"Don't utter the forbidden line!" Billy immediately objected. "Every time someone says that, the villain always gets back up a moment later."
"Even if it does come back for round two, we just have to hold it off," Nicole said, taking it in stride. Then she turned toward Anby. "Using that kind of charged weapon in the rain—did you shock yourself?"
Anby, her white hair frizzed wildly in every direction, shook her head. Nicole reached out to smooth it down.
"No problem," Anby replied cooperatively, "but usually, villains of this level always have a second phase."
Ignis wanted to thank her for the commentary, but the Dead End Butcher, lying sprawled on the ground, was already beginning to change.
Its body of ether crystal began to shimmer with prismatic light. A flood of liquid ether surged from its back—luminous, volatile, and violently active. The substance rippled and flashed, forcing the creature's body upright as vitality returned to its frame.
"Looks like round two really is happening." Ignis rolled his shoulder and raised his guard again.
"I told you that line was cursed," Billy muttered as he shifted to the Dead End Butcher's flank, taking up a new firing position.
Before it could fully rise, Ignis went on the offensive. He charged straight at the creature, targeting its legs—if he could cripple one, the fight would be over quickly.
But the charge was interrupted. The liquid ether surged to life like writhing worms, moving to intercept him.
Ignis was just about to analyze its pattern when the ether suddenly solidified—into a giant hand that lunged straight for his head.
Too fast to dodge. He crossed his arms over his head. The blow landed with crushing force, nearly toppling him, shoving him backward several meters before he regained footing.
Then he saw it clearly—the Dead End Butcher now had a second pair of arms sprouting from its back.
"So, you've evolved from a Machoke to a Machamp, huh," Ignis muttered dryly, and charged again.
The second phase was far more vicious than the first. The reawakened Dead End Butcher's speed, power, even aggression were all dramatically heightened.
It ignored Nicole and Billy's suppressing fire, roaring as it charged, all four arms outstretched toward Ignis.
The two titans collided—each strike resounding like clashing metal.
Flamestorm Gauntlets and monstrous claws met again and again, sparks flaring as the disintegration field clashed violently with the etheric radiation field.
Ignis's superior combat instincts gave him a slight edge. He blocked a double right-arm smash with his elbow, ramming forward and hammering a flurry of punches into the creature's chest at point-blank range.
Perhaps it had diverted too much ether into its offensive capabilities—its defense was weaker. Each blow drove it back, shattering large chunks of ether crystal from its frame.
Ignis drew back, preparing to channel a full-force power strike—but the Dead End Butcher's four arms snapped like whips, sweeping toward him. He leapt back just in time.
It seemed to realize it couldn't win in close quarters, and Nicole and Billy's constant harassment only enraged it further.
Suddenly, the Dead End Butcher dropped low, braced all four arms against the ground, and lunged—straight at Billy.
"Waaahhh!" Billy screamed, though his reflexes were sharp. Using the slick, rain-soaked floor, he slid into a low dive, scraping just beneath the monster's belly by mere centimeters.
As he passed, the Dead End Butcher's four arms clawed wildly, trying to grab him, but only succeeded in tripping itself, crashing down hard.
In that clumsy motion, Ignis noticed something crucial—the Dead End Butcher's core on its back was fully exposed. Those extra arms must have formed from the structure that once shielded it.
Ignis and Anby exchanged a glance. She nodded, understanding instantly—her job was to hit the core again.
Ignis moved to press the advantage before it could stand, but the creature suddenly planted all four arms, twisted its body, and rammed straight toward him.
Ignis wasn't built like Billy—dodging was impossible. He braced, arms raised to shield his head, and took the hit head-on.
Thankfully, his Mark X Gravis Power Armor held firm. Though dazed by the impact, there was no significant damage. The armor's automated system detected minor structural stress, but the self-repairing nanogel had already begun sealing it.
The Dead End Butcher barely slowed. It raised its massive torso and unleashed a storm of four-handed strikes upon him.
Regaining his stance, Ignis met the assault head-on, fists flying. Despite being outnumbered two arms to four, his superior speed and servo-assisted strength kept pace, his blows striking with punishing precision.
In a rapid, metallic blur of exchanges, Ignis shattered two of the creature's arms, though one heavy hit clipped his shoulder. He'd shifted his stance deliberately—the blow struck his pauldron, his armor's toughest section, deforming it but leaving him unhurt.
