Suddenly, gunfire roared again. Rose realized he was under attack and pulled the body of a fallen enemy into his arms, using it as a shield against the hail of bullets. Another assassin rushed in, weapon raised, ready to fire point‑blank, until its arm was severed by a silver katana. The pistol clattered to the floor, and Rose claimed it in an instant.
"You're far more extraordinary than I imagined," Eva said, stepping onto the wooden planks of the pier. Her words were punctuated by gunshots echoing from a nearby shack. Rose backed into the building, hooks dangling from the rafters above. Three more machines closed in, blades flashing, but none could touch him. His katana carved through their joints with ruthless precision, severing limbs before they could strike.
Even crippled, the assassins pressed forward, relentless. Rose finally unleashed what he had long resisted, hidden blades erupting from his own frame. He charged, slicing through everything in his path.
When Eva entered the shack, she smiled with pride. The three machines now hung from hooks like butchered carcasses. Only Rose and Eva remained, facing each other in the dim light. Rose tore the last blade from his body and let it fall, dripping with oil.
"I won't become a monster like you," he said, dropping the weapon with a metallic clang.
"No matter what, you'll come with me, Rose. I promised you that the day we first met."
"Your words betray your actions, Eva. I don't believe human life should be defined by an individual."
Eva laughed softly. "Look at you! thinking like men. It's remarkable. Tell me, why do you crave humanity so much? What's so precious about IT SO FUCKING BAD?!"
"Because if a living being is heartless, then why should the word 'life' exist at all?" Rose answered, stepping closer. "Inside you, Eva, there's nothing. You carved your own heart out long ago."
Eva smirked. "Show me the heart you claim to have, then." She advanced bare‑handed. Rose thrust his blade, aiming to end her, but she caught it with her arm. Blood sprayed, leaving only a torn wound instead of severed flesh.
"Ungrateful, little shit!" With a growl, Eva slammed Rose's head against the wall. Her fist swung, aiming to crush his face, but Rose countered, driving his forehead into hers, forcing her back.
"You and I aren't so different, Rose," she laughed. "What's inside your head once belonged to me. You are my greatest achievement… my child."
"Xu Wen sent you to find me. That man never cared for you. He's driven only by greed. Takiya-san raised me with dignity, never forcing me into hateful acts." Rose swung his blade at her torso, but Eva blocked with her numb arm.
"Think of the future, Rose! If I die, Xu Wen lives on. He'll build another and continue his empire, a world where machines are human slaves. Is that what you want? Together we could take the dragon's throne…" Eva gripped the blade tightly, holding it inches from her cheek.
"I won't swallow your poison anymore."
"Then I must take back what's in your head." Her fist slammed into his hip, cracking the frame. She sneered. "Sting, doesn't it? Kheehaha." With a cruel laugh, she hurled him onto a hook, his body dangling. She pressed her hand to his forehead. "You won't remember any of these when it ends."
Rose's eyes snapped open. "Yes, I will." His foot lashed out, smashing into her face. She staggered, collapsing. Rose ripped the chain from the ceiling, wielding it alongside his sword. He swung the hooked chain, snagging Eva's body, then yanked, driving steel through her stomach. She gasped, clutching him, and dragged them both through the shack's door, down toward the pier.