Evolving Infinitely From An E-Class Hero-Chapter 106: Daring Again

The apartment was a warzone, the air thick with the acrid stench of dead Calamity Creatures and the dust of shattered drywall.

My boots crunched on debris as I knelt beside my Mom, her trembling hands clutching my arm. Her eyes, wide with terror, darted between me and the splintered remains of the front door, where the last of the creatures had fallen. Her breaths came in short, ragged gasps, and I could feel her pulse racing through her grip.

"Reno... what... when, are those?" Her voice was barely a whisper, cracking under the weight of fear.

I forced a calm I didn’t feel, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Calamity Creatures, Mom. But they’re gone now. I’ve got you." My words were steady, but my mind was anything but.

Bakuzan.

His name burned in my thoughts, a venom that fueled every beat of my heart. Sending those creatures after my mom.

My Mom—was a line he’d crossed that I’d make him regret.

She shook her head, her blonde hair falling loose from its bun.

"You can’t keep doing this, Reno. You can’t... you’re all I have." Her voice broke, and it hit me harder than any of The Apostle’s cubes ever could.

I wanted to tell her it’d be okay, that I’d walk away from this life, hang up the SSS-Class title, and just be her son again. But that was a lie neither of us could afford.

"Mom, listen—" I started, but a sharp ding cut through the air, chilling my blood.

Tti-ring.

[Compass Needle Activated]

[Unidentified Entity Detected. High-Level Threat. Murderous Intent Confirmed.]

My head snapped up, eyes scanning the apartment. The living room was a mess—furniture overturned, claw marks gouged into the walls, and the faint purple-blue haze of Calamity Creature residue lingering like a bad dream.

But nothing moved.

No shadows twitched in the corners, no claws scraped in the dark. Still, the Compass Needle didn’t lie. Something was here, or close, and it wanted blood.

"Stay here," I whispered, easing Mom back against the wall. Her grip tightened, nails digging into my wrist.

"Reno, no—!"

"I have to check. Just... trust me." I pried her hand off gently, my senses sharpening as the Forever Core hummed in my chest, analyzing every sound, every shift in the air.

The Compass Needle’s alert pulsed in my mind, a steady rhythm of danger.

I stepped over the wreckage of the door, my boots silent despite the debris. The hallway outside was dark, the stairwell a gaping maw where the creatures had torn through.

Nothing.

No movement, no glowing eyes. But the air felt wrong—heavy, like a storm about to break.

I activated the tactical swarm drone feed, the tiny devices still hovering in the building’s perimeter.

Their visuals flickered into my vision: empty hallways, shattered windows, the faint glow of streetlights filtering through the Sector’s haze.

Nothing out of place, but the Compass Needle’s warning screamed louder now, a prickling heat at the base of my skull.

"Where are you?" I muttered, fists clenching.

My knuckles still ached from the last fight, but the Forever Core was already working, knitting muscle and bone back to peak condition. I stepped back into the apartment, scanning every shadow. Mom watched me, her face pale, lips trembling as she hugged her knees.

"Reno, please..." she whispered, but I held up a hand, silencing her as I strained to listen. The silence was too loud, too deliberate. Like the world was holding its breath.

Then it happened.

BOOM.

The entire side of the apartment building exploded inward with a deafening roar.

Brick and steel screamed as they tore apart, the wall disintegrating into a cloud of dust and shrapnel.

I dove, shielding Mom with my body as chunks of concrete rained down. The floor shuddered, cracks spider webbing beneath us, and the cold air rushed in, carrying the stench of something ancient and wrong.

"Reno!" Mom screamed, her voice barely audible over the chaos. I pulled her close, my arms a barrier against the collapsing world.

The building groaned, a deep, guttural sound as if it were alive and in pain. The ceiling sagged, beams snapping one by one, and I knew we had seconds before the whole place came down.

"Hold on!" I shouted, scooping her up in one fluid motion. Her weight was nothing compared to the strength coursing through me, the Forever Core amplifying every muscle.

I sprinted toward the gaping hole where the wall used to be, leaping over debris as the floor buckled. The building was crumbling, slow but relentless, each tremor threatening to bury us.

I didn’t look back, didn’t think—just moved.

We burst into the open air, landing hard on the street below. The impact jolted my knees, but I kept Mom steady, setting her down behind a rusted dumpster for cover. Her hands clung to me, eyes wild with panic. "Reno, don’t go! You can’t—those things—!"

I knelt in front of her, gripping her shoulders. "Mom, listen to me. I’m not letting anything happen to you. But I need you to stay here, stay low. Can you do that?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "You’re my son, Reno. I can’t lose you. Not to... to this."

Something twisted in my chest, but I pushed it down. There was no time for this, not now.

The Compass Needle notification was screaming, the threat closer than ever. I forced a smile, one I hoped was reassuring.

"Witness the power of your son, Mom. I’ve got this."

