A battle between gunslingers, trading blows, while evading each other's attacks. One equipped to kill, the other to only incapacitate.
As soon as the pistol emptied, the assassin simply pulled out a third.
Concentric waves of energy pulsed, striking nothing as the visored assassin moved too quickly.
He can keep up with me. Did the bomb make me sluggish, or is this just the level of a true professional?
Either way, he's wasting zero time reloading.
Shots cracked in rapid succession — pistols spat fire mere inches apart.
The agent kept tabs, watching his guns. But even as he kept his distance, the Cinderash kept lunging towards him, their guns colliding in between bullets, using it as a blunt weapon.
Felix headbutt the man, then kicked him to create distance.
The air filled with the sharp smell of burnt powder and the ringing in his ears.
He paused, stood steady while raising Ion, using his free hand to goad him closer.
The visored man tossed the empty swapped to his fourth pistol, and stepped forward with a steady aim, finger on the trigger.
As he fired, Felix swung Ion down in —
Sparks scattered with a sharp clang, as the cobalt steel parried the bullet away.
"What the— " The visored man emptied his pistol.
Felix deflected two more shots, only to be overwhelmed by the volley of bullets crashing into his body.
When the visored man reached for his fifth pistol, the blue-eyed agent lunged forward and tackled him into the steel wall. They crashed to the ground, groaning and grunting as Felix wrestled the loaded from his grasp.
Cinderash or not… he's weaker than Harbinger.
And if he's weaker than Harbinger, I can beat him!
Felix pried the pistol out of the assassin's hand, and tossed it across the ground. The Cinderash weakly reached for another one, but Felix frantically punched his opponent's face, cracking his mask.
He gasped, his head hanging over the visored man, pressing against the cargo's steel wall. But he wasn't done yet. He reached for the other two pistols attached to the left leg and pushed himself back up.
Still breathing heavily, he stared at the two guns, before shifting his attention to the assassin in front of him. He leveled the pistol at the Cinderash's face.
He gripped the firearms tightly, his expression growing tense. With grit teeth, he hurled the sixth gun over the steel crate, letting it sink into the ocean as the sun dipped below the horizon.
With a relieved exhale, the black-haired agent turned around, headed to his partner. But a vibrating spin echoed behind him like a buzz saw.
"Lewis Shaw… still have to… ARGKH!—"
Spit flew as the assassin drove his foot into Felix's back, sending him rolling across the concrete. The sharp pain in his back from the explosion earlier growing sharper.
"Thanks for sparing my life… but I can't afford to fail a job." Behind him, the Cinderash assassin was back on his feet.
"Wh-what?" The blue-eyed agent wiped his chin.
A whirring sound coming from the visored man's legs. He grinned and lifted the cuff of his pants, showing a mechanical framework — a chrome exoskeleton brace wrapped around his legs.
"Combat prosthetics… those weren't just holsters."
"That's right… I was hoping to have some fun, so I didn't want to use it." The Cinderash spat out blood from his mouth, "But since you're stronger than I expected, it's time I stopped holding back."
Felix spat at the ground and lifted his cobalt gun, ready for round two.
Through the steel corridors, Lewis frantically ran in search of a way out, holding the briefcase tightly. But as he stopped to catch his breath, he felt a finger tapping on his shoulder.
He turned around and aimed his gun haphazardly, but a voice from behind whispered in his ear, "No escape."
As soon as he turned around, he saw no one there.
The dark-haired woman slithered back into the corridors, playing with her food.
His breath turned ragged as fear started to choke him. A drop of sweat slid down his cheek as he once again started running.
But before he could get anywhere, she made him trip and fall with a swift leg sweep from beneath him.
She squatted down in front of him with both her palms on her face. From the ground, he looked up and saw her with a wide, wry smile, like a predator playing with its prey.
He slowly got back up, and so did Maria.
"Hands in the air." She sweetly stated.
Lewis slowly raised his hands in response, only to reveal in his hand a stun grenade. With a bright burst of light, he grabbed the briefcase and made his escape.
Blinded by the flash, Maria shielded her eyes and pulled out her grappling hook, "No, you don't!"
As she fired, the criminal quickly pulled out a stun gun and struck the wire. The agent let out a sharp scream as the electricity surged through the grappling hook.
Lewis watched as his pursuer fell to the ground, before resuming his escape with a relieved grin.
"Marie!" Felix yelled, still locked in the middle of his own battle.
"Still distracted!" The Cinderash shouted with a back kick.
His heel smashed into the steel, warping the metal with a deep dent.
Felix swiftly ducked before it could connect, but his movements were clearly slowing — the strain from the explosion earlier gradually got worse the longer they fought.
His mismatched eyes widened, malice radiating from him like waves of grainy darkness.
"Deep malice for a child…" The Cinderash hesitated for a second, before lunging forward, "But bloodlust won't work on me!"
The blue-eyed agent crossed his arms to guard, the impact sent him skidding across the concrete.
"Military grade exoskeleton, the Cinderash specialty." He commented, a dull pain radiating as he raised his cobalt weapon.
"Well aren't you well informed!" The visored assassin smirked, his boot smashing Felix's hands upward, throwing Ion into the air.
The Cinderash followed up and slammed his heel into Felix's ribs, "These things make my kicks more explosive!"
Felix slammed into another crate, coughing hard and clutching his chest.
"You were good, kid." The visored man picked one of the pistols from earlier and aimed his gun at Felix's head, "But worrying over your partner is a rookie mistake."
But before he pulled the trigger, a blue outline formed around the agent's body.
"What the hell?" The visored man mumbled out in an alarmed manner.
Like a coiled spring, Felix sprung towards him, ramming his forehead into the Cinderash's gut.
As the assassin reeled over, the glowing blue agent kicked his pistol away.
In a last-ditch effort, he powered up his exoskeleton. The machine let out a deafening whir as it revved up. Felix responded in kind, and a stream of electricity crackled around his leg.
The two exchanged their final blows.
Green and blue arcs formed as their legs clashed.
Metal screeched. The exoskeleton revved and whined, but Felix pushed through, and more blue energy surged out of him.
With a loud snap, shattered into chrome fragments that spun through the air. There was no time for the assassin to process this. Felix's kick didn't stop, it slammed into the assassin's leg, bending it sideways before hurling him like a ragdoll.
The blue glow around Felix's body faded like mist, and he let out an excited smile, "It worked… It's finally working."
An iron gong followed as the assassin hit the steel cargo. His visor had split in two, and the other half fell, revealing the assassin's green eye. Staring at his snapped leg, he mumbled, "What… the hell… was that…?"
Wiping the sweat of his face, he looked at the assassin with cold blue eyes, "You were good, but I expected better from a Cinderash."
He picked up his cobalt gun from the ground and aimed it — three translucent, concentric rings rippled out.
Before he could holster his cobalt gun, he paused, aiming at the assassin again, firing another wave of energy, "Gotta make sure you're down this time."
When he put away his gun, a smirk formed on his lips, "I beat a Cinderash…" He muttered weakly to himself with a hint of disbelief.
Only for his expression to go pale, "Marie…"
~