The cracked streets of Times Square glowed under the pale light of the fractured sky. Rubble and shattered screens littered the ground. Karl's eyes narrowed behind his visor as dozens of shifting silhouettes emerged from the rift—a writhing mass of Erebion, sinew gleaming, cobalt veins pulsating, jaws twitching unnaturally.
"Ohhh Karl… look at all of them~" Agnes purred in his mind, voice dripping like silk over steel. "Are you ready to play with me? I hope you've warmed up your ignition dial~"
Karl swallowed hard and grasped the regulator. His fingers trembled slightly as he began to rev, slow at first. The nanites along his arms hissed and surged, forming segmented armor panels, interlocking like liquid steel.
"Faster… yes, just like that~" Agnes cooed, teasingly. "Feel the Vythra pulse through you, Karl. That's right… let it flow through every inch of Erevos. Ohhh… I love it when you get all… revved up~"
The first Erebion lunged, all four jaws snapping. Karl twisted his body instinctively, the mech frame responding in fluid precision. He fired a kinetic pulse, staggering the creature—but it twisted, reconfiguring its limbs like liquid metal.
"Hmm~ adaptive, aren't we?" Agnes purred. "Don't just stand there staring, Karl! Spin your torso… yes! Hit it while twisting, like this~"
He obeyed, firing two more pulses that struck its glowing veins. The creature screeched, a horrifying mimicry of a human scream. Agnes giggled, almost vibrating with excitement through his neural link.
"Mmmm, Karl… they're learning from you~ Can you feel that? The more you fight, the more they copy. Naughty little creatures, trying to match my boy~"
Karl's heart pounded, the Vythra surging through the Trinity Core. He twisted the ignition dial faster, feeling his nanites respond. The horde pressed closer, dozens of creatures lunging in unison.
"Ooohhh yes… faster~ Rev me harder, Karl! You'll gain even more energy if you push me! Don't hold back… give me everything you've got~"
With each surge, Karl's movements became a blur. He spun, ducked, and fired pulses that ripped through multiple Erebion at once. Yet for every one that fell, another lunged, some mutating with a metallic sheen eerily familiar—pieces of his own tech reflected in their bodies.
"Karl… naughty boy… look what they did with your tech~" Agnes whispered, playful and teasing. "Isn't it… a little scary? But don't worry, I'm here. I love guiding you through danger~"
He dodged a lunging appendage, countering with a plasma shot that split into three smaller bursts. One struck the creature's chest, one its clawed limb, one its jaw—but still they adapted, twitching their bones, mutating their muscles mid-strike.
"Ooooh Karl… you are fast, but faster is better~ Let's see you push the ignition dial to the limit! You'll feel it~" Agnes' voice dripped like honey over his thoughts, teasing and almost taunting. "Use that Vythra… channel it through your nanites… ohhh yes~ make me purr, Karl~"
Karl clenched the dial, revving it faster and faster. Nanites surged along his frame, flowing like liquid through Erevos' skeleton, linking to the Trinity Core. The mech frame responded instantly, twisting and dodging with precision. Every strike, every pulse, flowed seamlessly with Agnes' guidance.
The horde lunged as one, jaws snapping, claws raking the ground. Karl leapt, spinning midair. He fired a charged Vythra pulse from his gauntlets that detonated against the center of the horde, sending some staggering backward.
"Yes~ That's my boy!" Agnes cooed. "Ohhh Karl… the way you move… the way you feel me in the nanites… it's exquisite~ Don't slow down now! Push me~ harder!"
The remaining Erebion adapted quicker, their skin hardening into chitin-like plates. Karl groaned, feeling the Trinity Core push back, the nanites flickering under the feedback.
"Mmm, naughty little monsters…" Agnes teased. "They think they can copy you? Let's show them who really rules the playground~ Spin the dial, Karl… faster! Show me how strong you've become~"
Karl twisted the ignition dial as fast as he dared, Vythra surging violently, nanites firing in controlled bursts, forming shields, gauntlets, and reinforced legs in perfect synchronization. He dodged, slashed, and fired with lethal precision.
The Erebion shrieked, some falling, some mutating their limbs midair. Karl realized they weren't just fighting—they were learning. His pulses left imprints of Erevos' nanites on their bodies.
"Yes, Karl~ that's it~ Keep them dancing, baby~" Agnes purred. "You're perfect… perfectly synchronized. Mmm… push me harder! Rev the regulator, baby… faster~!"
With one final surge, Karl twisted the ignition dial fully, the Trinity Core roaring, nanites streaming, the mech frame glowing in cobalt, cerulean, and admiral. He unleashed a focused Vythra blast that hit the center of the horde.
The creatures screamed, staggered, and finally collapsed, twitching and mutating as their unstable bodies finally gave way.
Karl fell to one knee, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his brow. Nanites pulsed across his frame, slowly retracting as Erevos' system stabilized.
"Mmm… that's my boy~" Agnes cooed softly in his mind, almost tender now. "You did wonderfully… perfectly… and you smelled amazing while doing it~"
Karl exhaled deeply, a smile tugging at his lips. Despite the chaos, the blood-pulse of Vythra, and the horde, he felt… exhilarated. And somewhere deep down, a strange warmth settled—the feeling of having someone guiding him, teasing him, and believing in him.