NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: Trump Card
For a split second, Kentaro stared into Reiden's eyes. His long silver hair lay neatly across his chest, each strand catching the dim light like polished steel. His eyes were dark purple, deep and empty, the kind of gaze that looked like it didn't belong to anything human, like there was no soul behind it. Reiden's lips curved into that same unreadable smile… Until Shogo broke the silence.
Halcyon's second strongest, only behind Tenka herself, Shogo exploded forward with a speed Kentaro had never seen from him before. His usually carefree eyes sharpened, his fists tight, his entire body coiled with raw killing intent.
"LET'S GO!" Shogo roared, his voice ricocheting across the walls as his fists blurred in a flurry of jabs and hooks.
Kentaro and Yumi froze in shock. This wasn't Shogo clowning around, or taking a fight half-seriously like he always did. This was Shogo like they'd never seen before, relentless, focused, monstrous. Every punch cracked the air. Every kick sent tremors through the floor.
But their awe twisted into horror in an instant.
Reiden… Wasn't even trying.
Like someone who had already seen the fight a thousand times in his head, he leaned, shifted, and tilted his body with impossible grace. Each strike sailed past him as if guided away by some cruel invisible hand. He didn't block. He didn't counter. He simply moved. Shogo's fists blurred into nothing but wasted effort, every ounce of fury slipping through Reiden's smirk.
Kentaro's chest tightened. "He's dodging him like it's nothing… Like it's a game."
Shogo finally broke off, leaping back, sweat streaking his face. His chest heaved. For the first time in years, he looked rattled.
"…Damn didn't even land one," Shogo muttered.
His entire life he had been the strongest, or second only to Tenka. To feel that kind of inferiority, a gap so wide it couldn't even be measured, it was alien. He grit his teeth, forcing his body back into stance.
"Heh… Seems you're pretty tough, ain't ya, bro!" Shogo spat, forcing a grin. His fists shook. He launched forward again.
This time, Reiden's smile stretched wider, almost eager.
Kentaro's eyes widened, it was like the world slowed. Shogo's punch carved toward Reiden's face, but again, Reiden slipped past it effortlessly, his hand snaking along Shogo's arm like a shadow until it clamped onto his shoulder. And then, with a blur too fast to track, his leg swung.
The kick landed like a cannon blast.
"GHHHAAAHHHHH!!" Shogo's scream ripped the air as his body crashed into the far wall, the stone splitting, dust showering down.
"SHOGO!" Yumi shrieked, her voice cracking with panic. Yura bolted toward him, her boots skidding across the floor.
Shogo groaned, slumped against the wall, pain twisting his features. It wasn't his usual exaggerated groan when Tenka smacked him around. This was real. The kind of pain that made you want to stay down.
Kentaro's stomach dropped. That kick… It reminded him of Tenka's raw strength, but worse. More refined. Colder. A man like Reiden, who already had power, influence, an entire Spire under his control, to also wield this kind of force? It was terrifying.
"Crap…" Kentaro whispered. His hand shook at his side. "He might be too strong…"
But Shogo pushed himself upright, wiping the blood from his mouth, forcing a smirk through clenched teeth.
"One shot. Won't happen again."
He lunged back in, but Reiden raised a hand. Shogo froze mid-step. That smirk on Reiden's face slowly dropped, replaced by something darker.
"Listen," Reiden's voice echoed, smooth and commanding. "I'd play with you all night, but I'm not here for you."
He snapped his fingers.
The walls themselves seemed to peel away, the stone shifting like it was alive. From the openings, two shadows dropped, massive, armored figures hitting the floor with metallic thuds.
Kentaro's breath caught. Null. But not the kind Rin had been fighting outside. These were different, taller, almost six feet, their frames lean but menacing, their armor slick and black with a faint violet sheen. Their heads tilted in perfect sync as they descended like fallen angels, eyes glowing with something too sharp, too aware.
Reiden spread his arms, as though unveiling a priceless painting.
"Well, my guests," he said, his tone almost playful, "your entertainment has arrived. Spire's version of Null. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. The parts were a nightmare to gather, of course, but for you, I pulled some strings. Hahaha! If you survive, I'll even name one after you."
The Null 2.0s stepped forward in unison, their movements disturbingly human.
Yura's heart pounded in her chest. She could feel it, that gaze. Cold, hollow, but sharp enough to pierce through her soul.
"NEW Null?" Shogo muttered, fists tightening.
"Yes," Reiden said smoothly, eyes glinting. "Null 2.0. Not a creative name, but you won't live long enough to complain."
"SHUT UP, JACKASS!" Yumi snapped, her rifle snapping to aim. "I'LL BREAK YOUR NEW TOYS BEFORE YOU EVEN GET A CHANCE TO BRAG!"
Her finger squeezed the trigger.
BOOM!
The room roared with the blast as her bullet screamed through the air, but before it could land, the Null blurred, sidestepping like the shot was crawling.
Reiden's laughter filled the chamber. "Hahaha! Oh, my… Seems bullets won't be enough!"
"DAMN YOU!" Shogo snarled, hurling himself forward again, aiming straight for Reiden's head.
But the Null intercepted him effortlessly. A single hand shot out, catching his leg mid-kick. Shogo's eyes widened, then the Null flung him back like a ragdoll.
"Oh, so close…" Reiden smirked, leaning around the creature's shoulder. "But not quick enough, are you?"
"TSCH! Smug bastard…" Shogo growled, forcing himself up again. He charged the Null head-on, their clash shaking the room as fists and armored limbs slammed together.
The second Null stepped toward Yura, its head cocking unnaturally. Yura froze, but Yumi's rifle cracked again, forcing it to pivot and shift, just enough for Yura to dive in with her fist tempered with purple glow.
The team was split. Shogo locked with one Null. Yura and Yumi forced to deal with the other.
And Kentaro…
Kentaro was left staring at Reiden.
Behind Reiden, Aria sat bound, her eyes red and swollen from endless tears. She met Kentaro's gaze and screamed, her voice raw:
"KENTARO! BE CAREFUL!!"
Kentaro's body winced with pain from his own wounds. His hands trembled. His chest burned. He wasn't a fighter. He knew he wasn't. And yet here he stood, face-to-face with an untouchable man, laughing like a god.
"Ah, Takamiya…" Reiden purred, tilting his head. "You're truly something, aren't you? Tell me, are you scared? If you are… I'll kill you first, well... After i take what's inside of you."
Kentaro's breath caught in his throat. He stumbled back a step.
"Hey, Kentaro."
A voice slipped into his ear. Tenka's voice. Calm. Steady.
"You've got some help on the way."
Kentaro blinked, and then it came. A voice screaming from the shattered corridor. A voice he knew too well.
"KEEEENTAROOOO!!!"
Serica burst into the room, sword in hand, her chest heaving.
"Serica!" Kentaro's voice cracked as relief surged through him.
She scanned the chaos, Shogo locked with something inhuman, Yura and Yumi fighting for their lives, but her eyes snapped straight to Kentaro. And the man in front of him.
A man with silver hair. With a smile like poison. With eyes like death.
She landed beside Kentaro, never breaking eye contact with Reiden.
"I'm here, Ken," Serica whispered, her grip tightening on her sword. "This time… It's my turn to save you."
Kentaro's throat closed. The words should've lit him up, should've given him hope, but instead they crushed him. Because deep down, he knew what it meant: she had already accepted the risk of being the shield again. She was already bracing to bleed for him.
Again.
"Ah Ice-Breaker we meet at last show me your usefullness" Reiden smirked.
"Wait, Serica-" He reached out, but she was gone, a blur of motion charging Reiden.
Steel screamed against the air. Every swing of her blade was perfect, precise, fueled by everything she had. Kentaro'seyes tracked every strike, every breath, praying, begging for one hit to land. Just one. But Reiden wasn't even human in the way he moved. He leaned back with that smile plastered on his face, dodging like he had rehearsed her every move centuries ago.
Kentaro's nails dug into his palms until his hands bled. His heart hammered, his breath caught, all he could do was watch.
Clang. Miss. Clang. Miss.
"NO,!" His voice cracked, breaking apart.
Reiden's hand darted like lightning. A single counter. A strike so casual it looked lazy.
CRACK!
Serica hit the ground. Hard. The thud echoed louder than gunfire.
"SERICA!!" Kentaro's scream shredded his throat raw as he stumbled to her side. His knees hit the stone, his trembling hands fumbling to lift her. She was coughing, spitting blood, her whole body trembling under his touch.
"I… I'm not stopping…" Her voice broke but her eyes still burned. "Not until you're safe…"
The words stabbed deeper than any blade. She wasn't saying it for courage. She wasn't saying it to sound heroic. She meant it. She was ready to die if it meant keeping him alive.
And Kentaro knew, he couldn't stop it. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't do anything.
Around him, chaos swallowed the room.
Shogo's body was hurled again into a wall, his laughter gone, replaced with screams that clawed at Kentaro's ears.
Yumi fired shot after shot, her voice raw with desperation as her rifle thundered, but the new Null just danced through her bullets like they were toys.
Yura was screaming too, her fists sparking as it clashed against armor she couldn't break, her arms shaking from the recoil of every blocked strike.
And there Kentaro was, on his knees. Watching. Frozen. The world was breaking around him, and he couldn't even lift a finger to help.
His lungs seized. He couldn't breathe. Every second stretched like a blade against his chest. This is what you are. Dead weight. The weak link. The reason they bleed.
He remembered Rin's voice. He remembered Serica helping him away from death again and again. He remembered every time someone else stood in front of him, every time someone else got cut, burned, broken, while he stood useless behind them.
His hands shook against the floor. Tears blurred his vision. His body was screaming to move, but it wouldn't.
You can't protect them. You never could. You never will.
"STOP IT!!" His own voice ripped out of him, jagged and wild. "STOP HURTING THEM!! STOP!!!"
And something inside him shattered.
The scream that tore free wasn't just sound. It was everything, rage, grief, guilt, fear, burning out of his throat until it felt like his whole soul had ignited.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The chamber quaked. Stone split. Dust rained. A blinding white aura erupted from Kentaro's body, screaming upward like a pillar of divine fire.
For the first time, Reiden's smirk didn't faltered. His eyes narrowed, his body stilled.
"…!"
Even he was finally going to see what Kentaro was made off.
"It's time" He muttered with a grin.
And through the static in Kentaro's ears, through the pounding of his own blood, one calm voice bled into him from the comms.
Tenka's voice. Steady. Yet uncertain.
"Kentaro... Please be carefull."