Ouka heard glass shatter at the front of the train car. It was the sound of Lovel breaking the window next to Spinoza!
“Now’s the time!” Cliff yelled and bolted from behind the seat.
Ouka looked at Spinoza. Lovel was gone. Heaven’s Gunner was firing out the window and the ceiling with all four guns.
Cliff darted in front of No. 11 in the quick second the guns stopped firing down the aisle. He stroked No. 11’s legs with light-imbued fingers.
“You’re pulling off a Contact Engrave Incantation!” Ouka exclaimed as the Engrave Incantations on the broken legs repaired. Spinoza noticed Cliff, and Heaven’s Gunner turned all four guns toward him. Cliff dove behind the nearest row of seats just as the guns fired.
“Reckless child!” Kiriko shrieked.
Cliff turned and grinned at Ouka, even as blood poured down his arm. “Ouka…that Golem will start moving again. Are you ready?”
No. 11 restarted his forward advance. Seeing Cliff’s triumphant expression brought a smile to Ouka as well.
“You’ve got guts, Cliff…!”
No. 11 was closing the gap. The cadence of explosive shotgun bursts eventually stopped the left leg from moving again. But it was enough this time. No. 11 had finally stepped foot into the front train car. Spinoza was about eight meters away. He was within range!
“…It’s my turn to risk it!”
Ouka mounted Dram’s back. Guarding Dram’s forehead with his quarterstaff, he fixed a hard gaze on No. 11’s back. No. 11 was on the verge of falling over after being filled with bullets.
Spinoza stood on the other side of the punctured Wood Golem, along with his four-armed god of death. A memory from four years ago flooded into Ouka’s mind as he waited to face his foe.
Alita died to protect Kiriko back then. I didn’t protect anyone. And now Kiriko is in danger once more. I have to be the one to protect her this time. He could feel his regrets from the past granting him the power to defeat the enemy armed with five guns, on the other side of the wood giant.
“Here we go, Dram!”
Dram broke into a run just as the shotgun fired.
No. 11’s head blew off and the massive body slowly crumbled to the ground. Dram used the brief gap to reach his top speed, and kicked off the ground into a flying leap. On the other side of the crumbling No. 11, Ouka saw Spinoza.
“SPINOOZAAAA!” Ouka howled.
“OUKAAA!” Spinoza roared.
Heaven’s Gunner fired his revolvers. Burning pain shot through Ouka’s shoulders, arms, and legs, but he endured the agony to defend Dram’s forehead even if it killed him.
Dram alighted on the ground and propelled himself at Spinoza with the momentum. His full bodyweight slammed into Spinoza.
“GUAAH!”
Dram’s charge struck Spinoza square in the chest, crushing his back against the wall. The blow shattered the surrounding windows. Blood spurt from Spinoza’s mouth. But Spinoza’s blood-soaked lips twisted into a demented smile. His arm was wrapped around Dram’s neck. He flexed his shoulder muscles and the vestments ripped right off. Then, clenching his teeth, he belted out a war cry as he threw Dram off him.
Ouka reflexively leapt from Dram’s back. Dram rolled right through the swing door and fell outside the train car. Ouka hit the ground with Spinoza’s shotgun trained on his forehead.
“…It’s your loss, Ouka.”
Ouka stared at the gun muzzle from the floor. Heaven’s Gunner had his revolvers pointed at Kiriko, Cliff, and the ceiling. No one was free to make any last-ditch moves.
Sadness tinged Spinoza’s voice as he said, “I warned you not to get too deeply involved in this… This isn’t the job I hired you to do.”
“And I told you, I’m doin’ this to help me make sense of things. To move on.”
“You stupid bastard… I really took a liking to you.” Silence fell between them, leaving just the sound of the accelerating train.
Ouka fixed an intent stare on him and asked, “…Hey, Spinoza, will you let me say one last thing?”
“Sure.”
“I seriously respected you. Your strength, your intelligence, your Taming skills, and your sly tricks were all things I looked up to.”
“What are you trying to say at this point in the game?”
“But y’know, you’ve become weak.” They heard an odd sound mix with the train noises as Ouka spoke.
“…Who did you just call weak?” Spinoza turned a wary eye on the ceiling. But Lovel wasn’t making the noise. It was coming from outside the train. The sound of running feet came from the other side of the missing door, outside the moving train.
“Your instincts have dulled, Spinoza. Why do ya think I’ve been dragging on this meaningless discussion?”
The pounding of multiple feet reached the door. The Golem that had been chucked out of the train had pushed its broken body to its limits to catch up to a moving train on four legs.
“Ouka! Damn you!”
Heaven’s Gunner aimed every gun outside the train. Ouka smacked away the shotgun barrel and shouted with its point away from his face, “COME, DRAM!” Heeding his call, an amber lion leapt inside the train.
“DIE!” Spinoza snarled. Heaven’s Gunner fired at random. Dram broke through the wall of bullets and swept at Heaven’s Gunner with his tough forelegs.
There was a loud crack and bones flew through the air. The single strike sent Heaven’s Gunner backward and he crashed through the window, tumbling outside of the train.
Ouka struggled to his feet and swung down his quarterstaff. Spinoza redirected his shotgun at him again. Gunfire reverberated from the back of the train car, blowing Spinoza’s shotgun out of his hand.
Spinoza’s eyes bulged as he watched the shotgun arc through the air. Kiriko had shot him. Ouka didn’t have to see her do it to know. And in that momentary opening, Ouka brought down his quarterstaff with every bit of strength left in his body.
He heard a dull snap. His strike was a square hit to Spinoza’s cervical vertebra.
“…It’s our win, Spinoza.”
Spinoza slowly crumpled. The train began decelerating. It finally stopped at the station as his body hit the ground, signaling the end of the battle that had continued for four years.