SWNOVELXO Chapter 56: – Reflections, Wounds, and Redemption
The trapdoor of the Renegates' hideout burst open with a metallic snap.Broken robots lay scattered. Loose wires sparked. Smoke filled the air.
At the center of the room, Kane Jayson stood tall, hands in his pockets, a crimson aura swirling around him like plasma serpents.
Kane (smirking):"Hmpf... Three against two? And you still think you'll win?Pathetic."
Beside him, Zen Kagetsune adjusted the bloody bandages on his arm. His expression cold and grim, but his golden fox eyes never wavered.
Facing them:
Nael, cracking the ground beneath him, manipulating gravitational force.
Syka, slithering like a serpent, surrounded by venom and illusions.
Hant, standing calm… smiling like a sadistic architect before his masterpiece.
💥 Combat Begins
Hant (stepping forward):"Let's see if the 'Crimson Reflex' lives up to the hype."
Kane dashed forward with insane speed.
⚡ BZZZT!He appeared in front of Syka with a spinning kick she barely saw —But Nael blocked it, turning his body into an unmovable weight.
Nael:"Too heavy for you, punk!"
Kane (grinning):"Really? Then take it back."
Kane twisted mid-air, his leg glowing bright.
🟥 Crimson Reflex: Mirrored Impact!
🔥 BOOOOM!!!
Nael was launched into the wall with devastating force.
Syka tried to strike Kane with hidden poison needles —But Zen intercepted with his cursed blades.
Zen (growling):"Try someone on your level, snake."
But then—
🌀 Fractured Domain: Activate
The floor trembled. Reality twisted.
Gravity inverted.
Kane nearly hit the ceiling, disoriented for half a second.Time slowed. Attacks came from all directions — mirrored, distorted, re-routed.
Kane (cursing):"What the hell is this?!"
Nael struck him with a gravity pulse.
Zen tried to help — but Syka blew hallucinogenic powder in his face.For a moment, he saw his dead father — a memory of pain.
He staggered.
🪞 Mirror of Defeat
Hant (raising a hand):"Let's see what scares you, Kane."
Kane froze.Before him… stood Ryan.But not the real one.
This Ryan had deep blue-shadowed eyes, cloaked in a black-and-blue Reversum aura, fully awakened.
Illusion Ryan:"I'm everything you refuse to understand, Kane.Proof that you can win... without being born special."
A brutal mental battle began.
Kane screamed.He attacked. Blocked. Attacked again. Denied.
But it was too late.
Hant appeared in front of him.
Hant:"Dismantle Existence."
He pointed at Kane's leg.
✨ ZUP!
Kane's leg vanished.
He collapsed, screaming in pain.
Hant (mocking):"You're too arrogant to be useful.I loved destroying your illusion of greatness."
Zen tried to reach Kane — but Nael held him back.Syka struck him with a blast of poison that burned through skin.
Zen stumbled, bleeding heavily.
⚡ Ethan Wakes
Ethan rose slowly, eyes locked on the bloodstained floor.
His gaze fixed on Hant, still laughing.
Ethan (growling):"You bastard… I'm gonna split you in two!"
Hant (grinning):"You gonna try?"
He lunged.
But the strike never landed.
Something... blocked the hit.
🩸 Zen Steps In
Between Ethan and Hant, Zen Kagetsune stood tall.
His body bleeding. Shaking.He stopped the blow with his own body.
CRACK.A sickening sound.
Zen dropped to one knee, but refused to fall.
Ethan (shocked):"Zen…?"
Zen spat blood.Locked eyes with Ethan. And smiled.
Zen (barely breathing):"Because now…I'm a…HERO."
The word echoed like thunder.
The crystal lights in the hideout flickered.
And then— Ryan and Ryu began to awaken.
Ryan, still dazed, saw Zen protecting Ethan…
His eyes glowed blue.
Ryu rubbed his eyes, sensing chaos around them.
The war… was far from over.
📍 [End of Chapter 56 – Reflections, Wounds, and Redemption]