NOVEL WEB Chapter 39: – Storm and Sorrow
❖ Renegates' Hideout – Unknown Location
The cold light of industrial lamps bathed the metallic, shadowy chamber.Eliara Myne, her hands chained by an aura-seal, trembled in pain—yet her eyes still burned with fury.
"Let me go...!" she screamed, launching a plasma blast.
Kai Hayashi dodged with a calm smile.
"Hmph… not bad, girl. You've already started replicating my power?"
Eliara panted, drenched in sweat, but defiant.
"Not just replicate..." she muttered."I can improve it."
Kai's grin widened.
"That's what fascinates me about your Human Singularity. You can absorb, use, and evolve any technique—divine, cursed, or primordial. Even Chaos. A wonder... and the perfect weapon for Kairon."
Before she could strike again, Kai flicked his fingers. Aura twisted like invisible serpents, binding her, choking her ability to even breathe freely.
"But you're still raw," he whispered."And like anything raw... you need to be prepared."
Metal doors creaked open behind him. Hant entered, followed by cloaked Renegate members.
"Sorry for the rough treatment, princess," said Hant."But we only want to use the best part of you."
Eliara's eyes widened at the sight of the machine before her.
"What... is that?"
"A refiner," Hant answered.**"We'll extract your blood... channel your Singularity... and turn it into power capsules."**
"It'll hurt," Kai added, flatly.
Screams echoed across the base as the Human Singularity was violently manipulated.The last thing Eliara saw before blacking out... was Ethan's name escaping her lips.
🇺🇸 United States – Concert Grounds
Rain poured.
At the center of a panicked crowd, two figures faced off in the storm.
On one side, Ethan Stormbreak, covered in mud, wielding his twin daggers—Raijin and Arashi.On the other, Zen Kagetsune, the aura-less mercenary dressed in black, smiling like a predator.
"You're strong," Ethan said, panting."Feels like fighting Ryan..."
Zen spun his katana lazily.
"But unlike your friend... I kill."
In a flash, Zen drew the Whispering Death Dagger—an anti-magic weapon that nullified aura techniques with a single touch. Ethan stepped back.
"Two weapons? What, afraid?"
"Efficient." Zen smirked.
Ethan raised his arms, summoning Crimson Lightning from the sky.But Zen calmly drew his cursed katana—
"Leviathan Fang."
With a single slash, he dispersed the lightning like smoke.
Ethan, stunned, tried to channel fragments of Chaos inherited from his father——Nothing.
"Damn it..." he whispered.
Zen vanished from sight. A spinning kick slammed Ethan into a concrete wall.Screams. Cameras trembled.
"I've killed stronger heroes than you," Zen said, walking toward him."But you're fun. Let's warm up."
Bleeding and battered, Ethan smiled.
"But did any of them... have Chaos?"
His aura exploded in black flames and crimson lightning. The ground quaked.Zen blinked, intrigued.
"Fragments... of Chaos. Not bad."
But Zen didn't hesitate. He raised his hand—
—Predator Mode: Absolute.
His skin tore. Muscles expanded. Pupils vanished. Zen became a living weapon.
Ethan could barely track his movements.At 4:58, he was caught—bound by anti-aura chains——and run through the chest by a katana.
"GAAHH!" Blood erupted from his mouth.
Zen raised the blade for the final blow.
That's when they arrived.
"LIV!" Ryan screamed, leading the group: Dante, Ryu, Kane, Abby, Annie—ready to fight.
Liv charged without hesitation. But the battlefield was rigged.
A hidden anti-aura field snapped into place.
Zen appeared behind her——and slit her throat.
"NO!" Ryan cried.
Liv fell.
Dead.
Ryan froze.
His eyes glowed with galaxy-blue light, and his black aura expanded like a tidal wave.
"...You killed... Liv." he whispered.
For the first time—Zen recoiled.
"Kai! Open the portal! This kid... he's not normal!"
The Reversum had awakened.
Ryan surged forward with impossible speed. But before he could reach Zen——a portal swallowed him whole.
Rain fell.
Silence followed.
In the center of the wreckage, Ryan stood—gazing at Liv's body. Then Ethan's.
"Not again..." he murmured.
He screamed.
A scream that shook the world.
🏛️ Hero City – Citadel
"...That tremor..." Inavy looked up at the sky."It can't be."
Nion, within him, spoke gravely:
"He's awakened. The Reversum... is complete."
⚡ Back on the Battlefield
The earth was in ruins. Everyone lay scattered.Annie, wounded, crawled toward Ryan.
"Yan... come back to us... please..."
He floated, eyes closed, within a pulsating aura of black and blue.When he opened his eyes, he gently placed his hand on Ethan's chest——and healed him.
All watched, speechless.
Ryan looked at his friends. Then to the sky.
"Let's go home... and grow stronger."
He covered Liv's body.
🔚 End of Chapter 39 – Storm and Sorrow