Rise Of Steele

B-Grade Beatdown

LOCATION: RED WINE

Inside the warship of the association, Mysty was slamming her fists against the wall. 

"How is this happening? Why're they losing against one man?" 

She was checking the heat scanners as she saw the fate of her subordinates. 

"Is this the strength of the most wanted man in the cosmos?" 

She had sent waves after waves of hunters to the Black Stallion but the result was the same. 

They were beaten and knocked out with single blows by one man. 

Mysty was unaware of the fact that it wasn't Jackal who was beating up her crew. 

"I guess, I'll just have to go there myself." 

... 

Jackal had a bucket of popcorn in front of him as he and Ming indulged themselves with the sight of a one-sided beatdown. They watched as bodies fly everywhere. 

"Ack, how is he so strong!?" 

"He has the rarest astral color!" 

"But it was white moments ago plus he was a C-Grade hunter!"

The hunters tried to make sense of Ryker's awakened powers but they all failed to get another word or thought in as Ryker bashed their heads with his fists. 

His eyes depicted the bent-up rage and frustration he developed for the association. 

"I'll bring the association to its knees!" 

Ryker was unleashing his fury on the hunters that invaded their ship. Reinforcements came but 

"Captain," Ming said.

"Yes, I sense a powerful energy aboard the cruiser."

Jackal grinned as he stands up with Ming following suit.

"Finally, the showrunner decides to grace us with their presence."

Ryker was facing off against the last wave of the hunters. There were 4 of them and each man was armed with a sword.

"Who's first?" Ryker cracked his knuckles.

The hunters were reluctant to take a step into the lion's den. It was understandable too. They just witnessed that man knock out dozens of their comrades with single blows.

"Tck, they all charged at you in turn. We'll get him at once!" One of the hunters said as they prepared themselves to attack him at the same time.

Ryker raised his guard and took a stance similar to a boxer. "Whenever you're ready."

"Well," One of the hunters said. "Let's attack him already." 

They gritted their teeth and dashed forward with their swords. 

"Take this!" 

Ryker sidestepped the first attacker. "Too slow." 

He grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up with relative ease. 

"Ahhhhh!" The second hunter came swinging his blade from the side. Ryker quickly used the man he picked up as a shield as the blade cut through his chest. 

"What, no!" 

"Your turn." 

Bam! He slammed the slashed hunter against his comrade. 

"Why is this happening!"

"How can one man be so powerful?" 

The two hunters left lost their will to fight and plopped to their knees while dropping their weapons. 

"I don't know how I got this power," Ryker looked at his hands. The black astral skin resonated with every fiber in his being. "It's amazing. I feel..." He clenched his fists and looked over at the pile of bodies he left. "Invincible!" 

"You..." A female voice drenched with spite said. 

Ryker turned in the direction of the familiar voice. 

He clenched his teeth, his astral skin throbs with the beating rage of his heart. 

"Oh my," Said Jackal. "Ming, hand me that popcorn." The android diligently adhered to her captain's request and handed him the bucket of popcorn. 

He leaned against thr wall and poured a handful in his mouth. "This is better than the sequel of the Revengers." He laughs. 

"You!" Ryker shouts with every ounce of fury in him. He points at the woman with long red hair. 

Mysty widened her eyes, it was as if she'd seen a ghost. 

"I-impossible! How're you still alive?" 

"I'm surprised you recognize me." 

She recognized Ryker from the ranks of the hunters that she was ordered to kill. 

"B-but I left you drifting in space, how did you survive!?" 

Nothing was making sense to the A-Grade hunter. Here she was boarding the ship of the enemy thinking that it was Jackal who had beaten all her subordinates yet to her wildest imagination, it was none other than a C-Grade hunter who was nothing short of a ghost. 

"How?" She repeated not choosing to believe what she's seen. 

"I was rescued after you left me for dead, witch." Ryker walked up to her until he stood face to face against her, the woman who killed his comrades and friends. 

Mysty looked past the white-haired man spotting the pile of bodies he had left. 

"That doesn't explain how a weakling like you was able to beat up more than a dozen of my men, they were all B-Grades!" 

"I don't care. Now, it's your turn!" Ryker clenched his Astro gear. He had it with him the entire time but sought no use for it. He used his fist to bash through the heads of the hunters. 

Mysty's body glowed a faint red light. It was her astral skin that had engulfed her. 

"Oh," Jackal uttered. 

"Shouldn't we interfere, captain?" Ming was worried an A-Grade hunter would be too much for Ryker. 

"No," Jackal replied taking another handful of popcorn. "I want to see how this goes. After all, he hasn't  died after touching his modified Astro tech." 

Mysty points her blade at Ryker. 

"I'll show you the power of a true hunter!"