Matan’s Shooter

“If only we could make them our allies… we would gain even more power.”

As long as the possibility of making them allies remained, Alexander did not intend to move.

『On—』

Kwooooaaaaaaaa──────!

“Kch!”

Elizabeth’s attack was followed by Brown’s bombardment, which began at the perfect moment.

『Hit』 and 『Pierce』 were first aimed at the dragon, and the fact that Bailephus could withstand it was according to Leeha’s plan.

『I hope they hurry up.』

Unlike the base of the demon, the genuine attacks of the two NPCs had a destructive power that made even the number one in the rankings feel uneasy.

─────────────…….

When Bailephus launched evasive maneuvers in response to their unease, explosions finally started spreading on the ground as well.

“Kahahaha! It feels so good to strike directly! I’ll leave the rest to you, Kidd!”

“… Do you think I’m just a cleanup specialist? But— in the sense that it feels good…”

Woosh—!

Kidd swept aside his coat.

As soon as he used the 〈Acht-Acht〉 skill, he instantly canceled it, and Luger brushed past him for concealment.

Luger and Kidd exchanged glances for a moment.

Kidd was smiling.

“I feel the same way. 〈High Noon〉.”

Bang──────……!

The exhilaration of finally being able to shoot at Chiyou!

Though both had suffered numerous times at the hands of Chiyou and the Shinobigumi as well as Bluebeard faction, they had rarely had the chance for real revenge.

Although the situation was urgent, they couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

Kidd’s Crimson Geckos continuously spewed fire.

Luger watched Kidd’s attack from behind a rock.

‘Did he increase his agility? Or is it a skill-based attack speed buff? The mere act of shooting already far surpasses something like Eighteen Panning.’

The series of actions—drawing the revolver, cocking the hammer, and pulling the trigger—were all faster than when using their usual skills.

“How arrogant! Do you think you can defeat me just because you’re an outsider? 〈Dance of the Valkyries〉, 〈Rain of Blood〉!”

After using the skill to read the attack, Chiyou temporarily distanced herself from Kaztor, Elizabeth, and Brown.

The attacks with piercing and explosive attributes were targeting her.

If she stayed close, the area attacks would certainly affect others, especially Kaztor, who would surely rebuke her if caught in the crossfire.

Swooooosh―!

Charging towards Kidd and Luger, she utilized a unique vampire skill.

They looked like mere blood droplets, but their destructive power was far from low.

Moreover, the speed at which they darted towards the targets designated by Chiyou was staggeringly fast!

If the projectiles were small with a wide range and great speed?

The skill would be almost impossible to evade.

‘No… it’s not that he doesn’t need to use 〈Eighteen Panning〉. He deliberately chose not to.’

Luger looked at Kidd and purely admired his quick response.

The traditional skills promised incredibly fast firing rates but limited mobility.

Although one could move immediately after canceling or ending a skill, the minor delay could still cause personal harm.

But if one used a skill that solely maximized ‘attack speed’, and handled the aiming, firing, and even dodging all on their own?

“Impossible. Hup!”

Kidd moved swiftly as if dancing.

The coat flapped around him, but even the near-area attack 〈Rain of Blood〉 couldn’t touch a corner of his coat.

While evading at such high speed, Kidd was still accurately firing bullets at Chiyou.

“Kahahaha! What is this, are you two going to dance together?”

Luger’s remark was apt.

Compared to Kidd’s movement, Chiyou was also quick but how was she?

Her skill 〈Dance of the Valkyries〉!

Using a skill that read where Kidd would shoot and when the attack would reach that point a few seconds in advance, she also dodged the bullets by moving gracefully.

Both of them, executing rapid attacks and evading equally fast, found themselves in a stalemate, unable to divert their entire focus from each other.

“In that case, I will be the accompanist. 〈Acht-Acht〉!”

This meant that it was the perfect time for Luger to use his skill.

The battlefield quickly formed a situation where Kidd and Luger were jointly facing Chiyou, and Alexander and Bailephus were evading Elizabeth and Brown’s attacks while engaging in a strategic tug-of-war to keep their focus solely on them.

At least until now, everything was going according to Leeha’s plan.

“Troublesome fellows, indeed. First, let’s deal with the rogues on the ground.”

Kaztor glanced around and then walked towards Chiyou. He raised his hand to attack Luger and Kidd at that moment.

Boom!

Kaztor’s scream was drowned out by the loud gunshot echoing in the air.

“It’s done, director! Let’s move out!”

“Are you okay to move directly, Leeha? The advantage of 『Accuracy』 is that it works at a distance—”

“That bloody Dark Elf won’t make much of a difference whether I’m near or far!”

Leeha started moving with Browless. The only defensive skill he had was the 〈Expert’s Force Barrier〉. It would be difficult to withstand even a single attack from the enemy with it.

‘But I have Jellypong. If Headmaster Browless is attacked again, it will be dangerous this time. I must prevent him from… dying.’

Although the advantage of sniping would be lost, there were times when something greater had to be protected. Leeha’s Jellypong chased after Browless rapidly as he started to flank.

—–

“Argh! What the hell is this!?”

Kaztor looked at his stomach. Black smoke was billowing out from the spot where Leeha’s bullet had pierced.

“Damn it, recovery isn’t working— Why!? Damn brat! 〈Claw of Madness〉!”

Shwack!

The skill that belonged to a small-scale area of attack, claws slashing wildly, flew towards Leeha.

“Jellypong!”

『Squee squee!』

Leeha was able to deal with it sufficiently. The speed of three-dimensional maneuvering was much faster than typical movement, and more importantly, Kaztor had shouted the skill’s name.

