Point-blank spells were terrifyingly powerful. If Revy had taken that hit head-on, he wouldn't have walked away with just heavy injuries.
"...But don't forget—point-blank gunfire is just as terrifying."
With a swift motion, Revy swung up his right arm—Celestial in hand—and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
This time, the enemy had no chance to even cast a shield.
The three warlocks—and the spells they were preparing—were reduced to ashes in an instant.
The twin gun-staves Celestial and Inferno had one unique trait: the speed and compression of spell discharge.
They didn't require any incantation or preparation time. Ultra-high-density Originium arts condensed into bullets at the pull of a trigger—each round packed enough force to rival a heavy turret mounted on a mobile fortress.
—A weapon that could become both a spell howitzer and a magical machine gun.
Just then, a shadow lunged at Revy from behind.
The leader!
He had survived Inferno's nearly saturating volley by raising a special shield that absorbed the earlier barrage.
Unlike the transparent half-dome shields most warlocks used, this one fully enveloped the caster in a blood-red sphere—veins of dark energy crawling across the surface like parasitic vines.
Just like the strange pendant on his chest, it glowed with a seductive, blood-colored hue.
Using the strength of that barrier, the leader forced his way through Inferno's volley and now closed in on Revy at terrifying speed.
As the cursed spiral horn on his chest greedily sucked away his life force, the leader's eyes burned with rage and venom.
(I must kill this man!)
(His left-hand weapon fires rapidly, and the right-hand one hits hard—but it needs about five seconds to recharge! The left one's power is manageable… the artifact granted by Lord Witch King can withstand it!)
Though Revy's last bullet had broken through the barrier and grazed his temple, the leader had realized something vital:
This Sarkaz man's attacks had limits.
He gripped his obsidian dagger tightly, eyes locked on Revy's throat.
One second.Just one more second and I can slit his throat!
Revy's left hand began to rise again—the muzzle of Inferno glowing faintly, ready to fire.
But I still have the Witch King's Horn!I've already put up a new shield—twice as strong as before!
Even that rapid-fire magical assault from earlier won't be able to breach it instantly. I just need half a second—half a second!—and victory is mine!
"But… will things really go your way?"
Revy's voice was calm—almost mocking.
And then Inferno fired.
This time, it wasn't a burst of weak, fast shots.
It was a searing column of light, a blazing beam of concentrated heat and destruction—swallowing the leader and his barrier whole.
(Impossible…)
The leader's pupils widened in despair—then faded into nothingness.
His barrier lasted less than a second before shattering—and his body shattered right along with it.
Eyes still frozen in disbelief, he crumbled to dust in the blink of an eye.
"Nothing is impossible."
Revy turned toward the now-empty battlefield and muttered with a trace of regret:
"'Celestial' and 'Inferno' are just names. I only used the burst-fire mode to get a feel for this new power."
"…You all fought so seriously, now I feel bad for holding back. Was that really necessary?"
He raised his eyes to the corpses sprawled across the battlefield. The mangled remains of bodies torn apart by magical bullets still sizzled in the air, filling the clearing with the stench of charred flesh.
"…Twelve attackers in total. First shot killed five, second shot killed one and heavily wounded another… third shot killed three. And now I just took out the leader. So that's eleven."
Revy sighed.
"If you came here… don't be afraid now. Your brothers are waiting for you."
No answer.Dead silence.
"...Did they flee?"
Eyjafjalla's voice trembled as she stepped forward—still in disbelief that Revy had decimated so many elite warlocks in mere seconds.
"Seems like it. Abandoned their comrades and ran like cowards…"Revy scratched his head, speaking casually to Eyjafjalla."I didn't expect the Witch King's followers to include spineless rats. Aren't fanatics supposed to be fearless?"
But even as he spoke, his left hand rose to his chest.
"Well… if that's how you want to play it—then let it all burn.""Scorch the skies, fall into eternity—resound, Afterglow!"
A bow materialized in Revy's hand.
But before Eyjafjalla could even get a clear look at the radiant weapon—glowing with the hues of a setting sun—Revy gently raised it upward.
The bow dissolved into a cloud of golden particles.
And the next instant—Eyjafjalla's eyes widened in horror.
—The sky had changed.
What had moments ago been a bright, cloudless sky was now shrouded in oppressive darkness. Churning black clouds stretched to every horizon, scarlet lightning crackling between them like veins of corruption.
"Revy… what is this?"
"Don't worry, Eyjafjalla. Our target is just one man."
His finger pointed far into the distance, beyond the reach of even her gaze.
A mysterious smile crept across Revy's face—but his eyes were utterly cold.
"It might be overkill for someone like you… but I'm done playing this cat-and-mouse game."
"So—OVERLOAD: Falling Star of Annihilation!"
As Revy spoke—
The sky collapsed.
A blazing meteor tore through the heavens, crashing toward the earth with unimaginable force.
The resulting explosion was apocalyptic—shaking the land itself. The swirling darkness of the sky was ignited by the radiant blaze of a falling sun.
"One shot… should be enough."
Gazing into the distance, Revy exhaled softly as he sensed the Gyamagara virus he'd planted in the fleeing survivors fade along with their life forces.
"Don't make me waste effort cleaning up your messes… seriously."