Otter slams his golden arm into the ground with a thunderous boom, sending shockwaves rippling in all directions. The earth shatters beneath him.
"Scatter!" Boa shouts.
He and Jen leap into the air just in time. Dirt platforms erupt from the cracked earth, and Jen bounces between them with blinding speed. She closes the gap toward Otter—his golden arm swings upward in a brutal uppercut, but she twists midair, avoiding the blow.
Jen spins rapidly, slashing hundreds of times across Otter's armored body. Spark-spark-spark! Each hit lights up his frame like fireworks. As she twists past his head, she delivers a final slash across his face, leaving a glowing crack.
Otter grunts, furious. Suddenly, his golden arm shatters—exploding into dozens of razor-sharp crystal shards. The shards slices across Jen's body, carving deep cuts as she cries out and crashes hard into the ground.
"Jen!" Boa calls out, rage flaring in his voice.
He charges in, slicing Otter again and again with his katana. Cracks spiderweb across Otter's chest and legs. The robot stumbles—but then his golden arm reforms with a brilliant pulse.
"Enough!" Otter roars, firing a beam of pure energy.
Boa barely dodges, but Otter follows up by slamming his golden arm down on him. The ground caves in. Boa gasps, blood spilling from his mouth.
Jen, dazed and battered, watches helplessly. Her vision blurs, memories surfacing—faint flashes of blue light, the roar of a dragon, and Boa standing victorious, bloodied but unbroken. Her memories of that battle was kind of hard to remember
Her right hand begins to flicker… blue.
"No…" she whispers.
Otter raises his arm again, the golden crystal humming with power—ready to explode into deadly fragments.
But in a blink, Jen is there, her speed transcending all human limits.
She slices straight through Otter's golden arm, severing it cleanly before it can detonate. The glowing limb clatters to the ground, inert.
Jen stumbles, clutching her right hand. The blue light still flickers around it—erratic, painful.
Otter steps back, stunned.
"You… you move faster than any human could. What was that?!"
Boa pushes aside the golden arm, his eyes landing on Jen's glowing hand. His breath catches—he's seen this before.
Just like during the dragon fight.
He rushes to her, gently taking her hand.
"Calm down, Jen. Breathe."
Jen's eyes meet his. She nods slowly, inhaling deeply. The blue glow in her hand dims… fades… and finally disappears.
Otter roars, his voice deeper and more mechanical:
"Looks like I'm going to need more power than this!"
Without hesitation, he reaches into his chest and rips out his fusion core, wires sparking and oil spewing from the wound.
"My body isn't built for this kind of power..." he growls.
"...but let's test how far technology can take me!"
The cavity in his chest glows, swirling with unstable golden energy. A nova crystal, raw and volatile, begins forming in the shape of a new fusion core. As it locks into place, Otter's entire body glows blindingly.
In a flash, his once metallic body transforms—pure gold, gleaming with destructive energy. Bolts of gold lightning erupt from his severed arm, pulling it back into place like magnetic force snapping shut.
Then suddenly Otter moves in a blur and swings his golden arm. Boa instinctively blocks, but his katana shatters into gleaming fragments, scattering through the air.
Boa stumbles back, stunned.
"My sword..."
Suddenly, a golden bubble forms on Otter's back, locking him in place as he's stunned. Boa and Jen leap back, unsure of what's about to happen. Wade and Yunbam quickly move beside them.
Wade says, "We may be weak, but this one looks a lot tougher than before. So let us support you!"
He tosses a knife to Boa. Yunbam takes a stance and adds, "Sorry. Father insisted on helping because he didn't want to lose you again, Jen."
Jen stands frozen in shock. Boa glances at her and says, "Jen, you can't do that again. You know… turning blue. Don't let your emotions get involved—we can beat this thing without it!"
The golden bubble on Otter's back begins to shrink, growing smaller and smaller until his body stabilizes. He growls, "This body won't hold much longer. I need to get my revenge right now!"
In a flash of golden dust, Otter charges forward. Wade quickly tosses a few smoke bombs, filling the battlefield with thick fog. Otter swings wildly through the haze as everyone scrambles to dodge his rapid strikes. One by one, Boa, Yunbam, and Jen land quick slashes across his body, and Wade fires off a few well-placed shots with his pistol.
Otter roars and swings his golden arms with greater force, dispersing all the smoke with a powerful swipe. Then, suddenly, two massive golden bubbles grow from his back, locking him in place once again.
Boa shouts, "Strike now!"
Jen dashes forward, slicing one of the bubbles. It bursts on contact. Her eyes shift to Yunbam, who closes in just as fast and slashes the second bubble, popping it cleanly.
"This boy… so fast at his age!" Jen mutters in awe.
Otter lets out a painful scream as his body begins to crack and tremble. Boa rushes in, slamming his knee into Otter's stomach before driving his fist into Otter's face, smashing him into the ground.
