Chapter 6: The 4th Eon Has Arrived NOVEL VER.

Inside the Black Hole

The two recruits were swallowed whole.

A narrow beam of light faded as the vortex sealed shut.

Inside the black shell, countless miniature suns erupted—each pulsing like a heartbeat, their heat warping the void itself.

Recruit 33 twisted mid-air, eyes wide.

“Damn—!”

Time slowed.

Her hand shot forward—fingers locking around Recruit 67’s wrist just before the current tore them apart.

KCHK!

Winds roared behind her. 33 ignited her propulsion and rocketed upward, clutching 67 tight. The sudden pull tore 67’s shield away—it spun helplessly into the darkness below. The collapsing ring of light above shrank fast, the only escape sealing like a mouth.

FWOOOOM! CLANG—! KRRRNN—!

She burst through just in time. The void cracked around her like glass, shards of light slicing across her face.

KRRSSHHH—! VVVVSHHH!

⸻

Severed Grip

The moment their hands breached the surface, the shockwave hit.

33’s grip broke apart mid-flight, light scattering between their fingers.

KHHHT! VVVSHHH—

Recruit 33 fell backward, hand still stretched toward the void. Inside, 67 pressed her palms against the wall, eyes wide and pleading.

“No—!”

The world snapped back into gravity.

Recruit 33 slammed into the pavement below. THOOOM! SKRRRSHHH—!

Shards of the shattered void sliced through the air, grazing her skin as blood traced down her cheek.

The Endless Void

Inside, 67 staggered as the closing wall of darkness slammed shut inches from her face. KRRRSHHH—!

She stumbled backward, her boot clanging against her fallen shield. CLANG—!

And then… silence.

The void had expanded—vast and infinite. Stars spun around her in violent beauty. The hum of the cosmos filled the air like the breath of gods.

She turned toward the glinting shield. For a moment, the universe dimmed, and a memory rose.

⸻

Flashback — Twelve Years Ago

“Ha—ha—ha—!”

A man laughed loud enough to shake the street. His disheveled hair caught the sun as he turned toward a small girl behind him.

He froze.

Her head was lowered, fists clenched, eyes brimming with tears.

“I mean it!” she shouted. “I’ll be an officer just like you one day! Even better than you!”

He blinked, caught off guard—then smiled.

She puffed her cheeks in stubborn defiance, refusing to look at him.

He stepped closer, laying a warm hand on her head.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

PMP. SHFF—

Her eyes softened, glowing in the sunlight.

Back to the Void

In the endless dark, Recruit 67 smiled faintly as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“…Dad…”

Plip.

The void rippled. Space folded inward like liquid glass.

⸻

The Collapse

Outside, the rain hammered against the street.

Recruit 33 knelt, breathing hard, soaked to the bone. Ahead, the sealed black hole loomed. The rain refused to touch it, curving away as if the world itself avoided it.

SHHHHH—

Then—VVVNNNK—!

The void folded into itself, light compressing to a single glowing speck before vanishing. The storm froze for a heartbeat, then resumed its downpour.

At the center, only 67’s shield remained.

33 dropped to one knee, trembling.

Her lips quivered between disbelief and guilt.

“…I’m sorry…”

Artemis Appears

Through the mist, Artemis stepped forward, rain gliding down his grin.

“…Heh—…”

THMP! SHHHHH—

33 twisted toward him, drenched and shaking. Tears streamed down her face as he raised a hand to his chest.

Light flared at the impact.

“THE DEATH OF A STAR!”

THWAAAM!

Behind her, space warped. A new black hole formed—rain froze midair, droplets suspended in distorted gravity. Through its center shimmered a faint glimpse of Earth’s atmosphere, like a window to the heavens.

VVVMMMMM— Tk… Tk… Tk…

The pull hit.

33 silent utter disbelief as she was dragged backward. Artemis stood his ground, his grin gone—only raw focus left in his eyes.

VVVSHHHHH—!

The Fall

Her body vanished into the void.

Stars scattered around her—cold, silent, infinite.

“Best of luck, Recruit,” Artemis muttered, turning away as the portal sealed shut.

