The Hellion dropship touched down, its side hatches hissing open as armored troops poured out. Their weapons glowed with high-energy rounds, their visor displays scanning for targets.
But Ryo was already moving.
Straight at them.
The First Strike
The first Hellion trooper raised his rifle.
Too slow.
Ryo ducked under the shot, closing the distance in a blink.
> [ENEMY REACTION TIME: INSUFFICIENT.]
His fist slammed into the trooper's chest.
Armor buckled. Ribs cracked.
The man flew back, smashing into his squadmates.
Gunfire erupted.
Vos opened fire from the high ground, taking out two soldiers with clean headshots.
Krieg charged through the side flank, wielding a Hellion shock baton like a warhammer.
> CRACK—A soldier's helmet caved in.
Serra's voice cut through the comms. "Ryo, I need thirty more seconds to finish the data upload!"
Ryo gritted his teeth.
Then he went to work.
Unstoppable Force
A second wave of troops closed in, firing in bursts.
Ryo's system processed the trajectories instantly.
> [GEARBOUND REFLEXES: FULL SYNC.]
He weaved through the bullets, his body a blur of motion.
One soldier tried to stab him with a plasma bayonet.
Ryo caught the blade mid-air—
And shoved it straight into another trooper's neck.
Blood and energy sparks flashed across his visor.
Karin tossed a grenade into a cluster of enemies.
BOOM.
> Three soldiers down.
Vos yelled. "Heavy unit incoming!"
Ryo looked up—
A Hellion exo-suit dropped from the second ship.
Twelve feet of reinforced plating. A rotary cannon spun to life on its arm.
The pilot's voice boomed over the battlefield.
> "TARGET ACQUIRED. TERMINATE IRONBORN."
Monster vs. Machine
Ryo's smile widened.
> "Ohhh, now this is gonna be fun."
The exo-suit fired.
Ryo charged straight at it.
Bullets tore through the air—
Ryo dodged between them, moving faster than the pilot could compensate.
The suit swung a massive metal fist—
Ryo slid under it, driving both fists into the joint plating on its knee.
CRUNCH.
The exo-suit stumbled.
The pilot cursed. "What the hell—?!"
Ryo leapt onto the machine's back, gripping its exposed servo cables.
Then he ripped them out.
The exo-suit twitched, spasming.
Ryo grabbed the pilot's hatch release—
And tore it open.
The pilot's eyes went wide.
Ryo grabbed him by the collar.
And threw him out.
Turning the Tide
The remaining Hellion troops hesitated.
One of them muttered, "That's not possible…"
They were watching him now.
Not as a target.
But as a monster.
Ryo stood atop the now-disabled exo-suit, bloodied and grinning.
He turned to the last Hellion squad.
> "Run."
They did.
Victory & Consequences
Serra's voice crackled in. "We've got the data! Let's move!"
Karin yanked the detonator off her belt. "Leaving a present."
She pressed the trigger.
The relay station exploded, Hellion's communications burning to ash.
The resistance raced toward their stolen transport.
As they sped off, Ryo looked back at the destruction.
Hellion had sent a kill squad.
And they had failed.
> [QUEST COMPLETE: DISRUPT HELLION COMMS.]
[REWARDS: 5,000 XP, Tactical Cloak Blueprint, Reputation Gain: The Iron Rebellion.]
Serra smirked. "You wanted them to know who did this?"
She gestured to the flaming wreckage.
> "I think they got the message."
Ryo watched the burning Hellion insignia.
His war had begun.
And now?
Hellion would be coming for him.