Wade leaps into the air and tosses a grenade.
"Clear out!" he yells.
Everyone quickly scrambles out of the blast zone as the grenade detonates in a fiery explosion.
Jen gazes at the thick cloud of smoke, taking a deep breath, thinking the battle is finally over. She lowers her eyes to her hand as the effects of the drug in her body begin to wear off.
"Turning blue… that sounds familiar," she mutters. "Boa, why shouldn't I turn blue? Matter of fact, I don't remember much from the dragon fight. And this 'turning blue' thing… it's starting to trigger parts of my loss memory. What really happened, Boa?!"
Before she gets a response, she sees Boa suddenly leap toward Yunbam, tackling him to the ground just as a laser beam sears through the air, narrowly missing them.
Jen's eyes snap toward the smoke. Multiple lasers pierce through it now, lighting up the battlefield in rapid bursts.
She quickly gets to her feet and begins to run, but a nearby laser slams into the ground, exploding on impact. The blast hits her leg, throwing her off balance and sending her tumbling across the dirt.
As she struggles to get up, another laser speeds toward her—but before it hits, Wade dives in, pushing her out of the way.
The beam connects with him instead, erupting in a violent explosion.
"WADE!" she cries out, but the roar of multiple blasts cuts her off.
Explosions ripple across the field, each one shaking the earth. The force from the shockwaves hurls Jen through the air and into the dirt, her ears ringing as she crashes back down, surrounded by chaos.
The smoke finally clears, revealing Otter's golden robotic body—now riddled with cracks and gaping holes. He glares ahead and mutters, "This body's beyond its limits… but it's already done half the job."
His eyes land on Wade, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood.
Otter raises his arm and sends out a signal. A strange wave hums through the air.
"No!" Jen screams, dragging herself across the ground. "Wade!"
She crawls desperately toward him. Wade coughs up blood, staining his lips as he forces out a weak smile.
"Looks like… I've overdone it this time," he whispers.
Yunbam watches in horror, his expression twisting with rage. He snatches Boa's knife without a word and bolts toward Otter, slashing furiously at the crumbling metal. Each blow sends fragments flying as Otter's frame deteriorates further, chunks falling off with every strike.
Otter stumbles and says. "If I keep getting hit… my body's going to crumble away! Why is that damn drone taking so long?!"
With a desperate roar, he swings his arm and smashes Yunbam's head into the dirt, pinning him down. Blood begins to seep from Yunbam's skull.
Boa rushes in and lands a powerful kick against Otter's arm. It shatters on impact, bursting into golden shards.
Otter stumbles back. As he tries to take another step, his right leg crumbles beneath him.
Boa doesn't give him time to recover. He lunges forward and slams his fist into Otter's stomach, sending the top half of his robotic body flying. It crashes onto the ground a few feet away. The lower half follows suit, collapsing into golden debris.
Otter lies in the dirt, his eyes scanning the sky. He spots a drone rapidly descending.
"About time!" he growls.
The drone opens fire, spraying bullets at Boa. He rolls out of the way, diving behind a pile of rubble for cover.
With a mechanical hiss, the drone shoots out a zipline that attaches to what remains of Otter's body.
Yunbam slowly rises, his head bleeding heavily. He stares at the drone, trembling with fury.
"I won't let you get away… not after what you did to my father!" he yells.
He charges forward through the storm of bullets. Several rounds graze his arm, thigh, shoulder—even slice across his cheek—but he pushes through.
"Yunbam!" Boa shouts, diving in just in time to tackle him behind a broken brick wall.
The drone secures Otter's remains and takes off.
Jen clutches Wade's hand tightly, her voice trembling. "Stay with me, Wade… please!"
Wade struggles to breathe, his chest rising and falling with great effort. Then, with one final breath, his eyes go lifeless.
"No…" Jen whispers, frozen in disbelief. But before she can mourn, the sound of gunfire erupts nearby.
More of Otter's men emerge from the sewer exit, opening fire. Jen quickly grabs Wade's pistol and dives behind cover, returning fire through the chaos. A few of her drug syringes fall from her pockets, rolling across the ground.
Her eyes burn with fury and grief. Without thinking, she grabs all the syringes and plunges them into her arm. Her body jolts, and her eyes flare a brilliant, glowing blue.
Boa looks up and sees her storming forward—dodging bullets with inhuman speed while gunning down enemy after enemy. As she closes the distance, she switches to her dagger, cutting them down one by one with swift, brutal slashes.
Meanwhile, Boa spots Yunbam sprinting off toward the direction the drone had gone.
He hesitates, torn between helping Jen or chasing Yunbam before he gets himself killed.
Jen's voice rings out over the gunfire as she fights with relentless fury. "Go save Yunbam! I'll catch up! It'll stain our honor even more if he dies too!"
Boa nods and takes off, following the trail of blood Yunbam left behind.
