VOLKER

Under the chandeliers, the grotesque scene unfolded, the remnants of sliced body parts casting an eerie hue across the room. Charlotte, Kimberley, Troy, and Trevor stood paralyzed, their gazes locked onto the gruesome sight before them — Volker Hendriks, an unsettling calmness about him as he held a severed head in his hand.

Kimberley's voice trembled as she whispered to herself, grappling with the unsettling energy in the air.

"This aura… it's so… demonic. Is this Fiend Vibration? Is he part of… The Herd?"

Collecting herself with urgency, Charlotte's hands clasped together, invoking a command with intensity.

"Kalo: Blest 93R."

In her hand, a Beretta machine pistol materialized, its golden aura reflecting her urgency. She swiftly called out to her companions, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Troy! Trevor!"

Without hesitation, the trio surged forward, forming a triangular formation around Volker, ready for action.

Volker remained unfazed, his gaze steady on the trio.

"Come on then. I don't have all day."

Responding to the challenge, Charlotte aimed her firearm, but before she could act, Volker materialized in front of her with lightning speed.

Her shot was redirected by a swift move from Volker's peculiar 4oz glove, taking her off guard.

"A mouth?"

Charlotte barely had time to process before dodging his subsequent strike, only to be knocked off balance by a swift sweep kick that sent her airborne. With agility that defied belief, Volker caught her mid-air, spinning and flinging her across the room.

Troy lunged at Volker, landing a solid hit to his chin, but to Troy's shock, Volker outmatched him in both speed and skill, deflecting and parrying Troy's blows effortlessly.

Then came the chilling surprise – Volker's glove seemed to bite into Troy's shoulder, leaving him utterly bewildered.

"What in the world…?"

Volker responded with a brutal roundhouse kick, sending Troy crashing into the wall with an impact that stunned everyone witnessing the ferocity of the blow.

In the midst of the chaos, Troy's thoughts acted as a silent beacon, willing Trevor to take the critical step forward.

Internally focused, Troy urged Trevor forward, his mental encouragement fervent and resolute.

TROY's inner thoughts raced: I've played my part; now it's up to you.

Urgently, Troy vocalized his thoughts, directing them at Trevor.

"Trev!"

Volker lifted his gaze, catching sight of Trevor descending upon him, a colossal fist poised to deliver a powerful strike. As Trevor's punch connected with Volker's head, the sound reverberated, accompanied by Trevor's thundering roar.

"I got him clean! That should do it!"

However, Trevor appeared perplexed, examining his fist as if something fundamental was amiss.

"That punch...it had 0 power..."

Volker, with a smirk, quickly recovered from the blow, unfazed by what seemed like a feeble attack.

"What happened to my strength?" lamented Trevor.

Volker retaliated, striking Trevor, whose attempt to block proved futile as he was sent crashing into the wall.

Struggling to regain his bearings, Trevor noticed a sizable chunk missing from his arm, confusion clouding his expression.

"What's going on...?"

Turning his attention back to Volker, Trevor observed as the missing piece was nonchalantly expelled from Volker's glove, an unsettling smile on his adversary's face.

Meanwhile, Charlotte acted swiftly, unleashing a barrage of bullets from her machine pistol aimed at Volker. Reacting with extraordinary agility, Volker evaded the onslaught of bullets by twisting and spinning through the air. Capitalizing on the moment, Charlotte materialized behind him, delivering a swift and forceful kick that sent Volker sliding across the floor from the impact.

Pausing briefly to assess the damage, Volker inspected three gaping holes in his body, a trace of surprise visible on his face.

"I'm surprised her bullets were able to penetrate that easily. I guess she's the captain at such a young age for a reason."

Forming a steeple with his hands, he uttered a command, "Benedi: Resilience," and his body solidified, attaining an impenetrable state. Volker's transformation left the atmosphere charged with tension. 

Observing the change, Charlotte acted swiftly, firing a bullet directly at Volker's forehead. His head recoiled momentarily, but he effortlessly brought it back to its original position, unaffected. The realization dawned on Charlotte, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"His body... it's changing."

With newfound confidence, Volker surged towards Charlotte. Despite her relentless barrage of bullets, he powered through, the projectiles bouncing off his hardened skin.

"Seriously?" Charlotte exclaimed in frustration.

Volker aimed a kick at her, but she adeptly evaded the strike with a backward tilt of her head. He continued the assault, launching a multitude of strikes, but Charlotte skillfully dodged each one with last-minute manoeuvres.

"Very elusive and annoying," Volker remarked.

Charlotte attempted a counter, executing a spinning kick aimed at his jaw. To her dismay, the kick had little effect, and Volker remained unfazed.

"Bullets didn't work, why the hell would I think a kick would?" she muttered.

In a swift move, Volker seized her by the neck mid-air, preparing for a decisive blow. However, Kimberley intervened, soaring in with a powerful knee strike that collided with Volker's jaw. The impact forced him to release Charlotte, who skillfully backflipped away.

As Charlotte noticed a bit of steam emanating from Kimberley's leg, Kimberley offered advice.

"You have to put a bit more heat into your strikes, Charlotte. A normal temperature isn't gonna cut it."

Charlotte dismissed the suggestion with defiance.

"Don't tell me what to do. Fighting on a high temperature against this guy is suicide."

