Chương 703: Dance of Fire and Shadow

"Contract accepted. My gun, and every gun outside, is yours again." The gunslinger moved without wasting a second. His sword came in fast, aimed straight for Luke. He slipped aside by a breath and fell back, feeling the air tear where the blade would have opened him up.

"How the hell are you alive without a heart?" Luke gave him a crooked smile.

"What, can't you?" [Eye of the Archangel]: The eye functions as a second heart and a second brain. If either vital organ is destroyed, the eye assumes its role, allowing the body to continue functioning while severe injuries are gradually restored. The gunslinger took a step back. Maxwell watched Luke through narrowed eyes, studying every movement.

"This guy's a demon. Do those things survive without hearts?"

"Apparently," Maxwell said. Luke flexed the fingers on his freshly reattached arm, but moving them was harder than it should have been. The bone had reconnected. The flesh was trying to knit back together. But the limb was still dead. Useless. The arm's reattached, but it still won't move. Even with the bone connected. It only responded when he focused and activated [Tactile Telekinesis]. Sensation returned in a strange way, like invisible threads had replaced his nerves. It wasn't perfect, but it was control.

Good enough. Sniper shots punched through all four windows at once.

"He already found the blind spot between all four angles," Maxwell and the gunslinger rushed him at the same time. Luke threw a knife. [Shadow Mana Explosion activated] The black blast swallowed them both for half a second. Luke leapt over them as they were hurled backward through a wall, which collapsed into the street in a storm of dust and splinters.

"That was close," the Hero said, already pushing himself back up. Luke hit the ground running. Casper fired both revolvers, but Luke slipped between the shots and closed into kukri range. The gunslinger's sword crashed against the curved blades, sparks leaping between plasma and reinforced mana. Maxwell tried to take him from behind, but Luke twisted, deflected the attack, and gathered [Shadow Ball] in his horns. The black sphere fired, slamming into Maxwell and launching him back in a dark explosion.

"You die first," Luke told the gunslinger. Casper wore black clothes with yellow accents and a yellow skull mask. His stance still had that mocking ease to it, but his eyes weren't the same anymore.

"Oh yeah?"

"For the arm. And so your men can watch what happens to their boss. Then I kill the hero." Casper started firing again. Luke pushed through the shots, and the two fell into a violent rhythm, kukris against plasma sword, bullets snapping into every tiny opening. Luke reinforced the blades with mana and blocked each strike at the last possible moment. Outside, the snipers kept firing, and he kept dodging a heartbeat before impact. Four of them. Spread out in different spots. Luke poured mana into one of his kukris.

[Burst Throw activated] The blade shot out with absurd force.

"I know that trick!" Casper slid across the ground, dodging while he fired. [Telekinetic Pull activated] The kukri whipped back through the air and struck Casper in the back.

"Knew that one too?" The gunslinger locked up from the pain, and Luke used the opening to close in with the other blade. A sniper round skimmed past his head. A moment later, fire washed over the entire street. Luke jumped aside, escaping the torrent. Maxwell was coming straight at him, wrapped in flames. Luke thrust out his hand and activated [Enhanced Telekinesis]. An entire building came crashing down, blocking the street in front of the flood of fire. Another sniper round cracked past him.

"That ends now." He kicked off and launched himself high above the rooftops, his cloak carrying him over the city. In midair, he conjured knives and hurled them in four different directions. [Telekinetic Impulse activated] [You have slain a Human - Lvl 86...] 357, 049, 741 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment acquired] [1000/1000] [You have slain a Human - Lvl 92...] 654, 987, 411 EP earned [You have slain a Human - Lvl 85...] 441, 753, 221 EP earned [You have slain a Human - Lvl 73...] 227, 874, 111 EP earned All four snipers took a knife to the head almost at once. [All Soul Fragments have been successfully collected!] [Would you like to unlock...] More notifications stacked in front of his eyes. Luke ignored them. Not now. Below him, a streak of fire ripped upward through the air. Maxwell reached him with his sword ready to split him open. Luke barely got his guard up, and the two began fighting in the sky, blow against blow, fire against shadow.

They crashed onto the rooftops and skidded over the tiles as they traded strikes. Luke drove forward with his cloak. Maxwell took the kukri head-on, but the impact was so brutal that he started getting dragged through the air, trapped in the pressure of Luke's charge. A new [Shadow Ball] formed between Luke's horns.

"Fire doesn't work on me, idiot!" Luke held Maxwell tight as they smashed through walls, wood and stone exploding around them.

"Then try being immune to this!" They smashed through a larger building and dropped into a square. Black knives floated around Luke. He grabbed them one by one and hurled them at Maxwell, who dodged with quick steps and bursts of fire. [Magnetic Return activated] The kukris flew back from a distance into Luke's hands. H e was about to rush the hero when revolver shots cut across the square. Luke dodged on instinct. When he looked around, he saw dozens of gunslingers taking positions.

