Quantum Ascension ( The code of immortality)

Chapter 7: Phantom Clash in the Neon Abyss

The Neon Abyss trembled as the bounty hunter advanced, his cybernetic armor humming with raw power. His crimson eyes locked onto Erevan, scanning him with high-speed combat algorithms.

[TARGET IDENTIFIED: EREVAN KANE – THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]

[MISSION: CAPTURE OR TERMINATE]

Erevan wiped his lips, his body still flickering from the unstable Quantum Phantom Code. He couldn't afford to hold back.

Nyssa grabbed his arm. "We need to get out of here!"

Erevan grinned. "Nah. I wanna see what this guy's made of."

The bounty hunter raised his arm—a sleek black gauntlet covered in pulsating data nodes. A swirling vortex of compressed energy formed in his palm.

Quantum Art: Graviton Collapse

The air twisted, the entire space warping inward as an unseen force tried to crush Erevan's body into a singularity.

A system warning flashed in his vision.

[WARNING: Reality Distortion Detected]

[Quantum Phantom Code Reacting…]

Erevan's instincts kicked in.

His body glitched, phasing in and out of space-time as he overrode reality itself.

Quantum Phantom Code: Phase Shift

For a split second, he was no longer bound by normal physics.

The bounty hunter's attack collapsed into nothingness, the gravitational pull failing to affect Erevan's fragmented existence.

Then—Erevan reappeared behind him.

His palm ignited with unstable blue fire, raw Quantum Qi sparking around his fingertips.

"Let's see how your system handles a glitch."

He thrust his palm forward.

Quantum Phantom Code: Data Overload Strike

The impact was instant.

A pulse of corrupted code surged into the bounty hunter's armor, disrupting his internal cybernetic network. Sparks exploded from his body as his combat AI malfunctioned.

[ERROR: SYSTEM FAILURE]

[ERROR: REALITY PROCESSING UNIT DAMAGED]

The bounty hunter staggered, his red eyes flickering with instability.

Erevan didn't hesitate. He launched forward, his fist coated in unstable Quantum energy, ready to finish the job—

But the bounty hunter suddenly vanished.

Erevan's punch struck empty air.

A cold voice echoed behind him.

"Impressive. But not enough."

Before Erevan could react, the bounty hunter's metallic fingers wrapped around his neck, lifting him off the ground.

His cybernetic grip tightened, crushing Erevan's throat.

"You're strong, but unrefined. You don't even understand the power inside you."

Erevan struggled, his vision blurring as his Qi circuits overloaded.

Nyssa screamed, raising her wrist—her cybernetic interface flashing as she hacked into the surrounding environment.

"Override protocol—ENGAGE!"

A sudden EMP blast erupted from the walls, sending shockwaves of disruptive energy through the entire chamber.

The bounty hunter stiffened, his cybernetic systems glitching for a split second—

And Erevan took his chance.

He overloaded his Quantum Phantom Code, forcing it to trigger a raw reality breach.

The world around him fractured, and Erevan's body split into multiple afterimages, each one flickering between states of existence.

Quantum Phantom Code: Anomaly Burst

He detonated outward, shattering the bounty hunter's hold and sending him flying across the chamber.

Erevan coughed, gripping his throat. "Damn, that guy hits hard."

Nyssa grabbed his wrist. "We need to leave, NOW!"

The bounty hunter slowly stood, his armor cracked, his systems still recovering. His red eyes burned with pure, cold efficiency.

"This isn't over, Erevan Kane."

Erevan smirked. "Yeah? Get in line."

With that, he and Nyssa vanished into the neon-lit tunnels of the underground.

Hunted, but Not Defeated

As they ran, Erevan's mind raced.

The bounty hunter was strong—too strong. And that was just the beginning. The Quantum Sect wouldn't stop until they had him locked away… or erased from existence.

Nyssa led him through a hidden passage, emerging into a vast subterranean city, filled with rogue cultivators, exiled hackers, and outcasts.

A neon sign flickered above them:

"Welcome to the UnderNet."

Erevan exhaled.

"If I'm going to survive… I need to get stronger."