Tech Hero in Another World

While Rumi fought desperately against the wicked monk and the red Oni near the altar, on the other side, Ren and his comrades faced a battle no less brutal. Standing before them was a colossal being: the nine-tailed fox, a living legend whose power grew stronger with every passing moment. Its breath alone was enough to conjure storm winds that shook the trees, while every lash of its tails unleashed waves of energy that tore apart the earth and water around the shallow lake.

Ren hovered in midair with his graviton gauntlets, his machine-wings sparking blue as he stabilized his control. Below, Freddy unleashed bursts of plasma projectiles that detonated around the fox's body, yet they left only shallow wounds that were instantly healed by the flow of its spiritual energy. Trek, with his giant frame, slammed the ground with his axe, sending a shockwave that pushed the fox back a little—but it lasted only seconds before the beast roared again with even greater fury.

"This is insane!" Freddy shouted, sweat pouring down his face. "Every time we hit it, the wounds just close up! We're only making it angrier!"

Ren clenched his jaw, his eyes never leaving the fox's movements as he searched for an opening. "If this keeps up, we're finished…" he thought. One option flashed in his mind—the graviton gauntlet's ultimate technique: Breaking Impact. But he knew it wasn't something to be used lightly. Once unleashed, the graviton system would be critically damaged, maybe destroyed completely. That would mean no second chances.

As he hesitated, the fox suddenly swung its tails. Nine massive whips of energy struck the ground at once. Freddy leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding being swallowed by the newly-formed craters. Trek, instead, braced his body against one of the strikes. His Beast Heart's red aura flared wildly as he swung his axe, detonating an explosion of energy that staggered the fox for a brief moment.

"HAHAHA! If this is my end, then let it be on the battlefield!" Trek roared with manic laughter. Blood ran from his mouth, but his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

Ren's chest tightened. He knew they couldn't keep this up. "If I unleash Breaking Impact now… maybe, just maybe, we can open a massive gap." But he also knew: if it failed, not only would the graviton be destroyed, but all of their lives could end right there.

The fox opened its maw. Blinding white light swirled inside its throat, raw energy capable of erasing an entire city from the map. Freddy screamed in panic, "KID! It's charging a big one!"

Ren shot skyward with his graviton gauntlets, the engines on his back roaring like a steel dragon tearing the heavens. Acceleration mode ignited at full power—intense blue flames engulfed his body, leaving a trail of light across the sky. The winds howled, dark clouds above the altar tearing apart as they failed to contain the machine's eruption of energy. From high above, Ren swept his gaze down over the battlefield.

The war zone pulsed like a living thing. Gior, his hands bloodied, continued to pound the drum without faltering—each strike sending out echoes that strengthened Kumara's dance. Kumara herself, at the center of the altar, spun faster and faster. White light whirled from her small frame, transforming into a vortex that drew in clouds, sucking streams of spiritual energy into the altar's circle. Nearby, Rumi stood with a sword dripping black blood, her body swaying yet her gaze unyielding, guarding the altar even though a single misstep might topple her.

Ren clenched his fist inside the cockpit. "If I don't do it now… everyone will die."

Suddenly, Ultro's electronic voice chimed in:

[Master, there is a message from Miss Kumara. The ritual is nearing its climax. You are required to move out of the sealing range.]

Ren froze for a moment. His eyes locked downward—toward the colossal nine-tailed fox, still howling, its body wrapped in a black aura. Each tail moved like a giant whip, striking the earth and carving new craters. Its energy was too vast, too wild, so much so that even the ritual's light was beginning to crack, the seal of the Three Laws trembling as if on the verge of collapse.

"Kumara… you're asking me to leave? Hmph. If I go, then who's going to stop it?" Ren muttered, his hoarse voice mixing with ragged breaths.

As if in answer, the sky suddenly split apart. Pillars of white light erupted from the ground around the altar, forming a nine-pointed formation. From within those pillars, chains of light emerged, clinking like iron though they were no earthly metal. They shot toward the fox, binding its massive body, locking down every tail. The creature's roar shook the earth, split the heavens, and rattled every chest with primal fear.

"The Seal of the Three Laws… it's active!" Gior shouted, blood spilling from his lips, yet his hands never stopped pounding the drum.

But the fox's strength was overwhelming. Every movement strained the chains, causing the pillars of light to tremble, nearly cracking. One by one, black fissures spread along the chains, as if darkness itself could sever the light. If the chains broke, the seal would collapse, and all of their efforts would be wasted.

Ren's gaze fixed on the scene, his breath caught. This was it. The moment he couldn't afford to miss.

"In that case…" he whispered, his fingers tapping Ultro's panel, "I'll be the tenth chain."

