Suteil sprinted at lightning speed, desperately trying to escape the four adventurers. He dashed backward, weaving between horse carriages, hoping to exit Magenta Forest as fast as possible. He didn't dare look back for even a second—he had always lived by one rule:
Never fight against the unknown.
Just as he thought he had gained enough distance, he crashed into something. The impact was so solid that it left him momentarily dizzy. He stumbled, shaking off the shock before regaining focus.
"What… the hell?" Suteil muttered.
Evo, his AI assistant, responded instantly. "Sir, this is the unidentified substance I mentioned earlier."
Without hesitation, Suteil clenched his fist and delivered a powerful punch to the invisible wall. His full force landed—but the barrier didn't budge an inch.
Great. Now what?
He quickly circled the area, searching for an exit, but realization struck him—he was trapped. Before he could think of a solution, he sensed something approaching at an insane speed.
Turning around, he saw Orim and Mira charging toward him like beasts unleashed.
What is wrong with these monsters? Do they just fight anyone they meet? At this speed, they really want to kill me!
Panic crept in. Think, Suteil, think!
"Black and White… any the Solution great great being," he muttered.
Suteil appeal
Silence damn it. No response from Evo.
"Evo! Give me options. What should I do?"
"Sir, you can generate an atomic wave to brute-force the barrier, but the success rate is 50%. Alternatively, you could fight them and gather enough data to hack through the barrier."
Suteil's eyes widened. "Wait… you can control mana, Evo?"
"Yes, but I still need more experiments to refine it."
Suteil let out a frustrated sigh. "When did my life become so violent? I mean… sure, I wasn't a saint back on Planet Rey, but—damn it!"
As Orim and Mira closed the distance, Suteil took a deep breath and suddenly raised both hands.
Evo whispered, "Sir, you need to fight them."
Suteil smirked. "This is strategy, Evo."
"I surrender! Don't hurt me," he said, raising his voice.
Orim drew a long sword from his ring, while Mira gripped his dagger, pointing it at Suteil's throat.
"Who are you?" Orim demanded.
Suteil maintained a calm expression. "Would you believe me if I said I'm human and not a monster?"
Orim scoffed. "We'll see about that. But for now, we'll detain you and take you to the government attorney."
Suteil narrowed his eyes. "Are you really confident in your ability to take me down?"
Orim laughed. "Hahaha! Big words. The moment you entered that carriage, we were already suspicious of you. Who doesn't recognize the Four Guardians?"
Suteil remained silent.
Orim continued. "There's been an anomaly in Magenta Forest. All the beasts rushed out as if something powerful descended upon this land. As the Guardians, we cannot allow such an anomaly to go unchecked."
Suteil clenched his jaw. Damn it.
He took a deep breath and activated one of his suit's core abilities—Atomic Reconstruction.
Orim's instincts flared. "What the hell is this guy trying to do?"
He slashed his long sword straight at Suteil's head. The blade struck—but instead of slicing through flesh, the sword shattered upon impact, the broken metal bouncing off Suteil's forehead.
Orim's eyes widened in horror.
Suteil had successfully reconstructed his head into solid metal.
Without hesitation, he created a simple sword from midair and reinforced it by reconstructing its atomic structure, making it indestructible. He whispered to Evo, "All things are made of atoms… so why can't I manipulate theirs?"
Evo responded immediately. "The unknown substance surrounding them makes it untouchable. It's like trying to grab fire with your bare hands."
Suteil cursed under his breath. So that means I have to fight them in direct combat?
"Evo, does this world have black powder?"
"I'm not sure, sir, but even if it exists, it won't be enough to defeat them."
Suteil sighed. A genius scientist forced into melee combat… what a joke.
Mira suddenly slashed downward from an absurdly long distance.
What the hell is this idiot doing?
Then, a wave of purple energy surged toward him.
Suteil's instincts screamed. He swiftly sidestepped, and the energy wave shot past him, cutting a 100-meter-long trench into the ground.
Before he could react, Orim closed in with terrifying speed, launching a flurry of attacks, each blow enhanced by that unknown substance.
Suteil barely managed to parry and dodge, his indestructible sword clashing against Orim's brutal strikes. Every impact felt like a mountain crashing down on him.
Evo, progress?!
"80% complete, sir."
"What the hell is taking so long?!"
As his suit's three reactors surged back to life, Suteil activated another ability—Absolute Motion Control.
In an instant, he shifted his body's friction, inertia, and momentum. Twisting midair, he delivered a precise kick to the middle of Orim's leg, forcing the Guardian to stagger.
Taking the opening, he darted behind Mira and swiftly adjusted the atomic vibration of all of Mira's clothes—increasing their weight to several tons while hardening them to the strength of rock.
Mira instantly collapsed, unable to move.
Suteil grabbed Mira's dagger, whispering, "Evo, analyze this he put it inside his mind realm"
Holding Mira as a hostage, he smirked at Orim. "You wouldn't want your teammate to get hurt, would you?"
Orim's expression darkened, his killing intent flaring but the he smile.
Mira vanished.
Suteil's mind froze. "What?!"
Evo's voice echoed in his ear. "Sir, there are traces of dimensional travel. I'm confident he teleported."
"You cheating bastard!" Suteil cursed.
Before he could react, multiple chains wrapped around him.
A transparent box descended from midair, sealing him completely.
Orim smirked. "Finally. Took you long enough."
Lirien and Ralen approached, standing before the trapped Suteil.
"Hey, add more layers to this shield," Orim ordered. "This guy overpowered me in combat and even resisted magic. Who knows what other tricks he has?"
Lirien scoffed. "Relax. This Holy Box is powerful after all we have add holy magic."
Suteil gritted his teeth. These arrogant bastards he think me some evil creature or what.
Ralen inspected Mira's condition, his face twisting in shock. "This… This is impossible."
Everyone turned toward him. "What?"
"Lirien, you said this guy doesn't have mana, right? Then why are there strange rocks forming around Mira's body?"
Lirien frowned. "I assumed he have magic item. Let me check." He touched the hardened material and froze.
"This… isn't a magic item. It's not even a magic creation. It's just…organic rock. But why is it so hard?"
Suteil smirked. Hahaha… Taste that. A special substance I created. You'll need something on par with a laser beam to break it.
Orim glared. "What magic did you use?"
Suteil remained silent.
Orim's expression darkened. "Stay silent, and I'll cut off your hands."
Just then, Evo whispered: "Sir, it's done. I can hack the surrounding mana."
Suteil grinned.
"Evo, make it explode. Not enough to kill them—but enough to knock them out."
"Yes, sir."
In an instant, the entire barrier shook violently. The explosion sent shockwaves through the forest.
Suteil stood up and saw the Four Guardians sprawled on the ground.
"Great," he smirked. "Hostages captured."