Chapter 44: Mach Speed Mayhem When Lightning Outruns Death
The subway car wasn't just fast.
It was breaking reality.
Sparks detonated from the wheels as the train tore through the Nexus-9 tunnels, the walls a blur of neon and steel. The air screamed with friction — glowing blue as Elliot poured every volt of his Boost into the rigged circuits, pushing the car beyond its limits.
The Raijin Protocol surged at 380%… then 400%… and climbing.
Electricity roared off Elliot's body — blue lightning spiraling around his arms, coiling through the train's engine, feeding the metal beast as it ripped through the tracks.
The speed was insane.
The train howled past Mach 1.
Then Mach 2.
The tunnel lights exploded as the shockwave followed in its wake — glass shattering behind them, the walls splitting as the storm-fueled car turned into a bullet of raw electricity.
Kain, still gripping a flickering control panel, laughed like a maniac. "We're in a lightning-powered missile! This is glorious!"
Nova, crouched near the back of the car with her stolen plasma rifle, barely kept her balance as the train lurched faster — the neon lines on her bioluminescent suit flaring brighter every time Elliot's Boost snapped.
Her glowing eyes burned into him. "Rookie — you're overloading."
Elliot didn't answer.
He couldn't.
The storm inside him wasn't listening.
The System buzzed — glitching violently, its voice warping between AI guidance and pure meme insanity.
---
[New Mission: Speed Demon — Outrun Death]
Objective: Survive the train hitting Mach speeds without frying yourself.
Bonus: Don't drain your Boost completely.
Failure: Neural burnout… or becoming one with the train.
---
Electricity snapped off Elliot's skin, his storm flaring hotter — the blue glow around him so bright it lit up the entire tunnel like a second sun.
The train hit Mach 3.
The air ripped apart behind them — shockwaves tearing through the walls, pipes bursting from the sheer force of their speed.
Nova's voice was steel. "You're feeding it too much — pull back."
Elliot gritted his teeth — sparks cascading from his fingers, the storm still pouring into the train's circuits. "If I stop — we slow down. If we slow down — we die."
The System buzzed.
---
[Pro Tip: If you can't stop the storm… ride it like hell.]
— Thor… maybe.
---
Kain cackled. "He's riding the lightning!"
But the Ashen Blades weren't done yet.
Two assassins — still clinging to the outside of the train — slammed their plasma katanas into the roof, the glowing blades slicing through metal like butter.
The roof split open — the wind howling through the breach — as the Blades dropped into the car, their visors glowing blood-red.
Nova snapped into action.
Her plasma rifle roared — green bolts tearing through the air — but the Blades were too fast, dodging her shots like shadows in a hurricane.
One assassin swung his katana — a blur of red plasma — straight for Nova's head.
Elliot didn't think.
His Boost reacted.
Blue lightning snarled off his arm — Raijin's Fang forming in an instant — and the electric spear collided with the plasma sword mid-swing.
The impact sent a shockwave through the train car — shattering more glass, sending metal scraps flying — but Elliot didn't budge.
He didn't flinch.
Nova's breath hitched. "You're faster."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Surge]
Effect: Boost reaction time to inhuman levels for 5 seconds.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Bonus: +4 to dodge rolls.
---
Elliot's voice was a snarl. "I'm not just fast."
His Boost roared to 420% — and a second Raijin's Fang flared to life in his other hand.
He was lethal.
He was the storm.
The Ashen Blades didn't back down.
The first assassin lunged — katana flashing — but Elliot's storm moved before his mind did, a bolt of raw lightning lashing out and frying the blade mid-swing.
The sword short-circuited.
The assassin stumbled.
Elliot struck — both lightning spears slicing through the air — and blasted the merc straight through the car wall.
The assassin flew into the tunnel, disappearing into the blur.
Nova blinked. "You just… threw him off the train."
The System buzzed again.
---
[Achievement Unlocked: Thunderstruck Express]
Reward: +3 Combat Reflex.
Penalty: You're now a high-speed murder machine.
---
The Chrome Reapers' hoverbike caught up again — roaring beside the train at breakneck speed — plasma cannons glowing white-hot.
Rend grinned. "Die, spark boy!"
The bike fired — twin plasma bolts screaming toward the train.
Elliot's Boost hit 450%.
The Raijin Protocol roared.
He didn't dodge.
He absorbed the plasma blasts.
The bolts hit his storm — but instead of exploding — they fed the lightning, spiraling into his Boost like a cyclone devouring fuel.
Kain's jaw dropped. "Did you just eat plasma again?!"
Nova gaped. "What the hell are you turning into, rookie?!"
The System buzzed wildly.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Overload]
Effect: Absorb incoming energy attacks and channel the power back into your Boost.
Bonus: Increase Boost output by +50%.
Warning: Overuse may result in total system failure.
---
The train hit Mach 4.
The walls of the tunnel began to bend — the sheer speed warping the metal — the air glowing blue as the storm in Elliot's veins fed the car like a lightning battery.
Nova's glowing suit flared harder — the feedback loop snapping between her and Elliot — the neon lines along her thighs and ribs glitching every time his Boost pulsed.
Her voice was tight. "Rookie — you're burning out."
Elliot's vision blurred — his Boost screaming at 470% — his storm growing too big.
Kain's voice was distant. "Kid — you need to stop."
The System buzzed — flickering like a broken lightbulb.
---
[Critical Alert: Boost Exceeding Safe Limits]
Current Output: 480%
Warning: Imminent neural collapse… or worse.
---
Elliot staggered.
The storm wasn't his anymore.
It was consuming him.
Nova grabbed his arm — static snapping between them — and her voice cut through the storm.
"Elliot — pull it back."
For the first time, the storm hesitated.
Her touch — her voice — cut through the static.
The train hit Mach 5.
The world warped.
And Elliot's storm…
Was seconds away from erupting.