NOVEL NEXT Chapter 157: Chapter 157
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The danger Eren faced—outsiders would never truly understand.
What they saw was only what their eyes could perceive—an unbelievable scene unfolding before them.
Even Tony, standing atop a nearby building overseeing the battlefield, couldn't help but twitch as he watched Eren dance amidst the writhing tide of worms, butchering them effortlessly.
"…It's him again."
"This guy… he steals the spotlight more than I do…"
"And fighting in that disgusting mess of worms—doesn't he feel grossed out?"
Wouldn't it be smarter to maintain distance and just wipe them out with heavy firepower?
Why deliberately take such a risk, diving straight into the thick of them for close combat?
Was it pure confidence? A thirst for adrenaline?
Tony couldn't quite wrap his head around Eren's combat methods.
But…
Confusion aside, seeing Eren take action and hold back the largest cluster of the worm tide brought Tony some relief.
His Mark IV suit had already exhausted most of its onboard weapons from continuous use.
Despite his efforts—maximizing efficiency with Jarvis' calculations, minimizing ammo consumption, and delivering maximum damage at every opportunity—the infinite wave of worms kept surging from the sewers.
Instead of improving, the battlefield was only getting worse.
"Damn it… I hope General Ross' reinforcements get here soon. Otherwise, we're in deep trouble."
...
Meanwhile—On a Rooftop
Natasha, having used up all her plasma grenades, stood observing the clown a short distance away.
A glimmer of intrigue flashed in her sharp eyes.
So he's the clown that caused S.H.I.E.L.D. such heavy losses?
No doubt, he's strong.
To move like that within a nightmare-inducing flood of worms, dancing gracefully while slaughtering everything in sight…
Even she wouldn't dare attempt it.
And more importantly—he remained completely unscathed.
But…
He had attacked S.H.I.E.L.D.
No matter how powerful he was, Fury wouldn't let it slide.
The Director always found ways to make people's lives miserable.
Natasha knew this all too well.
Poor guy.
Still… with that level of power, even Fury might struggle to take him down.
...
At the Battlefield's Center
General Ross watched in surprise as Eren single-handedly held back the worm tide.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Good opportunity!"
Without hesitation, he summoned a lieutenant, whispered instructions, and sent him sprinting toward a nearby armored vehicle.
Moments later—
A large mechanical device slowly rose from the vehicle's top.
"What the hell is that…?"
From his rooftop vantage point, Tony squinted at the massive contraption.
Something about it felt strangely familiar.
"Sir," Jarvis spoke up, "scanning the device… It shares a 67% similarity to the particle freeze gun you once built."
"…Wait—what?"
"However, unlike your original swimming pool cooling gun, this machine is—significantly larger."
Larger?
That thing is easily a hundred—no, a thousand times bigger than my little freeze gun!
"…Okay. Now I understand why it looked familiar."
"But how the hell did my little invention end up in Ross' hands?!"
"Sir," Jarvis replied calmly, "years ago, Obadiah Stane took your particle freeze gun, claiming it was for 'pool maintenance.' However, he never returned it."
Tony: "…"
Obadiah. Again.
Of course.
"Activate Targeting System!"
General Ross pressed a button.
The center of the large device shifted, revealing something resembling a cannon barrel.
Under the operation of several soldiers, the cannon rotated, locking onto a different street infested with worms.
Unlike Eren's location, that street had no one holding the tide back.
The destruction was worse there—hundreds had already perished in mere moments.
Ross frowned, glancing at Abomination and Hulk—the original targets of this weapon.
This freeze cannon had been designed to neutralize those two—freezing them solid so they could be captured for government research.
The military wanted to study their biological structure…
Perhaps even replicate their power for a new generation of super-soldiers.
But—
Instead of freezing gamma mutants, the weapon was about to be fired on worms.
And once the cannon's capabilities were revealed, it would be harder to use it against Abomination or Hulk in the future.
They weren't mindless beasts, after all.
Ross clenched his jaw.
Looking at the panicked civilians trying to flee, and at his daughter, whom he had already sent to a safer location…
He sighed.
"For America."
Then—he barked a single order.
"FIRE!"
As Ross' command echoed, the massive cannon barrel began to glow.
Blue energy rings spiraled along its length, converging at its core.
The build-up of energy intensified.
Then—
A blinding blue beam of particle-freezing energy blasted forth, slamming into the writhing mass of worms.
The moment it hit—
A wave of pure, biting cold erupted, dropping the battlefield's already freezing temperature even further.
Frost rapidly spread, creeping across the worm tide.
The absolute zero temperatures flash-froze the creatures into grotesque ice sculptures.
And with the continuous firing of the particle freeze beam—
The frost kept spreading.
"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK—"
One by one, the frozen worms began to shatter.
