Pump-action Shotgun (4)
"Combat dogs..."
Before the commander's words could finish, the knights pulled their triggers.
-Boom! Bang!
The scattered buckshot slammed into the zombies.
-Gruk. Grurrr… -Kraa…
Body fluids sprayed from the zombies' bodies. Some that had been charging collapsed from the impact. A few of them never got back up.
-Click. Boom! Bang!
The knights racked the pumps to chamber new rounds, then pulled the triggers again. More zombies charging at the front lines toppled over.
"...Begin."
The commander, who had been staring blankly at the scene, muttered. At the same time, the knights and paladins—who had been mesmerized by the guns—snapped out of it and charged forward to block the zombies.
"Looks like we can't fire anymore."
"Yeah. Let's join in."
The zombies and soldiers began clashing. Any more shooting risked hitting friendly forces.
Besides, ammo was limited. They judged that further gunfire wasn't ideal. Slipping their shotguns onto their backs, they drew their swords and joined the front lines.
Leaving behind the minimum forces needed to protect the mages and priests. The knights and paladins swung their weapons at the oncoming zombies.
-Slash! Stab! -Thud! Smack!
Under the knights' and paladins' attacks, the zombies finally found the eternal rest of the dead. Some zombies bared their teeth and tried to bite, but…
-Clang. Screeech.
There was no way they could tear into the flesh of those clad in armor.
"Fuck..."
The knight whose armor had been bitten spat a curse and smashed his fist into the zombie's head. With the strength of a knight far surpassing any ordinary human—bolstered by his gauntlet—the zombie, who had once dreamed grandly of turning even fellow knights into kin, met an end far more pathetic than its ambitions.
Dealing with the zombies wasn't difficult for them. The charging zombies weren't using aura or magic, nor did they have any skills. It was just that there were a lot of them.
"Aren't there more than expected?!"
"That's what I said!"
Even if most of the territory's residents had turned into zombies overnight, their numbers were still impressive. And their conditions varied wildly. For zombies freshly turned in a single night, some showed advanced decay.
The necromancer might have worked black magic on a nearby graveyard, or there could be other reasons. But for now, it was time to deal with the charging zombies rather than ponder causes. Magic flew over their heads as they swung swords and maces at the undead.
-Boom!
Zombies, unfortunately, couldn't use magic. They had no means to counter the mages' assaults.
While the knights and paladins held the front against the charging zombies, the mages handled those swarming from the rear. The priests bestowed blessings on the knights and paladins, easing their fatigue. As time passed, the number of attacking zombies visibly dwindled.
"...Some of you block the necromancer's escape routes, the rest advance inside."
The zombies weren't fully cleared yet. The ones they'd fought were from outside the territory. There were surely more within. Sending mages and priests inside posed too great a risk.
Visibility was poor amid the buildings, leaving them vulnerable to sudden zombie ambushes. They could get surrounded. Knights and paladins could break through and escape to the outskirts, but mages and priests couldn't slip away so easily. So the mages and priests stayed outside with protective troops to block escape routes and mop up zombies, while the knights and paladins pushed into the territory.
-Smack! Slash!
Zombies swarmed to greet them, bursting from behind buildings or alleys. As they cleared them, one knight asked,
"...That weapon..."
"A firearm made for knights at the weapons research lab. Those were standard buckshot shells, but there are other types too."
"Hmm..."
A firearm that could easily drop charging zombies from range with a single trigger pull. He'd only seen it a few times, but the sight was deeply etched in his mind.
"Hmmm..."
The Sun Church's paladins felt the same.
"Judging by the demonic energy, the necromancer's over there."
Glancing at the shotguns slung on the two knights' backs, they headed for the lord's castle.
The closer they got to the lord's castle, the more zombies lunged at them. Special specimens started appearing too—from zombies with enhanced bodies to ones that spread spores on approach.
"...That one's dangerous up close..."
If they'd closed in to kill it, they might have had to withdraw to detoxify the inhaled spore poison.
-Boom!
But with the firearms, they didn't need to get close.
"Special specimen with blades on its arms. It can tear aura-clad armor, so watch out..."
-Bang!
"..."
The special zombie moved with swift motions and razor-sharp blades. But it wasn't fast enough to dodge all the buckshot. The knight who fired racked the pump. Spent shells clattered to the ground. It had taken the buckshot but was still moving, though injured and slower now.
