“Fire!”
*Brbrbrbrbrbrbrbr!*
A barrage of bullets flew in Katja’s, Hecate’s, Sarasa’s, and Ririna’s direction. They got caught out in the open in a hallway by Daisuke and more than a dozen soldiers without anywhere to hide. There was a little gap in the wall behind a pillar, and that’s where the girls imdiately ducked to.
“Ouch! Ouch! Those things sting!”
The pillar wasn’t big enough to completely block the soldier’s line of sight, and a few bullets hit Sarasa and Katja as they pressed up against the wall.
Since she was from the other world, getting scraped by a few bullets did nothing to Sarasa, and Katja had the protective fabric from her clothes to keep her face.
“They’re pinned down!” Daisuke said. “Close the gap and grab them!”
The soldiers slowly moved closer while the occasional bullet whizzed by.
“This is the literal definition of getting cornered…” Hecate was up against the wall while Sarasa and Katja pressed up on her. Ririna was next to her, more in the corner and getting squeezed even harder.
“Don’t push so hard! I- I think I can help! Just give
so space.” Ririna wiggled to reach for her pouch, but it was hard with the other three pinning her down. Their boobs were in the way, and even hers were making it hard to maneuver. “Just a little more…” One of her hands made it around the pillar while holding a vial with a blue liquid, which she threw just around the corner.
“Ice? Ririna? You got us so cover?” Katja asked. A barrier of ice covered the soldiers’ line of fire and gave them so room to move. The guns didn’t stop, but the ice was sturdy enough not to let a single bullet through.
“Whew… I can finally breathe…” Ririna said. “I can toss a few more. Hopefully that helps!”
Five more blue vials flew across the air and raised more barriers between them and the soldiers.
“It’s a big help! There are so gaps, but at least it forces them into close range.” Katja extended her sword before the soldiers closing in got to them. “Sarasa, can you give
a hand?”
“Yep! You got it!” Sarasa drew her two daggers. “Big thanks, Ririna. This is all I needed.”
“Wh- what is this?!” Daisuke stumbled back at the sight of the ice. His face contorted like he was being forced to face a trauma. “Mo- more magic?! Ch- change of plans! Shoot to kill! Other than Katja, don’t hesitate. Just fire!”
The half cutting through the maze of ice hurried their pace with their guns at the ready. “Nyahhahaha! I’d like to see you try!” Yet now they were in Sarasa’s domains. She ducked and weaved between the pillars and barriers and struck two of them with her daggers. Their armor was better than she expected. Only one of them went down.
“Guhh! She’s over here!” The remaining soldier opened fire, but Sarasa was already gone. “Gahh!” The second cut ran across his back, and he finally fell to the floor.
Katja couldn’t keep up with that speed. She waited crouched for a soldier to wrap around a pillar of ice, then slashed up. “There!” She cut the barrel of his rifle in the surprise attack and knocked him out with a punch to the chin.
*Crack crack!*
“Ahh! We’re running out of ti…” Katja said. The ice they were using was slowly breaking apart. Half of the soldiers were still at a safe distance near Daisuke. With them firing non-stop, the ice was eventually going to break. “We can’t fight here… You three should run away! I’ll buy you so ti!” Katja sank lower as the cover behind her crumbled piece by piece.
“Katja! Not this again! If we’re gonna run we run together. If we fight, we fight together! Carol and Narumi will be here soon. We just need to wait!” Hecate said.
“That’s not gonna work… The cover’s not going to last long. Ririna, do you have more ice?”
“No… I’m out…”
“Then go! Don’t worry about . Soone has to stay behind, or they’ll shoot us before we get around the corner.”
“For the last ti, no! We’re not leaving you behind! Why is self-sacrifice the only strategy you know?!”
Three barriers still standing. Two at the back where Ririna and Hecate were hiding and where Sarasa retreated to. And an almost shattered one for Katja closer to the front.
“Self-sacrifice? Ahaha… You got
wrong this ti…” A few more bullets hit Katja’s covers, and it collapsed. Two barriers left. “I’m not going down here… That’s not what I had in mind…” Katja rose up from the icy mist. She rested her blade on her empty palm while every barrel waited, pointed at her. “I’m not going down without a fight!”
She yanked her arm back. The blade cut open her palm. A thin line of red coated the blade from the hilt to the tip.
“Wh- what are you thinking? Mo- more magic?! Fi- fire!”
This was what the tool she used to be could never do… This was her limit, but now… “I can see them…” Katja swung her sword and cut through the barrage of bullets.
“Hu- huh?! H- how!?” Daisuke crawled back on the floor.
“And now, it’s ti for payback!” Katja jumped in and cut down the two closest soldiers with two clean slashes. Her own blood leaving a red trail through the air.
The soldiers in the back adjusted their aim and fired again. Her sword was out of place. Kinda trapped behind her leg. But she didn’t care.
She recklessly swung her sword forward and sliced the bullets in half along with opening a gash on her thigh. “Ahahahaha! You’re next!”
