Three small explosions rocked the ground beneath him. It felt like his legs were being shredded by the jagged teeth of a million piranhas. Though his fingers were frigid, his ankles were being warmed by the fresh blood trickling down his shins. He quickly ducked behind one of the turned-over metal tables. His racing heartbeat worked overtime adding oxygen to his red blood cells. The past three days had been amazing. It felt like years ago since the broncing bull had been pushed to his limits. "Not bad, Bo. Been a while since I got a workout like this."

The archer drew back three more arrows, "Are you implying this battle is only training?"

"That depends, you tryna kill me?" Another volley of arrows collided with the metal circle. "I'll take that as a yes." Bull fired a few suppressing shells in Bo's direction. In return, Bo ripped the wood beside him with another volley of explosive arrows. The sharp chips peppered his meaty legs.

Their back-and-forth exchange made no signs of progression. Bull couldn't help but grin wildly; This was so much fun. A few daggers fell at his feet, followed by drops of blood. He strained his eyes to see into the dark rafters.

He could vaguely make out the figures of the two assassins clashing. Leon was currently dangling from one of the support beams. Crow's attempt at stomping on his hands was skillfully thwarted by Leon's impressive agility. Bull chuckled when he saw Leon kick the bird square in the chest. Then as soon as he saw them, they vanished once again. 'Damn that looks cool.'

Another explosion landed beside him. He caught Bo making a slow approach. Another burst from his shotgun sent the chieftain dipping behind a set of overturned chairs.

Bull took the opportunity to reload his shotgun. The brief pause in the action allowed him to catch his breath. He again cracked a childish smile as he marveled at his current state. His eardrums were banging louder than a bass drum in a marching band. He hadn't had this much fun in years.

Before he could peek again a body slid towards him. Rosa's dark hair and purple clothes caught his eye.

She quickly slid behind the table, clutching her head as she groaned, "Bloody hell. Gonna have a proper tumor of a headache tonight." Bull could see a few growing bruises across her forearms and midsection. He assumed that her fight with Bibi hadn't been going so well.

She peeked over the edge muttering, "Who the hell are these people? First, I fight a damn demon bird with poison daggers. Now I gotta deal with this crazy bint." She slowly rubbed her neck, "Bout took my head off my shoulders." She blew an exasperated breath, "Haven't even dealt with that dodgy bloke Bull yet. A freak of nature that bastard is."

"Well, that's rude." Rosa flinched from his voice, quickly snapping her head in his direction. The larger man watched her from the corner of his eye as he casually finished reloading. "Freak of nature? I'd say I'm more of a force of nature."

The two silently stared at each other. Rosa's potted plant growled like a feral dog. Her gloved fists were balled up so tight that her gloves started to stretch around them. Bull smoothly rolled a shell between his fingers. Though they were intently focused, their deadly staring contest did not distract them from the action around them.

On the other side of the table, Bo continued his careful approach. The archer was unaware of Rosa's current position. A brash voice screamed from the side, "Get your ass back out here and take this beating like a woman." He found Bibi walking around in a blind rage. The woman's left eye was swollen and a large bump had formed on her right cheek. "You wanna take my baby girl?" She cupped her left breast, "You ain't got the tits to do it."

Bo slowly shook his head, "What a strange woman."

Bibi's ears barely picked up the sound, "You!" She pointed her bat at his skull, "I almost forgot about you."

His arrows naturally pointed at her core, "I did not forget you."

They patiently awaited for the other to make a move. Bibi knew she could catch him if he tried to run, but getting in while under fire wasn't favorable. Bo, however, was worried about Bull. The diner's owner was a threat like none other.

Several times throughout their skirmish Bo had shot Bull at point-blank range, but the monster kept coming. The charred flesh on Bull's body was barely fazing him. Meanwhile Bo's injuries were starting to hinder his proficiency. He hadn't trained his body to sustain their modern weaponry. The knicks across his flesh were oozing flaming crimson streaks.

Behind the table, Rosa and Bull reacted to the sound of their allies' approaching clash. Their bodies tensed up when they heard Bibi's bat crash against the floor. She shouted, "Round 2!" and the fights sparked anew.

Bibi had grown impatient, standing around wasn't her forte. She was a woman of action and her current course of action was to fight. Bo attempted to halt her full-frontal aggression with a storm of arrows. Though most of the arrows hit their marks, Bibi surged through the cloud of brimstone. Bo tried his best to retreat but the woman's speed was more than he could handle. The sound of her metal cracking against his arm was truly cringe-worthy.

As Bo's body flew into another set of seats, Rosa and Bull made their moves. The boss brought his shotgun to her chest but the botanist was faster. A stiff jab to the nose effectively turned his vision into tv static.

