Ballo's breath came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle as he cast a fleeting glance at the looming chasm ahead. His face was pale, his body trembling from the exhaustion of his magic. But there was no hesitation in his voice when he gave the order.

  Ballo: "Drive... Drive us off the edge. Trust me this time...!"

  The driver shot him a wild glance, eyes wide with disbelief.

  Driver: "Dammit, old man -- you better have something good planned!"

  The vehicle screamed as it flew off the cliff’s edge, metal groaning in protest. For a heart-stopping moment, they were weightless, suspended between life and death. Then Ballo’s hands flared with light, casting shimmering grey sigils into the air. Gravity bent to his will, slowing their fall inside a sphere of magic -- but only just. Sweat poured from his temples as he fought to keep the vehicle from plummeting like a stone.

  Virno, still manning the turret, scanned the darkness above.

  Virno: "He’s been real quiet up there. I’ve got a bad feeling about this..."

  The words had barely left his mouth when the cliff erupted in a deafening roar. A monstrous cloud of jet-black smoke exploded into the night sky, blotting out the moon. It was larger than anything they’d seen before, a tidal wave of darkness that threatened to swallow the world.

  Driver: "Shit... Old man, this magic of yours -- can it keep his smoke at bay?!"

  Ballo’s answer came between labored breaths.

  Ballo: "Yes... But I can’t protect us and keep us from falling...!"

  The driver didn’t hesitate. They vaulted over the seat and ripped open a hidden panel near the dashboard. Inside sat the vessel’s magical fuel cell, its pulsing glow the heart of the machine.

  Driver: "... Then we’ll handle the protecting."

  With a wrenching pull, they yanked the fuel cell free. Instantly, the vehicle shuddered and died -- lights dimmed, gears locked, and for a brief, terrifying moment, silence filled the air. Only the faint glow of Ballo’s magic kept them from plummeting outright.

  The driver sprinted to Virno’s turret, slamming the fuel cell into a hidden slot beneath its spinning mechanism.

  Driver: "Virno! Hold her steady -- the kickback’s about to get real nasty!"

  As the magic infused the turret, it roared to life, glowing with a radiant grey light. Steam hissed from the barrel as the weapon hummed with newfound power.

  Virno: "Good timing -- here he comes...!"

  From the choking cloud above, a mass of writhing black tentacles shot down toward them. They snaked through the air like living spears, aiming straight for the falling vehicle.

  Driver: "LET HIM COME!"

  The turret erupted with a furious storm of enchanted bullets. They tore through the smoke like lightning, slicing into the tendrils and shredding them to ribbons. For the first time, their attacks hurt him.

  Driver: "Now that’s more like it!"

  But Novilunium wasn’t done. With a monstrous screech, he surged forward, abandoning the cliff entirely. His broken, twisted form dove after them, his body a mass of dark smoke and sinew, closing the gap faster than they could fire.

  Virno: "He’s not slowing down... Dammit, he’s not stopping!"

  Driver: "KEEP. FIRING!"

  Ballo’s eyes fluttered half-shut, his body trembling... He knew that if he didn't do something, this would be the end of them.

  Ballo: "K-keep firing... I’ll slow him down."

  With a desperate burst of energy, Ballo expanded the gravity bubble tenfold. It surged outward, engulfing Novilunium mid-charge. His speed faltered as the magical force dragged at him, turning his frantic rush into a sluggish crawl.

  Driver: "DIE, FUCKER, DIE!"

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  Bullet after bullet punched into Novilunium’s body. Chunks of flesh flew from him in wet splatters, his form riddled with gaping holes. The smoke around him thinned, his strength visibly waning.

  Virno: "We’ve almost got him...!"

  But Ballo’s strength was at its limit. His body sagged, his hands trembling violently as the bubble began to shrink.

  Ballo: "Sorry, I... I can’t... hold it..."

  The gravity bubble collapsed, and they began to fall faster, hurtling toward the ground. The bullets began missing their mark, their chances dimming.

  Then, from within the retreating smoke, came a scream -- ragged, furious, human.

  Barr: "MY ARM’S GONE AGAIN... MY FUCKING ARM’S GONE AGAIN!!"

  The demonic edge in Novilunium’s voice faded, replaced by something chillingly familiar. Virno’s blood ran cold.

  Virno: "N-no. No, it can’t be..."

  The smoke peeled back, revealing a warped, monstrous figure -- but the voice was unmistakable.

  Barr: "SHOULD’VE SHOVED THOSE BROKEN RIBS DOWN YOUR THROAT AND RAPED THAT BITCH DEAD WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE!"