Maxwell had vanished in the chaos. A whole forest of barrels aimed at Luke. He pulled out a [Verdant Vitality Potion], ripped the cap off, and downed it while assessing the situation. Surrounded.

"Surrender," one of them ordered. Luke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I've got a better idea. I kill every last one of you, then get back to what I was doing."

"Neutralize him!" Before the order was finished, one gunslinger took a kukri to the face. Luke charged them. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Is this guy insane? He's coming straight at us!" The kukri returned. Gunfire erupted against Luke, but he kept moving, deflecting and dodging, each step cutting the distance. One gunslinger's eyes went wide as Luke reached him. Luke threw both kukris, hitting two men beside him. The gunslinger's revolver clicked empty at the worst possible moment. Then Luke's hands closed around his throat. More shots came. He lifted the corpse as a shield and jumped onto another gunslinger.

One punch from Luke's demonic hand shattered the man's guard, acid burned wherever it touched. He followed with a kick, then slammed the man's head into the wall hard enough to make it give. Luke rolled away from another volley, caught the kukris in midair, and drove into the middle of the gunslingers. Curved blades carved a path, cutting through guns, arms, and anyone half a second too slow to move.

"Shit, shit, shit!" A gunslinger tried to reload his revolvers, hands shaking. Luke grabbed his face. The acid began working immediately. With one brutal motion, Luke ended it and tossed the body aside.

"What the hell is this guy!?" A kukri flew and struck another gunslinger in the leg. Luke reached him and kicked him down before he could scream. In the middle of the chaos and shouting, a figure leapt from an alley. He turned and knocked the attack aside.

"Never hunted a demon before!" Casper said, firing at Luke as he advanced with his sword.

"You still haven't." Luke attacked so fast Casper only had time to defend. Every strike from the kukris was blocked by the gunslinger's bracers, which absorbed the impact with metallic cracks. Behind them, more men closed in. Luke spun and threw both kukris, forcing the gunslingers to scatter. Casper holstered his pistol and put away his sword. Then he came in with his fists. Luke dodged the first punch. The blow slammed into the building behind him, spiderwebbing the wall with cracks.

The two rushed each other, attacking, leaping between structures, crashing through rooms and facades. Luke kicked Casper so hard the gunslinger blasted through a wall and rolled into a large building. The instant Luke stepped inside, green smoke flooded the room. Poison. Casper appeared in the fog, laughing.

"How's that feel, huh? Poison should be kicking in by now. That's one of the nastiest ones I've got. You should feel honored." Luke advanced without slowing.

"Poison doesn't mean shit to me!" He punched Casper and sent him crashing into a pillar. The gunslinger raised his arms to block the blows, and blue smoke hissed out of his bracers.

"Sleep gas, asshole!" Casper hit Luke and hurled him backward. Then he threw black spheres that exploded through the building. Luke jumped after him as the structure began to collapse. They tore through tilted rooms as floors gave way, walls split open, and furniture tumbled around them while the building collapsed sideways. Casper tried to reach a window, but Luke struck him in the back. They fell together through the air, trading punches on the way down. In the middle of the clash, Casper drew his revolver.

Luke broke away and threw a knife. [Shadow Mana Explosion activated] The explosion separated them. Luke's claws scraped against the wall and caught, stopping his body for an instant. At the same time, a rain of fireballs came at him. He let go and dropped to the ground. Then he looked up and saw the problem. Luke was directly under the path of the collapsing building. He jumped high and fast. In the air, Maxwell appeared in a streak of fire. At the last second, Luke caught a returning kukri and blocked the sword.

The force of the blow was tremendous. He was dragged through the air while tall buildings behind him began to fall like dominoes. Luke and the Hero clashed across the sky before crashing down into the street.

"You sure I can't just kill this guy for you?" Casper asked, emerging through the dust.

"He's making this a real pain in the ass." Luke was already on his feet.

"No," Maxwell said.

"I told you already. The final blow has to be mine." Luke got it.

"Gunslinger, heroes get a special system bonus when they kill a demon lord." Maxwell looked slightly surprised.

"So you know."

"I do. I just didn't think you'd come after me this soon."

"If you know that, then you also know it isn't personal. Or maybe it is, from your point of view, but what you think doesn't really matter. If I kill you, I gain power to help the human race. And we're going to need every bit of power we can get on the New Earth. Think about how many other races will be there. In the fight for sovereignty, humanity needs to get ahead." Luke stared at Maxwell for a moment. The system considers me a threat to humanity because of my demon lord status. With the horns, I can see why.

And I suppose the system didn't choose someone to receive the hero class because they were a good person, but because they had a strong desire to protect humanity. The class was starting to make sense. No matter how ugly his methods are, this guy wants to keep humanity alive. This isn't just good versus evil. More like a defense mechanism. Interesting. Maxwell and Casper attacked together. The Hero's sword burned with living flames. Casper struck with his blade and fired whenever he found the smallest opening.