Undeterred, Kimberley clasped her hands, summoning her double-action revolver with a command, "Kalo: Divine '19."

Volker, caught between the two formidable gunwomen, assessed the situation.

"I can't dodge their bullets, and even with my Benedi, there's only so much I can take, especially if they increase their vibrational temperature, which they're probably going to do."

Kimberley and Charlotte synchronized their actions, unleashing a barrage of bullets at Volker. In response, he defensively raised his forearms, emitting frosty smoke from his body.

"Time to play defensive," Volker declared.

The bullets collided with his hardened form, leaving no discernible damage. Kimberley, recognizing the shift, smirked.

"He's reduced his overall vibrational temperature. That, plus his Benedi is gonna be an annoying combination. Charlotte, as risky as it sounds, we're gonna have to increase ours."

"Again, stop telling me what to do," Charlotte retorted.

As heat smoke slowly emanated from Kimberley and Charlotte, they prepared to face Volker's relentless assault.

"Two risky moves, one can lead to Hypothermia, while the other can lead to Hyperoxia. Let's see who lasts the longest," Volker remarked, charging at Kimberley with unwavering determination.

Despite the continuous gunfire from the gunwomen, Volker's hardened body deflected the bullets effortlessly. Kimberley taunted him.

"You're too slow, man. You're not going to be able to touch us with your temperature that low."

Kimberley delivered a snappy kick to Volker's jaw, but he shook off the impact. He retaliated with a punch, intercepted midway by Charlotte's well-placed bullet.

Charlotte chuckled and seized the opportunity, charging at Volker with a jumping side kick. However, he blocked it with his forearm, showcasing his resilience. The two gunwomen began circling around him, launching quick, precise strikes and firing bullets in tandem. Despite their concerted efforts, Volker absorbed the hits with apparent ease.

Suddenly, Volker unleashed a wild strike at Charlotte. She narrowly dodged the attack, but her earlobe paid the price, bitten off by Volker's glove.

"Shit!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Kimberley and Charlotte hopped away, regrouping to assess their strategy.

Volker's voice cut through the tense atmosphere.

"My body's already more hardened than usual thanks to my Benedi. So, I don't need to reduce my temperature as much as you need to increase yours."

With calculated precision, Volker seized the opportunity, hurling the bodies of fallen officers at Kimberley. She skillfully evaded each projectile, but in the chaos, Volker materialized behind her.

"I'm not as slow as you probably think I am!" he declared, swinging a punch toward Kimberley's head.

But Kimberley ducked under the blow, her reflexes sharp. Charlotte rushed to her aid, executing a coordinated leg sweep that sent Volker crashing to the ground.

As Volker found himself flat on his back, Kimberley and Charlotte wasted no time. They aimed their guns at him, point-blank range.

Volker, undeterred, directed his gloves toward the incoming bullets. The projectiles were ensnared within the gloves' mouth, then swiftly spat back at the girls.

To their astonishment, Kimberley and Charlotte narrowly dodged the bullets, their movements synchronized in a dance of survival.

With practiced coordination, the duo flipped away from the danger zone, chanting in unison.

"Rebound Division!"

Their voices echoed as the bullets ricocheted off the ceiling, splitting into multiple projectiles. The smaller bullets hurtled toward Volker with relentless force.

Volker attempted to evade the onslaught, but the barrage overwhelmed him. The bullets crashed into him, causing a miniature explosion of impact.

As the smoke cleared, Kimberley and Charlotte exchanged hopeful glances.

"Did we get him?" Kimberley inquired, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Charlotte's gaze shifted, her expression thoughtful.

"There's something about this girl... her fighting style... it's very similar to..."

Suddenly, Volker reappeared behind them, poised mid-air, wounds littering his torso and face.

With a thunderous smash, he descended toward them, but Charlotte and Kimberley narrowly evaded the attack, leaving Volker to obliterate the floor beneath.

The trio locked eyes in a tense standoff, each catching their breath amidst the chaos of battle.

Volker surveyed his battered body, taking note of the wounds and the fading effects of his Benedi.

"My instinct told me to increase my temperature to roll out of the way quicker… obviously, that instinct was wrong," he muttered to himself. "The only thing that's stopping me from bleeding to death is my Benedi, and that finishes in about 2 minutes…"

As Kimberley and Charlotte panted heavily, Volker observed their fatigue.

"They're reaching their limit though," he noted. "The effect of fighting on that high of a vibration is getting to them. They'll probably cool down now and retreat. Their bullets might be less effective as a result, so I think I could rely solely on my Benedi to block them."

He assumed an offensive stance, his eyes fixed on the two women.

"I'll increase my temperature back to normal and take them out before my Benedi finishes, then rush back to Shepherd," he decided.

Charlotte dropped to one knee, struggling to catch her breath. Suddenly, she felt a sharp impact on her back.

"What the-" she started, but Kimberley interrupted her.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't do it. We're nearly there," Kimberley urged.

Confusion clouded Charlotte's expression. "Who are you talking to-"

"Charlotte! Keep it high, and let's finish this!" Kimberley's voice rang with determination.

Charlotte's eyes widened in amazement. "Who… is this girl?"

Volker watched the exchange, a hint of annoyance flickering across his face.

"Are you kidding me? Bring it on then, you little shits," he taunted, bracing himself for the impending clash.