‘Up until now, he only used a wave of his hand to activate skills.’

The relaxed demeanor from before was completely gone now! This meant, undeniably, that the previous shot had inflicted significant damage on Kaztor.

—Heh-heh-heh… Is it that Dark Elf from before?—

“How is it? Can you manage?”

Leeha wanted to use the 〈White Reaper〉, but he didn’t have the luxury of time, which was frustrating for him. He had to rely solely on the additional effect of the 〈Awakened Black Bass〉!

And Leeha was not betrayed by his belief. The severe pain felt by Kaztor seemed to be due to no other reason.

— he moved his life force elsewhere, but he can’t escape my smell… As long as he is a fundamental being, even if it’s Upper Earth, I can follow.—

Leeha momentarily got chills from his still “chuunibyou” way of speaking.

“Not sure what you mean but…”

Hoo…

He was moving quickly. Leeha wanted to aim his second shot between the eyebrows, but it was difficult to pinpoint a fatal spot in this drastically different environment from the first sniper shot.

‘The target point is—’

Hah…

The area with the widest hit surface.

“Let’s focus. 〈Mana Vaporizing Shot〉.”

Boom!

Leeha aimed for the torso. Even during this, he subtly adjusted the barrel direction to aim towards the heart as much as possible, driven purely by a sniper’s instinct.

Argh!

Kaztor screamed again.

“Good! I knew it would work this time too!”

“Impressive. Seeing it a second time is clear now. Leeha, you’ve finally… activated the Black Bass?”

Browless asked, seeing Leeha’s smile.

“Huh?”

“There was a time Bess mentioned it. 〈Just activating it is enough. You don’t need to open it any further.〉… You now remind me of Bess from back then.”

Activation.

Leeha realized this was Elizabeth’s term referring to the 〈Awakened Black Bass〉.

But what did she mean by not needing to open it any further?

‘Did she clear only up to the practical eighth quest? Did even Elizabeth not reach the ninth quest, the full 100% charge? Or did she only awaken it without surpassing the 50% limit?’

At the very least, acknowledging the gun allowed for the possibility of becoming one with the 〈White Reaper〉. Thus, the basis, or quests, added up to nine.

What if the ninth was certainly the last? What if there was nothing beyond it?

There was no need to open it any further, which meant that the Black Vest recharge rate wasn’t filled to 100%.

“Hehe, thank you for seeing it that way! But there’s still a long way to go. At least you’ve uncovered more secrets than I have. So, let’s hurry up and―”

Shwaa―!

Leeha and Browless increased their speed even more.

“―ask my excellent senior!”

The distance between Elizabeth and Brown was getting closer. Meanwhile, Chiyou was still preoccupied fighting Kidd and Luger.

As for Elizabeth and Brown?

They had temporarily ceased firing at Bailephus.

“Krrrr, what are you doing! Kill those approaching, those coming at us, Elizabeth! Brown!”

“……..”

Kaztor barely steadied his staggering body as he issued orders to them.

Elizabeth’s face contorted terribly.

Blood flowed from Brown’s tightly clenched lips.

Kaztor briefly looked at them and then turned around. Another figure, deeply hooded, was still waiting behind him.

“Do I need to use your sons to get this done? No, perhaps that would be better. Rather, Ha Leeha with Arcane Bullet’s―”

“I got it! Got it already! We will!”

Elizabeth raised her rifle.

The muzzle was aimed squarely at Leeha and Browless.

“…….handle it, right!”

“Hurry, I’ll recover for a moment… if you can’t handle it by then― Damn it, Ha Leeha must have drained all the mana! Shit, shit, 〈Maze Dimension〉!”

Kaztor berated Elizabeth once more before using his skill.

The air before him wavered.

It wasn’t mana he was using but another form of magic utilizing demonic energy.

Between Leeha and Kaztor stood Elizabeth and Brown. They positioned Kyle in between for shielding and seemed to be preparing another form of attack using demonic energy upfront.

Elizabeth watched all this unfold and could no longer resist.

“Hu, hu, hu.”

Tears fell from her eyes.

She was so agitated that her jaw trembled, and tears flowed incessantly from her eyes.

Nonetheless, her gun barrel did not waver even slightly.

“Liza.”

Brown’s voice was heavy. Elizabeth did not look back at him.

“Darling, less will probably never forgive me for this, will he?”

“…….”

Brown did not reply.

Huuu….

Elizabeth moved her index finger.

BANG────────…..!

The gunshot rang out.

Elizabeth’s long hair fluttered.

* * *

The feeling of the wind rustling her hair, the slight sensation quickly made Elizabeth lift her head with a start.

“Ah…..!? What…..”

Her index finger had only pulled about a third of the trigger, not enough to discharge the shot.

So, what was that gunshot just now?

“Kaztoooooooor!”

Leeha’s voice echoed from a distance.

“…… Lisa! Behind you―”

“No way!”

Brown and Elizabeth hurriedly turned around.

A few steps behind the hooded Kyle, Kaztor walked out.

“Cough… Cough……”

The air around him vibrated intensely.

With each vibration, black smoke poured out and dispersed from the ‘new wound site’, as well as his abdomen.

He couldn’t even manage to stop his own bleeding.

His entire arm’s neural structure was destroyed by the 12.7×99mm bullet that perfectly pierced from his left shoulder to his right.

“Lisa, that wound site……. That’s―”

At Brown’s words, Elizabeth quickly assessed Kaztor.

She understood.

In a straight-line trajectory where the target was vertical? When using a rifle to inflict damage, there’s only one way to achieve it.

“A, curved shot! Ha Leeha executed― 〈Curved Shot〉!”

TL’s Corner:

Finally!!!