  Virno’s heart stopped. That voice, filled with hate and malice -- it was Barr. Without the tar to conceal his frail body beneath, it was now plain to see the limbless, skeletal husk he had become. Somehow, he had been twisted into something unrecognizable.

  Virno: "...Barr...?!"

  The name left his lips in disbelief, but the reality charging at them was undeniable. Barr’s grotesque, mutilated form tore through the sky, his remaining arm morphing into a massive, black blade that gleamed with lethal intent. He was gaining fast, his eyes locked on the tumbling vehicle, intent on cleaving it -- and them -- in half.

  Driver: "Shit... Ballo, what do we do?!"

  No answer.

  Driver: "Ballo...!"

  The old man was slumped over, unconscious, his spell still barely keeping them afloat. The driver gritted their teeth, one arm straining to hold Ballo steady, the other gripping the wheel as if sheer force of will could steer their free-falling vessel.

  Virno stared at Barr's monstrous form, his heart pounding in rhythm with the rattle of the failing machine. But then, something inside him shifted.

  Virno: "You two have done more than enough... It’s my turn now."

  He moved to the back of the vehicle, his hand tightening around the hilt of the glowing silver blade.

  Driver: "What are you doing?!"

  Virno: "Giving him what he came for."

  He positioned himself at the very edge, balancing against the violent winds ripping past them.

  Driver: "You won’t survive the fall, Virno!"

  He glanced back, a small, calm smile curving his lips.

  Virno: "My legs won't for sure, but I just might... Still beats all of us dying, though, right?"

  The driver’s eyes widened in disbelief, their arms still locked around Ballo's limp form, but there was no time to argue. Virno turned back to face the oncoming nightmare.

  Virno: "I know it seems reckless -- but my mind's clearer now than it’s ever been... Feels like the first time I’m not just reacting, not letting fear or rage drive me."

  Barr was nearly upon them, his monstrous blade gleaming like a scythe in the night. Virno's muscles tensed, ready to leap.

  But a seed of doubt crept in -- small, persistent.

  Virno (thinking): "Am I just lying to myself, letting panic take hold again...? Could I be so afraid, so blinded with rage that I would twist my own perception to that degree...?"

  Driver: "I believe you."

  The words cut through the roar of the wind. Virno blinked, surprised.

  Virno: "... What?"

  Driver: "I believe you. Kick his ass, Virno!"

  A laugh escaped Virno’s lips -- bitter, but honest.

  Virno (thinking): "... You must be an even bigger idiot than me, then. If you knew how much of a pushover I am, you’d be begging me to rethink this."

  But he didn’t step back.

  Instead, he closed his eyes, gripping the blade tighter, and reached inward.

  Virno (thinking): "Can you hear me, Greed...? You seem to know me better than I do. Am I about to do something stupid again?"

  The familiar, spectral voice echoed in his mind, hesitant.

  Greed: "... I -- I don't know."

  Virno (thinking): "You don't know...?"

  Greed: "No... But I can tell you what I see. You don’t seem driven by fear. Your hand -- it’s steady. True."

  Virno opened his eyes, glancing down at his sword hand. It was steady. In the face of death, his grip didn’t falter.

  Greed: "Neither are you consumed by rage. The fact you can ask this question now, in this moment... it means you're thinking clearly."

  Virno clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling beneath his calm.

  Virno (thinking): "Then what is this doubt I feel?!"

  Greed chuckled softly.

  Greed: "It’s the burden of those who lead with judgment instead of emotion... Hopefully you get used to it, Virno von Virtus."

  Virno exhaled slowly, letting the words settle.

  Virno (thinking): "Guess I'll have to...!"

  As his resolve solidified, something changed. His eyes burned with an eerie green light, and the blade in his hand responded. The silver gleam darkened, its hue shifting toward a glowing, emerald tint. The weapon pulsed, alive with energy.

  Virno (thinking): "... Is this your doing?"

  Greed: "No... 'The magic is mine, yes -- but *this*? This is you. Though the magic you feel is my own, I did not relinquish it to you. Much like you first learned to shut me off, then to communicate with me at will..."

  Greed's tone carried a hint of bitterness as he witnessed what unfolded before him.

  Greed: "You have somehow gone a level deeper... By tapping into my power, a power that has been locked in the cradle of the world for centuries."

  Virno felt the surge, like lightning in his veins, electrifying his senses, sharpening his focus to a razor’s edge.

  Greed: "Make no mistake, Virno von Virtus... There will be a price to pay for wielding such power, a cost your body may not be prepared to incur... I am warning you now -- be mindful how you use it."

  But Virno silenced Greed, the world narrowing to one single moment. Barr was almost upon them.

  In that moment, he felt an unstoppable force surging within him, as if he were invincible.