Suddenly, "Raiko" lunged at high speed toward the Ijo, pulling it away from the paralyzed Duncan and striking it with a powerful headbutt to its mouths, crushing them and shattering nearly all its teeth. They scattered in every direction like bullets, while its scorching blood sprayed outward just as violently. Then she clung to it, driving her sharp metallic fingers into its flayed, wrinkled flesh. She latched onto the monster with her feet as well—completely deformed and abominable, with long, sharp, bone-like toes that tore into Mishap's sides and thighs. At first, it collapsed to the ground, roaring in pain. This time, it did not beg for mercy.
At first, the monster found itself pinned to the ground, oppressed by the other metallic creature, which held it down by pressing on its arms and legs, snarling at it like a rabid, unstable dog. Each electronic grunt it emitted produced a kind of radio distortion that grew louder and more disturbing with every passing second. This was intensified by the opening of the armor's "jaws," completely shattered and cracked between the chin and upper lip area, seemingly fused with the dull gray-brown flesh beneath. The lower part of the face was exposed—completely rotten and distorted, still smeared with blood. Its teeth, nearly black and decayed, jutted forward, clashing violently against each other as the jaw moved rapidly, as if trying to bite and tear into Mishap. It drew closer and closer to its face, baring sharp external bone-like teeth protruding from the broken edges of the helmet, which now seemed to have become part of a massive, monstrous mouth. The armor had reshaped itself into a grotesque head, with a fully functioning jaw that bent the metal at its joints as it moved.
What it was doing felt more like a game—where the winner was the more threatening and violent one. The Kariudo roared with overwhelming force, chilling and deafening, like the scraping of a massive table across a vast empty room, where the echo turns the sound into a colossal, destructive boom. The darkness around them seemed to tremble and dissipate. From its mouth, mucus and blood were violently expelled, splattering over the Ijo, which, instead of counterattacking, remained still and silent.
It was as if it were thinking. Analyzing the situation.
Formulating a plan.
Then it vanished, absorbed into the darkness almost instantly. The Kariudo struck the ground where it had been holding it. It didn't waste time looking around—charging into the void, slashing at everything, roaring louder and louder like a feral, uncontrollable beast.
...LESS THAN 36 SECONDS...
The armor moved wildly—agile, swift. It alternated between bipedal and quadrupedal movement like a primate, growling to draw attention while simultaneously intimidating, slamming its fists into the ground, clawing, making as much noise as possible, roaring at the top of its lungs. The sound echoed violently throughout the room, which seemed to shake with every scream. At the same time, it circled Duncan's unconscious, helpless body, scanning in every direction, anticipating an attack. It didn't seem to be protecting him like a mother would her young. It felt more like territorial defense—a hostile claim against intruders, as if warding threats away from its prey. In fact, moments later, once the "girl" no longer sensed danger lurking in the darkness, she glanced back at Duncan as if he were prey, baring her teeth and emitting disgusting clicking sounds from her throat, which contracted and pulsed violently, her upper neck spasming as she slowly began moving toward him, almost as if entranced.
...LESS THAN 23 SECONDS...
She stood over him like a beast that had spotted its prey. Despite having no eyes, the armor stared intensely at the boy's body, lying on his side, slightly tilted, his gaze fixed downward, his half-open eyes empty and lost.
This detail, noticed by "Raiko," seemed to please her. A horrifying grin formed beneath the metal mouth, the fleshy one underneath stretching upward as it opened, drooling blood and saliva while emitting those same demonic rattling sounds.
She slowly leaned toward his neck, lowering herself, growling with increasing intensity and ferocity. Thick, viscous fluids sprayed onto the boy's body, forming small splashes as they hit his armor, then slowly sliding down, leaving trails behind. What landed on his face continued to drip, coating his skin in grease and sliding toward his lips and nose before dripping to the ground. Some of it got caught in his hair, clinging there, soaking it.
...LESS THAN 10 SECONDS...
"Raiko" slammed her heavy metal hand onto the boy's side, applying pressure—so much that his bones could be heard fracturing slowly, producing a wet, fleshy sound mixed with the bending of rigid metal. With her other hand, she spread her sharp fingers and began scraping, tearing, and digging into the armor, ripping it apart piece by piece as it sparked and screeched, like something screaming in raw agony. And the more it made that sound, the more "Raiko" responded with equally horrific shrieks.
...LESS THAN 5 SECONDS...
She kept tearing faster, more aggressively. As chunks of metal flew off and crashed to the ground with heavy echoes, "Raiko" began clawing into Duncan's flesh—at first accidentally, then deliberately—targeting his neck, chest, ribs, shoulder, collarbone, carving deep, gaping wounds. Blood immediately burst out, splashing over both of them. It drenched Duncan's lifeless face and flooded his eyes, while the girl seemed to revel in it, enjoying the sudden surge of red liquid. Some of it splashed into her mouth, which she drank instantly like a starving man in the desert finding water. She threw her head back, releasing powerful guttural sounds, like a broken trombone—its tone interrupted rhythmically, as if a hand were repeatedly covering and uncovering its bell.
She craved blood.
She craved that blood.
...LESS THAN 2 SECONDS...
Finally, she lunged, jaws wide open.
...LESS THAN 1 SECOND...
Suddenly, she stopped.
...LESS THAN 1 SECOND...
"Arght..."
...LESS THAN 1 SECOND...
"Uom"
"Raiko" froze, jaws still open, ready to tear into the boy's mangled body. She trembled, as if struggling against something forcing her still. "Earght... Earght..." were the only sounds she could make—desperate attempts to break free, driven by the urge to slaughter and devour him.
"Thum... thum... thum..."
Three beats. Always in sets of three, growing faster and stronger. "Raiko" noticed a red glow spreading from behind her. She was slowly forced to turn, rising into the air against her will, facing the crimson, macabre aura. Its brightness intensified with every triple heartbeat.
Face to face with Mishap.
Even more grotesque now—impossible black fangs protruding outward, three additional pairs of twisted horns emerging from its head, neck, and shoulders. They looked so contorted they seemed to cut into its own body, now marked with glowing, crack-like veins radiating immense heat—so intense that the armor didn't just melt, but evaporated into smoke. The heat was unbearable. The girl screamed in total agony and madness.
That torment intensified as "Raiko's" limbs were violently broken, twisting and snapping into pieces, producing sickening sounds of flesh and bone, accompanied by wet tearing noises and bursts of blood, mucus, and other foul fluids, alongside her desperate, horrifying screams.
Then came the chest. It burst open as if a bomb had detonated inside. Mishap reveled in it—especially as it was drenched in blood, widening its grotesque grin. Another roar followed—but this one was different. Not biological. Something infernal.
From its mouth emerged a disgusting organic mass—covered in viscous fluids, glowing veins, and writhing flesh lined with hundreds of eyes and tentacles. It moved with wet, grinding sounds, like slow chewing, tearing through the neck and upper chest, splitting it open like a blooming flower.
Within moments, this mass began connecting to "Raiko's" internal organs, which started to tear free from her body, stretching toward the Ijo.
None of this made any sense.