A roar tore from his throat as his form exploded outward into a muscle-bound panther-like abomination, veins bulging, claws digging into steel.
Leon raised his gun instantly. "Here he comes!"
Helena steadied her aim, heart pounding. "Don't let him close—!"
The monster vanished.
A blur.
Too fast.
Leon barely had time to react before—
BAM!
Simmons slammed into him, claws tearing through metal. Leon flew across the roof, skidding dangerously that close to the edge.
"LEON!" Helena screamed.
Before Simmons could finish it—
BOOOOM—!
A concussive blast smashed into Simmons' side.
Air exploded.
The monster was thrown backward, crashing through a stack of rooftop equipment.
Leon looked up, stunned.
"—You...How the hell are you flying?"
Above them—
A blue figure hovered in the night sky.
Doraemon.
His eyes were wide, jaw clenched, air cannon smoking in his hands.
"I'm not letting you die again!" Doraemon shouted.
Behind him—
Gian hovered with dual air cannons, veins popping in his arms. "SAY HELLO TO ROUND ONE, UGLY!"
Shizuka floated beside them, already unfolding the barrier cloth. "Suneo—Dekisuki—stay close!"
Suneo powered up his lightning arc gun, sparks snapping wildly. "O-okay! I'll cover the sky!"
Dekisuki checked the glow on his small light device. "Charge at sixty percent… I only get one good flash."
Simmons snarled.
And then—
He shrank.
Flesh receded. Bones snapped back.
In seconds, Simmons collapsed to his knees—human again—panting, skin cracked, eyes bloodshot.
Leon didn't hesitate.
He rushed forward and—
CRACK.
A punch to the jaw.
Simmons' head snapped sideways.
Leon grabbed him by the collar.
"You killed the President," Leon growled. "You tried to end the world."
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Punch after punch.
Helena shouted, "Leon—!"
Simmons laughed, blood spilling from his mouth.
"…You think…your fists can stop evolution?"
His body convulsed.
Leon's eyes widened.
Too late.
Simmons' arm exploded outward, transforming mid-swing—
BOOM!
Leon was thrown back again, rolling hard across the roof.
The monster stood fully formed now—larger, angrier, veins glowing red like molten wire.
And then—
The sound of rotors.
Helicopters.
Multiple.
Spotlights flared open in the sky.
"BSAA traitors spotted!" a voice barked through a loudspeaker. "Eliminate all targets!"
Gunfire rained down.
Doraemon's eyes widened. "They're shooting at us!"
Bullets ripped through the air.
Without hesitation—
Shizuka threw the barrier cloth forward.
A transparent wall snapped into place mid-air.
TATATATATAT—!
Bullets slammed into the barrier, flattening and dropping harmlessly.
Shizuka strained, teeth clenched. "I—I can hold it! But not forever!"
Gian roared, firing both air cannons upward. "GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!"
Shockwaves blasted two soldiers clean out of a helicopter.
Suneo fired lightning arcs into the rotors. "I'M ACTUALLY DOING IT—!"
Dekisuki raised his small light device. "Cover your eyes—NOW!"
A blinding flash erupted.
But it wasn't enough.
Because the charger is low
Dekisuki shouts
Doraemon, The small light charger is not working!!!!
"Doraemon!" Gian shouted. "We can't focus on Simmons and them both!"
And that's when—
Nobita stepped forward.
Blood dripped down his arm.
His breathing was heavy.
But his eyes—
Clear.
Sharp.
Focused.
"I'll handle Simmons," he said quietly.
Leon looked at him. "…Nobita."
Helena shook her head. "You're injured!"
Nobita tightened his grip on the dagger Chris had given him—
the same dagger that had saved him countless times.
"I know," Nobita said. "But he's focused on me."
Simmons turned slowly.
His monstrous eyes locked onto Nobita's right arm.
The dagger.
A twisted smile formed across his inhuman face.
"…That arm," Simmons growled. "That weapon… they're the problem."
The monster lunged.
Leon fired. Helena fired.
Bullets tore into Simmons' body—but he didn't slow.
