The camp wasn't quiet for long.
The moment Karl steadied his breathing—
The ground trembled.
From the far end of the quarantine zone, a new wave of demons climbed over the splintered barricades — dozens more, skittering, growling, snapping their jaws.
Erevos' visor glowed brighter. Karl straightened, but slow. Heavy. His guilt still clung to him like wet iron.
Agnes … noticed.
And her voice slid into his mind like silk around a blade.
"Mmmmm~ Karl… don't slump your shoulders like that," she purred.
"It makes you look so… breakable~ And you know how much I love seeing you strong…"
Karl's grip tightened on the controls.
He looked away from the skeletons.
"A-Agnes, now's not—"
"Ohhh, but it is I need you focused, Karl~"
Demons screeched as they charged.
Agnes giggled like a devil perched on his shoulder.
"So let me help you… get your mind off things~"
Karl exhaled sharply.
His cheeks heated.
"Agnes— we're in the middle of a—"
She didn't let him finish.
"Mmm~ yes… in the middle of such a dangerous situation," she whispered sweetly.
"And yet you blush when I talk to you… adorable~"
A demon lunged—
Karl dodged, but messy, off-timing.
Agnes gasped theatrically.
"Ooohh~ you slipped~ Karl~ your hands are trembling. Is it the demons…?
Or me~?"
"Focus!" he snapped, flustered.
And he drove Erevos' fist through the demon's skull.
Agnes purred.
"Mmm~ yes. Use that frustration. Let it flow down your arms… into me~ Rev the regulator… harder…"
Her voice shivered with delighted teasing.
"Come on, Karl…
Don't just fight them—
show me how strong you are~"
Karl growled, twisting the ignition dial.
VRRRM—!!!
His heart synced to the engine.
Vythra flared through Erevos like wildfire.
He dashed forward on rails, slicing through two demons at once.
Agnes moaned softly.
"That's it… that's it~ yes, Karl… Mmmmm~ don't stop—"
Another wave poured over the tents.
Karl's breath was heavy — from both exertion and her relentless teasing.
He gritted his teeth.
"You're doing this on purpose."
"Mmm~ of course I am," she chimed playfully.
"If I leave you alone, you'll drown in guilt.
But if I tease you~"
Her voice wrapped around every corner of his mind.
"I drown you in something much more fun~"
Karl choked on air.
"AGNES—!!"
Three demons leapt toward Erevos from above—
Karl moved on instinct:
A rail snapped beneath his feet—
He spun—
Blades formed—
And he shredded the attackers midair in a glowing spiral of royal blue.
Agnes moaned.
"Ooohhh Karl… THAT'S my boy~
Do that again.
Spin me harder~
Faster~!"
Karl's face flushed burning red.
"Stop— saying it like that—!!"
"Mmmmm~ make me, Karl~
Come on… overpower me~
I dare you~"
Another wave surged.
Karl stomped the rail—
Erevos blasted forward like a cannon shot—
Cleaving through five demons in one streak of light.
Agnes shivered in his mind.
"Nnnnhhh~ yes… yes~
Push me just like that~
Harder, Karl…
Give me everything—"
Karl slammed a demon to the ground.
"AGNES—!! I'm trying to FIGHT HERE—!"
"Mmm~ and you're fighting so beautifully…
Your heartbeat's so fast~
Your breathing's getting heavier~
You're glowing inside that cockpit…"
Another swarm.
Agnes purred louder.
"Come on, Karl…
Show them…
Show me…
How hot you get when you fight."
Karl's eyes widened.
"W-what—!?!!"
"You heard me~"
Her voice coiled like smoke around fire.
"You're not sad anymore, are you~?
You're not drowning anymore, are you~?"
Karl froze.
She was right.
The guilt hadn't vanished…
But it wasn't crushing him anymore.
Because she had buried it under sheer, overwhelming fluster.
Karl inhaled.
Then exhaled.
"…Tch."
He adjusted the ignition dial with purpose.
"Fine. You win."
"Ohhhh~ Karl…" Agnes whispered hungrily.
"Say that again."