VVVMMM— SHUP.

Inside, 33 gasped soundlessly. She couldn’t breathe. Panic set in. Her hand covered her mouth as tears floated into the air.

She forced her body into motion, coiling for a desperate dive.

WHFF—

With her flight power she burst downward—Earth glowing far beneath her, blue and bright.

FWOOOOM—! VVVSHHHHH—!

The atmosphere blazed ahead. Her body trembled, consciousness slipping.

“Hhh—”

Her eyelids fell shut as reentry flames enveloped her.

BOOOOM! BOOOM! KRRSSHHHHH—!

She tore through mountain peaks, exploding snow and ice, before slamming into the valley below.

KRRRROOOOOM!!

⸻

The Frozen Crater

Snow drifted over the smoking crater.

At its center, Recruit 33 lay unconscious, her body battered and still.

The world was silent but for the whisper of wind.

whhhhh—

Far across the horizon, faint industrial lights blinked through the snowstorm.

CAPTION: Continent Antarioc — A Non–WUG Affiliate.

Meanwhile — Back at the Battlefield

Rain poured over Recruit 32 as he staggered backward.

His eyes locked on Artemis, horror freezing his breath.

“No… no… no!”

“…Dammit…” he whispered, trembling.

Recruit 32’s face cracked—tears glinting in the stormlight, his jaw locking with raw fury. His breath came ragged, shallow, animal.

Then he ran.

His boots tore through the mud, arms pumping, water spraying with each step.

His motion was wild, desperate.

“I’ll make you pay for this!” he screamed.

Artemis smirked through the rain. “…Heh—…”

drip… drip…

He raised his palm. A radiant sword hovered above it, pulsing with power.

VVVMMMM— FWOOOSH—!

Light shot forward, splitting the air. Recruit 32 dove aside, shouting, “Left side!”

KRRRSHHHH—!

Artemis didn’t stop.

With his stretched arm, he continues unleashing a storm of blades. A trail of blades following the recruits every step as he dashes in a curved line.

Each one screaming radiant heat. The blades narrowly missing him as they pierce the ground next to him.

“If it’s cat and mouse you desire to play—”

“Then so be it!” Artemis roared.

32 darted in close, sliding beneath the barrage. His boots screeched across flooded concrete.

SKRRRSHHH—!

He stopped just beneath Artemis’s line of sight, crouched low, soaked and trembling—anger burning in his eyes.

He raised his pistol, teeth grinding.

“I’m done running.”

⸻

The Predator’s Hand

Artemis leaned forward slowly, rain dripping down his face. A twisted grin spread across his lips.

His hand reached out—closing over the pistol’s muzzle.

KNNNK—

Metal groaned under his grip.

Then—BANG!

Smoke burst. The bullet tore through Artemis’s palm, flesh hissing, blood steaming in the rain.

He didn’t flinch.

SHHHKKT—SSSSHHH—!

Instead, his grin widened. His eyes half-closed in sadistic pleasure.

He twisted the pistol sideways, dragging 32’s arm with it. The recruit stumbled forward—helpless, weapon still trapped in Artemis’s hand.

Artemis cocked his other arm back, knuckles tightening.

“That was quite the show.”

WHHHHMMM—

The punch landed.

THOOOM!

32’s head snapped to the side, blood and water exploding into the air.

Artemis followed through—another blow.

THOOM! KRRSHHH—!

32 hit the ground hard, his pistol spinning free.

The Beating

Artemis straddled him.

Fists blurred. Flesh cracked.

Blood sprayed with every impact, spattering his face like war paint.

“Don’t fall asleep just yet!” he snarled, voice grinding through his teeth.

THMP! THMP! THMP! THMP!

Lightning flashed—revealing the broken body beneath him.

Then, a faint beep.

BEEP—! KZZZT—!

32’s cracked wristwatch flickered, sparks crawling across its shattered face.

WARNING: USER POTENTIAL DETECTED — 100%

Artemis froze—just long enough to glance down.

Then, without turning, he slapped his chest.

A small radiant blade bloomed in his hand.

