"So, should we swap?" he asked, glancing over at Richard with a smirk that was palpable even through his combat suit’s visor. It was clear that Graves felt a surge of confidence after their narrow victory against Lin Feng and Su Xue.

Richard, checking the integrity of his plasma blade for any damage from the intense battle, couldn’t help but chuckle at Graves’s suggestion. "Swap, huh? And give you all the fun of dancing around with speedsters while I get pummeled by heavy hitters?" he replied, his tone playful yet tinged with the fatigue that comes from facing death head-on.

Despite the jesting, Richard’s eyes were scanning the figures before them. Lin Feng and Su Xue were already on their feet.

"Airstrike would be coming at any moment so braced for impact," Richard warned.

Graves nodded in acknowledgment of Richard’s plan, his expression serious as he mentally prepared for the next phase of their operation.

"As long as it takes those two down for good, I’m all in," he said, adjusting the settings on his suit to maximize his defensive capabilities in anticipation of the airstrike.

Lin Feng made the first move, stomping on the ground, causing it to shake and what followed was biomass spikes erupting from the ground, forcing Graves and Richard to leap into the air to avoid the lethal spikes. Su Xue targeted Richard, launching herself at him with incredible speed, aiming to push him further away and isolate their fight.

Graves, now on his own against Lin Feng, didn’t hesitate. He engaged his thrusters, dodging another wave of biomass spikes and returning fire with his plasma cannon.

Meanwhile, Richard and Su Xue’s battle took a dramatic turn in the sky. Su Xue’s agility was unmatched, her movements a blur as she attempted to outmaneuver Richard. But Richard, leveraging his skills and the predictive capabilities of the suit, allowed him to simply weave and dodge her aggressive attacks. He countered with targeted strikes, aiming to wear her down and force her back.

As they were exchanging a flurry of strikes, Richard found an opening, and he sliced through the midsection of Su Xue, immediately crippling her mobility and combat effectiveness. Su Xue, caught off guard by the sudden and brutal assault, barely had a moment to register the pain before Richard acted again.

Without hesitation, Richard activated his plasma cannon and aimed it directly at Su Xue’s face, the point-blank range leaving no room for escape. The charged energy built up, crackling with lethal intensity, and then with a deafening roar, the plasma cannon discharged. The blast was blindingly bright, and when it cleared, Su Xue was gone, vaporized instantly by the direct hit.

Lin Feng, who was focused on smashing Graves, managed to catch a glimpse of the devastating blast. The moment he saw the aftermath, his heart sank, and a visceral roar of anguish and rage tore from his throat. The sight of Su Xue’s demise, his confidant, his most treasured servant. It was too much.

"I’ll kill you!"

Lin Feng’s body began to convulse and expand, his bulged muscles bulged ever bigger. The air around him crackled with otherworldly energy, a visible aura of power that distorted the space around him. His skin which was already darkened, became even more darker as if absorbing all light that dared to touch it. Veins glowing with an eerie, bioluminescent red snaked across his form, pulsating with every beat of his heart.

He kicked Graves, sending him flying in a great distance before propelling himself towards Richard.

Richard tried blocking Lin Feng’s blade with his plasma blade but the force behind Lin Feng’s demonic strength was overwhelming. The impact resonated with a catastrophic energy, vibrating through Richard’s arms and into the core of his plasma blade. In a heart-stopping moment, the blade’s integrity failed spectacularly. It shattered, sending incandescent shards scattering in every direction.

The shock of the blade’s destruction sent Richard reeling back, his combat suit’s systems blaring alarms and flashing warning lights across his visor. He barely had a moment to register the loss before Lin Feng’s next attack was upon him, a relentless barrage of punches and kicks that left little room for Richard to maneuver or counter. Each strike from Lin Feng felt like being hit by a freight train, the force of his blows magnified by his transformation into a demonic entity. Richard’s suit struggled to dissipate the kinetic energy.

Richard couldn’t get away as much as he wanted, the punches were just too strong for him to do anything meaningful to the suit. Fortunately, Graves came in with a plasma cannon shot from the side, momentarily distracting Lin Feng and providing Richard with a critical opportunity to regain his footing.

He dashed away and headed towards Graves.

"Keep Lin Feng busy, I’m going to replace my suit," Richard said as he opened his inventory and replaced his suit with a new one.

It only took him fifteen seconds to do that, and after doing so, he joined Graves and it was a 2v1 situation again. Graves fired multiple plasma shots to distract Lin Feng, allowing Richard to move in closer for a melee attack. Lin Feng, however, skillfully dodged the plasma shots and countered Richard’s advances with strong, aggressive swings of his blade.

Despite their efforts, Lin Feng’s enhanced strength and speed made it difficult for Graves and Richard to land any significant blows. Lin Feng’s attacks were relentless, forcing Richard and Graves to constantly be on the move to avoid being hit.

Richard attempted several times to strike with his plasma blade, but Lin Feng’s demonic form seemed to shrug off the attacks with ease. Graves continued to provide support with his plasma cannon, trying to find a weak spot in Lin Feng’s defenses but it was not working.

Earlier, they were overwhelming Lin Feng with their strategy, but now it doesn’t seem to work for him anymore.

Lin Feng barrelled towards Graves, catching him with a powerful blow that sent Graves skidding across the battlefield. Richard, seeing Graves in trouble, activated his suit’s thrusters to maximum, propelling himself towards Lin Feng at high speed. He aimed a powerful punch, reinforced by his suit’s kinetic energy amplifiers, directly at Lin Feng’s side. The impact made Lin Feng stagger, but he quickly regained his balance, turning his furious gaze back towards Richard and swatting him like a fly.

After that, Lin Feng smashed Graves into the ground and transformed his arm-blade into a drill. He wanted to get back at Richard, and this person lying in front of him seemed to be a very important person to Richard.

"No!"

Richard screamed as he witnessed Lin Feng preparing to deliver what could be a fatal blow to Graves. But then the awaited airstrike finally came. The first explosion rocked the battlefield, a deafening blast that momentarily distracted Lin Feng. Richard seized the moment, grabbing Lin Feng and using the last of his suit’s energy to propel them both into the air, away from Graves and the impact zone.

Richard glanced back and saw Lin Feng’s health bar decreasing to 60 percent. It’s getting near.