The latest trick? Of course, it was Mr. E's doing.
After War Rabbit defeated the Smash that Nabeshima had transformed into, BloodStalk appeared from the shadows and ambushed him with a venomous strike.
Like NightRogue, BloodStalk used the Transformation Smoke System. The difference? While NightRogue used the Bat Fullbottle, BloodStalk used the Cobra. It was a lesser Rider system—mass-produced and unrefined—but sufficient for mischief.
Why didn't E just use his real Evol Driver? Simple: he'd hidden it. Too risky to reveal it now. Until then, the clown suit and smoke effects of BloodStalk would have to suffice.
He played both roles in his own twisted drama—attacker and savior. After "rescuing" War Rabbit from the very Smash he'd created, he dragged the injured Rider back to the base and pretended to be a concerned bystander.
But War Rabbit wasn't buying it. As soon as he woke up, still aching from the beating, he stormed out to find answers. That's when another "Smash sighting" conveniently arrived, attributed to none other than BloodStalk.
It was obvious. Mr. E was keeping War Rabbit busy on purpose—no rest for the righteous.
Meanwhile, I had just returned to the base with Nabeshima's family.
"Where's War Rabbit?" I asked, noting only Misora present.
"He got another Smash report. This location." Misora handed me a tablet. "It feels... off. Can you check it out? I'm worried something might've happened."
"No problem." I nodded, grabbed a Drill Smasher from War Rabbit's pile of half-tested inventions, and hopped onto the spare motorbike. Time to ride.
Elsewhere, War Rabbit was getting pulverized.
Normally, Smash weren't strong. They existed primarily to explode and drop Fullbottles. They weren't boss fight material.
But when Mr. E was involved? All bets were off.
As War Rabbit engaged with what seemed like a standard Smash, BloodStalk fired a specialized round from his Smoke Rifle—a fusion of his transformation weapon and blade. The moment it struck, the Smash mutated violently, ballooning in size to over ten meters tall.
Now it wasn't just a monster. It was a kaiju with fists the size of vending machines.
The Smash, now drunk with power, began smashing War Rabbit into the ground like a ragdoll. Having witnessed enough chaos for one day, BloodStalk slipped away, leaving behind the havoc he'd orchestrated like a true puppeteer.
When I arrived, what greeted me was... memorable.
War Rabbit lay half-dead on the ground, groaning under the foot of a building-sized Smash. Not exactly heroic.
I quickly shook the Dragon Fullbottle to boost my strength, and with no better plan, hurled the Drill Smasher straight at the monster's—well—rear exhaust port.
Not my proudest tactical decision. But hey, nothing attracts attention like a direct hit to the... critical zone.
Smash roared in silent agony (because it couldn't actually speak) and swiveled its massive head, eyes locking onto me. Mission accomplished.
"Wan Zhang!?" War Rabbit blinked, half-conscious, then saw me. Tears nearly welled up in his eyes. Salvation had come.
"I know I'm handsome. Stop staring and start fighting!" I shouted.
"...Right!" He fumbled two Fullbottles from his belt.
[Taka! Gatling!]
[Best Match!]
[Are you ready?]
"Build up!"
[The Rioter in the Sky!]
[Hawk-Gatling!]
[YEAH~]
"The law of victory is decided!"
Taking to the sky in his Hawk-Gatling form, War Rabbit wielded his latest weapon: the Flying Gatling Cannon. Bullets rained down from above, and with a spherical field locking Smash in place, the final sequence began:
[Ten! Twenty! Thirty!...]
[Seventy! Eighty! Ninety!]
[One Hundred!]
[Full Bullet!]
A hundred energy blasts tore through the air, engulfing the oversized Smash in a controlled explosion. The monster reverted into human form.
Predictably, it was Nabeshima.
Poor guy. Subjected to two human experiments, forcibly enhanced by BloodStalk, and blown up twice by War Rabbit. At this rate, if he survived another year, it'd be a miracle.
But then again, once War Rabbit rewrites the world, most of these side characters wouldn't live that long anyway.
When Nabeshima awoke, he was—as expected—amnesiac.
Everyone gathered, giving him warm, sympathetic looks.
Me? I was just spacing out. But I must've looked emotionally wrecked, because they all treated me like a grieving husband.
Fueled by War Rabbit's usual "poisonous chicken soup for the soul," Nabeshima found renewed purpose. He thanked us and prepared to leave with his family.
But just before they left, Nabeshima paused. "I remember... there were more bottles at that lab."
He pointed to a black metal panel mounted on the wall.
War Rabbit's eyes narrowed.
He recognized that shape.
It wasn't just a metal panel—it was a Pandora Box Plate, one of the six fragments that could be filled with Fullbottles and used to reassemble the Pandora's Box.
It had been buried in the wall of the base—planted by none other than Mr. E himself.
War Rabbit had seen the outer walls of the Pandora Box before but never realized one piece was right here in the base.
"Wait… only Misora can purify these bottles. So how did Faust get them in the first place?" he asked, looking straight at her.
"It's fine. Let's get Nabeshima's family out of here first," I interrupted quickly. I'd seen the look in War Rabbit's eyes before. Trouble was brewing.
I signaled Sayu to escort Nabeshima and his family away, just as War Rabbit grabbed a hammer and began smashing the wall.
When Mr. E returned from his "part-time job," the first thing he saw was War Rabbit—sweaty and furious—demolishing his café wall like a madman.
"WAR RABBIT! Stop that!!"
Too late. The plate had already been pried out.
War Rabbit flipped it in his hand. "This… this is a Pandora Box Panel! What's it doing here?!"
He turned to the boss.
Time for Mr. E to shine.
Face darkened. Eyes full of shame. Expression: award-winning actor meets innocent puppy.
"Answer me!" War Rabbit roared. "Are you… a member of Faust?!"
A hush fell over the base.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mr. E's Acting & Storytelling Theatre.
The curtain was rising.