Chapter 38: Hellstorm Protocol When Gods Go to War
The abandoned subway station wasn't a battleground anymore.
It was a stormfront.
Electricity roared through the air — blue lightning crackling in violent waves around Elliot, tearing through rusted metal beams, shattering neon signs, and sending loose bolts spinning in the static-laced wind.
The Raijin Protocol wasn't a malfunction.
It was evolving.
Every spark snapping off Elliot's skin didn't just lash out — they coiled around him now, spiraling like living snakes of raw energy. His Boost wasn't just reacting — it was waiting. Hungry.
And standing before him — glowing eyes locked on him like a predator — was Nova.
Her bioluminescent suit flared every time his Boost pulsed, the neon lines down her ribs, waist, and thighs pulsing in sync with Elliot's storm. Even without the feedback loop, their connection was still there — simmering beneath the static, an untamed spark that refused to die.
But Nova wasn't holding back anymore.
She wasn't a partner.
She was a drill sergeant forged in hell.
Her voice was a snarl. "Again, rookie."
Elliot's Boost snapped — a violent crack of lightning lashing out — but this time, he didn't just let it explode.
He reeled it back.
The storm around him didn't lash out blindly — it wrapped around his arms, spiraling up his forearms like glowing chains of thunder.
Kain clapped from the sidelines, his cybernetic hand sparking from residual static. "Ohhh, he's learning."
The System buzzed — glitching so hard now it was practically cackling inside Elliot's head.
---
[New Mission: Master the Hellstorm]
Objective: Unlock your next Raijin ability by pushing your Boost past critical.
Bonus: Don't explode… or shock Nova.
Failure: Neural overload, tunnel collapse, or Nova beating you senseless.
---
Nova didn't wait.
She charged — faster than a bullet — her energy blade flashing violet as she sliced at Elliot's ribs.
His Boost reacted instantly — electricity roaring from his palm in a focused bolt of lightning — Raijin's Arc.
But Nova twisted at the last second — the blast just missing her — and slammed her knee into Elliot's chest.
The force sent him flying into the side of a derailed train car.
The metal caved under the impact.
Elliot coughed, his Boost flaring brighter — the storm inside him raging, furious.
"What the hell was that?!"
Nova didn't blink. "That was me showing mercy."
Kain grinned. "She's being nice, kid."
The System buzzed.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "Pain is just weakness leaving the body… and maybe a few ribs."
— Sun Tzu… or a personal trainer.
---
Elliot groaned. "I hate you, System."
Nova stalked closer. "You're still reacting — not controlling."
Electricity snapped off Elliot's fingers, coiling in the air. "What the hell does that mean?"
Nova raised her blade. "The storm isn't a defense mechanism."
Her glowing eyes narrowed.
"It's a weapon."
The System buzzed again.
---
[Pro Tip: Why be the eye of the storm… when you can be the lightning bolt?]
— Zeus… probably.
---
Elliot growled. "SYSTEM, PLEASE—"
Nova didn't let him finish.
She attacked.
Her blade slashed toward his neck — a violet streak of pure energy — and Elliot's Boost reacted.
But this time, he didn't push the storm out.
He pulled it in.
The blue lightning snapping off his skin coiled inward — spiraling around his arm, forming a glowing spear of thunder crackling at his fingertips.
The electricity didn't explode — it focused.
Tighter. Hotter.
Faster.
Nova's blade collided with the lightning spear.
The impact detonated like a bomb.
A shockwave of neon energy and blue lightning tore through the subway station — shattering nearby glass, sending metal debris flying, and blowing Kain's coat back like he was standing in a hurricane.
The System buzzed.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Lance]
Effect: Forge raw lightning into a spear of pure energy — longer range and more precise than Raijin's Arc.
Cooldown: 7 seconds.
Warning: Unstable — overuse may result in tunnel collapse or spontaneous combustion.
---
Elliot stared at his still-crackling hand. "I… made a weapon?"
Nova flicked dust off her shoulder. "You're finally starting to think like the storm."
Kain whistled. "He's getting dangerous."
The System chimed.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "I am become death, destroyer of vending machines."
— Oppenheimer… kinda.
---
Elliot's eye twitched. "SYSTEM, I SWEAR—"
Nova smirked. "We go again."
Elliot's Boost flared even hotter — the Raijin Protocol crackling louder, brighter, the blue electricity spinning faster around his body.
But before Nova could attack again —
The tunnel rumbled.
Not from Elliot.
From the factions closing in.
The distant roar of hovercraft engines echoed through the subway's broken passageways, plasma rifle clicks bouncing off the walls.
Kain's grin widened. "Looks like the fan clubs found you."
Nova's blade flared. "Chrome Reapers."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Mission: Storm Breaker]
Objective: Defend Nova's hideout from the incoming factions — using the Raijin Protocol.
Bonus: Unlock Raijin's Tempest.
Hidden Reward: Uncover the next stage of your powers.
---
Elliot's Boost roared again — the static storm around him growing brighter, hotter, hungrier.
Nova's suit flickered, her bioluminescent lines pulsing in sync with his energy — the broken feedback loop still alive.
The Chrome Reapers were coming.
And Elliot wasn't just a glitch anymore.
He was a living storm.
And when the enemy arrived —
The Raijin Protocol would be waiting.