"Specter-1, how are you holding up there?" Richard’s voice crackled through the comms, a hint of concern lacing his tone.

"I’m doing well, but my shield integrity is dangerously low. I might have to bail out," Graves replied, his voice strained under the stress of combat.

"Understood, Specter-1," Richard quickly acknowledged Graves’s situation. His focus, however, remained on the formidable opponent in front of him. "I’m engaging Lin Feng, and it looks like he’s still holding up..."

Richard’s gaze was fixed on the thermal signature of Lin Feng, highlighted on his suit’s display. Lin Feng’s figure was outlined with a red glow, indicating the intense heat his body was generating or withstanding.

"He’s tough," Richard muttered to himself, assessing the situation. He knew that Lin Feng’s resilience was beyond ordinary, and this battle was far from over. The thermal imagery showed no signs of weakness or fatigue from Lin Feng, despite the plasma beam he had been struck with—.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As the dust settled, Richard saw Lin Feng’s whole body similar to the ones Graves encountered before, a full-body biomass armor.

"It’s all futile. Your will is weak,

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lin Feng’s laughter echoed through the battlefield, cutting through the noise of combat.

As the dust and smoke began to settle, Richard could see Lin Feng, now clad in what appeared to be a full-body biomass armor. The armor seemed to pulsate with a life of its own.

"It’s all futile. Your will is weak," Lin Feng taunted, his voice distorted slightly by the biomass armor.

"I have taken the full force of what seems to be the best your technology can offer," Lin Feng continued, his tone dripping with arrogance as he advanced toward Richard.

"This guy likes to talk too much," Richard commented under his breath. He is cringing at every word. It’s like he is quoting someone from an anime or light novel. But nevertheless, it was cringe. Truly, a chuunibyou with no social skills.

Richard refocused his attention, pushing aside his annoyance. "Talking won’t save you, Lin Feng. Actions speak louder," he retorted, readying himself for another round of combat.

Lin Feng, unfazed by Richard’s comment, continued his advance. "Words are the prelude to action," he replied cryptically.

Graves, meanwhile, was struggling to maintain his position. The relentless assault from Lin Feng’s associates was taking its toll. "Eagle, I have to pull back now," he reported, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Do what you must, Specter-1. Just stay safe," Richard responded, aware that losing Graves would put him at a significant disadvantage.

As Graves began to retreat, maneuvering his suit to gain distance from the assailants, Richard faced Lin Feng alone.

"Hoh?" Lin Feng mused as his eyes followed Graves’s leaving the battlefield. "Your summon just left you? Why would you allow that? A subordinate must die for its master. That is an absolute rule. Truly, a waste of power."

"I’m not like you who thinks of his subordinates as slaves, just to be ordered around and be done with it. I care for them," Richard scoffed softly.

"Is that so?" Lin Feng tilted his head to the side. "Then how come you sent those special forces to South Korea knowing that they’ll die? You said you care for the lives of your summon but is it just you acting so big while in reality, you are just a coward who hides behind others?"

Richard clenched his fists inside his suit, feeling a surge of anger at Lin Feng’s words. "It’s called strategy, Lin Feng. Something you might not understand in your blind quest for power. Those men knew the risks, and they made their choice for the greater good."

Lin Feng laughed derisively. "Ah, the greater good. Always the excuse of tyrants. You and I are not so different, Richard."

"We are nothing alike!" Richard countered vehemently. "You impose your will on others, I give them a choice. There’s a fundamental difference between us."

"How come there’d be a choice for someone you have summoned? They are programmed to obey you as their master. There is no choice for people like them...though I don’t consider them people," Lin Feng challenged.

Richard gritted his teeth. "You’re wrong. I work with my team, not command them like puppets. They are individuals, not tools."

Lin Feng shrugged nonchalantly. "Believe what you will. In the end, we all use whatever resources we have to achieve our goals. Okay...we have been talking long enough, it’s time that we end this once and for all and see what future will prevail. Is it yours or mine?"

Richard assessed his situation. There’s no way he would win this one-on-one fight. Lin Feng is just ridiculously and stupidly strong. Nevertheless, he activated his plasma blade, ready for the continuation of their confrontation.

Lin Feng was the first to charge forward, and it was quicker than before. In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng closed the distance and delivered an overhead strike with immense force. Richard, reacting swiftly, raised his plasma blade to block the attack. The collision was monumental, creating a shockwave that reverberated around them. The sheer force of Lin Feng’s blow was so great that it forced Richard to kneel, and the ground beneath him cracked in a spiderweb pattern.

"What’s the matter? I only tapped you lightly," Lin Feng said mockingly.

Richard, struggling under the immense force of Lin Feng’s attack, knew he had to change his strategy. He couldn’t match Lin Feng’s raw power in a straight-up melee. With a surge of determination, Richard quickly activated another feature of his suit.

"Let’s see how you handle this," Richard growled through gritted teeth. He triggered the suit’s chest-mounted plasma cannon. A whirring sound filled the air as the cannon charged up, drawing power from the suit’s core. The air around Richard shimmered with the gathering energy, creating a halo of light that intensified by the second.

Lin Feng, realizing the impending danger, momentarily paused his assault, eyeing the charging weapon warily. However, his confident smirk did not waver. "Impressive, but futile," he declared, almost dismissively.

Richard didn’t respond. Instead, he focused all his concentration on the cannon. When it reached full charge, he unleashed a massive ray of plasma directly at Lin Feng. The beam shot out with tremendous force, its bright light momentarily blinding. The ground beneath Richard’s feet cracked further as the force pushed him back, even as he kneeled.

The plasma beam carved a path of destruction in its wake. The road melted and bubbled, creating concave grooves that glowed with residual heat. Anything close to the path of the beam was instantly vaporized, leaving a trail of molten destruction.

Lin Feng, caught in the path of the beam, was sent flying backward by the sheer force. His biomass armor glowed red-hot as it absorbed and dissipated the energy, but the impact was undeniable. He skidded along the ground, tearing up concrete and leaving a trail of scorched earth.

And he saw his health bar. It’s about sixty percent. He really did some damage to him.