While the two titans clashed, Anby climbed back up for another strike. But this time, the Dead End Butcher anticipated her. Its shattered limbs instantly regenerated, and one swung back to intercept her.
Anby had no armor to absorb such force; she evaded, landing only a glancing slash across one arm before retreating.
Ignis intentionally kept the monster's attention on him to protect the others, but Nicole and Billy's continuous specialized gunfire was still drawing its fury.
It suddenly dropped to the ground again, its core blazing in iridescent light as liquid ether pooled and condensed atop its back.
The glow intensified—a beam of concentrated ether energy erupted forth, sweeping toward Nicole and Billy. Everything in its path disintegrated, then crystallized into ether shards.
If that beam hit a living being, they'd be converted instantly into ether crystal.
Both of them dove for cover, splitting apart—but the Dead End Butcher locked its aim on Nicole, tracking her relentlessly.
"Boss Nicole!" Billy yelled. "Don't stop running!"
Nicole didn't dare slow down; the beam was less than half a meter behind her. A single hesitation and she'd be done.
"Why me?! Go chase Billy!" she shouted breathlessly as she ran.
Fortunately, it didn't last long. Ignis charged in from the flank, slamming a thunderous punch into the Dead End Butcher's head. The volatile ether detonated violently.
The explosion staggered it; Ignis pressed the attack, landing a relentless barrage of follow-up blows.
Then he heard it—the sound of victory.
The train.
The train loaded with explosives—their trump card—was finally arriving.
Ignis recalibrated instantly, using his armor's systems to predict the train's trajectory. The Dead End Butcher's current position wasn't ideal.
He leapt back over ten meters, then sprinted full-force, aiming to drive the creature into the perfect spot with a shoulder charge—a move from the legendary 2K-era close combat manuals.
The battered Dead End Butcher struggled to rise. Its form was pitiful—three of its four arms shattered, its ether-crystal body fractured and crumbling.
But a creature powerful enough to name an entire Hollow wouldn't die easily. Its core ignited again, absorbing the surrounding ether crystals, even consuming nearby lesser Ethereals to repair itself.
But right now—it couldn't move.
"Dear passengers, the train is arriving shortly! Please stand behind the yellow line and board in order."
Through the downpour came the distorted station announcement, followed by the blare of a train whistle.
Anby seized the opening. She sprinted, leaping high onto the Dead End Butcher's back, her blade crackling with lightning.
The ether radiation gnawed at her mind, but her body followed through instinctively.
She swung down hard—the electrified blade struck deep, discharging a surge that ignited the etheric matter. The resulting blast sent her flying clear as the Dead End Butcher froze mid-motion.
Ignis had been waiting for that exact moment. As the creature's body seized, he charged like a raging bull, slamming into it full-force.
The Dead End Butcher stumbled backward—step by step—straight into the train's path.
The Proxy's explosive-laden train crashed into it with a thunderous impact, carrying the abomination forward, ramming it deep into the coliseum wall.
The Proxy's Bangboo landed nearby, immediately activating its communication system. "Fairy, commence operation."
"Confirmed. Calculating atmospheric charge distribution now," the AI assistant replied.
"Leave the rest to me," Billy called, firing both pistols at the loaded cars.
Anby recharged her blade, overloading it with electricity, and hurled it. The blade embedded perfectly into one of the explosive cars.
"Four seconds to critical potential… three…"
At the countdown, everyone broke into a sprint, taking cover behind the overturned cars.
"Two…"
But then, from beneath the wreckage, ether began to surge again—a glowing mass forcing its way out, reshaping into new limbs.
It was trying to escape.
"One… zero."
They braced—but instead of an explosion, there was only thunder. Nothing happened.
"Huh? Why didn't it go off?" the Proxy muttered, realizing something was wrong.
The Dead End Butcher, half-buried under the train cars, heaved them up. Two more arms sprouted—just short of a Nezha now.
They couldn't let it break free.
Ignis roared and charged, activating his jump pack to maximum thrust. In less than a second, he was in range of his flamethrower.
"For the Emperor!"
Flames erupted, engulfing both the Dead End Butcher and the explosives.
A blinding flash—then a shockwave.
Ignis was hurled through the air as the world turned white. Three full train cars' worth of explosives had gone up at once.
He felt something slam against his chest like a hammer—and then, nothing.