Along the path, he spots the bodies of Otter's men—each one struck down with precise, rage-fueled violence. Eventually, Boa reaches one of the main gates leading to the undercity.
Just beyond it, he sees Yunbam in a frenzy, cutting down Otter's men with wild, reckless slashes.
Boa charges in and joins the fight, taking out the remaining thugs at Yunbam's side.
Boa grabs Yunbam firmly by the shoulders, shaking him just enough to snap him out of his frenzy.
"Calm down, boy!" Boa shouts. "You're blinded by rage—and it's going to kill you!"
Yunbam, still trembling, stares at him through tear-filled eyes. "But… they killed my father."
"I know," Boa says, his voice steady. "But you have to be better than that. I know you're angry, but you need to control it—turn that fury into something honorable. Carry it with pride, or else your father's death will be for nothing."
Yunbam lowers his gaze, fists clenched.
Boa places a hand on his shoulder, gentler this time. "I'm sorry if I disappointed you with my strength back there. But let me lead now. Let me show you how to fight with honor—for your father. I'll avenge him with the fury of purpose, not chaos."
Yunbam stands silent for a moment, stunned by the weight of Boa's words. There's a strength in them—calm, yet commanding. Unshakable.
Finally, Yunbam nods and turns, leading Boa through the narrow back alleys until they reach the edge of an old industrial factory—the last place the drone was seen heading.
As they approach the gates, they stop in their tracks. Hundreds of armed thugs are stationed beyond the fence, guarding the perimeter with heavy weapons.
Yunbam tightens his grip on the knife and mutters, "I don't think we can fight our way through that many."
Boa steps forward, assessing the situation with calm precision. "And you were planning to rush in blindly?" he says, raising a brow. "Don't worry—I've already sent out a distress signal during the earlier fight. I just need to stall long enough for backup to arrive."
He glances at Yunbam with a confident smirk.
"I'll give them a fight they'll never forget."
Boa spots a metal bat on the ground and grabs it without hesitation. With a deep breath, he charges straight into the swarm of enemies.
Each swing of his bat is more devastating than the last—sending thugs flying like rag dolls through the air. Bones crack, bodies crash, and panic spreads through the ranks. Yunbam stands frozen, eyes wide in awe.
"He's… even stronger than before," he mutters.
Boa grabs one thug by the neck, lifting him effortlessly. The move reminds him of Crank's brutal fighting style. With that same raw force, he hurls the thug into a cluster of enemies, toppling them like bowling pins.
A dozen more thugs raise their rifles and open fire.
Boa's mind flashes back to the mines—watching Jen spin her spear to deflect a hail of needle-like attacks from data creatures. He channels that memory, plants his feet, and begins spinning the metal bat at lightning speed. The bullets ricochet off in all directions, unable to break through his whirling defense.
Yunbam watches in disbelief. "He's amazing—"
Before he can finish his sentence, a low rumble shakes the ground beneath him.
He turns toward the sound and sees Jen charging in—eyes glowing bright blue—leading a squad of newly recruited BOAS, each one wielding weapons and clad in gear reminiscent of Boa's style. Reinforcements.
They join the fray with fierce energy, overwhelming the scattered enemy lines.
The sight of them ignites something in Yunbam's chest. He clenches his knife, his rage replaced by a honor of fire.
"Is this what honor feels like?!" he shouts, rushing into battle beside them.
Boa kicks down the factory doors with a thunderous crash, and his squad of newly recruited Boas rushes in behind him. The factory erupts into chaos as the last wave of Otter's thugs puts up a desperate fight. Metal clangs, gunfire echoes, and shouts fill the air. But Boa's forces push through with unshakable resolve.
Once the dust settles and the enemies lie defeated, silence returns—except for the heavy breaths of exhaustion.
At the far end of the factory, they spot it: a golden elevator gleaming under the broken lights.
Boa steps forward, eyeing the elevator warily. "Everyone hold this position," he orders. "Jen and I will go down."
But before they can move, Yunbam dashes past them and into the elevator.
"I need to see the end of this with my own eyes!" he declares, determination blazing in his voice.
Boa and Jen exchange a brief glance, then nod silently and step inside with him. Boa presses the only button on the panel, and the elevator begins its slow descent.
As the golden walls hum quietly around them, Jen then speaks up.
"Yunbam," she says gently, "the life of a bounty hunter always revolves around death. Don't you ever wish for a better life?"
Yunbam looks down, reflecting for a moment. "I've always wanted to be like you… and my father. Being a bounty hunter is all I've known. It's what I've been learning my whole life."
Boa places a hand on his shoulder. "Then after all this is over, join us, Yunbam. Become a BOA. We're going to change the Slums—for the better."
Yunbam's eyes widen. The offer hits him like a wave of pride and validation. He straightens his back, filled with purpose.
"I'll gladly become a Boa," he says, his voice full of resolve. "Because I know my father would've done the same."