303 The Dragon Buster
From the morphing flesh and steel, the civilization-destroying entity manifested barrels of guns across its body, unleashing a storm of bullets throughout the lower floor. Stray projectiles carved straight through the shelves and balconies, zipping right by the two who were on different floors.
“Ready to fire yet?!” Blimpo asked.
“I need…a bit more!” Emilio strained.
Blimpo looked anxious, though smiled at the chaotic scenario as he stepped atop the wooden railing of the balcony he stood, “Alright! I’ll buy you some time! Just make sure to hit ‘im hard!”
[Draconic Might]
An acceleration of heat surged in his body; like an oven that honed the flames of the great rulers of the skies, boiling his blood and amplifying his internal strength, the azure etchings of that ancestral dragon once more glowed on his pale skin.
The mystical railgun rattled from the influx of power, shaking as bright-blue embers danced in the air. He held onto the temporary boost of ‘Draconic Might’ as long as he could, but it had more painful side-effects than realized; it felt as though the bubbling heat was boiling his own bones.
“Nnngh…!” The Dragonheart winced.
While a glow of azure surrounded the young man as he gathered as much power as he could into the Dragon Buster 4000, the elven man took it upon himself to keep War occupied with a variety of trinkets.
“Take this! And this! Ah-ha-ha-ha!”
–Of course, in the face of such overwhelming malice and unwavering violence, Blimpo’s nervousness manifested in the form of complete reckless abandon and trust in his tools. He flung tiny spheres that exploded on impact, engulfing the ground floor of the labyrinth’s library in smoke and bursting flames, as well as War itself.
None of it actually had an effect; like pebbles raining down on an iron fortress, the explosive projectiles didn’t do anything to actually pierce the impervious hide of War. Bathed in the flames of the volatile runes, the war-embodying entity stood there as if the roaring inferno was its natural habitat.
“…Hey, is it normal for explosions to not even make somethin’ flinch?…” Blimpo nervously asked.
There was nothing ordinary or logical about the nature of War; the ground floor of the library was soaked in bright-orange flames, filling with smoke, yet the tall, hardly-humanoid figure was not disturbed in the slightest.
“Oh cra–”
Just then, past his worn goggles, Blimpo witnessed the barrels of War point in his direction, prompting him to duck down behind the balcony railing and a bookcase just before monstrous gunfire ensued.
The grotesque bullets ripped through thick layers of wood as if it was merely styrofoam; it was a storm of lead, tearing through the library as torn pages fluttered at the arrival of War’s bullets.
More draconic power was flooded into the weapon as the Dragonheart tucked himself behind multiple shelves and dressers on the high floor of the desecrated library. Though each second was a gnawing fight between life-and-death with high-powered bullets shooting everywhere, he knew he had once chance to make his shot count.
Just a bit more…! He thought.
–
“Ghh…!” Blimpo slapped the white button on his glove.
Mode: Mud Spider! The elven man thought.
It had to be a perfect peek; in a split-second between the hail of gunfire, he pointed his glove out just as the nature rune and the water rune activated in unison, shooting out a full-throttle blast of the sticky netting.
A spray of sturdy, yet flexible mud propelled downward towards the metallic behemoth, unable to be repelled by bullets as it splashed against War’s form.
“Take that…! This is the power of a year of preparation! I don’t need might or magic for you–!” Blimpo announced from the depths of his gut.
The mystical mud solidified around War, encapsulating the entity and, more importantly, successfully enacted by Blimpo’s careful aim, the barrels of the entity’s many internal guns were clogged.
Yet even then, only a few precious seconds were bought before a massive propulsion of steam emitted from the half-flesh, half-steel embodiment of War, casting out like a foggy morning throughout the flaming library as the mud was eaten by the incredibly hot steam.
“…I didn’t think it’d hold him long, but damn, that stings,” Blimpo nervously chuckled.
The unrestrained usage of the gauntlet used up the entirety of the two runes, overheating the glove in the process as well as it burned the blonde elf’s hand.
“Emilio, anytime now—!” The elven inventor said.
Just as he spoke, Blimpo let out a yelp as a bullet barely missed his head, shooting straight through a railing and boring through the wall behind him with frightening velocity.
