The dome's interior vibrated with anticipation. Its translucent walls shimmered with Royal Azure reflections from Erevos' orbiting gears, now spinning faster than ever. Dust floated in streaks, blown by the sheer force of kinetic energy, and the colossal skyscraper-sized gears loomed like ancient mechanical titans, each one pulsating with torque and awaiting the next collision.
Karl gritted his teeth. Every fiber of Erevos hummed with Vythra, torque pulsing through joints, nanites morphing into spikes, exhausts, and serrated blades. The Trinity Node Core thrummed like a heartbeat, aligning perfectly with every movement. He activated Blueprint Overdrive.
Rails sprang to life. Silver tracks spiraled outward from the floor and walls, intersecting at impossible angles, supported by tensile support beams that flexed and shuddered but held firm. The dome itself became a playground of motion, a labyrinth of ricochet and velocity. Each track glimmered with Royal Azure light, perfect guides for Karl's aerial assaults.
The demon, sensing the shift, growled—a low, guttural rumble that shook the air. "Chosen… magnificent… thrill… joy… perfect… honor… pride…"
Karl smirked behind the visor. "You really like talking, huh? Let's see if your words can keep up with your fists."
He launched himself toward the nearest skyscraper-sized gear. Exhausts on his shoulders hissed violently, torque spiraling through his elbow spikes. At the last moment, he fired mini-thrust bursts from his back, slamming into the edge of the spinning gear. Sparks flew. The force of impact ricocheted him along a rail that had materialized just in time, guiding him toward another gear, larger, spinning faster, nearly brushing the dome's ceiling.
The demon lunged, claws extended, intent on catching him mid-flight. Karl twisted, shoulder spikes rotating, elbow serrations slashing air, striking the demon's forearm just as he ricocheted off another track. The force sent the demon spinning, but it laughed, guttural, exhilarated:
"Ah… chosen… magnificent… precision… perfect… exhilaration… joy… fight… honor… pride…"
Karl grinned. Torque pulsed through Erevos' joints, spikes flaring, exhausts venting bursts that amplified every motion. He ricocheted off three gears in rapid succession, each collision sending him soaring along a rail he created mid-flight, twisting, spinning, pivoting, his trajectory bending impossibly yet perfectly toward the demon.
"Feeling honored?" Karl shouted over the cockpit feed, voice calm and lethal.
The demon's roar was a vibration felt in Erevos' chassis. "Honored… exhilarated… pride… fight… eternal… thrill… you… push… me…"
Karl fired micro-spikes from his shoulders and elbows, each one extending mid-arc to catch parts of the giant gears, spinning them slightly to alter his path mid-flight. Exhausts hissed, vents opening along Erevos' spine and legs to provide bursts of propulsion. Every movement was a controlled defiance of physics, a high-speed ballet of torque, Royal Azure, and nanite manipulation.
He ricocheted off a support beam that had sprung from Blueprint Overdrive, spinning horizontally in mid-air, and collided into the demon's side. Royal Azure sparks flew. The demon growled in exhilaration, its massive form swaying under the impact but refusing to fall.
"You… perfect… chosen… thrill… honor… pride… exhilaration… fight… unmatched… magnificent…"
Karl's grin widened behind the visor. "I could say the same to you." He slashed with elbow spikes, pivoting mid-air, then slammed into a support beam just below a massive gear, flipping and spinning to redirect himself toward the demon again. Each movement left glowing trails of Royal Azure energy, cutting across the dome like lightning in a storm.
The demon met him head-on this time. They collided in mid-air, spike to claw, fist to shoulder, every strike a clash of sheer strength and honed skill. Torque fed into every punch and parry. Exhausts hissed violently, sending blasts of air that twisted and displaced the massive gears around them. Sparks flew from friction between spike and claw. Dust exploded into clouds.
"Your… skill… unmatched… chosen… fight… honor… pride… exhilaration… thrill… perfection…"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it!" Karl shouted, spinning, firing a burst of exhaust, ricocheting off a nearby gear and a rail that spiraled along the dome wall. "And now, I end this!"
He extended the elbow spike on his right arm to full length, serrated edges glowing with Royal Azure. He twisted through the air, Blueprint Overdrive forming rails that guided him perfectly toward the demon's torso. Floating gears spun into orbit around the demon, both obstructive and supportive, funneling the massive creature's momentum into calculated angles.
The demon braced, claws spread, veins glowing blood red. "Ah… final… strike… chosen… pleasure… honor… pride… exhilaration… thrill… unmatched…"
"Pleasure's all mine," Karl muttered. He fired all exhausts at once, sending a burst of propulsion through spikes, slamming them into the demon's chest with perfect alignment. Torque spiraled outward from Erevos' frame into the rails, into the floating gears, into the demon itself. Royal Azure energy flared, illuminating the dome like a mechanical sunrise.
The demon's roar shattered the dome's interior, echoing across the skyscraper-sized gears. Its body arched, claws flailing, voice breaking but still full of exhilaration:
"You… chosen… perfect… honor… pride… thrill… joy… fight… unmatched… exhilaration… eternal…"
Karl twisted the spike, driving it deeper, feeling the last pulse of the Trinity Node Core feed Royal Azure energy into the wound. The floating gears, support beams, and rails vibrated under torque overload, amplifying the force. The demon's massive torso arched, shuddered, then collapsed… almost.
Karl exhaled, visor fogging slightly with the heat of exertion. "It's… been a pleasure."
Agnes' voice hummed, awed, trembling. "Karl… he… he's… not entirely… down…"
Karl's hand tightened around the controls. Vythra pulsed through Erevos' frame, spikes still extended, exhausts still hissing. The city-sized dome groaned, orbiting gears spinning like the heartbeat of a living organism.
For a heartbeat, they floated in the aftermath—dust, sparks, Royal Azure light, and the kinetic energy of every ricochet, pivot, and collision lingering in the air.
Karl whispered, almost to himself, "So… it's not over yet, huh?"
Agnes hummed softly, voice tinged with excitement and concern: "Karl… I think… the real finale… is just beginning…"
And in that moment, both Chosen and demon—wounded, exhilarated, proud, honored—knew that the true climax of this battle was still a heartbeat away, a collision of force, skill, and sheer will waiting to be unleashed in the city-sized dome.