Chapter 159
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: 15th Floor - Lv. 1567 Future Emperor (3)
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Of course, the Hunter couldn't pull off any flashy gun kata.
What he'd learned were simply the bare-minimum guidelines for how to act in any given situation.
It was a fight that wouldn't have worked if the Emperor had been an agility-based warrior or an assassin outright.
But the Emperor was an orc, and the odds of him being an agility warrior were nil.
The Emperor charged.
The movement, which had seemed plenty slow to the Girl's eyes, flashed like lightning in the Hunter's vision.
But it was a straight line.
And no orc could move faster than a bullet.
A blue chill hurtled in.
The chainsaw tried to swat the bullet away, but it was already exhausted. It couldn't keep up properly and failed.
A blue explosion bloomed.
The Emperor's body, feet, arms...
Froze solid.
The kid's [Fireball] came flying.
And a barrage of bullets spewed small, swift flames mercilessly.
The shots targeted only his face with pinpoint accuracy.
He'd thought it was just ordinary ballistic ammo, but each bullet was infused with the element of fire.
Every single one carried a small but unignorable explosive punch.
Covering his face with one hand, he grimaced at his burning arm.
The Emperor had to make a call.
The damage was unexpectedly high.
But even so, the real threat was that pint-sized mage kid. The gunfire wouldn't kill him outright, but if a [Fireball] dropped right next to him, it could be trouble.
He had no spare lives left.
Besides, that little vampire was a calamity witch etched into the empire's history.
One of the must-kill targets right now.
But they weren't as strong as the Girl from moments ago.
You could tell just by looking at the middle-aged human man standing at the front.
No fancy skills, no special abilities.
Just a decently high-end weapon in his hands.
So, best to take out that gunner first. What an idiot, trying to snipe from that range.
Potions could be used even if looted. That vial on his belt looked tempting.
His own pack of Healing Potions was tapped out, but he had no major injuries yet. He still had some stamina to spare.
If he could snag that gunner and chug that potion, victory was in the bag.
He stomped hard. Debris around him lifted slightly.
He kicked some away, slashed others with the chainsaw blade.
His body spun in a massive arc.
Brute strength and the weapon's power sent the debris flying in all directions with a chilling screech.
The metal shards scattering everywhere were no longer just hot—they were dyed red with the Girl's and the Emperor's blood.
The Hunter dropped to one knee, raising his right arm to shield his vision—that was all the defense he offered.
Shrapnel embedded in his arm and shoved his body back, but he never closed his eyes.
That's why he spotted the Emperor's charge once more.
The chill spat fire.
The Emperor had to halt again. His feet froze solid in an instant, robbing him of mobility.
For now, evade.
The Fireball streaked in close and detonated.
The Emperor rolled his frozen body with all his might to dodge the blast.
Unlike [Explosion], [Fireball] wasn't a massive blast spell.
But the fuel from the shattered spaceships was mixed with blood, spreading everywhere.
Flames erupted.
The Hunter hesitated for a split second, then plunged into the inferno.
Even as he advanced, his automatic pistol kept aiming for the eyes.
He had to blind him and force him to protect his vitals.
And the moment the Emperor moved again, chill-infused rounds flew.
A cold blast, and the Emperor faltered once more.
But this time, the roaring flames dulled the ice explosion's power somewhat.
The Emperor lunged. He ripped his frozen feet free by force. Skin tore, blood sprayed.
The chainsaw roared toward the Hunter's face.
With their physical stats so mismatched, running away wasn't viable.
The Hunter calmly dropped to one knee, lowered his stance, and assumed firing position. Miss now, and he was dead.
Then he spotted it—a regenerated but still glaring wound.
The Hunter fired chill straight at the lower body.
This time, the Emperor leaped back farther than necessary.
"Damn it all, do all you exiles have a fetish for going for the junk?"
Silent return fire.
Right pistol's mag ran dry.
His aim faltered.
The Emperor noticed.
Their tactics were straightforward.
Freeze the feet with chill shots at crucial moments, repel approaches with incendiary rounds otherwise.
Keep maximum distance while buying time for the mage.
Normally, he could've just powered through the hits and charged.
But after that brutal scrap with the Girl, most of his armor was useless.
Blood loss was severe too—his body wasn't fully obeying him. He felt far from normal.
This was his chance.
Don't give them time to reload.
Chainsaws crossed, he charged.
Revolver, six-shot cylinder.
How many shots so far?
Four.
Two left.
The next shot missed.
The Emperor maneuvered to make it so.
Flames obscured everyone's vision.
The Hunter bolted without looking back.
Most of his level-up points had gone into mobility.
[Swiftness] stacks went without saying, and the skills he'd picked up were all specialized for creating distance.
For a moment, even a vastly higher-level warrior couldn't catch him.
The Emperor hurled one chainsaw.
No need to take them on one by one anymore.
And it caught them off guard, as intended.
The Hunter squeezed his eyes shut.
