Explosions, Gunfire, and Roars (3)
Bwooooooooot—
The heavy machine gun fire from the barracks roof was completely sealing off any aerial approaches. Soldiers splashing through the mud as they ran, the Special Forces leader, Seong Ga-yeon. With their backs right in front of me, I was sprinting too. Zeroing in on the monster boar.
Bwooooooooot—
The monster boar whipped its head around. Fuck, its head alone was the size of a one-ton truck. A beast that huge actually existed! My heart pounded. It shook off the thick black fur bristling all over its body. Then it reared up its snout and roared.
Roooooooarrr!
I gritted my teeth. Glanced sideways. The U.S. barracks. The building where the muzzle flashes and gunfire were drawing its attention from the rooftop. It lowered its head. Splash! Water sprayed up. It was about to charge. My finger hooked the Ingram's trigger. I alternated looks between it and the barracks. U.S. barracks. Monster boar. And me. This triangle was a distance I could never close in time, no matter how fast I ran.
Roooooooarrrgh!
The monster boar reared its head again. Then it started thundering across the river. Crazy! If that monster slammed into the building, everyone up there was dead meat! Acceleration!
Auto-cast: Acceleration
The Acceleration that triggered for the first time today. The air ripples left by the people running ahead. The fresh breeze blowing from afar. The shockwave from the monster's roar. Everything blended together, rippling like disturbed jelly right in front of my eyes. The monster boar slowly plowing through the river, kicking up fragments of human beasts from the riverbed along with the water, charging toward the barracks. I leaped toward the center between it and the barracks. The slowed Special Forces members, Seong Ga-yeon, U.S. spec ops passed by my left, then right. Each footfall crushed the mud with a splattering splash-splash. I broke through the people blocking my view. Now ahead lay open farmland. Arms outstretched as I raced across the field, transparent circles bloomed at the front of both Ingrams. Left circle, right circle. The monster boar was so massive that even combining both circles from this distance barely framed it whole. It glowed red. Dozens—no, hundreds of red lights spread across its body in pastel tones. I gritted my teeth. Grind. And pulled the trigger.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat. Bullets spiraled out of the barrels. They streaked past sideways. The spiraling air widened and twisted. I kept firing until the mags ran dry. Rat-a-tat-tat—clack. Reload! I slammed to a stop, crushing the earth, yanked the empties. Let them drop as I snatched fresh mags from my thigh holster. The two spent mags spun lazily in the air. Snapped them into my thigh pouches, seized the wildly bucking Ingrams. The monster boar leaped from the river. Front hooves hit the mud. Rear ones about to follow. I surged forward, arms out. Transparent circles. Trigger pulled. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat. Wet footfalls and Ingram fire. Air compressing in spirals. The heavy weapons' slow roar. As I fired on the run, realization hit. I wouldn't make it. Couldn't stop it from hitting the building. But maximum damage! Damage!Rat—clack! Emptied both mags in one go, swapped fresh, thrust the Ingrams forward. It was already kicking off with its hind legs. No idea how many times I'd used Acceleration now. Just run and shoot. Last mags. And finally. My bullets started slamming home. Neck, jowl, eyes, front legs, rear legs, belly, thighs. Like hail, they poured in. I held the trigger to the end. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat. Still running. Too far. Way too far. Faster. If only a little faster. If I could just run faster! Roooooooaaaaaaarrrgh— The monster boar roared in pain from the hits. Then exploded forward. In that instant—even under Acceleration—its afterimage surged ahead. Insanely fast. Rat-a-tat-tat—clack. ...Mags empty. ...Nothing left. I sprinted full tilt, holstering the Ingrams on my thighs. The bow, at least. Gotta shoot something...! The moment I swung my arm to grab the bow.
The boar's head smashed into the barracks at blinding speed. And Acceleration ended.
"Hngh!" Fuck! Cursing inwardly, the boar's head pulverized the barracks wall as it plunged in. Rumble, craaaash! Walls and pillars collapsed in a heartbeat; it toppled. The crash thundered like lightning. Squeeeeeal! It shrieked as it fell. Shattered bricks and pillar chunks billowed into a smoke cloud. Twang—drew the bow.
