The battlefield was a blur of smoke, fire, and debris. The scorched Erebions shrieked and writhed, but Karl barely registered them — his vision tunneled, visor flickering with data streams as the Hazard Sync continued to push his body beyond reason. The cobalt-black flame that radiated from his nanite armor burned hotter than anything he had ever generated before, and the rotational torque of his Gear Drive was spinning faster than the Rider Frame could handle.
Agnes' voice, though still shy and flustered, was almost lost in the cacophony.
Agnes (strained, whispering): "K-Karl… your torque… your body… it… it's reaching critical… please… don't—"
But he didn't — couldn't — listen. Every second spent in this form drew more energy, more raw power from the Engine Soul, Gear Drive, and his own Vythra. He felt it in every fiber of his being: the centrifugal force twisting through his legs, the micro-gears vibrating along his limbs, the nanite lattice struggling to maintain integrity.
The first sign came subtly — a sharp pressure in his chest, almost like the Drive Regulator was trying to pull itself free from his body. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, a warning from the Rider Frame that it could no longer contain the torque surging through him.
Agnes (pleading, voice quivering): "Karl… I-I warned you… stop… now!"
The warning came too late. With a violent twist of his ignition dial, the kinetic overdrive peaked. His Rider Frame groaned audibly, metal and nanites straining as centrifugal energy spiraled into every limb.
Karl's stomach lurched violently, a mix of pure force and internal feedback. Then the first droplet of blood appeared — bright, startling against the shimmering cobalt of his nanites. He staggered, but Hazard Sync kept him upright, forcing his body to continue moving even as his internal systems began to fail.
Agnes (soft whimper, flustered): "K-Karl… stop… please… I can't… I can't help if you—"
He ignored her, revving the ignition dial faster to stabilize the armor and prevent the micro-gears from tearing through the Rider Frame. But the overpressure was relentless. His throat tightened; a metallic taste filled his mouth as more blood spilled, hot and bitter. The micro-gears ground against themselves, nanites slipping slightly, sending feedback jolts through his nervous system.
Every movement became agony disguised as speed. The centrifugal force threatened to rip his body apart from the inside, each stride a battle against the Rider Frame that could no longer handle the unholy torque coursing through him.
He coughed violently, blood splattering across his chest plate, the royal azure flame dimming slightly under the strain. For a heartbeat, he glimpsed mortality — the realization that even Hazard Sync had limits, that the Rider Frame was not built to sustain this level of fusion indefinitely.
Agnes (gasping, almost breaking): "K-Karl… I-I can't… I can't watch… please… survive…"
Her voice trembled in his neural interface, shy and flustered, carrying her fear without her usual teasing. It pierced through the mechanical haze enveloping him, grounding him — if only slightly — in his own humanity.
With an agonizing roar, Karl clenched his fists, forcing Vythra to stabilize his Rider Frame just enough to prevent complete structural failure. The torque overload began to abate fractionally, but his body had paid a heavy toll: he vomited blood, his muscles spasming violently, and the nanites shimmered erratically as they struggled to recalibrate.
The battlefield slowed around him, smoke and the stench of scorched Erebions filling the air. Karl's eyes glowed a faint, unstable cobalt, his Rider Frame trembling under the pressure. Hazard Sync had pushed him to the edge — Near-Death Moment 4 had arrived, a brutal reminder that even divine-engineered technology had its limits.
Agnes, still flustered and now trembling audibly, whispered in his neural interface:
Agnes: "I… I… you can't keep doing this… please… be careful… Karl…"
Her shyness and fear were almost tangible, contrasting with the raw destructive energy he radiated. For the first time, Karl felt a flicker of gratitude for her restraint — for keeping her voice low, her guidance minimal, yet ever-present.
And even in the throes of near-death, Karl's resolve hardened. The Eternal Overdrive was far from finished, and the next kick would have to carry the full force of their combined power.
Karl staggered slightly, the Rider Frame trembling under the torque overload, blood slick along his jaw from the strain of Hazard Sync. His cerulean eyes, still glowing faintly through the visor, met the interface of the Drive Regulator as if seeking guidance from Agnes herself.
Karl (gritting his teeth): "Agnes… if I keep tapping the USB port… will I gain more power? Even if… even if it breaks me?"
There was a long, heavy pause in her voice — something between hesitation and fear. For the first time, the teasing and playful cadence vanished entirely, leaving only a quiet, almost reverent tone.
Agnes (soft, trembling): "K-Karl… I… I don't… I don't know if you'd survive it. That port… that synchronization… it pushes your Rider Frame… past the point of no return…"
Karl's fingers hovered over the USB, restless, knowing the horde wasn't giving them any breathing room. He could feel the power in his veins, the Vythra coursing through the Trinity Core, the Engine Soul, Gear Drive, and his own body straining to contain it. Every second wasted was a second closer to collapse.
Karl (determined, almost whispering): "I don't have time, Agnes… Rider Frame's gonna break soon anyway… I need every bit I can get. Tell me… what happens if I do it?"
Agnes' voice cracked slightly, shy but earnest, as if she herself was reluctant to admit the consequences:
Agnes: "Y-You… you'd feel it… all of it… the pulse, the torque, the overclock… every tap would funnel more Vythra directly into you… but… it's dangerous, Karl. I… I don't want to… I don't want to lose you while you do it."
There was a barely perceptible whimper in her tone, masked behind her professional, AI-like caution. She shifted slightly in his neural interface, flustered and tense, clearly struggling with the conflict between the imperative of survival and the intimate connection she felt whenever he touched that port.
Karl's lips twitched into a faint smirk, though his body was shaking from the previous strain.
Karl: "Guess… I'll just have to be careful, then. Gentle… like you asked."
Agnes' tiny, flustered sigh followed — almost a moan of restrained relief mixed with frustration, as if scolding him and melting at the same time.
Agnes (playfully, shyly): "I-I warned you… don't… don't overdo it… Karl…"
Her voice carried both caution and something unspoken, a soft tension in the neural feedback that made Karl's pulse spike even more. He knew that every tap, every rev, would push him closer to breaking the Rider Frame — and yet, he also knew that he couldn't afford to hold back.
Karl's fingers drifted down toward the USB port, trembling slightly but determined, as the horde circled closer and the heat of Hazard Sync continued to surge through him. The decision hung in the air — a dangerous gamble, but the only chance to squeeze out the maximum power before his Rider Frame shattered entirely.