Even with the disadvantageous start Bull still managed to keep his gun stable. As his shotgun's aim rested a little lower, Rosa landed two straight jabs to his jawline. His body leaned back but his arm stayed strong. His finger instinctively pulled back the trigger with ease. The deafening sound of his gun's modified power echoed through the room.

Rosa's eardrums threatened to burst from the absurd boom. She would have clutched her ears if it weren't for the biting pain in her midsection. A shaky hand reached down in hopes of soothing the pain. But her subtle touch felt like she was pouring alcohol on a wound.

Her blood-stained fingernails were quivering. The flesh around her abdomen had been mangled with several tiny holes around her left kidney.

Bull shook the cobwebs from her attack. For the second time this week, he was forced to readjust his nostrils. 'At this point the nose ring might be a liability,' he mused. Bull noticed how Rosa clutched her stomach. The wound he had inflicted was currently drooling with blood. He would have gloated a bit but he remembered the force of her punch. That, plus the brutal shape of Crow reminded him of how dangerous Rosa could be.

He stood above the prone warrior. She hissed under the heat of his gun's barrel against her head. Again he allowed his hubris to take control. He marveled at the ebony Brit. She had battered Crow, battled Bibi, and nearly knocked him out with three stiff jabs. And though he should have been disgusted by her, he couldn't help but notice the parallels between Rosa's strength and Nita's potential future.

Then it hit him. Nita, the kid he decided to take under his wing. The only child he allowed to talk to him as if they were family. The girl that called him uncle. To Nita, this woman was her family. Bull wondered, 'What would Nita think if I killed her?'

Images played before him as if he were looking through a stereoscope. Nita being brought to tears from the loss. Nita asking why he did it. And worst of all, Nita hating him for it. He couldn't imagine Nita hating him. This girl he had just met days ago had taken a special place in his heart. He didn't want to lose his place in hers.

Bull sourly spoke to Rosa, "This is your last chance, leave now or die in my diner."

Rosa tried to talk through staggered breaths. A small coughing fit made more leaves rain around her. She smiled up at him. "Sure, just hand over the kid and we'll be out ya hair."

Bull enjoyed her enthusiasm, "You know that's never happening."

Rosa managed a snickering cough, "Then you know we're never leaving."

Bull quietly cursed to himself. With a heavy hand and conflicted spirit he said, "Then you have to die."

Rosa dipped deep into her power reservoir for one final fight. She pulled Bull's arm past her head so the triple-barreled behemoth would blast the floor. Bull adjusted to this new position swimmingly. His free hand reeled back and devastated Rosa's jaw with a hook.

His usually-cool demeanor faltered when Rosa locked eyes with him. She threw a matching hurricane of a hook hoping to knock him out. Now it was the boss' turn to return her heated gaze. For every blow that Rosa landed Bull matched her intensity. The two heavyweights traded punches that professional boxers would duck from. The sounds of their punches were like the thuds of bowling balls hitting polished lanes.

Bull grew desperate and fished for a clubbing overhead smash. Rosa's training shone like crystals when she easily avoided his wild attack and returned with another blow to Bull's kidneys. But the punch didn't connect as deep as she hoped. Bull returned to his stiff shots with a reinvigorated spirit.

The entire fight she was battling on two fronts. Externally she was fighting Bull and his raw power. This monstrous man was somehow keeping pace even with his immature fighting style. Internally, she was fighting the growing injury inside.

From her prone position she didn't have her legs to provide her a stable base for punching. That meant her core was required to not only carry the leverage for each punch but also keep her body planted. With her currently-gnashed stomach, her core's strength was halved.

Bull began to use his gun once more. He took wild potshots in between punches but even with their proximity Rosa was able to redirect his barrel. Though her speed would prove to falter with time.

Bull's hands were faster than her eyes. His barrel sliced through the air, aiming for Rosa's chest. Her hands carried his momentum below his target. Bull had grown tired of her speedy tricks and switched tactics. Rather than firing when he reached his target, he fired a bit before. The shells scattered into Rosa's right leg. Her sorrowful yelp was loud enough for the boys in the rafters to hear.

Bull didn't waste a second. He smashed her skull in with a crushing overhead elbow. A few leaves floated to the ground beside her. The botanist tugged on troubled breaths. She had been beaten; she had been outboxed.

Her eyes were bloodshot now. She groaned while looking at the victorious boss. Bull just realized how her eyes had a hint of purple in her pupils. For a second he felt himself revert to that cruel killing machine he used to be. He felt the multitude of bruises and scrapes across his face. His hand rubbed a sore spot that had formed around his liver. For a second he felt a familiar rage from taking such an absurd amount of damage. But a deep breath brought him back to reality. 'A respectful end. It's what Nita would want for her.'

He ejected the steaming shells from his gun. "Not bad, haven't had to go all out in years." He slowly reloaded, "Any last words?"

