Heisenberg's giant arm, fitted with a buzzsaw, swung down. Ethan reversed the self-propelled cannon at full speed, dodging the strike. He unleashed a barrage of machine-gun fire, but the steel beast didn't flinch. Switching tactics, Ethan charged, slicing through Heisenberg's arm with the cannon's chainsaw. The fatal blow sent the massive form crumbling.
"That all you got, Eveline?" Ethan taunted.
"Wow, that's strong," Eveline said. "Kidding!"
Heisenberg's wreckage vanished. A whirring sound roared behind Ethan, who yanked the lever, speeding away to evade the attack. Turning, he saw the same giant Heisenberg, somehow restored.
"What…!?" Ethan gasped.
"He's part of me—I can rebuild him endlessly!" Eveline said. "And how about this?"
Clapping her hands, Eveline summoned black mold that surged into the dragon form of Dimitrescu, the Baby, and Moreau's monstrous fish, aligning them with Heisenberg.
"Don't die on me yet!" Eveline pleaded.
"I'll tear your flesh apart!" Dimitrescu roared.
"Paaaapa!" the Baby wailed.
"Only Eveline loves me!" Moreau bellowed.
"You really screwed us over, Ethan!" Heisenberg growled.
"Tch!" Ethan spat.
Retreating, Ethan sprayed cannon and machine-gun fire to stagger them. The unflinching Baby was shredded by the chainsaw. Accelerating, Ethan blasted the main cannon, obliterating Dimitrescu, Moreau, and Heisenberg in explosions.
"That's it! That's my Ethan!" Eveline cheered.
"!" Ethan flinched.
Eveline's form dissolved into a swarm of winged insects, lunging at him. Ethan shot them down with cannon and machine-gun fire, but stragglers morphed into Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela, cackling as they floated, slashing from three sides with claws, spraying blood.
"HAHAHAHA!" they laughed in unison.
"Try this!" Ethan shouted.
Wounded, Ethan grabbed a grenade launcher, loaded a flashbang, and fired at the ground. The blinding light seared the insects' compound eyes, forcing the screaming sisters—or rather, Eveline—to reform into her physical body.
"GYAAAAH!" she shrieked.
"Got you, you bastard!" Ethan said.
"I'm not a bastard! Die!" Eveline snapped.
Sprouting Miranda's six wings, Eveline morphed them into spider-like legs, lunging to impale Ethan. He floored the cannon in reverse, landing precise cannon shots into her torso. Hesitant to aim for her face, he watched as she regenerated her blasted chest instantly, charging while he hacked her spider legs with the chainsaw.
"Loved Jack's chainsaw deathmatch that much?" Eveline taunted. "Fly into the fire, summer Ethan!"
"That was hell, and it's winter, you jerk!" Ethan shot back.
Pierced by two or three spider legs, Ethan didn't stop, driving the chainsaw into Eveline's chest. The whirring blade drew a scream—or so he thought, as she burst into laughter.
"GYAAH-HAHAHA! It hurts, hurts, hurts! I feel alive!" Eveline cackled.
"She's crazier than before…!" Ethan muttered.
"It hurts so much… it fuels my grudge!" she said.
Grabbing the chainsaw's blade with her small hands, Eveline bent it with a crack, snapping it off and tossing it aside. She leaned close, flashing a crescent-moon grin.
"Get off me!" Ethan yelled.
"Everyone together can't beat you," she said. "How about this?"
Punched away, Eveline spread her six wings, hovering. The fungal network surged from the ground, merging with her and the scrap from Heisenberg's wreckage, forming a colossal body: a jet-black Dimitrescu dragon, wingless but sprouting Miranda's six crow-like wings. Its arms were Heisenberg's buzzsaw and Sturm's propeller, fused into mechanical monstrosities. Eveline's upper body emerged from its gaping mouth.
"Mix! Chimera Arms! I'm on stage!" she crowed.
"No way…" Ethan said.
"HAHAHA! Let's play, Ethan!" she said.
Eveline thrust her propeller arm, spinning it to unleash a flamethrower—a weapon exploiting her own weakness. Stunned, Ethan floored the cannon in reverse, dodging while firing machine guns and the main cannon. The dense, fake Dimitrescu form shrugged off the attacks, and Eveline ducked inside the mouth, untouchable. She closed in, swinging the buzzsaw.
"I'm pretty good at driving!" Ethan shouted.
Skidding sideways, Ethan narrowly dodged, spinning the cockpit to fire the main cannon, blasting the buzzsaw arm to pieces.
"Nice one!" Eveline snarled, retreating into the mouth.
Her giant form retracted its wings, squatting as its body shuddered. From its back, where wings had been, oozed pus-like fluid, spraying a rain of Moreau's corrosive acid.
"What!?" Ethan gasped.
In a split second, Ethan's mind raced. Flashbacks of Moreau's fight hit him. Flee to Heisenberg's factory? Too far. Escape the acid's range? No time. He chose to dive into the enemy's heart. Slamming the accelerator, he charged, sliding the cannon under the giant's body, using it as a shield.
"That's cheating! Melt and writhe, Ethan!" Eveline screamed.
"No way in hell, Eveline!" Ethan shot back.
From beneath, Dimitrescu, Bela, Cassandra, Daniela, Angie, Moreau, and Heisenberg emerged as upper bodies, grabbing for Ethan. He fired his handgun, shooting their heads to force them back into the giant. As the acid rain stopped, Ethan slid out from under the roaring, winged beast, pondering his next move when his pocket terminal buzzed—an email.
Keep her distracted.
Classic curt Chris, but it sparked hope. Stall, and Chris would handle it. Gripping the controls, Ethan realized he was smiling unconsciously. Eveline, poking her upper body from the mouth, pouted.
"That face pisses me off," she said. "I'll make you suffer, plunge you past despair into hell!"
"Sorry, but I'm not alone like you," Ethan said. "I've got friends I can count on!"
"Alone…" Eveline whispered.
Ethan's bold words made her pause, tilting her head. He'd exposed her facade of companions, revealing her solitude, but something about it stung her.
"Don't mess with me!" she roared. "You made me alone! I was happy—everyone was there, chatting nonsense, doing stupid stuff, having tea parties, planning rebellion together… It's your fault! Your fault I'm alone! Don't mess with me!"
"What…!?" Ethan said.
Enraged, Eveline's giant form exploded—or rather, shed its mechanical arms, dissolving the fungal body into countless insects, a black cloud surging toward Ethan. He fired the machine gun while reversing, dodging the torrent of crashing insects, but their numbers didn't dwindle. Grabbing the grenade launcher, he was interrupted as a moth-like Eveline slammed into him at 130 km/h, shattering the launcher.
"Damn!" Ethan cursed.
"Checkmate! Get devoured and become part of me!" Eveline roared.
With his hand bloodied from the launcher's debris, Ethan's grip faltered. The insect torrent crashed from above, swallowing him whole.
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