Nobita moved.
Steel met claw.
CLANG—!
He ducked, slashed, rolled beneath a sweeping strike that tore a chunk out of the train roof.
Simmons roared, focusing everything on Nobita.
"RUN!" Doraemon shouted.
Nobita didn't.
He stepped in.
Slashed upward.
The dagger struck Simmons' hardened flesh
Suddenly—
CRACK.
The blade shattered.
Time stopped.
Nobita stared at the broken hilt in his hand.
"No…" he whispered.
Simmons' grin widened.
"…Found you."
The monster moved faster than before.
Leon shouted, "NOBITA—MOVE!"
Too late.
Simmons' claw flashed—
A wet, horrifying sound tore through the night.
SCHHHKK—!
Nobita screamed.
His right arm spun away, blood spraying across the train roof as it hit the ground and rolled to a stop.
The dagger fell with it.
"NOBITA—!!" Doraemon screamed.
Leon's face went pale. "No—no—no—!"
Helena froze in horror.
Nobita collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from the stump, vision blurring.
Simmons loomed over him, breathing heavy.
"…Now," Simmons whispered,
"…you're just like the rest."
The train thundered onward into darkness.
And somewhere deep inside Nobita—
Something snapped.
Blood poured from Nobita's torn arm, dripping onto the shaking metal roof of the train.
The pain was unreal.
Not sharp.
Not sudden.
But devouring—like his nerves were being torn apart one by one.
Nobita's breathing became ragged. His knees scraped the metal as he struggled to stay conscious.
Leon shouted his name.
Doraemon screamed.
But their voices felt far away.
Very far.
Nobita stared at his ruined right arm.
His fingers twitched weakly.
"…So this is it?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Again…?"
The world blurred.
Then—
A blue light flickered before his eyes.
Only he could see it.
---
[CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED]
Right Arm — FUNCTION LOST
Blood Loss — SEVERE
User Survival Probability — 12%
---
Nobita's lips trembled.
"…No," he whispered.
"Not yet."
The train roared louder, sparks flying as it entered a damaged section of track.
Simmons laughed in the distance.
"Look at you," the monster mocked.
"Still alive… but finished."
Nobita clenched his teeth.
His heart pounded.
Then—
The system responded.
---
[HUNTER MODE — SECONDARY ADAPTATION TRIGGERED]
Condition: Extreme Trauma
Response: Forced Evolution
---
Pain changed.
It no longer felt like destruction.
It felt like reconstruction.
Nobita screamed—not in fear—but in shock.
His broken arm twitched violently.
Muscle fibers began to move on their own, crawling like living threads.
Leon froze.
"…What's happening to him?"
Doraemon's eyes widened.
"Nobita…?"
Bones cracked, but this time—in reverse.
Shards pulled themselves together.
Veins rewove, pulsing with blue light.
Flesh regenerated in waves, sealing torn skin, rebuilding muscle layer by layer.
The sound was horrifying.
Wet.
Crunching.
Alive.
Nobita arched his back, screaming as sensation flooded back into his fingers.
"…AAAAAH—!!"
Then—
Silence.
His arm slammed against the train roof.
Whole.
Intact.
Stronger.
The system text burned into his vision.
---
[REGENERATION COMPLETE]
Right Arm — 100% Restored
Muscle Density — INCREASED
Bone Integrity — REINFORCED
PERMANENT BUFF APPLIED:
Raw Physical Strength ×8
Pain Resistance — SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED
---
Nobita lay there, breathing heavily.
Then slowly—
He lifted his right hand.
Flexed his fingers.
No pain.
No weakness.
Only power.
He pushed himself up.
Simmons' laughter stopped.
"…Impossible," the monster muttered.
Nobita looked at his regenerated arm.
Then at Simmons.
His voice was calm.
Low.
Deadly.
"You took my arm," Nobita said.
"The system gave me a better one."
Leon confused
"System??"
His eyes burned with Hunter Mode focus.
"Now it's my turn."
The wind howled.
The train thundered forward.
And Nobita—
Stood ready.