Rosa groaned something, a word just barely audible due to Bull's proximity. "Dionaea"

"No idea who that is but," he placed his gun against her head. "But I'll be sure to send them your regards." He pulled the trigger, obliterating Rosa's face. Nearly a geyser of blood flew into the air and splattered against his leather jacket (including the white tee beneath it). As the smoke cleared, Rosa's body laid face-down. Her pink plant swallowed her head and wrapped its vines around her body. Bull noticed how it prioritized covering up the wounds and gashes first. It was actually able to absorb the bulk of her blood, encasing her body in a flowery cocoon. Bull decided to let the plant mourn its lost loved one rather than rudely bask over the deceased.

Bull gave a tired snicker when he noticed their heated bout took place behind the comfort of their circular table. He quickly searched for Bibi and Bo. The chieftain was currently holding off Bibi as he used another table as cover.

"You coward!" Bibi shouted as she attempted another rush. Bo's arrows exploded at her feet causing the batter to retreat to safety.

"To call my strategy cowardly is a grievous misuse of the word coward."

"I'm about to grievously misuse my bat against your head," she shouted through gritted teeth. She peeked her head again only to recoil from another round of explosions. Her cheeks were getting flushed from the heat.

"Yo, sup little cuz?" Bull casually strolled beside her, taking a seat against the table she hid behind. "How's it going?"

"Older than you, and..." another set of explosions shook their table. "How do you think it's going?"

Bull peaked his head over the edge, "Bo, my little cousin been giving ya some trouble?"

Bo respectfully responded, "She has been a worthy adversary. It's a shame that I must dispose of her."

Bull smiled at her, "I think he likes you."

"Put a sock in it!" She looked over the table, "What's the plan?"

Bull thought for a second, "Got a bubble?" She opened her mouth signaling a lack of gum, "Damn. Then how about we take some advice from your old allies, The Germans."

"Blitzkrieg?"

Bull chuckled, "I was thinking a war on two fronts but..." He ejected a shell, "That works too."

They broke from their cover in opposite directions. Bibi took the side closer to the exit while Bull rushed closer to the center of the diner. Bo immediately focused fire on Bibi. She was the faster opponent, slowing her down would make it easier to deal with Bull. However, Bull wasn't as slow as he seemed.

While his cousin had him beat in the speed department, all his extra weight wasn't a hindrance; He saw it as a handicap for everyone that fought him. Bull snapped his gun against his chest and charged with a smile. He didn't know why Bo left him alone, but he was going to take full advantage.

He took a deep turn so he could see Bo before the final push. Just as he got a look at Bo's face, he paused his rush. Bo was looking at him out the corner of his eye, a smarmy smirk across his lips.

Then he heard faint ticking. A bright light began to emanate from under his feet. He found himself conveniently positioned between two circular disks. Bo sent him a passing wave as he refocused on Bibi.

Bull smiled back, muttering, "Clever old bastard."

The explosions from these mines were three times as powerful as the tips of his arrows. Metal shards and nitroglycerin punctured Bull's skin and ripped apart his already-scarred flesh. The shockwave from the blast bounced him backward, the boss landing on his rear in an embarrassing heap.

He reached backward to stand up, only for another proximity bomb to explode under his wrist. He stumbled away now holding onto his numb, blood-soaked hand. He took a careful step forward. There didn't seem to be any more bombs in sight.

He took a knee and caught his breath. Though he wouldn't be graced with a break as Bo assaulted his face with explosive arrows. Bo smiled his way as he returned his attention to Bibi's approaching ambush.

Bull blindly stumbled back into the bar's countertop. He spilled over the edge and knocked off an array of expensive bottles with him. He managed an assisted stance with the bar as his crutch, but he couldn't see a thing. A fuzzy outline of the diner was the only thing he could make out. That alongside someone sitting at the counter beside him.

"Sup," the bystander shot him a strangely calm greeting.

Bull noticed his dark skin, his tattered clothes, and a pair of dark shades atop his head. "Brock?" he groaned.

"Wassup," the abandoned minion took a sip of his drink. "You're having fun."

"Useless bastard..." Bull tried to stand but his legs gave out under him. "Get out there and help-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop ya right there," he hopped out of his seat to properly flick some liquid into Bull's blinded eyes. The boss swung at the air, missing Brock by a giant margin. "I'm not working for you anymore," he poured his drink out on Bull's head. "Consider that my official resignation."

He smoothly walked past the carnage of Bibi and Bo's battle. He cringed at Rosa's lifeless body but he couldn't be bothered to get involved. A few random blades fell to his feet and it made his slung arm ache. He silently cursed the boy in hopes that Crow would kick his ass. He plopped his injured butt in a booth that had somehow gone untouched by the mayhem. It also boasted the bonus of having a wall outlet. He plugged up his phone, sat back, and enjoyed the show.

Bull tried to get over the counter, but his body had given out long ago. All he could do was lay down and grumble his frustrations as he passed out.