If the youngest hadn't rushed in, it really would've been dangerous.
Raw power batted the chainsaw aside.
The force made even the kid stumble for a moment.
Damage was a given.
The man—shieldless, mastery-less, just pure brute strength—blocked the saw barehanded and lost his arm in the process.
The Hunter didn't look at his agonized face.
He was agile too.
Precision stats didn't care if his mind panicked; his hands reloaded without a tremor.
And as he raised his head, the Emperor was right there.
Backroll while firing.
Hit.
The Emperor charged like a wild boar.
Rrrat-tat, muzzle flashed again.
The chainsaw ignored it and pressed on.
Aaahhh, this is it. Should've never tried this.
The scream echoed only in his head as bats swarmed in.
Boom—explosion.
The Hunter blacked out for a split second.
The kid launched her [Fireball], then grabbed a vial and ran. She'd borrowed it from the little mage, following the Hunter's orders to save the Girl first.
The Girl's wounds were grave, her life hanging by a thread.
Even if saved, could she rejoin the fight right away? No telling. But she had to be saved.
The wounds were mending, but she only groaned.
Her eyes cracked open barely, but she staggered.
Vampire strength outdid human, so she hoisted her up.
Feet dragging didn't matter; she ran.
Flames made visibility shit.
Her body felt like it was starting to burn.
It wasn't just a feeling.
Her hair caught fire.
She smothered it with magic.
The sealed space's temperature kept climbing. Grunting, she pushed through the fire-choked corridor back the way they'd come.
A chainsaw sailed through the flames.
And the charging kid too.
Reflex took over.
She split off a bat from her body, packed it full of mana.
The spell to manifest: [Explosion].
Never tried it before. Wasn't even sure she could. But right now, this was it. No confidence in precise aiming herself. [Explosion] had short range.
A plain-flying bat wouldn't cut it; she layered on spells and basically propelled the enchanted bat forward.
The bat rocketed ahead, spread wings, adjusted position.
It detonated right before the Emperor could cleave the Hunter.
The Hunter flew limply. The badly wounded kid did too.
They might die. But better than certain death.
The Emperor was hurled back by the blast, scorched badly, but not fatally.
The tough warrior kicked off the ground and stood right back up.
The kid manipulated the surrounding flames into a wall.
But she knew it was futile. A Fire Wall couldn't stop a warrior like that.
"Die!"
The chainsaw's roar echoed.
The Girl's eyes snapped open.
The Hunter's eyes opened too. Consciousness had fled for just a moment.
The potion he'd held in his mouth was swallowed somehow.
Thanks to it, he could barely move.
Bad landing spot. Lower body unresponsive. Burning scrap metal everywhere.
His legs were already ablaze. Maybe that's what woke him through the pain.
He grabbed the vial first.
Half empty. He smashed it on the floor.
Even amid the chaos, the thought flickered dimly.
My last potion as an exile.
No more will appear.
Even in the shock, he hadn't dropped his guns.
Heat seared. Skin still burning.
Smoke and toxic fumes choked everything.
Breathing hurt, but he had to move.
Forward. Forward.
Through the haze, flames engulfed the Emperor vaguely.
But elemental damage wouldn't stop him.
Fire had limited ways to deliver physical impact by nature.
That's why the Girl staggered in front, swinging the least-dull red-hot scrap.
Both sides were at their limits.
The Hunter ran. No skill cooldowns refreshed.
No mobility options.
Mind foggy.
He missed his family.
Suddenly, something overlapped the burning scene before him.
Two daughters.
The eldest was exactly the Girl's age.
The fairy kid clung sweetly—no puberty angst, just adorable.
The second daughter was the kid's age.
Whiny one minute, beaming the next when hugged.
At least he wouldn't watch them die before his eyes.
No reason.
No thoughts.
He barreled straight into the Emperor.
Of course, not even a budge.
The Girl looked shocked instead.
The Emperor exploited the gap, striking. The Girl was flung back. Her scrap excuse for a weapon tore, spraying blood.
The kid flailed helplessly.
The Emperor ignored the Hunter entirely now.
Priority target right in front.
The Hunter laughed like an idiot, a dumb huh-huh.
Tried hugging the orc's waist to shove, but no dice.
Finally remembered he had guns.
Raised one.
Fired.
The orc's scorched, hideous face twisted further.
Hit below one eye.
The one-eyed Emperor glared down irritably.
Fire again.
Again.
The Emperor shook him off roughly. Hunter sailed limply.
Body wouldn't respond right. Not fully healed, huh.
In his fading mind, the saw swung down at the Girl again.
His shortest-cooldown dash ticked over.
With his last strength, he lunged forward. Skill activated, speed surged.
He knew throwing himself in front of the saw was insane.
But no mind left for that.
Someone's sigh.
Something colliding.
A thud.
A sharp, eerie slice.
Vision staining red.
Blackout.
Darkness closing like life's curtain.
In that final instant, his family's smiles.
A faded photo in memory's corner.