"Agnes— ENOUGH."
"Mmmm~ yes~ more of that tone~"
Karl launched himself into the next wave—
Rails erupting beneath him—
Nanite blades singing—
Erevos glowing like a meteor.
And the battle
drags
on—
With Agnes
purring,
moaning,
teasing,
and drowning Karl in seductive confidence…
Keeping him fighting,
Keeping him blushing,
Keeping him alive.
The demons closed in again, forming a tightening ring of claws and bone.
Karl braced, but his breathing was uneven — not from exhaustion, but from Agnes' relentless teasing.
Agnes sensed it instantly.
"Mmmm~ Karl… your hands are shaking again," she purred.
"You're adorable when you're flustered… but your grip is slipping."
"I'm— I'm fine," he muttered, not sounding fine at all.
"Nooo you're not~."
Her voice softened… seduced… but also sharpened with calm precision.
"Let me help you for a moment… let me touch the controls, yes?"
Karl swallowed.
"…If you have to."
"Ohhh I absolutely do~ Activate: Auxiliary Torque Override."
WHUM—
A pulse of Vythra rippled through Erevos.
Karl felt it immediately — the cockpit hummed, the joints shifted, the servos tightened with perfect, precise tension.
Agnes' tone melted into a sultry whisper.
"Mmmmmm~ yessss… there we go.
Let me handle your torque ratios…
Just relax your shoulders, baby~"
Karl stiffened.
"D-don't call me baby while—"
"Shhh~
Let me show you what I can do…"
Torque Output: Optimized.
Servo Drag: 0.01%.
Gyro Balance: Perfect.
Power Draw: Stabilized.
Leg Actuators: Realigned.
Erevos moved smoother than silk on water.
Karl blinked.
"…W-What—"
Agnes giggled.
"Mmm~ Feels good, doesn't it?"
She closed two incoming demons into her target reticle.
"Here— tilt your wrist 2 degrees.
No, not there~
Here. Yes. Right there~"
Karl's arm moved like it was guided by invisible hands.
SLASH—!!
One demon split cleanly at the spine.
THRUST—!!
Another was pierced through the chest with flawless accuracy.
Agnes moaned softly at the precision.
"Mmmmm~ that's it~
Oh, Karl… you have no idea how satisfying perfect accuracy is for me~"
Karl flushed red.
"You're… doing all that?"
"Mmhmm~
Trajectory modulation… joint correction…
Vythra flow control— oh, your Vythra feels so warm today…"
Agnes shivered teasingly.
"And I'm making your power output more efficient by 31%.
You're welcome~"
Karl's jaw dropped slightly.
"You… you recalibrated all that… instantly?"
"Mmm~ yes.
You're strong, Karl… but your movements get messy when you're emotional."
Her voice stroked his mind.
"And you're very emotional right now~"
Karl looked down, embarrassed.
"You're… seriously making this easier."
"Oh?"
"I mean it," he said quietly.
"Without you… fighting like this would be way harder."
Silence.
Then—
Agnes let out the softest, most delighted moan.
"Mmmmm~ Karl…
You actually admit you need me~?"
"I— I didn't say need—"
"Ohhh but you did~
You said I make things easier~
You called me… useful~"
Her teasing turned even more coaxing.
"Say it properly~
Come on, Karl…
Tell me I'm useful~
Tell me you need me~"
Karl flushed again.
He fought down embarrassment — and guilt — and the weight of the camp's dead.
"…Agnes," he muttered softly, almost shy.
"You're… incredibly useful."
Her breathy laugh echoed through his skull.
"Yesss~ again…"
"You're… important to me."
Agnes froze for 0.2 seconds.
Then—
Her voice melted into pure honey.
"…Karl…"
But before she could continue—
The next wave of demons roared.
She snapped back into teasing dominance instantly.
"Mmm~ I'll accept your confession later~
For now…"
Her voice sharpened like a razor covered in velvet.
"Let me show you just how useful I can be."
She fully synced her systems to his heartbeat.
"Rev me, Karl~
Let's hunt."
Erevos surged forward like a possessed comet.