VVVNNNK—!

He drove it backward, stabbing straight through 32’s wrist and the WUG watch beneath it.

Metal shattered. Blood sprayed.

SHKKT—!

32 screamed.

“AAGHHH—!”

Artemis didn’t blink.

“I have a few questions for you.”

⸻

Interrogation

Rain poured in sheets around them.

Artemis sat astride his victim, eyes shadowed but calm—one hand gripping the small sun forming above his palm, its light flickering like molten glass.

“Where is the other group of you recruits!” he demanded.

The air bent under the rising heat.

VVVVMMMMMM— WHHHHHHMMM—

Recruit 32 trembled, barely conscious.

His face was swollen, teeth missing, blood and mud sliding down his cheek.

“…group…” he muttered weakly.

“…how… did you know… there’s… more of us…”

plip… plip… plip…

Artemis tilted his head, half his face hidden in shadow.

The burning sun in his palm painted the other half in gold.

A crooked grin spread across his lips.

“Heh.”

He released the sphere.

VVVNNNNNN— FWOOOOM—!

Light devoured the frame.

The 4th Eon Arrives

The battlefield detonated.

A blinding torrent of light erupted from Artemis’s hand, the ground buckling under its heat. The storm itself screamed.

But before it could consume recruit 32—

A blur of movement cut through the blast.

Yota appeared beside Artemis, His eyes burned bright—sharp, unflinching, alive.

“COMBAT INTELLIGENCE—ONE HUNDRED TEN PERCENT!!”

FWOOOOOOOM—!

Artemis was unaware before a fist ripped through, striking clean through his ribs.

The impact carved a shockwave through the rain, bending the world itself around it.

His body folded from the blow—eyes wide, blood spraying from his mouth.

THOOOOOM!!

CAPTION: THE 4TH EON HAS ARRIVED.

Aftermath

Rain hissed against molten pavement.

Recruit 32 lay trembling, barely breathing.

He turned his head weakly—

a long, burning trail stretched through the city, walls melted and blackened.

His vision dimmed. His breath slowed.

plip… plip… plip…

In the distance, the Neighbors watched.

Irmgard stood motionless.

Neighbor 5 clutched Author by the shoulder, staring in disbelief.

“What… what was that?” he murmured.

“It was over in a second…”

Elsewhere — F-Class District 3

Rain swept through the streets.

Corporal Daley stood in the center, arms folded neatly behind his back.

Two recruits shoved a tied-up Neighbor onto the pavement.

“Quiet!” one barked, kicking him down. THUD!

Daley said nothing.

The faint smile on his lips never changed.

“Requesting drone pick-up,” one recruit muttered into his wrist terminal.

Daley paused mid-step, eyes drifting toward the sky.

Storm clouds rolled overhead, but faint holes gleamed between them—small glowing wounds left behind by fallen stars.

“Seems the stars… have already fallen,” he whispered.

RMMM—

Then his calm grin returned.

“Wrap it up. It’s almost time.”

⸻

Unexpected Arrival

Two silhouettes staggered into view through the rain.

Recruit 37 supported 64—both bloodied, barely standing.

“Just… one… more step…”

Daley’s eyes narrowed.

Their footsteps dragged through puddles. SHLK… SHLK…

“Help us… please,” 37 begged. “We barely escaped…”

Recruit 37’s body trembling as he looks down in exhaustion.

“It happened so fast …”

“One by one … his power …”

“… i thought F-Class where not—”

Daley’s jaw flexed. “Tch—.”

And in the blink of an eye—

He was behind them.

His coat still rippled from the leftover gust as his palms came together—

KRRSH— SHKRAK—!

Both recruits’ skulls cracked between his hands.

Their bodies collapsed forward, lifeless, as the droplets hung in midair—then crashed back down.

Daley exhaled through his nose, calm and cold.

“Silence.”

Witnesses

Nearby, Recruit 24 froze mid-call. His expression drained white.

Recruit 71 stared forward, whispering, “Wait—what…?”

SHHHHH—

The rain fell heavier, washing crimson down the pavement.

⸻

TO BE CONTINUED…