Her lips parted, a protest forming, but I was already turning, my senses locking onto the source of the destruction. The dust settled, revealing the street in front of the collapsed building—and it.

A Calamity Creature unlike any I’d faced before. Massive, towering over the wreckage like a god of ruin.

Its body was reptilian, a Komodo dragon stretched to nightmare proportions, its pale blue skin pulsating with glowing purple veins that writhed like living things.

Each step shook the ground, its claws gouging deep scars into the asphalt. Its eyes, black voids with pinpricks of violet light, locked onto me, and I felt the weight of its intent—pure, unfiltered malice.

This wasn’t just a creature. This was Bakuzan’s trump card.

The data streamed into my mind, but I didn’t need it to know this thing was a monster among monsters.

Its tail lashed, shattering a streetlight with a single swipe, and its maw opened, revealing rows of jagged, obsidian teeth dripping with a viscous, glowing liquid.

I stepped forward, fists clenched, the Forever Core humming louder now, its energy surging through my veins. The creature’s head tilted, studying me like prey, and I could feel its intelligence—cold, calculating, and utterly alien. This wasn’t a mindless beast. It was a weapon, sent with purpose.

"Bakuzan," I growled under my breath.

This was no coincidence. First the creatures in the apartment, now this? He was targeting me, testing me, or worse—trying to break me like he’d broken so many others.

The creature took a step, its massive claws sinking into the street. The air around it shimmered, distorting like a heatwave, and I caught a glimpse of smaller shapes—more Calamity Creatures, skittering in its shadow. Smaller, but no less deadly, their forms flickering like afterimages of the dragon’s power.

I glanced back at Mom, her face pale but resolute, crouched behind the dumpster. She was safe for now, but not for long. Not with that thing bearing down. I had to end this fast, before it reached her—or anyone else in the Sector.

The Forever Core pulsed again, feeding me data:

Tti-ring.

[Structural Weakness: None Detected.]

[Energy Output: Critical Levels.]

Great.

No weak spots, and it was packing enough power to level a city block. But I wasn’t just any hero. I was Bionic, SSS-Class hero, and I had the Forever Core. I’d faced worse odds.

Maybe.

The creature roared, a sound that shook the air and rattled my bones. Windows shattered in nearby buildings, and the smaller creatures surged forward, a wave of claws and glowing eyes.

I cracked my knuckles, the pain from the earlier fight fading as the Core’s regeneration kicked in.

"Alright, you oversized lizard," I muttered. "Let’s dance."

I charged, the street blurring beneath me.

The smaller creatures met me first, lunging with claws and teeth.

I ducked under the first, slamming a fist into its core with a burst of golden light. It died with a shriek, but another took its place, its claws grazing my arm. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but I ignored it, spinning to deliver a kick that sent it crashing into a car.

Tti-ring.

[Enemies Defeated: ✓✓/Unknown.]

The big one didn’t move, watching as its minions swarmed me. Testing me, just like Bakuzan.

I gritted my teeth, weaving through the onslaught. A claw raked my back, another caught my thigh, but the Forever Core adapted, dulling the pain, boosting my reflexes. I was a blur of motion, fists and feet striking with precision, each hit fueled by rage and purpose.

Tti-ring.

[Enemies Defeated: ✓✓✓/Unknown.]

The big one finally moved, its massive tail sweeping across the street. I leaped, barely clearing it as the asphalt exploded behind me.

The shockwave sent me stumbling, but I rolled, coming up in a crouch. The smaller creatures were thinning out, but the dragon was the real threat. Its eyes glowed brighter, the purple veins pulsing faster, and I felt a pressure in the air—like reality itself was bending under its presence.

I needed a plan. The Exchange Skill was still on cooldown—twenty minutes left, at least.

No swapping with a drone to get behind it. My standard punches weren’t going to cut it, not against something this big. The Forever Core was analyzing, but it needed time, and time was something I didn’t have.

The dragon lunged, jaws snapping.

I dove to the side, the ground shaking as its teeth sank into the street. Acidic drool hissed, melting the pavement, and I felt a burn on my leg where a droplet grazed me.

"Tch!" I hissed.

"Skill: Regenerate"

to counter the damage. The Core was keeping up, but barely. This thing was on another level.

I glanced at Mom again, her silhouette barely visible through the dust. She was still there, still safe. But the dragon’s eyes flicked toward her, and my blood ran cold. It knew. It wasn’t just here for me. It was here for her.

"No you don’t!" I roared, sprinting toward it. The Forever Core surged, golden-black light flaring around me. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I’d figure it out.

I always did.

The dragon’s head swung toward me, its maw opening wide, and I saw my chance—a split-second opening.

"Witness the power of your son..." I said, more to myself than to Mom, my voice steady despite the chaos.

I planted my feet, staring down the beast as it charged, the ground quaking beneath its weight. My heart pounded, but my mind was clear.

"Initiate..."