Chapter 262: Go Ahead and Punch Me Already
It hadn't even been two minutes since Steven made his move when he saw a familiar small white horse—no, a certain furious young lady—storming down the corridor toward him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You do realize you've basically told the entire Armorless Union that you're up to something shady, right?!"
Centaurea, the one in charge of surveillance, was completely exasperated.
He had just boldly destroyed all the monitoring devices in Zofia's room.
Wasn't that basically hanging a sign on his back that said, "I'm suspicious, come investigate me"?
And worst of all, she couldn't even cover for him. This kind of situation wasn't something she could smooth over alone, even if she wanted to.
"No worries," Steven replied casually, grinning from ear to ear. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I want them to suspect me? Or better yet, that I'm actually hoping they'll investigate me?"
That easy-going smile on his face made it seem like he was talking about something utterly inconsequential—like picking out lunch.
Centaurea, standing nearby, was stunned speechless.
…This guy seriously might have a few screws loose.
Who in their right mind would want to attract the attention of an assassin syndicate? Did he just skip the day they taught the meaning of the word danger in school?
Centaurea was about to fire off a snarky retort—something about how maybe he needed a psychiatric checkup—but then she remembered the raw power he'd shown earlier that day in the Flame Edge Arena.
…Right. Maybe he really was strong enough to not give a damn.
"So what, you're openly declaring war on the Armorless Union now?"
Her tone was caught somewhere between disbelief and resignation.
If Steven was serious, then there was nothing more she could do to help him.
Everything that happened inside this hospital would get reported up the chain eventually.
Even if she kept quiet, one of her subordinates would blab, and then the fallout wouldn't be his problem alone—she'd be dragged into it too.
Sure, Steven might not mind clashing with the Armorless Union. But she didn't have his kind of firepower.
"Declaring war? Nah," Steven said, shrugging as if the whole thing was no big deal. "They're the ones choosing this path, not me. I never said I was targeting anyone. Whatever they think is their problem."
It's as if to say: I'm just an innocent guy minding my own business. If they want to treat me like an enemy, well… that's on them.
All he'd done, in his mind, was act according to his own sense of what was right. If the Armorless Union insisted on treating him as a threat, well, he could only reluctantly accept that role.
"…So what are you planning to do now?" she asked.
Centaurea had already mentally thrown in the towel.
If he wanted to go pick a fight with the Armorless Union, fine—let him do it. Hell, if he managed to crash the entire organization and bankrupt them, that'd be even better. Maybe she could finally quit this miserable job. That would be amazing.
"What am I planning to do? Simple. If anyone from their side comes looking for trouble, I'll take care of them. One by one. If two come, I'll call it a buy-one-get-one-free special."
He said it so lightly, so cheerfully, that the words made her scalp tingle.
"I'm a nice guy, really," he continued, still smiling that too-relaxed smile. "But I just can't stand people who clearly don't value their lives. If they insist on walking up to me on their own, I'll be happy to send them off to meet god ahead of schedule."
It wasn't just what he said—it was how he said it. That unwavering, dead-serious expression on his face sent a chill straight down her spine.
This man… definitely wasn't the type you could push around. Anyone hoping for some pacifist do-gooder was living in a dream.
"…And what if I get ordered to go against you?" she asked, her voice growing low.
It was a cruel question, and one she really didn't want to ask—but it was also her reality.
After all, she was the Platinum of the Armorless Union. If orders came down from above, she didn't get a say.
Steven blinked once, then flashed that same infuriating grin again.
"Well then," he said, "why don't you just jump ship and come work for me? I guarantee you won't have any problems. Good food, good drinks—and I just so happen to be in the market for a cute receptionist."
Steven rubbed his chin in thought.
Truth be told, he didn't even have a company—let alone a receptionist position to offer. But that wasn't the point. Whether or not something existed had never been the issue. It was always a matter of whether he wanted it to exist.
If he willed it, he could have an elite Stanley-brand fertilizer production base up and running overnight, fully backed by the entire agricultural might of Iberia. Crushing Terra's current food suppliers would be child's play.
And that wasn't even counting the possibility of opening a full-blown arms factory.
In short, if Centaurea ever felt like jumping ship, he had plenty of positions he could put her in on the spot.
"…Is there another option?" she asked. "It's not that I don't want to switch sides, it's just… this isn't something I can decide on a whim."
Centaurea didn't doubt him.
Everything Steven had said up to now, he had delivered on.
But as she'd pointed out, defecting from the Armorless Union wasn't as simple as filing a resignation letter.
Even if she somehow managed to walk away unscathed—what about her family? The people she cared about?
The Armorless Union's influence stretched far and wide. They wouldn't just target her.
