206 All You Need Is Kill
Though he wasn’t allowed to think for very long as once again, that harrowing hum filled his ears.
It was that golden glow again; though he could only see the silhouette of the Defect through the cloud of steam, he could see the charge of the devastating weapon once again.
As it blasted out once more, he jumped up, avoiding the blast though he could feel the air around him being cooked by the vicious heat.
There’s no defending against that. If I’m caught by it–I’m dead. How the hell do I run away now when it’s got a railgun chasing after me?! He questioned.
After landing back down, he pushed forward, encircling the Exterminator while it fired its shotgun arm at him while charging its railgun once more.
…I’ll have to use it. Shit! I didn’t want to use it now–it’s going to tire me out, but I don’t have any other choice! He thought.
His top priority now was closing the distance, but it was easier said than done with those shotgun pellets constantly firing off at him, keeping him from running straight towards the fish-headed beast, all while that railgun tried to aim at him.
Lose it…Don’t let it fire! He told himself.
If there was one advantage he had, it was agility and his evasiveness–using his speedy movements, blinks, and unorthodox routes to throw the railgun off while he continued to close in on the Exterminator.
It was an inch-by-inch process; the shotgun continuously blasted towards him, not restrained by any sort of ammunition or need to reload as the pellets sought to pierce his flesh.
Closer!…Just a bit closer! He thought.
As he blinked forward, closing the distance between him and the Defect–
CHNK.
The smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils as did the sight of sparks and smoke. It was as though his move was completely predicted by the Boss Defect that was thought to be a mindless killing machine.
[Health: -800 | 1500/3500]
“Ghh-!”
Against his gut, pellets buried themselves through the fabric of his shirt, past his skin, and sank into his flesh with a stinging gyration to their movement.
It was only by preemptively clenching his muscles did he manage to mitigate the damage, though it was more than enough to still be dreadful.
“Esoteric Domain: Devil Slaying–”
Before he could get the words out with the invocation manifesting itself halfway, it was snuffed out as the shotgun-arm blasted again, prompting him to move his head to the side, though the pellets still nicked him.
[Health: -400 | 1100/3500]
One such pellet slid across his cheek, carving a chunk of flesh out while another nicked his neck and pierced past his ear.
He gritted his teeth and stomped down, committing once again to the direly-needed invocation, “Esoteric Domain: Devil Slaying Hour!”
[Spirit: -2000 | 675/3900]
This time, it came.
Expanding outward from the depths of his being, his innate realm manifested, dragging him and the Exterminator into the pocket space as the scenery around them shifted momentarily into total darkness before revealing itself into its true form.
As the desolate soil appeared beneath his feet and world-clock loomed overhead, he breathed out and clenched his daggers harder than ever before.
Looking on, the Exterminator’s fish brain seemed overloaded by the existence of the new, momentary realm it was standing in–simply standing statuesque with its gun arms slumped at its sides.
That’s right…You’re in my world now! He thought.
He didn’t waste a moment as he ran forward, dashing by as he left an “X” crossed slash across the chest of the Exterminator.
This time, the edges of his black blades pierced the stalwart flesh of the Boss Defect, drawing blood from its abnormal body as it dripped over its burly chest.
Still, the mindless Exterminator didn’t make any noise or seem to register the damage that was inflicted; simply standing there as if pain itself didn’t exist in whatever brain laid in its scaly fish brain.
I have to kill it. Right here, right now, he thought.
He continued dashing by, leaving slashes on its burly body as the nature of his innate realm allowed him to bypass its defenses, giving his blades an unstoppable sharpness.
Why is it standing still, though? Is its brain fried by the augmented perception or something? He questioned.
As he went in for another strike, this time aimed for its throat and head–he halted just as he witnessed it: the movement of the Exterminator.
“…No way…”
All across its body, sprouting from every pore and inch of its snow-white form, protruding from its front, back, and even on its face–gun barrels and cannons sprouted.
