Tech Hero in Another World
Chapter 90: [89] Infiltrate (5)

Chapter 90: [89] Infiltrate (5)

Even surrounded by two elite soldiers, Ren moved with precision—twisting, pivoting, sweeping across the ground with an agility that far exceeded what anyone would expect from someone wearing heavy armor. Every step, every strike was calculated; he wasn’t just relying on the armor’s strength, but on the combat experience and instincts he’d honed long before—back in his original world.

Ren landed a quick punch to the spearman’s chest—not to wound, but to create an opening. As the man staggered back, Ren spun and launched a low kick toward the other elite—right at the side of the knee. His movement was a blend of modern martial arts and street fighting: fast, efficient, and brutal when necessary.

CLANG!

A curved blade scraped against Ren’s forearm guard, sending out a shower of sparks and a heavy vibration. But he used the momentum—pulling the attacker’s arm forward and slamming his elbow into the soldier’s helmet.

THWACK!

『Enemy movement system synced. Breathing pattern and reaction timing identified.』

Ren grinned behind the helmet. "Nice. Thanks, Ultro."

With the enemy’s patterns now registering, Ren began forming a counter rhythm. He stepped forward—then stopped suddenly. A feint. The spearman lost his balance just for a second. That was enough.

In that split second, Ren delivered three consecutive blows to the man’s torso and chest, finishing with a short repulsor burst to the helmet that sent the soldier stumbling backward.

But before Ren could rise fully, the twin-blade elite dove in from the side in a spinning motion. Ren ducked low, letting the curved blades sweep over his head, then struck upward at the man’s knee. But this enemy was no ordinary soldier—he flipped back mid-air and landed lightly, like a cat.

"This is getting annoying..." Ren muttered, catching his breath. "Why do all elite units come with ninja reflexes?"

He took a step back, then summoned a small holographic panel from his wrist. Quickly, he rerouted energy—diverting power from boosters to cooling systems and servomotors, boosting his lower body movement speed.

As soon as the adjustment locked in, he launched forward like a bullet.

The spearman had just gotten back up—barely had time to brace before Ren rammed into him, shoulder-first, sending the man crashing into the stone wall with a loud GRRRAAKK!

The other moved in immediately, but Ren was ready. He stomped hard, kicking dust and grit into the air—a blinding flash in his enemy’s eyes. Then he vanished sideways in a deceptive maneuver, one he’d picked up from military simulations and past brawls.

WHAM!

A glowing blue punch slammed into the elite’s helmet with a flash and the ring of metal-on-metal. The man flew backward, hitting the ground hard, his helmet spinning before it clattered to a stop. But he still moved—not down yet.

Ren wasn’t about to give him another chance. In an instant, he raised his right hand—the familiar whummm of the repulsor charged the air just before it climaxed.

—ZRAKK!—

A beam of searing blue shot from his palm, blasting directly into the elite’s chest. The man’s body lifted briefly off the ground, then crashed into a pile of broken stone—motionless.

"And you—" Ren spun, lunging toward the last soldier still standing. In a snap, his armored fingers clamped around the man’s helmet like a steel vice.

"I’m done playing today."

With a vicious heave, Ren slammed the soldier backward—straight into the stone wall. —DRAAGH! A miniature explosion burst from Ren’s back as his jet boosters fired at full thrust, amplifying the impact.

BAM!

The wall shook. Cracks spread around the soldier’s head, and his body slumped to the floor, limp. No movement—completely unconscious.

Ren exhaled slowly, fists clenched, shoulders lowering. His armor hummed softly, residual heat still venting through repulsor lines and jet ports.The arc reactor in his chest gradually dimmed back to a steady glow.

『Two enemies neutralized. Armor stability: 57%. Cooling active.』

Ren looked up at the night sky, exhaling as he shook his head. "Tell me, Ultro... why does it always have to be this dramatic?"

『Because you have no understanding of the phrase "strategic retreat," Master.』

Ren chuckled faintly, fatigue pressing heavy on his muscles. "Touché..." he murmured, leaning briefly against the tower wall. He was just about to step through the main gate when a strange noise cut through the night—not footsteps, not hooves—but a sudden, jarring distortion in the air. Like reality itself had been scratched open.

In a blink, Ren’s body was lifted off the ground—snatched violently by a crushing force that hurled him backward. His armor screamed, stabilization systems going haywire, and before he could fully process it, he was airborne. Spinning. Slammed backward, yanked into the sky with a vertical velocity that tore sand into a vortex below him.

His HUD flickered violently. The entity gripping him now came into full view: a grotesque hybrid of flesh and machine. A twisted, unnatural form. Translucent bat-like wings. Elongated arms ending in metallic claws like warped knives. And a face... no, not a face. A gaping, petal-like maw where a face should be, lined with three rows of interlocking teeth.

"Ultro—what the hell is that?!"

『Warning: Unidentified biological entity detected.』

Ultro’s voice faltered—a rare thing. Proof that this thing wasn’t just out of protocol... it was off the grid entirely.

