Chapter 79: The Storm’s Reckoning When Raijin Prime Falls and Lightning Unleashes Hell
The Spire Syndicate HQ loomed like a black monolith in the heart of Nexus-9 — a towering skyscraper wrapped in glowing red circuits, its spires crackling with artificial energy like a mockery of a storm.
But tonight…
The real storm was coming.
Inside the Stormchaser, the air was charged — not with music or memes — but with the raw, unfiltered rage of a storm about to break.
Elliot's Boost roared at 430% — the Raijin Protocol a caged hurricane beneath his skin — every arc of blue lightning snapping louder than the plasma engines beneath them.
But his mind wasn't on the live stream.
Or the fans.
Or Thundaddy's chaotic commentary.
It was on one thing.
Raijin Prime.
The first storm.
The origin of the Protocol that had turned him into this… weapon.
The name had echoed through the burning ruins of Black Dawn's lab — a taunt, a threat — and now, Elliot wasn't just chasing answers.
He was hunting a storm.
And he wasn't leaving without ripping it apart.
---
"MISSION LOCKED: RAIJIN HUNT — TERMINATE PRIME"
Primary Objective: Neutralize Raijin Prime.
Secondary Objective: Destroy all remnants of the Raijin Project.
Threat Level: Maximum.
Pro Tip: When storms clash… only one survives.
---
The Stormchaser skidded to a stop two blocks from the Spire HQ — its plasma core whining from the pressure of Elliot's Boost affecting the surrounding circuits.
Nova's suit flared with white-hot static — the feedback loop to Elliot's storm pulsing dangerously now, like an electric chain linking them together.
"We hit the server room first," Nova said, eyes locked on the building. "We pull Prime's core and fry whatever's left of the Raijin Project."
Vex spun her plasma blade — its violet glow dancing along her fingers. "Or we rip it out the old-fashioned way."
Kain, for once, wasn't laughing. His fingers flew over his holopad, pulling up the Spire's security grid. "BRO — they've got turrets, drones, and pulse barriers — this isn't a lab… it's a fortress."
Thundaddy buzzed through the comms — his voice still wild, but darker now.
---
"TIME TO RAIN HELL, STORMCHASERS."
"PREPARING: OPERATION LIGHTNING STRIKE."
Phase One: Breach the Spire Syndicate's grid.
Phase Two: Locate Raijin Prime's core.
Phase Three: Rip. It. Out.
Pro Tip: You're not singing tonight… you're breaking thunder.
---
Elliot stepped out of the Stormchaser, his storm growling louder as blue lightning danced across his arms — flickering along his jawline, snapping between his fingers.
His Boost hit 450%.
He could feel Prime's presence.
It wasn't just a signal anymore — it was like the Protocol inside him was reaching out, recognizing the origin point like two storms on a collision course.
Nova's suit sparked again — the feedback loop dragging her Boost higher every time Elliot surged.
"Your Boost keeps pulling mine with it," Nova muttered. "You hit 500%, and we both might short-circuit."
Elliot's voice was ice. "Then stay out of my way."
Vex smirked. "Or lean into it — I love a good storm duet."
Kain exhaled. "Bro… let's just not die."
Thundaddy, all fire and fury, screamed into the comms.
---
"READY OR NOT… WE RIDE THE LIGHTNING."
---
BOOM.
The Spire's security grid exploded in a shower of blue and red sparks as Elliot unleashed a full lightning surge — frying every drone in a ten-meter radius.
His Boost spiked to 470%.
The storm within him screamed — not wild anymore… but focused.
He was the eye of the hurricane.
And he was coming for Prime.
---
The team moved fast — cutting through guards like ghosts:
Nova blasting through defenses, her storm syncing tighter with Elliot's Boost every time they touched the same electric pulse.
Vex a blur of plasma and shadow, her blade searing security panels and short-circuiting drones.
Kain hacking the firewalls in real-time, overloading the Spire's power grid while yelling into the comms.
"BRO — YOU'RE FRYING THEIR SYSTEMS FASTER THAN I CAN HACK THEM."
Elliot, his storm now a burning field of blue lightning, hit 480% Boost — sending a pulse wave that disintegrated a wall of plasma turrets.
And then…
They reached it.
The server room.
And at the center of it — surrounded by glowing screens and rotating AI cores — was a towering pillar of pulsing electric data.
Raijin Prime.
The origin of the Protocol.
The first storm.
And the moment Elliot stepped inside…
The Raijin Protocol inside him snapped to life — reacting like a cornered animal recognizing its master.
The pillar's circuits flared blood-red.
A distorted voice echoed through the room.
"WELCOME BACK, RAIJIN-02."
Nova's storm flared white-hot — the feedback loop dragging her Boost into overdrive.
Vex flicked her blade. "Guess Prime knows your name too."
Kain's holopad glitched violently. "BRO — THE AI IS TALKING TO YOU."
And Elliot…
Didn't hesitate.
His Boost surged to 500% — the Raijin Protocol screaming in recognition — and he lunged straight for Prime's core.
The pillar's defenses flared — arcs of red lightning crashing into Elliot's storm — but it wasn't enough.
Because Raijin Prime might have been the first storm…
…but Elliot was the one they couldn't control.
"You don't own me," Elliot growled.
And then — with one brutal surge of blue lightning — he tore Prime's core out of the pillar.
Ripped it straight from the system.
The room erupted in sparks.
The screens shattered.
The Spire's entire AI grid collapsed.
And Prime's distorted voice screamed as its circuits died.
"NO… YOU WERE MINE—"
BOOM.
A final surge of blue lightning obliterated Prime's core — reducing it to a smoldering, broken husk.
The Raijin Protocol inside Elliot roared one last time…
And then silence.
Just the hum of a storm no longer bound by its creator.
Nova stared at the broken core. "It's… gone."
Kain blinked. "BRO — YOU JUST RIPPED PRIME'S HEART OUT."
Vex smiled. "Brutal. I love it."
And Thundaddy…
Thundaddy whispered into the quiet:
---
"CONGRATULATIONS, ELLIOT."
"YOU DIDN'T JUST KILL THE STORM…"
"YOU BECAME IT."
---
The Raijin Protocol wasn't a project anymore.
It wasn't a code.
It wasn't a weapon.
It was him now.
Elliot wasn't a victim of the storm.
He was the storm.
And anyone left standing in the Raijin Project…
Would feel the thunder next.