Chapter 34: Neon Storms, Sewer Brawls, and the Wrath of Raijin
The Nexus-9 sewer tunnels weren't silent.
They screamed.
Blue lightning snapped off Elliot's skin — arcing between metal pipes, sparking against the bioluminescent fungi coating the walls. Every step he took sent pulses of raw electricity into the damp concrete, making water puddles ripple like the entire underground was alive.
His Neural Boost wasn't at 200% anymore.
It was somewhere beyond.
Because the Raijin Protocol didn't have a limit.
And the storm in Elliot's veins wasn't powering down — it was growing.
Nova sprinted ahead, her bioluminescent suit flaring every time a stray bolt from Elliot's Boost lashed across the air. The glowing lines along her ribs, down her spine, and wrapping around her thighs pulsed in sync with every electric surge Elliot couldn't control.
Every time he sparked — her suit reacted.
Every time she moved — his Boost snapped harder.
And the feedback loop — even though Kain had severed it — was still crawling back to life.
The System buzzed in Elliot's head — but now it wasn't just giving him missions.
It was glitching along with him — its voice flickering between helpful AI, malfunctioning meme generator, and full-blown shitposter.
---
[New Mission: Run Like Hell, Spark Like Heaven]
Objective: Escape through Nexus-9's sewer tunnels without collapsing the underground.
Bonus: Don't electrocute Nova… again.
Failure: Sudden death, citywide blackout, or both.
---
Kain jogged alongside them, his chrome limbs twitching with excitement, the surgical tools on his hand still crackling from Elliot's lingering static. "Kid, you're not a glitch — you're a goddamn thunderstorm in human skin."
Elliot wiped a streak of blood from his mouth, his Boost flaring again. "Yeah? Well, I feel like a battery about to explode."
The System buzzed.
---
[Pro Tip: With great power comes great… electric bills.]
— Uncle Ben, probably.
---
Nova shot Elliot a glare. "Is it always like this?"
Elliot groaned. "It got worse after Kain poked around in my spine."
Kain grinned. "I improved you."
The tunnel rumbled — not from Elliot's Boost this time — but from the sound of the factions closing in behind them.
The Chrome Reapers were first — their gunmetal limbs clanking against the concrete, plasma rifles glowing red. Rend, the hulking Reaper leader, still smoking from Elliot's last EMP blast, roared down the corridor.
"You can't run forever, lightning boy!"
The Spire Syndicate wasn't far behind — silent, lethal, their plasma weapons humming in unison.
And then — the third faction showed up.
The Ashen Blades.
Cybernetic mercenaries wearing sleek, matte-black armor — with glowing red slits where their eyes should be — each one carrying energy katanas humming with vibrating plasma edges.
Nova's jaw clenched. "Oh great — the Blades."
Elliot blinked. "They're new."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Threat Detected: Ashen Blades]
Specialty: High-speed melee combat
Goal: Capture the Raijin Protocol
Fun Fact: They think you're a walking battery worth billions.
---
Nova didn't stop running. "They're not new — they just show up when the price on someone's head gets stupidly high."
Kain chuckled. "Guess who's the stupidly high price now, kid."
Elliot's Boost snapped — a pulse of raw power lashing out and shattering a pipe along the tunnel wall, sending a blast of steam hissing into the air.
Nova twitched as her suit reacted again — the neon lines running down her thighs and hips flaring way too bright.
Her breath hitched. "Stop shocking me!"
"I'M NOT DOING IT ON PURPOSE!"
The System chimed again.
---
[Libido Meter: MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE]
Warning: Neural Boost syncing with other impulses.
Solution: Stop touching Nova. Immediately.
---
Nova glared. "If I glitch out again—"
"BLAME THE SYSTEM!" Elliot roared.
The Ashen Blades lunged.
One merc sprinted ahead — moving at inhuman speed — his plasma katana slicing through the air like a streak of burning light.
Nova blocked the strike with her blade — the two energy weapons screeching against each other in a shower of glowing sparks.
But the second Elliot moved to help —
His Boost flared.
A violent shockwave blasted out of him — sending a bolt of lightning straight into Nova's suit.
Her circuits overloaded — the glowing lines down her waist and thighs pulsing wildly before glitching back up her spine.
Nova arched — a sharp intake of breath escaping her lips — and stumbled back, her suit flickering dangerously.
"ROOKIE—"
Elliot's face went pale. "I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO—"
The System buzzed.
---
[Achievement Unlocked: Accidental Electric Romance]
Reward: +2 Reflex Boost.
Penalty: Nova's undying rage.
---
Kain howled with laughter. "You two are adorable."
Nova's blade hissed. "I'm going to kill him."
But before she could follow through —
Rend and the Chrome Reapers opened fire.
Plasma bolts screamed down the tunnel, burning neon trails into the air.
Elliot's Boost exploded.
Lightning shot from his body — an uncontrolled pulse of raw electricity that detonated the nearest plasma bolt in mid-air.
The resulting shockwave sent the Chrome Reapers and Spire Syndicate mercs flying back — slamming into the tunnel walls, smoking and glitching.
The Ashen Blade in front of Nova staggered — his katana short-circuiting from the blast.
Nova didn't hesitate.
She slashed — slicing her blade across his chest in a flash of glowing violet — and the merc hit the ground, sparking.
Elliot panted — electricity still coiling off his arms. "I… can't control it."
Kain grinned. "Then we need to train you — before you fry the planet."
The System chimed.
---
[New Mission: Master the Raijin Protocol]
Objective: Train with Nova at her secret hideout until you can control your Boost.
Bonus: Unlock your first Raijin ability.
Hidden Reward: Discover the real reason why you're linked to this power.
---
Nova grabbed Elliot's wrist — her suit snapping with another jolt — and yanked him deeper into the tunnel.
Her glowing eyes narrowed. "We train until you stop being a walking EMP. Understand?"
Elliot swallowed. "What if I can't control it?"
Kain laughed. "Then you don't control the storm — you become it."
And behind them — with three factions hunting them through the sewers —
The storm wasn't dying down.
It was just getting started.