The blood along the edge of her blade glowed as she pointed it at a group of three soldiers. A red blur closed in on them.
“Gahhh!”
They let out a dying gasp as the sword cut through their armor and flesh.
“Eeeek! I knew it! You are a murderer! How could you do that so rcilessly?! Don’t you have any feelings?!” Daisuke frantically gestured to the remaining soldiers. “Stop her! Don’t let her get any closer!”
But try as they might, as soon as they got closer, Katja cut them down. More and more cuts appeared on her body. Each ti a soldier fell, another gash would open. Powerful enough to cut through the white dress she wore as armor.
“A murderer…? Ahahahaha! You think that’s going to stop
at this point? It just feels good now! After all, she accepted
like this! Nothing else matters as long as I can get Iroha back!” Katja cut down the remaining soldiers. She caught up to the man crawling on the floor and pointed his sword at his neck. “Iroha’s all that matters! Where is she?! Hurry up hurry up hurry up!”
“Sh- she- she’s… Uhh- upst-”
Katja raised her sword. The red was getting to her. Blocking out her vision and strangling her heart. Do it! Kill him! Cut him! Blood! Make him bleed! Blood blood blood blood! Blood everywhere!
“Rook! Help !”
*Vooosh!* Daisuke’s savior appeared from the other end of the corridor. He shot straight to Katja with his right arm in front of him. The huge gauntlet bounced away Katja’s sword then hit her square in the chest.
Katja went flying until the last of the ice barriers stopped her.
“Ka- Katja…?” Hecate reached out for Katja’s cheek.
“Grrr…” Katja’s body trembled while she tried to get up, but she imdiately fell back down.
“Uh oh… She’s out of strength…” Hecate said. “And there’s no way we can escape now…” She and the others got rooted in place when Katja suddenly cut herself, and now it was too late.
“Ahahahahaha! How do you like that?!” Daisuke got up. “It doesn’t matter what kind of tricks you can pull off. Now that Rook’s matching weapon has been repaired and upgraded, you stand no chance!”
Rook showed off his new gauntlet. Similar to the last ti they saw it. Black, giant glove going up to the shoulder. Yet sohow, even more imposing.
“What’s going on here, Daisuke? I don’t mind a little work out, but why are they here? And why was that girl actually doing freaky shit?”
“I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter! Don’t give them any ti, okay? Finish them off while Katja’s down!” Daisuke said.
“Aye aye, sir!” Rook raised his arm and leaned forward.
“Aha… Ahahaha… Ahahahahahaha!” Katja shook off the ice debris and Hecate’s hands. “Ju- just who exactly is supposed to be down? That didn’t even hurt…” Her head and shoulders hung forward while her legs wobbled. Her bangs completely covered her face.
“Was fighting always this fun? I can’t even tell pain from pleasure anymore… It feels so good…! Everything feels so good!” Katja said. “Whether it is my sins or myself, it doesn’t matter… It feels amazing… Cutting through flesh…”
With both hands holding the handle, Katja gently spun her sword. The blade pointed at her stomach, and… “Guhh!” Thurst! “*Cough…* Ghuu… huhu… hehehe…”
“Kajta?!” The girls were shocked.
“Ouch… Is this what it ans to be human? I hope Iroha likes it… Ahahahahaha!” Katja dashed forward and smacked Rook’s gauntlet. The red on her blade glowed redder than before. “Iroha! Iroha! Iroha! I’ll save you… I’ll save you, then you can save ! I can’t wait! Not when you’re so close!” Katja hit the gauntlet over and over. Rook could barely stand. “Out of my way!” One swing was all it took. She hit him so hard she sent him flying against the wall at the end of the hallway. Back to where he ca.
“Ro- rook?! Th- this can’t be happening! This can’t be happening!” Daisuke took off running, but Katja imdiately caught up. She swung down hard enough to crack the floor. “Eeeek!” Through sheer luck, Daisuke managed to stumble out of the way.
They were on the floor for observing monsters. There were observation rooms all along the hallway with thick tal doors built to withstand the eventual escapes from the monsters kept in there. Daisuke managed to escape inside one of them and closed the thick tal door behind him.
“Ahahahahah! You’re hiding now?! That’s not gonna help!” Katja raised her sword at the tal wall. *Pound!* Her strike was strong enough to leave a dent. “Open up! I’m not letting go until we find Iroha! Where is she?! Where?! Where?! Where?! Where?! Where is she?!”
“Go away! Stop! When did you turn into a monster?!” Daisuke’s body trembled as the dents on the door slowly bent it and opened up a gap.
“Where is she?!” *Pound!* “Where is she?! Where is she?! Where is she?! Where… is… she…?” Her attacks slowed down but the gap was big enough for her to step inside. She reached forward for his collar, but…
*Thud…*
Her foot got caught in the debris and she hit the floor face first. Like her strings had been cut.
“Ir- Iroha… Wh- Where…?”
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