Luke slipped between them, his kukris cutting through air, fire, and metal in rapid succession. During the fight, Luke looked toward the wreckage of the collapsed building and focused telekinesis into his horns. The rubble began to move. Maxwell fired balls of flame at him. [Telekinetic Stasis activated] Chunks of debris fell around them like heavy hail, then froze in midair, forming an uneven maze of stone, wood, and metal. Luke ran through it like a black blur and struck Maxwell from behind.

The hero shifted just enough to avoid a fatal blow, but Luke hurled a knife at his face. The explosion came right after. At the same time, a purple bullet skimmed past Luke's face. Light bombs burst between the floating debris. Casper was hiding and attacking from range. Luke began running, telekinetically lifting the wreckage into the sky while chasing Maxwell, who retreated with fire under his feet. In one leap, Luke readied another knife. Maxwell turned and launched a torrent of flame.

Casper appeared in the air and slammed a punch into Luke's side. In the same motion, he aimed his revolver at Luke's face. So much for leaving the kill to the hero. They crashed into a building and landed on the city wall.

"Mr. Casper! I can't believe—" one of the gunslingers shouted. The man took a kukri to the head before he could finish.

"Idiot," Casper muttered, getting up. Luke stood on the wall. A group of gunslingers charged toward him.

"I'm a damn expert in traps," Casper said.

"I'm not letting you get out of here!" He fired shots that burst into white light and earsplitting cracks.

"Fire!" More shots rang out. Luke ran through them with his eyes closed, guided only by perception and instinct. One gunslinger had his stomach opened before he even understood where Luke had passed. Casper fled along the wall while reloading his revolver.

"Don't run," Luke said.

"We're not done." A gunslinger raised his weapon. In the next second, he lost his hand. Then he fell. Casper grabbed a rope, and it yanked him away.

"Told you I've got a lot of tricks!" he shouted, laughing, a bright flare in his hand. A cannon fired. Luke dodged at the last instant, and the shot destroyed part of the wall where he had been standing. Luke launched himself after Casper, who kept firing and using the flare to guide the cannons on the ships. With every flash, another shot came from the harbor. With one leap, Luke reached Casper in the air and grabbed him. The two plummeted in free fall. When they hit the ground, they rolled from the impact.

Luke was now outside the city, in the harbor.

"You're a tough bastard, I'll give you that," Casper said, getting up with one hand pressed over his wound. More cannon fire exploded around them. From the top of the wall, Maxwell began launching a rain of fireballs.

"You'll probably die to whatever the hero's about to do," Luke said as they started fighting again.

"Let's see which one of us gets roasted first!" Casper laughed.

"It won't be me." Luke pointed his hand down. From the sky, a huge mass of debris began to fall. Casper dodged between shadows and impacts.

"Clever!" He fired at a black shadow moving near him. It was the dancing mimic.

"What the hell!" A second later, Casper screamed. The real Luke appeared and cut off his hand. The revolver fell to the ground with it. Cannonballs destroyed part of the wall beside them. Casper cauterized the wound with his sword and ran, dodging the debris still raining down. Above him, a knife dropped. [Shadow Mana Explosion activated] The blast opened Casper's defense. Luke drove forward and rammed his horns into him. His horns struck the gunslinger and pinned him against the wall.

"That's the opening he wanted," Luke said.

"You die now." Fire washed over Luke's body, but it didn't burn him like before. The cloak had already adapted to fire damage. And his horns wrapped him in invisible mana armor. Casper tried to escape, but he locked him against the wall and grabbed him by the throat. Luke lifted him off the ground.

"S-s-shit!" He tried to strike Luke with his sword, but Luke broke his hand before the swing could build any force.

"F-fire!" Casper shouted. Luke squeezed his throat.

"I told you I'd kill you first." A cannonball came straight at them. Luke caught it with his free demonic hand and absorbed the impact.

"Wait—" Luke crushed the cannonball into Casper's face until Casper stopped moving. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 119 (Executioner Gunslinger - Lvl 111 / Brawler Champion - Lvl 97 / Cloth Equipment Tailor - Lvl 91)] 7, 442, 357, 224 EXP earned Your second class [Arcane Witch] has reached Level 100! (+12 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +7 Perception, +6 Willpower, +5 Agility, +3 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 Free Points.) [WARNING: Your Second Class has entered Mandatory Evolution!] Luke lifted his eyes and threw a knife upward. Maxwell had already jumped from the wall and landed on the ground in front of him.

"Just you left," Luke said. The Hero stared at Luke, his sword still burning.

"There are three warships here, each packed with men ready to kill you. After all the mana you've burned, you really think you can handle that?"