What the fuck am I supposed to do?! Those are pointed in every direction!–There’s no cover here! He thought.
While racing forward, he held his hand forward, invoking his own magecraft before the dozens of flesh-formed weapons fired: ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Cast: Radiant Shield!”
[Spirit: -50 | 625/3900]
The golden shield manifested directly in front of him just before the onslaught of gunfire began. A maddening amount of bullets pelted against his shield as he tried to continue marching forward, but the constant force behind the gunfire attempted to push him back.
Shit…! This fish brain actually thought of a pretty good counter! It’s just firing off without any semblance of a fucking idea of what its hitting! He thought.
The shield he held in front of himself was being chipped away by the hail of bullets, though he continued dragging his boots forward with the intent of landing a lethal blow on the imposing foe before him.
It sounded like a warzone; bullets continued firing off in all directions without stopping. Some fired like an array of shotgun pellets, some more controlled bursts, and some were even highly-pressurized, large bullets that resembled that of anti-tank shots.
CHNK.
All he could do was inch closer, but the gunfire was still chipping away at his magical shield, forcing him to squeeze behind it as the space of protection grew smaller by the moment.
At this rate, it’s not going to last…! I’ll have to recast it the moment it goes down–no! That won’t work! If I try to do that, I’ll be filled with holes by the time the shield is up! I’ll have to do this differently! He thought.
As he thought about it for the few moments he had to spare as divine hail continued eating away at his defense, he began putting together whatever he could muster:
Force Stomp, King Kick, and Reinforce! I’ll make the strongest stomp I can create! He thought.
[New Spell(s) Forged: “Colossus Wrath”]
It was just as the shield was utterly obliterated did he begin invoking this new spell, raising his leg into the highest ax-kick he could with his heel going straight up beside his own head.
“Colossus Wrath!”
[Spirit: -500 | 125/3900]
This is it…! He thought.
A gathering of potent energy coalesced around his raised leg, sharpening into a glow that vibrated the air around it. Even the bullets that launched in that redirection had their course subverted by the force emitting from his leg.
With every ounce of strength in his body, he kicked straight downward into the ground, splitting the wind in the path of his glowing limb before meeting with a mighty stomp that carved through the air like a bolt of lightning from the heavens.
FWOOOM.
In the eve of such disastrous strength focused into but his own leg, a massive impact birthed itself, repelling all of the coming gunfire as the entirety of the innate realm shook with the soil splitting and light manifesting.
If what was coming towards him were bullets, then the kick he just unleashed was a devastating bomb–exploding out as powerful streams of wind pressed the Exterminator back.
“Ngh…!”
A surge of pain resonated through his leg after having stomped down, feeling his swollen muscles squeeze his bones as it cramped up to a ridiculous degree.
Shit…! I brought out too much power! He realized.
As he ran forward with the opportunity given to him, he winced a bit as there was pain present in using that leg, but it wasn’t anything that would stop him.
It’s not broken, but…it’s not at full capacity. I’ll have to make do…! He thought.
It was reasonable to understand why the combined skill had such a side-effect on his limb after seeing how it still left the sturdy Exterminator concussed.
There was only a moment spared, but it was enough as he blinked over with full intent of seizing this opportunity he had created for himself.
If I can just reach its head…! He thought.
Flipping his daggers around, he aimed to pierce its skull in one fell swoop.
He extended his arm to its utmost, straining his muscles as the fibers felt as if they were being torn apart by the miraculous stretch.
It was all that was needed; with the complete opening and the nature of his domain, it would take only a simple stab of his weapon.
Come on…! He thought.
–And it sunk in.
In that moment of sheer desperation, he managed to push his left dagger straight down into its head, though it didn’t feel as if there was a skull there with the minimal resistance that met his blade.
All it felt like was flesh being sank into, but he didn’t question it as he landed the decisive blow.
Or, what he believed to be the decisive blow.
That’s enough, isn’t it…? Then why…do I feel something bubbling up again?! He questioned.