*VRRRRRR!!!*
"KHEEEEEEE!!!" The mutant Miguel shrieked as the chainsword dug into his armor, cutting into him briefly before he punched Belle in the face, knocking her several meters away.
"Billy! Anby!" Nicole regained her composure and called out, making the two spring into action.
Belle on her back, feeling her cheek swell from the powerful impact. The pain in her face helped distract her from the pain radiating outward from her severed arm.
Vargram, Anby and Billy immediately got in Miguel's way, preventing him from finishing Belle off. While Nicole and Eous rushed over to help her up.
"Belle! You're losing a lot of blood. Let me make a tourniquet for you!" Nicole immediately began to rip her shirt up to stop the bloodloss.
Given how Nicole usually was, Belle ought to have been surprised. But in truth, Nicole was someone she could truly rely on when shit hits the fan. Through her other set of memories, she knew the leader of the Cunning Hares is a kind person who gave a lot to parentless kids.
"Whew.. Thanks, Nicole. Less Ether up here so my regeneration's slower." Belle admitted. Though that was only partially the issue. The chainsword was powered by her Ether energy. Add that, her regeneration and her reinforcement and she was running on empty now.
Though, unknown to her, that wasn't why her arm wasn't regenerating.
Belle felt her phone vibrate repeatedly, as if she was getting a call or an Amber Alert. Sadly, she was unable to read the message due to her phone being in her right pocket, where it'd be difficult to reach, given she had no right arm at the moment.
"KIEEEE!!!!" Miguel screamed, fending off the trio as thick blood was pulled from the wound Belle had inflicted on him earlier.
A stream of thick, oily blood coalesced where Belle's right arm used to be. It undulated, as if it were alive. And a strange mixture of colors radiated from the murky black liquid.
"Belle! What's going on!?" Wise called out, both him and Nicole freaking out as the liquid hovered beside her, forming into a ball.
"How..? Ethereals don't bleed.." Belle muttered before pain shot through the bloody stump that used to be her arm.
Nicole immediately tried to grab onto it, to pry it out of Belle. But it only made her hands slick with the liquid.
Belle's mouth hung open, crying out in a pain so intense, it made her silent. Then, she heard it.
*CLINK*
The sound of the wheel turning. The pain lessened. But it still felt like someone was pouring molten lava through her veins. She was too distracted with trying to deal with the pain to realize something incredible was happening to her once again.
"Wha..? The safe!!" Nicole yelled as the metal safe floated out of her arm, disassembling into hundreds of pieces.
Metal, Ether Crystals and Mana began to swirl around the ball of blood. The metal twisted, shrunk, bent and altered. The Ether Crystals sunk themselves into the altering metal, refining themselves as their forms changed. Finally, the mana latched itself onto Belle, its energy burrowing into her veins, nerves and bones. A skeletal form, created from that mana emerged, calling forth the ball of black blood and absorbing it to create a sort of liquid flesh and muscle. Then came the metal and Ether crystals. The metal closed in around the liquid flesh, hundreds of segmented plates closing in while leaving some gaps for the crystals.
"What is this..? Her arm.. Wise! What's going on!?" Nicole demanded an answer from the controlled Bangboo.
Wise couldn't answer though. He was just as stunned as Nicole. In all their years together, Belle hadn't shown him anything close to this. It almost looked like what Hunters called a 'Second Awakening'. Though he'd never heard of a Second Awakening turning a Hunter's arm into anything like this.
Words flashed in front of Belle before settling on the very left of her peripheral vision. She was very confused.
'What? Fairy!? Why..? No, how? She was supposed to be...' Belle's thoughts came to a halt once she realized her pain had gone away. Looking at her new right arm, she understood why.
In a way, Belle was glad. But suddenly becoming a cyborg was a bit jarring.
"Oough!" Billy slid back, both him and Anby forced to take the brunt of Miguel's now frenzied slashes.
The mutant was now desperately trying to run at Belle. The only thing stopping him was Vargram, who had taken a few stabs in order to stop him, having managed to sever the sharp Spider-esque limbs on his back that kept Anby and Billy at bay.
"Damn it he's persistent! Come on, let's help him!" Nicole hoisted her suitcase up after confirming Belle was okay.
"Alright! Anby, with me. Billy and Nicole, you should cover us. We don't need too many people that close to a blender." Belle stated, rotating her right arm, the metal plates and liquid flesh enabling her to fully control it.
Nicole looked at her for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Just don't overdo it! You'll give me a heart attack."
"Cute.. Thanks for the motivation, Nicole!" Belle declared as she began to run at the mutant with Anby.
"Motivation huh... I-If you win.. I'll l-let you.. sit on my face.." Nicole muttered quietly.
*CRAAAAACK!*
Belle, hearing her despite how she practically muttered it, sprinted at Miguel and delivered the mother of all haymakers into Miguel's stomach. Even going as far as to reinforce her new arm with Ether energy and what she'd later discover to be her newly acquired mana. The resulting blow cracked the dense Ether plating around Miguel's stomach, making him fly back at least five meters before he corrected himself.
"Ghe.... RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!-" His furious roars were then drowned out by Billy and Nicole's gunfire as metal casings and Ether blasts smashed into his deformed body.
Anby then hit him with a flurry of quick slashes while Belle and Vargram kept his blades out of Anby's way. Vargram grabbed two of the arms on his left while Belle grabbed and crushed one of the arms on his right, accidentally underestimating her new arm's strength. Then doing the same to his other arm after she adapted to the speed his swings were coming at her after a few moments.
"Fracture..!" Anby shouted before swinging her blade upward, electricity coursing through it as she carved through Miguel's armor, then dropped her blade on him once more. The electrical current coursing through him enough to kill an Elephant, but it wasn't enough.
Belle cocked her fist back and stepped into his already broken guard, slamming her metal fist into his stomach before the Sword of Extermination shot through the metal plates and stabbed into his core.
"Your Jordans.... were FAAAAAKE!!" Belle yelled as Magic and Ether burst forth from the blade's tip, allowing her to slash through from his chest to his head.
Despite the.. strange battle cry at the end, Miguel's mutant body faded into motes of Mana and Ether, his death sealed the moment his core was pierced.
"Hooo.. Man that was something.." Belle stated, a feeling of accomplishment welling up from within her.
Seeing as the battle was won, Vargram, battered and suffering numerous injuries took a graceful bow and disappeared, like he'd been unsummoned.
"Ah.. That guy has the best drip in Elden Ring. Now-" Belle turned to look at the Cunning Hares and Wise. All looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"How to explain all this.."