Chapter 461: Eight V Eight
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***
Purple''s words didn''t ring true.
His so-called "friends," the hunter group leaders, weren''t anywhere near defeat.
In fact, they were dominating the battle.
After the initial sh, the ambushers split them apart, each singling out a target within the group.
Like the n Temr enacted against the students, it was clear they had nned this ambush for a long time, as-except for Aqu-each attacker''s Specialization was the same as their chosen opponent.
What followed were eight intense duels, scattered across the main station, each sh shaking the ruin.
No more than ten minutes had passed since the battle began, but in that short span, they had exchanged over a thousand strikes.
Now, the duels seemed to be nearing their conclusion, and Aqu appeared to be the closest.
As she had since the beginning of their duel, the de Dancer stuck first, lunging forward with her twin des.
Aqu dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the sh.
In the same breath, he drew his Celestia''s Revolver from thin air, locked on his opponent.
He then retaliated with a quick shot, but the de Dancer deflected the bullet with a flick of her des.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air, pushing her back tens of meters.
It was obvious that the impact affected her if one judged her slightly trembling arms, but she didn''t relent.
Closing the distance in an instant, her des whirled in a Blurred Dance.
Aqu saw through her movements, dodging both des.
She didn''t miss a beat-her des, which arced toward the ground, suddenly spun back up as she stepped forward while contorting her body.
This time, her attack was too fast.
Aqu couldn''t avoid it and was forced to deflect with his revolver, metal shing against concentrated Aether.
Taking advantage of the moment, he kicked out with his left leg, aiming for her midsection. But the de Dancer reacted swiftly, leaping back just in time to dodge the blow.
Aqu used that distance to his advantage and fired again, this time aiming for the de Dancer''s leg.
He was certain that his bullet wouldnd, as she was currently in apromised position, yet she remained untouched, again.
She had twisted mid-air, her body bending impossibly as she evaded the bullet.
Then, the moment her foot touched the ground, she vanished, reappearing in front of him with her des slicing toward his throat.
Aqu ducked under the attack, rolling to the side as her weapons shed through empty space.
He, though in an awkward position, didn''t waste a moment and quickly fired another shot, but the de Dancer was already gone.
She reappeared behind him, her des descending like twin vipers.
Aqu spun around just in time, blocking the strike with the barrel of his revolver.
The force of the sh echoed, and he shoved her back, creating some much-needed distance between them.
However, instead of retreating like he did in all their previous shes, he closed the gap in a heartbeat and pulled the trigger at point-nk range.
The de Dancer''s eyes widened in obvious surprise, not expecting such an uncharacteristic move, but she quickly got back her focus and managed to tilt her head just enough for the bullet to graze her cheek.
Blood flew, but the injury only seemed to fuel her ferocity.
"YOU WILL JOIN MY BROTHERHOOD IN THE GRAVE!"
She countered with a flurry of shes, her des a silver blur.
Aqu weaved between them, his revolver raised, looking for the briefest of openings.
When the onught paused for a fraction of a second, he fired.
Nothing was hit.
The bullet zipped past her ear as she ducked, narrowly avoiding the bullet.
In response, she spun into a kick aimed at his head, but he dodged, stepping back.
A momentter, her hidden attack was on disy, as she continued the movement and shed her left de toward his chest.
Aqu moved in close before the de could reach him, pressing his revolver to her stomach.
He pulled the trigger, but the de Dancer twisted at thest fraction, the bullet grazing her ribs instead of striking its intended mark.
She retaliated immediately, shing at his midsection, but he backflipped out of range.
Mid-flip, his revolver barked once more.
This time, the bullets grazed her arms, drawing thin lines of blood across her skin.
Seemingly not registering the pain, the de Dancer pressed her momentary advantage, attacking before he could settle his feet on the ground, her des stabbing toward him like a spear.
Her des came dangerously close, but just as she was a mere moment from piercing through him, a bullet appeared in between her eyes.
Without hesitation, the de Dancer sh Stepped, disappearing in an instant, not risking her life to find out if it was an illusion or not.
She reappeared just as her momentum carried her into a wall, but she wasn''t fazed.
Aqu crouched low, taking advantage of the opening.
His HA415 red to life as he unleashed a barrage of reshots, the lightning-infused rounds exploding around her, turning their surroundings into a storm of light and sound.
Yet, she was unfazed.
The de Dancer leaped high into the air, away from certain death.
Then, with precision, she went forth and descended toward him, her twin des shed
downwards.
Aqu rolled to the side just in time, firing upwards as he did so, the bullet tearing through her thigh as shended on his previous location.
She didn''t flinch or make a sound.
Her eyes simply locked on him as sheunched herself at him again, attacking like there was
no tomorrow.
Aqu stepped back, dodging the first two blows, then got in close with his revolver raised.
He deflected the de that came at his right with the barrel and fired point-nk at the
other.
Using the force behind the bullet, the de Dancer flew back, escaping, but before she could do so, a third bullet went through her shoulder, sending a spatter of blood onto the ground.
She gritted her teeth, her movements slowing slightly as the injuries took their toll.
Aqu capitalized on that, firing a rapid series of shots.
Knowing that the end was close, she remained in range, blurring around him, dodging, deflecting, and attacking as best she could, but her incredible will wasn''t enough.
Rather, it didn''t even seem to matter.
One bullet grazed her cheek, another her side, a few tearing through the skin on her legs.
Her injuries were bound to increase dramatically if the fight remained this static.
She needed to do something, anything.
It was now or never.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The de Dancer roared and sh Stepped forward, her des moving in a final, desperate
attack.
Contrary to what she thought, this moment was what Aqu was waiting for.
His n demanded it.
As she vanished from view, he dropped onto his back, timing the dodge perfectly.
Yet even as his body was parallel to the ground, her des still came within inches of shingn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
his throat.
Incredibly close wasn''t enough, however.
At that moment, she subconsciously knew that she had lost.
How or why? She didn''t know. It was instinct.
CRASH!
The de Dancer smashed into the wall behind Aqu with a force that shook the ruin.
And then, as her eyes turned to him, she realized...
"...No."
She realized how death would im her.
Before his back could hit the ground, Aqu had already aimed his revolver squarely at her
head.
Even though he was upside down, his aim was not a moment slower than his best.
"reshot."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
BANG!
The final shot rang out, echoing in the air, and the de Dancer''s body violently jerked as the
bullet pierced the back of her head, her eyes wide with shock.
"No... I-"
She crumpled to the ground, her des falling from her hands.
The duel was over.
Aqu lowered his revolver and it dissipated back into Aether.
He nced down at the fallen de Dancer and then turned away.
Ten seconds.
Twenty shes.
The fight ended just as he revealed his trump card.
Celestia''s Revolver.
It required a lot of Aether to use, but it more than made up for it with its infinite ammo,
unmatched uracy, and firepower.
As long as one had the Aether required, the opponent would fall, no matter who it was.
"Well... it''s time to move."
Aqu looked at where the nearest sound of battle originated and headed there, his steps
slow.