A few moments more; Emilio made sure he held nothing back, gritting his teeth as sweat caked his body as steam began to cascade off of him from the overheating of himself stirred by the continuous usage of [Draconic Might].
More…Just a bit more! The limit…I need to push myself to the limit–I won’t regain my magic if I’m not willing to risk it all! He thought.
The pale complexion of the young man had temporarily reddened from the exposure to such heat that swirled internally, flowing through the blue tattoos of his system and straight into the violently humming railgun as sparks coiled around the dual barrels.
“Alright…I’m ready!” He announced.
Placing one foot on the railing of the high up balcony of the burning library, he faced down War, who was thrashing through flaming shelves while now moving towards the ladder that led up.
“This is our declaration of War!”
–With that announcement, straight to the murderous entity’s face, he leapt from the balcony with the Dragon Buster surging with overflowing draconic power, falling through the winds of steam and smoke.
“Do it!” Blimpo yelled, smiling in anticipation.
Nothing more had to be said; despite the continuous gunfire that roared like thunder from War’s many barrels and the crackling of flames, there was nothing but silence in the Dragonheart’s ears as he descended.
Intense concentration brought his fall to feel dozens of times longer than it was; only seconds transpired as he pointed the Dragon Buster directly below him, attempting to straighten himself in the air as the dual barrels aimed down between his legs.
His blonde-and-black tufts flowed rapidly as he squeezed the handle, signaling it to release all of the stored-up power at least as it was aimed directly at the entity below, who stared up at them with those glowing eyes veiled behind a visor of steel.
pAnDa (nov)e1 “Kraaaaa-!”
A metallic roar emitted like the bellowing of a great beast and the warcry of a warrior, coming from War as its barrels aimed upward.
SQUELCH
“–Ghh-!”
Straight through the corner of his ear, a bullet pierced through his flesh, zipping by and missing his skull by merely inches. Another bullet nicked his leg, cutting past his thigh.
Through the pain and shedding of blood, he focused, clenching the handle of the weapon tight enough that it drew blood from his palm, allowing it to finally release as he was no more than three meters above the civilization-wiping entity itself.
…Eat it! He thought.
VROOOOOOOM
Just as the Dragon Buster released every ounce of the magnificent Dragonheart’s internal power, a shockwave of bright-blue light emitted outward, sweeping through the chamber like a split-second tornado, tossing furniture around and cracking the shelves.
Even from up above, Blimpo was thrown back from his spectator position, being knocked against the wall behind him, “–Gah!”
A majestic, azure light blared out as a condensed ray of energy of the same glow shot downward, coiled by unstable electricity.
The shockwave alone kept the young man from falling, having to stabilize the overheating railgun as it rattled while strapped to his arm, feeling the intense vibrations echoing through the marrow of his bones.
“…Nnnngh!”
Continuous and relentless, the Dragon Buster’s emission was like a grand rotation of energy, swirling so rapidly that the forces strained on the wielder, causing blood to drip from his nose as he was surrounded in the azure light.
Below his feet, he could see the raw force of the draconic power completely engulfing War, acting like an ocean of pressure that weighed down and pelted it mercilessly.
The entirety of the library felt as though it was in the eye of a storm; shelves spiraled in the air and papers flew around like snowflakes in a snowstorm.
Yet, despite the overwhelming force hammering down like a smite from the heavens, even as the floorboards cracked and began to crumble, War withstood it, falling to a knee but resisting the devastating power.
I…can’t let this shot fail! He thought.
[Dragonheart System Activated]
[Current Stage: 3/10 | Dragon Warrior]
Awakening out of pure desperation in the heat of the moment, delved into explicable heat and confronting the monstrous entity, the azure scales formed once more into an armor around his body; clad in the draconic armor, the force was mitigated.
–All this was for him was more fuel, allowing him to push himself to the brink as he summoned [Draconic Might] once more, overloading the Dragon Buster as cracks began to form along its build, funneling more force into it as a secondary impact crashed down.
VROOOOOOOOOOOM
An explosion of bright-blue light pulsed outward, blasting the Dragonheart directly upward from the reactionary shockwave, finding his vision blurring and his ears ringing after finishing the all-out blast.
…Did I get it…? He groggily questioned.