From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 734: Bad Match up

One of the newest additions to the Rangers was making his debut in a major way: Na.

He had been fighting for a long time even before joining a gang, having served in elite special forces units where he received top-tier training and was always considered one of the absolute best. His combat style consisted of heavy, compact strikes. Because his movements were so tightly controlled, they hit their targets far more often than not. There were almost no wild swings for opponents to predict. His technique, his timing among other things was the reason why he was a major force in the Rejected Corps, but there was still one major downside to his approach: his lack of pure speed.

"Big man, you should know by now that this fight is a complete lost cause!" the woman shouted, ducking smoothly under a tight hook.

The swing was devastatingly powerful—even with its short arc, it almost felt like the wind itself was being dragged along with his fist. She had been avoiding the heavy strikes for a while now, she knew how dangerous they were from the first swing.

Holding small specialized darts between her fingers, she lunged inside his guard and slammed one into Na’s side. The sharp tip made a small puncture through his clothes and skin, but she was quick to pull it back and retreat before he could counter.

Whenever it looked like Na was about to charge in and close the gap, she flicked a dart straight at his eyes, forcing him to bring his hand up to protect his face. The moment the point pierced his skin, she yanked the fine line attached to it, twirling out of range to avoid another incoming blow.

This tedious exchange had been going on for a while now, leaving several small puncture wounds and stinging pain scattered all over Na’s body.

"I can tell you have real skill, but you’re just too slow, and your reach isn’t anything special," she taunted. "If you can’t hit me, you’ll never be able to win this fight. You’re eventually going to tire out, and when you do, that’s when I’ll take my opening."

Na knew she was right, and it was deeply frustrating. With the power of his Vow, he only needed one clean hit to finish his opponent off for good. However, it wasn’t just raw speed that was making things difficult—it was how ridiculously flexible and skilled she was. She could read the setup for his compact strikes before he even threw them.

The only game he could play was a war of attrition to see who got tired or made a mistake first. But Na had to wonder: was that really his only option?

Elsewhere, Stephen was locked in his own battle against the woman dressed in office attire. She seemed to hold a massive grudge against him for targeting her the moment the two groups clashed.

Stephen’s Vow granted him unnatural bursts of speed, and with the high-tech exoskeleton powering his arms, combining the two gave him overwhelming physical force.

However, something unexpected was happening. He charged forward, aiming a lightning-fast strike at her stomach, but right before he reached her, a sharp foot snapped up and caught him flush across the face.

The blow threw off his balance, causing his punch to miss entirely. Before he could reset his stance, a barrage of follow-up kicks pelted his head one after another. Stephen tried to push through the assault, but he was repeatedly checked by kicks to the chest, shoulder, and jaw.

Damn it, this is getting really annoying! Stephen cursed internally. If I try to use my speed to rush in and ignore her strikes, she just slips out of the way. But if I try to use my speed to land a precise, heavy hit, her leg reaches me first!

"Your attacks seem rather dangerous," the woman remarked calmly, adjusting her collar. "But it looks like all you really know how to do is throw a punch. My guess is you’re some type of boxer, right? Then you should know that the reach of a leg is far longer than that of a arm."

It was infuriating. Stephen had assumed that with his speed and the upgraded exoskeleton, very few fighters would be able to keep up with him. If he could just land one solid hit, the fight would be over.

Glancing across the courtyard, he spotted Na struggling against his own opponent, unable to land a single decisive strike on the agile assassin.

Seeing this, Stephen immediately formed a new plan. He continued his assault on the office-attired woman, driving her back as she repeatedly kicked to keep him at bay. Reading her rhythm, Stephen stepped back to create space.

"Alright, time to go full force!"

Stephen exploded with every ounce of speed he possessed, rushing forward in a straight line. To his opponent, it looked like an obvious, desperate charge. She leaped out of the way to dodge—which was exactly what Stephen anticipated.

Instead of stopping, Stephen used his momentum to veer straight past her, charging directly toward the female assassin using the darts. Before the woman could react, Stephen wrapped his arms around her from behind, locking her in place.

"Na, now’s your chance!" Stephen yelled.

Na didn’t waste a single second. Pervaded by his superhuman strength, a compact, heavy blow drove straight into her stomach, crushing her internal organs instantly. Before she could even gasp, Na followed up with a devastating strike to the side of her temple. The crushing impact shattered her skull, sending her limp body crashing to the stone floor. She lay completely unmoving, clearly dead.

"Don’t feel bad about them," Na said, his voice cold as he shook out his hand. "These people... I’m pretty sure of it, but they kill for a living. We need to do whatever it takes to win."

Stephen couldn’t agree more. He turned around to face the woman in office attire—and now, with the two of them working together, the momentum was entirely on their side.