Don't care about the message! That's not important right now! Yanking an arrow mid-sprint, a doubt flashed through my mind. The monster boar. The way it yelped and tumbled looked off. Those 180 rounds I'd dumped. Every one a perfect weak-point hit thanks to Hit. Its left side was practically annihilated. That's why. I gritted my teeth, nocked the arrow as I charged. Arrows. Slower than bullets, but guaranteed weak-point strikes. Just as I drew the string.
The barracks corner split with a crack and collapsed. Rumblerumble! The U.S. troops on the roof got swept down in an instant. And I realized. I froze. The rooftop heavy fire stopped. Shock? Or the building's collapse? Whatever the reason, right now, no one was firing. Everyone stared at the ruined wall.
"Sung-hoon!"
A woman's voice. Who was yelling? Oh, Seong Ga-yeon. Why shout? I glanced back mid-run. And in that moment, the sky went black. Chill raced down my spine. As I started to look up, something clamped tight around me. Can't breathe!
"Guh!"
Dropped the bow I was holding. Flap! Like a tent in a typhoon. Ground shot away. People shrank in an instant. The building roof came into view!
"Kuh!"
Stomach agony. Looked down at what gripped my gut. Thick talons dug into my belly. Twisted back—first thing I saw: jet-black fur. Strands thick as ropes. Then, flap! Savage wind whipped my hair. My body lurched and bent.
"Grk!"
Felt like I was getting sucked skyward. One wingbeat launched it tens of meters up. Forced my wind-pressed eyelids open. There it was. The massive bat clutching me. So enormous it blotted out the sky. Flap!
"Kraaak!"
Body arched. Talons gouged deeper. "You...!" I gritted my teeth, seized the foot clutching me, and ripped. Snap-crunch! A chunk of scaly hide tore free. It was ripping! Staring at the blood droplets spilling from my gut and plummeting away below, I kept tearing at its foot. Splorch! In that instant, the bat twisting endlessly upward flipped. My body whipped wildly every which way. Couldn't control it! Clutching its talons, teeth grinding, I endured. Hold on! Gotta hold! Then my body jerked upward. Reflexively twisted back. Its maw gaped wide. It roared. Screeeeech! Ears about to burst. I gritted through the roar. Its gaping mouth rushed closer, filling my vision. Countless teeth studding even the palate. Reflexively thrust my hand, grabbed a tooth. Kicked its lower jaw hard.
"Fuck!"
Think I'm getting eaten?! It roared. Screeeeech! Nearly bowled over by the sound. Gonna lose my mind. Grind! Nauseating pain rose from my chest. "Puhuk!" Can't breathe. Its grip cracked my ribs. "Kehuk!" Gush. Iron taste flooded my mouth. Red blood surged out. It started closing its jaws. Arms and legs trembled. Grind. Chest felt like bursting. Talons dug into my gut. Agony. Shaking arms dropped low. Teeth clenched, I growled.
"You think I'm dying...?!"
One hand gripping its tooth, one foot stomping its jaw, I drew my sword and hurled it. Afterimages gathered from my fingertips, eyes, arms, legs, body—and surged out. Whoosh! The shadow warrior caught my sword. I commanded. Kill it. The shadow warrior that had materialized lunged, seized its whiskers. Spun at blinding speed, stomped its jaw, leaped onto its back, and swung the sword wildly. Stab, slash, stab. Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere. The monster bat's jaw began to quiver. I could feel it clearly. Wasn't me shaking. It was. Screeeeech! It raised its wings. Flapped. We shot higher into the air. Body swayed. Dull numbness spread. Like electrocution. "Kraaagh!" Grind! More ribs snapped. I gritted and endured. Slash it! Cut it down! Keep it from flying higher! The shadow warrior stabbing its head paused. It stomped the exposed brain matter, leaped to its back. Out of sight. Only sounds now. The ripping and slicing on the monster bat's back.