-Slash!
"...Moving on."
Meanwhile, the knights wielding shotguns thought…
'I wanna spray 'em down.'
Why swing a sword? One trigger pull could suppress enemies without closing in. If they weren't worried about ammo, they'd be firing even more freely right now.
"Prepare for the venom spit before it—"
-Boom!
"...That one's..."
Boom!
"...Moving on."
The knights and paladins pressed forward, clearing path-blocking zombies. At last, they reached the lord's castle.
"We're here."
"The necromancer's inside..."
"The mana feels strongest here. This is definitely it."
"Mm."
Opening the main gate would reveal hordes of zombies. But capturing the necromancer inside would end the mission. Follow-up units would handle the remaining zombies in the territory. The two knights with shotguns pulled out speedloaders in preparation for the final fight.
-Click.
"Ready."
Recovering the emptied speedloaders, the knights said. Soon, the castle's main gate swung open.
-Grurrk! -Kha!
As it opened, zombies inside twisted their heads to stare.
"Uwooh…!"
The knights and paladins raised their aura and roared a battle cry, but…
-Boom! Boom!
"Oh…?"
With the two knights' trigger pulls, the zombies in front collapsed.
-Click. Boom!
Each time they racked and fired, zombies found peace.
"...Advance!"
The others belatedly engaged zombies charging from directions away from the muzzles.
"..."
As the zombie numbers thinned, the pair switched to bayonets instead of firing, cutting them down.
"Head to the main hall—"
One of the other knights started to say, but the two were already entering the main building.
-Boom!
Zombies filled the interior. The two knights quickly aimed their shotguns.
-Boom!
Frontal zombies dropped.
-Boom!
Left-side chargers fell too. Even a special specimen lunged, but…
-Boom!
The knight rammed his bayonet into its mouth and fired, neutralizing it.
"Reload!"
Shouting loudly, one knight drew his speedloader.
-Click. -Boom!
The shotguns spat pellets again. They swiftly cleared the main hall's zombies and tried the conference room door, but it was shut tight.
-Thud!
Not sturdy enough to stop knights, though.
"Eek…! Already…?"
"The necromancer's the—"
A pale-skinned necromancer was visible at the far end. But he wasn't alone. Special zombies littered the area.
-Groooar.
Something in the conference room's center rose.
"Ha..."
"Block it!"
With the necromancer's shout came a monstrous roar.
"Corpse golem…!"
A massive frame. Immense strength.
Not an easy foe.
"Hoo..."
The knights and paladins braced for battle with the corpse golem. The shotgun knights quietly swapped ammo and cloaked themselves in aura.
-Boom!
Why was fighting a corpse golem so tough? One reason: its devastating power.
-Thud! Crunch!
When the corpse golem punched, the floor shattered, sending debris flying. Brushing against it in close quarters would threaten even superhuman knights or paladins with death.
-Boom!
Plus, it regenerated quickly. From sword slashes. From magic blasts.
-Boom!
Even chunks torn off regrew flesh fast.
-Booom!
But the knight-exclusive ammo packed serious punch.
-Smack!
A lot of it.
Each shot gouged huge chunks from the corpse golem. A massive hole in its arm made it sag. It repaired quickly, but its size shrank with each hit.
-Boom! -Click!
The golem wasn't just taking hits. It targeted the biggest threats first—the knights—but they were nimble too.
-Thud!
Dodging its fists, the knights kept firing.
-Boom!
While it focused on them, the others handled the special zombies.
-Grurrr…
The corpse golem bellowed. But compared to before, its size had shrunk dramatically, its power waning.
-Boom!
"Mm. Ammo's..."
The speedloader of knight-exclusive rounds was empty. But one shell remained jammed in the ejection port.
"Hup…!"
Pushing it into the chamber, the knight leaped forward. The golem swung to block, but weakened in strength and speed, it was easy to evade and close in.
Unlike regular zombies, a corpse golem's weak point was in its chest. The knight thrust his bayonet.
-Stab.
Then pulled the trigger.
-Boom!
A hole blasted through the corpse golem's chest. It didn't refill.
-Thud!
"Phew... Got it."
The knights exhaled and muttered. Looking around, the necromancer had been captured too.
"Not that gun... anyway. We're heading back." The mission was complete.
"Heard the story?"
"What story?"
"They made knight-exclusive firearms."
"?"