Wooooong—!

The shockwave rippled outward.

The AI controlling the Evilusroids immediately detected an output issue.

The motors and engines were functioning normally, yet for some reason, they couldn’t generate sufficient power.

Most of the heavily armored Evilusroids—machines built to wield equipment far too heavy for humans—were already half-crippled by this alone.

But the combat AI wasn’t programmed to freeze in moments of crisis.

Instead, it analyzed the situation and adapted instantly, optimizing what it could still do.

[Disarming. Rerouting power.]

The Evilusroids shed their thick armor plating and redirected all available power into their firearms.

Apparently, the enemy had no means to counterattack—or at least that’s what the AI calculated.

Even after shedding their armor, there was no immediate response.

Lighter and more maneuverable, the Evilusroids raised their weapons and fired.

BANG!

Gunpowder ignited, propelling bullets with deadly force.

The rounds struck Mr. Powerful—only to fall harmlessly to the ground.

[Camera malfunction?]
[No errors. Cross-check completed. Kinetic energy loss confirmed.]
[Hypothesis: enemy ability interference.]

It wasn’t that Mr. Powerful’s frail body could withstand bullets.

It was Mr. Rays’ ability—Normalize.

A power that reduced everything in its range to baseline human levels.

Light, sound, bullets, and even machines weren’t exempt.

As a result, the bullets stung like pebbles but caused no real harm.

“Alright. I guess it’s my turn now.”

Stepping past the malfunctioning androids, Mr. Powerful moved forward.

Despite being affected by Rays’ normalization—and despite his naturally fragile-looking body—he didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

And why would he?

His name was Powerful—not because his parents hoped for a stronger child or as some cruel joke.

No.

Among the Four Knights, he was the strongest.

“—I am Legion.”

Nothing appeared to change.

But then Mr. Powerful casually reached out, grabbed the faceplate of a disarmed Evilusroid—

—and ripped it off.

With effortless ease, the machine was torn apart.

Mr. Powerful clicked his tongue, as though disappointed by the lack of resistance, and dusted off his hands.

“Tch. No satisfaction in tearing apart machines.”
“…Focus. Our target—”
“I know, I know. But isn’t it annoying to be doing this under someone else’s orders?”

Grinning, Powerful continued dismantling the Evilusroids one by one.

It shouldn’t have been possible.

Rays’ ability didn’t just weaken their output—it normalized the durability of their armor as well.

So how was he displaying such monstrous strength?

The answer was simple.

Mr. Powerful’s ability—his Legion—was as straightforward as it was terrifying.

He always became stronger than his opponent.

No matter how powerful the enemy was, his strength would match and exceed it.

The effect scaled infinitely.

Whether facing one opponent or a thousand, his power grew proportionally—matching the combined strength of every enemy present and surpassing it.

And right now, because Rays’ Normalize affected every single person in range…

Mr. Powerful’s strength equaled the combined power of 136,000 people.

“—Let’s go.”
“…Yeah.”

This was why War and Conquest—the twin pillars of destruction—were feared as an unstoppable pair.

And why, despite their disinterest in others, they always moved together.

*****

Wooooong—!

The pulse spread through the building.

In the lab, the executives of Evilus stood in confusion, their abilities inexplicably suppressed.

I frantically tapped away at the computer, trying to analyze the phenomenon.

I already had a good guess.

It was likely the ability of Mr. Rays—the same ability I’d heard about when those two visited just days ago.

…Though I hadn’t expected it to be this powerful.

‘Suppression? Does it limit conscious output?’

The combat logs from the Evilusroids suggested otherwise.

Their bullets had been reduced to harmless pellets—barely enough to sting if they hit flesh.

This meant the ability wasn’t just affecting living things; it extended to inanimate objects as well.

Light, air, and sound weren’t impacted—likely because photons themselves carried negligible energy.

Even concentrated beams, like lasers, couldn’t exceed a certain threshold within the normalized zone.

An area-wide suppression field?

I let out a hollow laugh and relayed my findings.

“…It’s impossible to counter this immediately.”
“Is that so? Then that’s fine.”
“…What?”

Before I could finish, Galrm began cracking his knuckles and stood up.

With nothing but ordinary human strength, the massive 2-meter beastman lumbered toward the exit.

Walking seemed difficult, but his steps didn’t falter.

“Wait! Galrm! Where are you going?!”
“Where else? To stop them.”
“But I told you—right now, you can’t—”
“I can only exert normal human strength? Ha! So what?”

Galrm smirked and extended his claws.

“I am Galrm. King of Beasts. I’ve never cared about whether my enemies were strong or weak.”

And more than that—

Galrm turned and looked directly at me.

“Someone needs to buy time, right? Scientist. I’ll stall them—so find a way to stop those bastards.”
“Galrm…”
“And don’t take too long. If you’re late, I might just take them down myself.”

The Beast King left the lab and confronted the two knights.

He traded blows for a few minutes before being sent flying into a wall, bloodied and broken.

One by one, the other executives followed suit.

“Fine! I’m not as tough without my shields, but I’m still a specialist!”
“My abilities should let me keep attacking without being noticed—heehee!”
“Levi-tan’s gotta show off, too~!”

Vira, Six, and Leviathan stepped forward, each slowing the knights by mere moments as they fell.

The S-class executives of Evilus—capable of challenging entire nations—were swatted aside like insects.

Watching this, I turned to Arima, the last one left.

Meeting my gaze, Arima shrugged and smiled.

“I don’t fight losing battles.♠”
“I see. Then guard this place. Aile, you too.”
“W-Wait! Scientist?! Where are you going—?!”

Aile hurried after me, trembling but unwilling to let me go alone.

Did she think I’d already found a solution?

“Scientist?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you… stop them?”

I expected that question.

Pausing for a moment, I tilted my head.

“Who knows?”
“W-WHAT?!”
“Science is all about hypotheses and experiments, Aile. I can’t always be right. If I were, I’d be omnipotent, not a scientist.”

Aile shook violently.

Seeing her terrified face, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I wasn’t worried.

I never gambled on losing battles either.

We stepped out of the elevator, facing the two knights in the distance.

They turned, looking genuinely surprised to see me.

“…You didn’t run away?”
“Why would I?”
“Well, you showed yourself so openly and didn’t use any abilities on the building or helicopters… We kind of have to catch you now.”

From their words, I realized they weren’t acting entirely of their own will.

As ancient guardians bound by duty, they were likely obeying some kind of command.

But that didn’t absolve them.

If I hadn’t come out, they would’ve turned the city into a bloodbath.

I approached them silently.

When I got close enough to touch, Mr. Powerful finally moved—reaching out to grab me.

I lightly swatted his hand aside.

“…Huh?”

His confused murmur was all he managed before I struck his chest.

The blow—delivered through the synthesized power of 4,000 years of Chinese martial arts—sent him flying.

Aile and Rays froze, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Scientist?! Y-You can fight?!”
“Nope.”
“Then what was that—?!”
“I’m wearing a suit.”

I stretched out the fabric under my lab coat, revealing a skintight bodysuit.

A combat suit enhanced with four-dimensional technology.

Controlled by AI, it could replicate pre-programmed martial arts techniques.

As I admired my suit, Mr. Powerful got back up—dusting himself off and looking utterly baffled.

“…How?”
“Hmm?”
“Rays’ Normalize shouldn’t fail. How are you still…?”
“It didn’t fail.”
“Then how?!”
“Do I have to tell you?”
“…No, I suppose not.”

And yet—

Despite seeing their abilities fail, the two didn’t back down.

Like broken robots obeying preset commands, the knights advanced once more.