The air was heavy — like molten lead hanging in the lungs.The Renegates' hideout quaked under the combined pressure of Hant, Nael, and Syka.
Blood dripped from the corner of Zen Kagetsune's mouth as he stood, battered and trembling, his body a tapestry of cuts and burns. Behind him lay the fallen — his allies, his brothers in arms — still breathing, but barely.
Across the ruins, Ryan, Ethan, Ryu, Annie, Kane, Abby, and Dante stirred awake, coughing through smoke and dust.Eliara Myne, trembling and tear-streaked, clutched her chest. The girl who carried humanity's last spark — the Singularity — could barely raise her head.
Zen spat blood, wiping it with the back of his hand.His voice came out hoarse, but his resolve burned like steel.
Zen: "Listen… take Eliara. Disarm the bomb… and get the hell out. I'll hold them off."
For a moment, silence. The kind that precedes death.Then — the sound of flesh tearing, wet and violent.
Zen bit into his thumb, pressing it to the floor. A crimson sigil bloomed beneath him, glowing with infernal energy.
🩸 Blood Contract — Predator Mode: Absolute
Veins bulged beneath his skin. His pupils dilated, golden irises gleaming like twin suns in a void of rage.A crimson mist surged around him, devouring the light.
When Zen looked up, even Hant hesitated.
Zen: "Welcome… to my hunting ground."
🕸️ Predator's Trap — Hunting Zone
A wave of spectral energy rippled outward, warping the world itself.The field sealed off every trace of Primordial Aura except his own.
A black thunderbolt screamed across the hideout — and the moment it struck, the auras of Dante, Nael, Syka, and even Hant flickered… then vanished.
Only Zen's aura remained — growing, mutating, devouring.
Ryan froze mid-step. His instinct screamed run.But Zen turned, shouting with a voice that cracked the air.
Zen: "GO! NOW!"
For a heartbeat, Dante hesitated — then smirked, drawing his blade.
Dante: "Then I'll fight beside you… Predator."Zen (gritting his teeth): "I warned you, man… this is gonna hurt."
🏃♂️ Cut — The Heroes' Escape
The young heroes burst through the collapsing walls, sprinting toward the forest beyond the City of Heroes.Ethan carried Eliara in his arms, her pulse weak but steady.
Behind them, Ryan was already kneeling beside the bomb — a massive device glowing with unstable energy.
Abby: "We've got ten seconds!"Ryan: "I need a blade!"
Ethan tossed the Raijin Dagger without hesitation.Ryan caught it, eyes darting between wires — blue, red, white.
Five seconds. Sweat rolled down his temple.
Kane (panicking): "You even know what you're doing?"Ryan (focused): "Trust me."
He cut the blue. Then the white.
3 seconds.
Ryu raised his hand, summoning a dome of living shadow around them — a last defense against the blast.
2… 1… 0.01—
📍 Click.
Silence.Everyone exhaled at once.
Abby (muttering): "Then… why do I still hear ticking?"
💥 Cut — Explosion at the Hideout
The world erupted.
A searing flash tore through the horizon as the Renegates' base detonated.Zen and Dante were hurled backward, their bodies shredded by the shockwave.
Before the collapsing ruins could swallow them whole, three divine lights split the sky — gold, violet, and azure.
Thunder cracked. The storm had come.
Voice (deep, resonant): "That's enough."
Inavy Stormbreak descended from the heavens, cloak rippling like a tempest given form.Kelvin Nox materialized beside Dante, violet eyes glowing with shadowfire.Darius Valtier, his boots touching the ground with divine light, stepped forth as if gravity itself bowed before him.
Hant stopped. His grin widened.
Hant: "At last… the great Inavy Stormbreak. Took you long enough. Now the real show begins."
He raised his hand. The air split open.
A portal unfolded above — vast, churning, cosmic.And from within, four monstrous silhouettes descended like gods fallen from eternity.
🌌 Arrival of the Heralds of Kairon
Kai Hayashi — The Right Hand of Kairon→ Manipulator of Cosmic Plasma. Once, a legendary hero. Now, the traitor who devoured stars.
Maedros — Herald of Destruction→ Wielder of miniature black holes. Every strike implodes reality itself.
Arcanis — Judge of the Void→ Silent. His very presence distorts time and nullifies every technique within reach.
Ezeron — Supernova Incarnate→ The walking explosion. Each step radiates the heat of a dying star.
Their arrival shattered the world.
The younger heroes, far away in the forest, felt it instantly — that suffocating aura, ancient and divine.Abby fell to her knees, gasping.Annie clutched her head.Kane trembled uncontrollably.Ryu's heart pounded like a war drum.Ethan could barely breathe.Eliara threw up, body convulsing.
Ryan's Reversum ignited with uncontrollable resonance, vibrating violently in his chest.
The sky turned red and deep blue, a vortex of chaos above.
Ryan (whispering): "They're not just villains… they're entities."
⚔️ Clash of the Legends
Three figures stood firm amid the storm — Inavy, Kelvin, and Darius.The old guard of Earth's mightiest heroes.
Inavy drew his blade — the Chaos Edge — lightning roaring at its core.
Inavy (roaring): "Bring it on, bastard!"
Kai Hayashi smiled.
Kai: "I don't want Lorien today… I want the Stormbreak."
A faint chuckle echoed from above the ruins.Standing atop a crumbling tower, cape fluttering like flame — Lorien Valtier appeared.
Lorien: "Well, well… Kairon's mutts have finally come out to play."
Arcanis moved without sound, gliding toward Lorien.Maedros hurled a miniature black hole at Darius, space folding around his arm.Ezeron's molten eyes locked on Kelvin.
Ezeron: "Let's have some fun, human."Kelvin (drawing his Null Katana): "Pleasure's mine… monster."
The air crackled. Space screamed.And as the two sides clashed — mortals and gods, hunters and heralds — the sky itself fractured.
The era of balance had ended.
The War of Kairon had begun.
📍 [End of Chapter 57 — Trap of the Predator, Rise of the Heralds]