The Gravaton engine roared louder than ever. Its core was forced into maximum output, cockpit panels flashing crimson.

[WARNING: SYSTEM CRITICAL – OVERLOAD IMMINENT]

Ren ground his teeth. "Shut up and obey! Breaking Impact—ACTIVATE!!"

The Gravaton armor shuddered violently. Its energy wings spread wide, and the entire machine transformed into a blazing sphere of blue light, shining like a falling star in the night.

Below, the fox screamed in fury, opening its maw and unleashing a colossal sphere of white energy that slammed into the chains, shattering one. A pillar of light wavered, the sound of breaking echoed across the battlefield.

"THEN TAKE THIS—!!!" Ren roared, his body diving like a blue meteor, tearing through storm clouds and lightning.

BOOOOOM!

The meteor of light collided with the fox's white energy sphere, shattering it into fragments of brilliance. Ren's body continued its plunge, the straight streak of blue slamming toward the fox's head. The impact detonated a sonic blast, the earth around the altar heaving like an ocean wave.

The Breaking Impact's azure light fused with the chains of the seal. The faltering pillars blazed again, radiant and unyielding. The glowing chains tightened, pulling harder, forcing the fox down onto its knees. The colossal beast howled, its cry splitting the winds, before its entire body was dragged into the altar's circle.

The sky burst open in blinding white radiance as the pillars surged upward like divine spears, sealing shut above the fox's head. The clash of metal echoed, as though the world itself had locked the creature away.

Inside his armor, Ren's body was hurled back, the machine belching smoke, cockpit panels shattered, every screen going dark. Yet on his face lingered a faint smile. "Finally… got you…"

The altar trembled violently, then fell silent. The chains of light still glowed faintly, holding the beast within the seal. But Ren's body plummeted, the Gravaton shattered to pieces, like a bird of steel stripped of its wings.

"KID!!!" Freddy screamed from below, sprinting with all his strength.

Around them, Kumara collapsed, her small body drained, though light still clung faintly to her. Gior's drumming ceased, his trembling hands hanging limp, blood dripping from his lips as he whispered, "It's done… The Seal of the Three Laws… has succeeded…"

But everyone knew—the price of success had been immense.

---

The nine-tailed fox roared in fury, a cry that shook the skies and pierced the hearts of all who heard it. The white chains coiled tighter and tighter around its body. Each struggle made the pillars quake, but they did not break. Stones of the altar rose, drawn by a strange force, circling and fusing to the beast's form, layering additional seals upon it. The fox's body shrank little by little, as though swallowed again by the earth that had once imprisoned it.

Spiritual detonations echoed, accompanied by bursts of starlike light. One tail after another vanished into radiance, its giant form diminishing further. Everyone could feel the terrifying energy being locked away, forced back into its primordial prison, just as it had been centuries ago.

At last, its final roar bellowed, then faded. The altar circle glowed faintly, and silence fell. Only ragged breaths, battered bodies, and trembling ground remained in the aftermath of the ritual.

Elsewhere, Freddy—who had been holding his breath through the entire process—suddenly looked up as something fell from the sky. A massive crash shook the battlefield, earth splitting to form a crater.

"Kid!" Freddy yelled in panic.

He ran with all his strength, scrambling down the cracked altar stones and across the smoking ground. Reaching the crater, he found the techno armor broken, its plating peeled away, energy wings gone, and engine core belching thick smoke. Amidst the wreckage, Ren lay sprawled, his body coated in dust.

Ren groaned, wincing. "Ugh… damn, my back…" he growled, his voice heavy but alive.

Freddy nearly collapsed from relief. His eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "Oh, holy hell… you're still alive!!" His tone mixed disbelief and joy.

Ren glanced at his friend with a scowl, though a faint weary smile tugged at his lips. "What's with that tone? You think I'd die that easily? Hah… well, luckily I built in a few safeguards for a fall like this."

With effort, he pressed on the Techno Mark II's chest plate, the armor creaking as it disengaged. Metal plating fell away, revealing Ren's battered, bruised body—but he was breathing. His face was smeared with dust, hair a wild mess, yet his eyes still burned with the same unyielding resolve.

Freddy chuckled softly, wiping sweat from his face. "Yep, no mistake calling you kid."

Ren straightened his back with difficulty, exhaling long and hard. "You bet… Besides, I'm not even eighteen yet."

The two laughed faintly, even through their pain. Around them, the battlefield grew quiet. The black clouds that had choked the sky slowly dispersed, replaced by silver moonlight filtering through the fading mist. The glowing chains still shimmered faintly in the distance, a sign that the seal had not yet broken.