second. He was certain Ramon would exploit the brief weakness in no time.

Finally prying his eyes open, Aron braced to find himself sprawled in his own blood on the ground. Yet as clarity returned, he saw he had company. Another figure stood beside him, a firm grip steadying his faltering body.

"Thanks for giving me that minute, Aron," Max said, his tone steady and laced with fresh, menacing assurance while propping up his comrade. "That was really all I needed."