The horizon trembled as Karl felt the surge of power course through his veins. Erevos' systems hummed back to life, nanites knitting, joints recalibrating, and the Trinity Node Core thrumming in perfect synchronization. Every inch of the mech shimmered, and the Rider Frame, while still a marvel of torque and precision, now felt like a mere prelude to what was coming.
Agnes' voice rang sharp and confident in his visor.
"Erevos is online. All systems restored. No more half-measures, Karl. Let's show him what happens when you push a Chosen to their limits."
Karl clenched his fists, feeling the surge of Vythra as it flowed seamlessly through Erevos' nanites. Torque, armor, blades, and Royal Azure—everything aligned. He activated Ignition Requiem, Hazard Driver Kick, Gearstorm Nova, and all remaining nanite systems. The mech thrummed like a living organism, alive with vengeance, precision, and the quiet fury of a Chosen who had fought to survive.
The demon shifted, sensing the difference instantly. Its massive fists dug into the ground, sending cracks spidering across the mountainside. It inhaled, a deep, rumbling growl vibrating the air around them. Then it spoke.
"…Chosen… you… you pushed… my patience… activated… passive… proud… be proud… no demon… pushed me… this far before…"
The words were broken, guttural, uneven—but the meaning was clear. Every syllable carried weight. This was no longer a casual engagement; the demon was serious.
Karl smirked behind his visor. "What's this? Trying to lecture me mid-fight? You do realize you're three times the size of Erevos, right? What are you going to do—remember my name after I turn you into paste?"
Agnes giggled in a low, almost menacing way, overlaying his humor. "Don't provoke him too much. He's not messing around anymore."
The demon's fists clenched, and the very ground quaked. Rocks tumbled, dust clouds erupted, and the air shimmered with his sheer presence. Then, in a tone that was almost casual, it admitted something that chilled both Karl and Agnes:
"I… not… serious… before… this
form… knew… not full power… hold back… throwing rocks… not fist… knew… could kill… hold back…"
Karl's eyes narrowed. "So all that 'playtime' was just you warming up?"
The demon's head tilted, almost mockingly. "Yes… warm up… now… serious… fight… honor… fight… Chosen… remember… name…"
Erevos' armor gleamed as Karl moved forward. Every system was online, every blade, gear, and nanite prepared for destruction. The mountain around them quaked as he launched forward, torque feeding his acceleration, Blueprint Overdrive rails extending along jagged cliffs and cliff edges to guide every strike with precision.
Agnes' voice was sharper now, guiding him through the chaos. "Left flank! Diagonal ascent! Use floating gears to intercept debris!"
Karl spun, the chest gears torqueing, knee gears propelling him through spiraling rails, floating gears slicing incoming boulders. The demon clenched its fists, smashing the mountainside, and the air itself vibrated with deadly intent. Karl pivoted mid-air, slashing nanite blades across its forearm, leaving glowing streaks of Royal Azure.
The demon's eyes flared. Every strike, every evasive maneuver, was no longer trivial—it now sensed full-power threat. Its previous patience evaporated. Now it moved with lethal precision, every punch a potential cataclysm.
Agnes whispered, almost reverently, "Karl… now we're in real danger. Every hit could be fatal. Do not—under any circumstances—misstep."
Karl gritted his teeth, feeling the pulse of Vythra through every fiber. "I know… I've survived worse. But this… this is what I was waiting for."
The demon swung a massive fist. Erevos pivoted, torque-enhanced arms slashing a counter, while Blueprint Overdrive rails bent in impossible angles, guiding Karl through a deadly dance. Rocks exploded, dust clouds roared, and Royal Azure sparks rained down. The demon's fury fueled his speed and power, his passive now fully engaged, making every movement more unpredictable, faster, deadlier.
"This… your… honor… fight… no demon… ever pushed me… this far… me... want...remember… name…" the demon repeated, voice breaking but resonant, a strange combination of respect and rage.
Karl's arms became blades, spinning, slicing, deflecting debris, and feeding back into nanite rotation to amplify his own strikes. Every step was measured, deliberate, deadly. He wasn't fighting recklessly—he was buying time, testing the demon's limits, synchronizing his strikes with every bit of Torque, Gearstorm Nova, Hazard Driver, and Blueprint Overdrive at his disposal.
Agnes' voice cut through the chaos again, more commanding: "Now! Pivot off the cliff! Use gravity assist! Spin the floating gears into a protective orbit! Do not let him predict your trajectory!"
Karl obeyed instinctively. He spun through the air, floating gears intercepting rocks, chest gears torqueing, knee gears boosting, Blueprint rails guiding him in impossible arcs. The demon's fists smashed into the mountain repeatedly, trying to anticipate Karl's movements, but he was always just beyond reach.
Each strike Karl landed was calculated to test, not to kill—the goal was survival, and to buy Erevos enough time to fully stabilize its systems. The demon roared in frustration with every missed strike, every slash deflected, every pivot that denied it the satisfaction of victory.
Karl's breathing was heavy behind the visor, Vythra percentage slowly dropping, but Erevos responded to every nanite pulse, every torque adjustment, every Blueprint Overdrive launch with flawless precision. Fifteen minutes of Rider Frame evasion had bought them only temporary safety—but Erevos' systems now pulsed with the promise of full-scale engagement.
The demon's fists clenched again. It had stopped tossing rocks. Now, every motion was precise, calculated, and brimming with rage. Its earlier playful attacks were over; it was serious now, honoring Karl's persistence by fully unleashing the strength it had restrained for fifteen long minutes.
Karl tightened his grip on the controls, preparing for the moment the Rider Frame would shift fully back into Erevos, its systems now fully capable of handling the full destructive power he was about to unleash.
"Erevos… it's your turn," Karl muttered, teeth gritted.
Agnes' voice purred over the system, soft yet firm: "Let's do this, Karl… all in. Full power. Show him the fury of a Chosen."
The air quivered with anticipation. Dust, rock, and Royal Azure energy swirled around the mountain. The demon's gaze was fixed. It roared in both frustration and excitement. Karl's heart pounded. Every system thrummed. Blueprint Overdrive rails snaked around, ready for evasive or offensive maneuvers. Torque spun. Gearstorm Nova charged. The battlefield had never been more alive, more lethal, more poised on the edge of chaos.
And then, in a synchronized motion of nanites, torque, and sheer will, Karl prepared to shift back to Erevos—the mech that could handle Gearstorm Nova without restraint, that could turn the battle from a deadly ballet into full-blown cataclysm.
The demon, sensing the impending escalation, bared its teeth, roared, and clenched its massive fists, ready to meet the Chosen head-on.
The battlefield trembled.
The moment before the clash of full power—where human ingenuity, Vythra energy, and mechanical perfection met ancient, monstrous rage—stretched into silence, tension coiled tighter than steel.
Erevos was about to awaken. The demon was about to pay the price for underestimating Karl.
And the storm of Royal Azure and nanites was about to explode.