In mere seconds—
The enormous tide of wriggling worms, stretching for dozens of meters and inching relentlessly toward the crowd, was instantly frozen solid by the radiant blue beam.
As if the freezing blast wasn't enough, the energy continued to envelop the icy figures, adding an extra-thick layer of frost, ensuring the creatures were completely sealed away in ice.
Within ten seconds, the once-ravenous tide—devouring anything in its path—was entombed, forming a frozen graveyard along the streets.
A breathtaking spectacle of ice sculptures stretched across the battlefield.
"No wonder I paid billions for this from Obadiah," General Ross murmured, a mix of satisfaction and frustration in his voice.
"This Stark Industries prototype weapon… its power is definitely worth the price. But its limitations are still too severe..."
Despite the impressive results, the Particle Freeze Cannon had begun emitting thick white steam from its vents—signs of severe energy overload.
Without extensive cooling and repairs, the cannon was out of commission for the time being.
And knowing that every second of firing cost a fortune, Ross felt a sting in his chest.
"We… we're saved!!"
Just outside the frozen tide, a young woman who had fallen in panic—twisting her ankle in the process—had all but accepted her impending death.
Yet, just as despair threatened to consume her, a miracle arrived.
A brilliant blue light split through the darkness—eradicating the monstrous horde, pulling her back from the edge of doom.
"Thank God… I'm alive…"
"Hahahaha!!"
The survivors—those who had been moments away from death—burst into shouts of joy.
Some dropped to their knees, praying in gratitude.
But—
Among them, those with sharper instincts didn't waste time celebrating.
They bolted toward the edge of Harlem, desperate to flee the hellscape before another catastrophe struck.
"Nice work!"
On the rooftop, Tony grinned, watching the spectacular results of the freeze cannon.
"Looks like my old toy gun had more potential than I thought."
Turning to Jarvis, he smirked.
"Remind me later—I'm adding a Particle Freeze System to my next Mark suit."
"Understood, sir."
Tonight's battle had reignited Tony's interest in his abandoned freeze weapon project.
Originally, he had set it aside because the power supply was too much of a hassle.
But now?
With his Arc Reactor technology, he was certain he could turn it into a masterpiece.
And beyond combat applications—
Cryogenic weapons were an excellent non-lethal suppression tool.
...
The daring reporters who had braved the Harlem battlefield had been recording everything.
Now, broadcasting live, they praised the US Army's heroic intervention—showering them with compliments.
But not everyone shared that sentiment.
As the footage spread, some viewers and netizens quickly began criticizing the military.
"If they had a weapon this powerful, why didn't they use it sooner?!"
"Hundreds died before they acted! This is criminal negligence!"
Even among the survivors, resentment brewed.
People grieved for their loved ones, cursing the military for their delayed response.
If they had fired the Particle Freeze Cannon earlier…
Would their families still be alive?
While the world erupted in debate—
Deep beneath Harlem's sewers, the sudden extermination of millions of worms triggered something.
A massive, black cocoon, hanging from the sewer ceiling, shuddered violently.
The next second—
An eerie, insect-like screech pierced the air.
A shockwave rippled outward—invisible yet overwhelming.
Instantly—
The horrifying screech reverberated through the battlefield.
Every living being who heard it felt their consciousness shift.
Their minds plunged into an endless abyss—
A twisted cosmos, unfathomable, filled with horrors beyond mortal comprehension.
No—
This was not an illusion.
Eren was the first to snap out of it.
His eyes widened.
He looked up.
Above Harlem—no, above all of New York—
The polluted night sky suddenly cleared.
And beyond it—
A colossal phantom loomed, casting its presence over the entire city.
This was a manifestation of the Mother of Worms.
...
Sanctum Sanctorum
At the New York Sanctum, Mordo and Wong stood frozen, their gazes locked onto the monstrous silhouette in the sky.
"…What is this?"
The phantom stretched across New York's skyline, its form unfathomable.
If not for the fact that it lacked the full presence of an Elder God, along with the associated madness-inducing aura, they would have believed that a true Outer God had breached Earth's dimensional barriers.
Before anyone could react—
The massive apparition shattered, collapsing into a smaller, more concentrated form—
A dark cocoon, floating in the sewers.
Inside that writhing cocoon—
A humanoid figure curled into itself, undergoing an unknown metamorphosis.
With the complete absorption of the Evil God's aura, the figure inside radiated a twisted aura of:
Evolution.
Corruption.
Despair.
Terror.
The cocoon began distorting further.
Faint visions flickered around it—
Desolate wastelands, cracked and soaked in dried blood.
An endless tide of worms engulfing entire cities.
Mountains. Rivers. People. Flesh.
Nothing could escape.
Everything was being consumed.
Reduced to eternal silence.
(End of Chapter)
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