And as much as she wanted to trust Steven, she couldn't gamble on the hope that he had thought all of this through.
"…Then there's always the classic fake-fight route," Steven said, spreading his hands with a nonchalant shrug. "Not that it matters whether you go all out or not. I just beat you half to death, and your bosses can't complain anymore, right?"
It was a brutally simple plan. As long as she played along, Steven could easily sell a convincing staged battle.
After all, she couldn't beat him in a real one to begin with.
"Wait, why is the plan immediately me lying in a pool of blood? Do we really need to go that hard for a fake fight?!"
She shot him an incredulous look.
Her voice was full of sarcasm, but deep down she knew—this really was the most realistic solution.
If she fought with everything she had and still lost, what could the higher-ups say?
If you think it's so easy, come do it yourself—that's all she needed to say.
"Relax, I've got a light touch," Steven said, giving her a confident nod. "I won't leave lasting injuries. And I'd never mess up that pretty little face of yours."
But more than reassurance, his tone carried a note of warning.
There was no future in staying with the Armorless Union. Especially not when they'd gone and picked a fight with someone like him.
He had no plans of letting things slide. That organization would be bankrupted, one way or another.
And that so-called General Chamber of Commerce?
Yeah, they were on his hit list too.
"…I'll think about it," Centaurea muttered, tugging the corner of her mouth into something that wasn't quite a smile. "But for now, you'd better be ready. The Armorless Union won't sit still after this. Someone will come knocking."
She hesitated for a moment—then asked the real question that had been nagging her.
"…If you fight, won't that mean you'll be revealing your identity as that knight?"
From her perspective, if Steven really meant to fend off the Armorless Union's assassins, he'd need to use the same abilities he'd shown before.
And that meant revealing who he really was.
"What?" Steven blinked. "Why would I reveal anything? You seriously think that's the only thing I can do?"
Steven raised an eyebrow.
Who told her he needed to use the Rider Belt just to deal with some second-rate gang like the Armorless Union?
He didn't even need to lift a finger. Honestly, if he just let those two "fishes" under his command off the leash, the entire Armorless Union might not even be enough for them to snack on, let alone pose a threat.
His Kamen Rider identity was something he preferred to reserve for the Major. For everyday nuisances? His normal strength was more than enough.
In fact, the idea that people might confuse his dual identity as being two different people had a certain appeal to him.
He was kind of looking forward to it—imagine someone asking him to go hunt down… himself.
Now that would be hilarious.
"…So you're saying," Centaurea frowned, "that even without that strange transformation ability of yours, you're confident you can take on the Armorless Union? Let me warn you up front—sure, the Lazurites aren't that far above me, but Darksteel? That's a whole different league. No one really knows how strong they are."
She wasn't trying to undermine him—just offering fair warning.
As far as she was concerned, there was no way Steven could take on the three Darksteel executives at the top of the Armorless Union without using that eerie devouring power.
Unlike the ever-rotating Lazurite and Platinum ranks, those three had been around since the organization's founding—mysterious, untouchable, and terrifying.
Steven just chuckled.
"The stronger they are, the better," he said with a gleam in his eye. "That would only make it more fun. Don't worry about the fighting stuff. Leave that to me. You just focus on slacking off properly like a good little undercover agent."
He was getting excited, the kind of excitement a gamer would feel when they are finally facing a boss at max difficulty.
Darksteel, huh? Sounded like a challenge worth testing his fists on.
"…Fine, it's your funeral. I've said my piece," Centaurea sighed, her expression weary. "Wanna knock me out? That way, I won't need to participate in this shit-show."
Having come this far, there was no point in pretending she still had a choice. She shot him a tired, exasperated glance, then extended a strange invitation.
Steven blinked at her request—then smirked and walked over.
"Alright, scoot a bit closer to the window."
He helped her position herself, guiding her like a coach setting up the perfect launch angle. Then he flexed his fingers with a soft crack, a pitying expression crossing his face.
"You really should consider bailing," he said. "No future in working for a bunch of has-beens. Especially not ones who've picked a fight with me."
Their eyes met. She held his gaze for a moment, then exhaled quietly.
"…Just hurry up and punch me into vacation."
"You got it!"
With a cheerful response, Steven's fist connected—gently, for him—and Centaurea flew clean out of the window.
She was already unconscious before she hit the ground. Her body hit the grass with a soft thump, rolled twice, and lay still, perfectly posed for a medical leave request.
Steven blew on his knuckles, satisfied.
Yeah… that should get her at least a week off, easy.
<+>
Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 319: Dragging All of Kazimierz Into the Game[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/137761810?collection=55713[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/137761810?collection=55713
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/137761810?collection=55713
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded