Chapter 24 – Fall of the Revenant

The world burned once again.

The ground split open, the sky drowned in ash. From every ruined street and shattered monument, Soul Beasts clawed their way out—thousands, tens of thousands, answering the Black Dragon’s unholy roar.

There was no longer a front line. The battlefield was everywhere.

Explosions tore the earth apart. Screams and gunfire blended with the wails of the damned. Soldiers, civilians, and hybrids fought side by side—humanity’s final stand against extinction.

Kohaku landed hard on the broken concrete, debris collapsing around him. His helmet cracked, the red visor flickering before shattering completely. The mask—the symbol of his identity—fell to the ground.

“Kohaku! Are you all right!?” Rika’s voice broke through the chaos as she dashed toward him, eyes wide with fear.

Kohaku exhaled heavily, wiping the blood from his mouth. “I’m fine. Forget me—where’s the Railgun?”

“It’s still intact… but the beasts won’t let us near it!” Rika shouted back, drawing her blade as another Soul Beast lunged. She sliced through it, the creature dissolving into smoke. “And now, we’ve got uninvited guests!”

From every direction, the Soul Beasts surged—an endless tide of nightmares. Above them, the Black Dragon loomed, wings outstretched, its eyes glowing like burning suns.

The air trembled as the monster spoke—its voice a distortion of thousands of damned souls merged into one.

“YOU… WILL… DIE… AND JOIN… MEEEE!”

The words weren’t just sound; they shook reality itself. Even the strongest soldiers froze as the sky turned crimson.

Kohaku stood, breath shallow, gaze lifting to the storm clouds above. Around him, his team fought relentlessly—Rika cutting through beasts with precision, Eva firing burst after burst, Seo and Aalto shielding the others, Meiyun slashing beside Mei in perfect rhythm.

Still, the swarm didn’t end. For every beast that fell, two more rose from the shadows.

Everywhere across the land, the same battle unfolded. From Shanghai to Chengdu, from Hong Kong to Harbin, human and hybrid alike rose to fight. The airwaves were filled with desperate voices—soldiers, survivors, even children refusing to run.

For once, all of humanity stood together.

And still… it wasn’t enough.

The Black Dragon’s laughter thundered across the heavens as it descended, its tail demolishing the remains of a skyscraper. Kohaku moved to counter—but too late.

The dragon lunged.

The horn pierced through his abdomen.

Blood splattered across the rubble. Time itself seemed to stop.

“KOHAAAKUU!”

Rika’s scream echoed through the chaos. Eva’s weapon fell from her hands. Meiyun froze, trembling. Agnes sprinted toward him, her synthetic skin scorched from fire.

The dragon tossed Kohaku’s body aside like a broken doll. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.

Agnes slid beside him, activating her healing systems, frost forming over the wound. But it was too deep.

His eyes—still sharp, still burning with determination—met hers one last time.

“Don’t… stop…” he whispered weakly.

The ice couldn’t hold. The blood didn’t stop.

Kohaku’s hand fell limp.

Agnes froze, systems trembling. Then she whispered, softly, as if denying her own logic.

“He’s… gone.”

The words struck harder than any explosion.

Rika fell to her knees, tears cutting through the ash on her face. Eva turned away, fists trembling. Seo bit her lip, trying to scream—but no sound came.

Meiyun, eyes wide, reached for the charm Yolanda had given her—the White Dragon talisman. Her voice cracked as she held it tight.

“I failed again… I couldn’t save him…”

Around them, the Soul Beasts continued to pour in—shadows without mercy, without end.

But even in the face of despair, humanity did not kneel.

Across the burning land, soldiers still fought. The hybrids roared. Civilians picked up fallen weapons. And in the middle of it all, the man who had united them… lay silent.

The Revenant had fallen.

And the world itself seemed to mourn.