The city cracks wide open, and all the freaks come dancing out. Guns, spells, demons, corporate squads — welcome to Nocturne's deadliest block party.
Nocturne City wasn't fighting anymore.
It was celebrating its own destruction.
The skies above the skyline seethed with ruptured sunlight, bleeding golden rays across skyscrapers and shattered rooftops. Neon banners, once just flickering advertisements, now twisted into jagged sigils, broadcasting a single, maddened chant:
CARNIVAL MODE: ENGAGED. ALL GLORY TO THE FRACTURE.
The Streets Erupt (Carnival Chaos):
Bullets and neon spells streaked through the alleyways like fireworks gone rabid. Succubi gangs, clad in fishnets and glowing combat heels, tore down side streets on their roaring demon-motorbikes. Their rune-shotguns blasted golden scattershot, laughing like drunk schoolgirls at a high-stakes rave.
Corporate enforcers from Lumen Corp advanced in perfect formations, shields up, sunburst logos glowing under the fractured sky. Their non-lethal rounds ricocheted wildly, accidentally igniting apartment balconies and fizzling through rooftop gardens.
Above it all, faction leaders screamed their battle cries into the night:
"FOR THE FRACTURED SUN!"
"NOCTURNE BELONGS TO THE NIGHTMARES!"
And amid the madness… a lone street vendor banged on a wok, shouting over the chaos:
"2-FOR-1 RUPTURE NOODLES, COME GET SOME!"
Because in Nocturne, the hustle never sleeps.
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Asher's POV: Dazed and Spiraling
Asher Blackwood staggered through the infernal street party, every breath catching on smoke and ozone. His ears rang. His head throbbed. The world around him split like cracked glass — one eye saw the brutal reality of it all, but his other eye?
His other eye saw something else.
Everyone he looked at — cops, demons, gangsters — their faces warped and melted into molten gold masks, grinning, leering, whispering his name like a prayer.
He stumbled into a shattered window, catching sight of his reflection.
It stared back — a warped twin wearing a golden grin.
"Detective Blackwood… welcome to the Carnival. You're home now."
"NO—!" Asher roared, punching the glass. It shattered, the hallucination breaking apart — but beneath his bloodied fist, golden cracks spiderwebbed across the wall.
And for one terrifying moment… reality itself seemed to wince.
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Rosa's Desperate Move (Calling the Ally):
Huddled behind a burning taxi, Rosa's fingers trembled as she dialed a restricted number on her cracked phone. The screen flickered, fighting for signal amid the chaos.
"Pick up, dammit… come on… come on…"
A pause.
Then a silky, mocking voice answered:
"Well, well, little witch. Didn't think you'd be calling me tonight. The world really must be ending."
Noir. The masked information broker — half snake oil salesman, half digital devil. A wildcard who always played every side.
Rosa's voice was raw with desperation.
"I'll owe you one favor. That's it. One. Stabilize Asher before he tears this city apart!"
Noir chuckled, smooth as silk. "One favor? You drive a hard bargain, darling. Fine. I'll send the patch code… but let's just say the side effects might be… illuminating."
Rosa gritted her teeth. "Just do it. Now."
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Meanwhile: "Rupture Parade" Begins
In the most absurd twist of fate, the chaos coalesced into… a parade.
Street punks zipped down Main Avenue in stolen shopping carts, hurling firework spells into the broken sky. A gaggle of grandmothers from District 5 proudly waved hand-sewn banners reading:
"PROTECT OUR DEMONIC HERITAGE!"
Above them, a rogue AI billboard — normally advertising diet pills — now screamed:
"CARNIVAL! CARNIVAL! LET'S TURN REALITY INSIDE OUT!"
Even the succubi warlords paused mid-gunfight to join in a spontaneous dance-off, laughing as golden embers rained down like confetti.
Nocturne was a warzone.And a party.At the same time.
The cyber-eyed operative wasn't done.
Perched on a hovering drone, she scanned the carnage below, eyes glowing like twin lenses of judgment.
She snarled into her comms:"This is DAWN Division. Engage emergency protocol. Detain or kill Blackwood. Cleanse Zone 7. No witnesses. Repeat: no witnesses."
Hovercrafts descended like metal vultures, spotlights slicing through the smoke. Armed squads rappelled down, weapons gleaming, ready to drag the city back under control — or bury it in fire.
Above it all, the fractured sun pulsed once more.
Asher collapsed to his knees, gasping. His fingers clawed at the pavement, golden cracks blooming outwards like sick veins.
In his mind, the whispers crescendoed:
"Join us… break everything… become the Carnival King…"
He looked around — everyone had those golden grins now. His own face shimmered on their bodies. Buildings seemed to twist, bending down to laugh at him.
He was breaking. Fast.
Then — FLASH.
Rosa slammed a glowing rune against his chest, Noir's stabilizer code burning white-hot.
Asher's body convulsed, the golden cracks searing shut. His scream echoed — raw, primal — as reality snapped back into place.
When the light died down… his right eye burned faintly, permanently stained with a golden glow.
His mind?Stable… enough.For now.
He rose slowly, breath ragged. Looked at the chaos swirling around him.
Looked up at the operative, fuming on her hovercraft.
Looked at the parade of drunk succubi and punk grandmas dancing in the fire-lit streets.
And muttered, deadpan:
"…Nocturne's really lost its damn mind."
Rosa, half-laughing, half-crying, wiped soot off her face."Took you long enough, boss."
Asher picked up a dropped shotgun, cracking his neck as he chambered a round.
"Alright. Let's crash this carnival."
A shadow rippled across the fractured sun above them — massive, impossible, wrong.
From the cracks of reality, something titanic began to emerge… and every faction on the battlefield froze in horror.
A new player had entered the game.
And they weren't here to play nice.
[End of Chapter 64]
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Preview of Next Chapter (65) — "King of the Cracks"
As Nocturne's chaos reaches its breaking point, a self-proclaimed ruler steps through the rupture — declaring dominion over the fractured city. Asher and Rosa must rally their fractured alliances to stop Nocturne from slipping permanently into nightmare. But the new "king" has secrets that hit terrifyingly close to home…