The creature stared directly into Ren’s helmet—then split its jaw wide open and shrieked straight into his visor.

"GRAAAAH!!"

The scream wasn’t just a sound—it was a frequency. Ren’s HUD flickered violently, the audio resonance disrupting his armor’s internal systems, filling his ears with a piercing tinnitus.

"Ultro—FLARE, now!" Ren choked out.

In a split second, intense white beams burst from the sides of his helmet and shoulders—twin magnesium flares firing in all directions.

The blinding light split the night like artificial lightning, washing over the creature’s face in a wave of white-hot brilliance. It shrieked—a sound that wasn’t human, wasn’t animal, but something twisted in between. Its grip faltered, and Ren broke free, plummeting toward the hard ground below at a speed that promised more than just broken bones.

But his reflexes kicked in faster than gravity. He slammed the control on his right glove, triggering the jet thrusters on his back. With a violent blast, they ignited, cutting through the air with a shockwave as he spiraled backwards—barely avoiding a fatal crash by mere meters.

"Whew... that almost turned me into paste," he muttered, adjusting his body midair as he hovered. His armor hummed hot, the stabilizers working overtime to recover from the brutal impact. He flexed his limbs, steadied his breath, then looked up at the night sky that had just betrayed him.

Up there, the thing that had grabbed him was circling—like a predator eyeing prey it had nearly lost. Its body pulsed with tension, tattered but powerful wings catching the flare’s lingering glow. Its eyes burned a dull red—no pupils, just filtered helllight radiating out.

"Damn it... what the hell are you?" Ren narrowed his eyes behind the visor, switching to thermal and structural analysis mode. "Looks like some kind of misfired mutant zombie. Is this genetic engineering? Or—"

『Warning, Master. Three additional entities detected. Coordinates: overhead—two o’clock, eleven o’clock, and directly above.』

Ren’s eyes widened as the visual radar flared—three more silhouettes rocketed down from the sky, spreading in a synchronized pincer formation. Their wings howled through the air like wind-whistles from the underworld.

"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me..." Ren groaned, spinning backward and kicking his speed boosters to full. "Three more?! This is an aerial fight now? Great... it’s a damn Gundam special episode with a maxed-out budget."

The first creature dove for him, jaw yawning wide like the gates of hell. Ren twisted midair, narrowly dodging the lunge in a motion so acrobatic it bordered on absurd. In that moment, he fired two micro-repulsor shots, burning into the creature’s wing—enough to stagger it.

But no time to celebrate. The other two came in fast—one from the upper right, fangs bared; another from below, claws outstretched. Ren hit his shoulder and thigh counter-thrusters, blasting hard to the left. The thrust shot him sideways, and he immediately spun to unleash a volley of plasma bolts along their intercept paths.

One found its mark—direct hit to the chest. The creature screamed like scalded metal, veering out of control, green energy spilling from a gash in its body. But it wasn’t down. The other kept coming, circling above like a furious wraith. Ren grimaced behind his visor.

"Okay... you flying freaks learn fast," he muttered, twisting midair and ducking between the narrow gaps of two ancient castle towers.

At full speed, Ren circled one of the old towers, flying tight against the stonework. The vibration from his armor suggested near-max velocity; the roar of his thrusters echoed between the stone walls, bouncing sound off the surfaces to disorient enemy tracking.

The mutant bats chased without hesitation—but they didn’t have smart nav systems like Ren. The tight, twisting path turned their speed into a liability. Wide wings clipped the tower edges, one slamming into the stone with a bone-crunching smash.

While the others tried to adjust their angle, Ren made a sharp pivot—cutting hard around a column and slipping into a shadowed edge just outside their direct line of sight. Instantly, he vanished from view. His HUD blinked as it locked on to the flailing enemies, still scanning for him.

"They’re blind in chaos. Time for a little party," he muttered.

His shoulders opened—armor plates shifting to reveal twin mini smart-missile pods. Two slender projectiles hissed out, their glowing red tips igniting as onboard trackers locked onto aerial targets.

The mutants only noticed the threat when it was too late—if they had any warning systems at all. The missiles struck from behind.

Two sharp explosions ripped through the night, igniting the air and shredding the beasts in twin blooms of blue-orange fire.

Fragments of scorched chitin and flesh scattered in the wind, drifting down like ash. Ren didn’t wait. He ascended fast, gaining altitude while scanning the last signature.

One entity left—the first one. Still active, but now circling cautiously, holding a defensive pattern.

"The last one, huh?" Ren raised his right hand, drawing power into the repulsor core. A soft rumble filled the air. Blue light flared bright.

『Master, energy full. Burst Shot mode ready.』

"Perfect." Ren aimed and fired.

The enhanced repulsor shot blazed forward in a tight, blue stream, cutting through the sky like a blade of light. It struck the creature dead-on—ripping through its side and detonating in a swirling flash of greenish light.