The demon exploded forward—a blur of red hatred carving through the air like it was ripping open the sky itself.
Karl knew instantly:
If Erevos took a single more hit, he was dead.
"Agnes—shift NOW!" he barked.
Agnes didn't hesitate.
Her wings flared wide, projection brightening into a streak of blue light.
"Understood! Let's Go For A Ride ⟿ !"
A shimmering sigil unfolded beneath Karl—four rotating rings, each etched with nanite script and ignition valves. The damaged Erevos armor split open along the seams, plates folding backward like retracting petals. Nanites peeled away from Karl's limbs, uncoiling like liquid metal snakes.
Karl slammed his palm onto the ignition dial of the Drive Regulator.
"TRINITY NODE—SHIFT!"
The dial spun.
One turn.
Two.
Three.
The moment the third click locked—
BOOOOM—
Karl was engulfed in a spiral of azure flame, nanites snapping tight around him as the Rider Frame erupted into existence.
THE RIDER FRAME MANIFESTS
The transformation wasn't graceful.
It was violent.
Nanites surged over Karl's skin like tidal waves of chrome.
Ignition conduits lit along his arms.
Blueprint circuitry traced itself across his body in glowing lines.
Four gears materialized around him—each one forged of plasma-infused nanites and raw torque.
Only four—because that was all this form could handle.
Two slotted into his chest in an instant, crossing into an X-shaped torque core, interlocking teeth spinning faster and faster as they synced with the Trinity Node.
The other two smashed against his knees—stabilizers, boosters, accelerators.
The moment they connected—
FWOOOOM—
Pressure burst outward in a ring, dust lifting off the ground.
The remaining four gears—too heavy to integrate—floated behind him in a semicircle like predatory satellites, their edges spinning silently.
Karl's visor locked into place, blue flames tracing its edges.
Agnes hovered at his shoulder, wings crackling with power.
"All systems stable," she reported.
"Rider Frame synchronization: 92%.
Remaining Vythra: 70%... 69%… 68%—Karl, the drain rate increased due to switching frames!"
Karl clenched a fist.
"I don't care. If I don't finish this within the next few minutes—we're dead."
The demon stopped mid-charge, confused by the sudden burst of light.
Then its smile returned.
"New… shell…" it growled.
"Still… BREAK."
Karl bent forward, gears shrieking as torque surged.
"No," Karl whispered.
"You're done."
He activated Blueprint Overdrive.
THE WORLD SLOWED
Not literally—Karl simply moved fast enough to make it seem that way.
Blueprint lines flashed across the environment, forming potential paths in real time.
Left wall.
Broken pillar.
Ridge edge.
Rock tooth.
Ceiling crack.
Agnes projected trajectories.
Karl picked five at once.
He launched.
VWOOOOOOOSH—
He blurred from one side of the ravine to the other, zig-zagging so violently the demon's eyes couldn't track him. Each dash was a micro-explosion of torque—chest gears spinning, knee gears flaring sparks against the rock as he rebounded.
The demon swiped—
Karl was already above him.
It swung again—
Karl slid under the arm, sparks trailing from the knee gears as they ground against stone.
Its third punch carved a trench into the cliffs—
Karl twisted sideways, floating gears firing like projectiles, slicing into the demon's back.
The demon roared in pain.
"STOP… MOVING!"
Karl kicked off a boulder, flipping across its face.
"Then try hitting me."
IGNITION REQUIEM—ACTIVATED
He held one hand forward.
"Agnes—ignite!"
A blast of royal azure fire erupted from his palm, detonating against the demon's jaw. The creature's head snapped backward, bone cracking, ichor spraying like molten tar.
But the demon recovered instantly.
Its rage passive triggered.
Speed increased.
Again.
And again.
It vanished—
Then appeared directly beside Karl.
A fist the size of Karl's torso streaked toward him.
"AGNES—HAZARD SURGE!"
Agnes screamed: "HAZARD DRIVER—OPEN!"
The Rider Frame's hazard channels expanded.
Nanites surged.
Karl's palms glowed royal azure—
He caught the punch.
The shockwave split the mountain in half.
Karl slid back meters—boots carving molten trenches—but he held the demon's fist back.
Barely.
Karl's voice shook.
"Hazard Driver… overload… NOW!"
The hazard conduits exploded.
WHOOOOSH—
Royal azure flames burst outward, engulfing both Karl and the demon. The demon howled as its arm melted under the onslaught.
Karl twisted the ignition again.
"HAZARD DRIVER KICK!"
Torque redirected.
Gears spun into a screeching cyclone.
The knee gears flared—
BOOOOOOOM!
Karl's foot smashed into the demon's ribs with enough force to send it tumbling across the ravine, carving a bloody trail through the mountainside.
But Karl staggered, clutching his chest.
Agnes looked at him, panicked.
"Karl—Vythra now at 42%!"
Karl didn't even look at her.
His eyes were locked on the demon rising from the rubble.
Still alive.
Still smiling.
Now even faster.
"Karl…" Agnes whispered. "You… you can't use Gearstorm Nova in this state. Rider Frame isn't built to withstand it."
Karl spat blood.
"No choice."
He raised both arms.
The floating gears behind him expanded, spinning faster and faster until they formed a full halo of torque.
The chest gears rotated—
Then aligned.
Then overclocked.
Agnes grabbed his arm.
"Karl—if you fire Gearstorm Nova in Rider Frame—your body might rupture!"
Karl activated ignition anyway.
"Then catch me if I fall."
The demon charged.
Karl whispered:
"GEARSTORM… NOVA."
The entire ravine lit up.