Chapter 26: The Stunned Fourth-Stage Witch
Hundreds of diamond fragments sprayed toward the young woman. She extended one hand forward, and a cluster of green light blocked her front.
The diamond fragments plunged into the green light. Most were stopped, but a few pierced through the glow and embedded into her body.
The young woman let out a muffled groan. The blood vessels on her neck bulged rapidly, and a purple light gleamed from her pupils. This woman was the witch, Mira.
Although Mira blocked most of the diamond fragments, she couldn't ignore their impact force. This caused the backrest behind her to snap, and her body leaned backward.
The reason the passengers in this carriage were asleep was Mira's influence. After days without rest, Mira, who was riding the train, inevitably grew drowsy. To avoid being disturbed by the insignificant ants in the same carriage during her sweet dreams, she had put most of the passengers into slumber.
After the deafening gunshot, all the sleeping passengers were jolted awake, each looking utterly bewildered.
Su Xiao fired a shotgun blast at Mira's face, then drew the D·Assassin from his waist.
Puff, puff, puff, puff.
Four shots rang out. Two of them hit Mira's abdomen and thigh. She rolled behind a row of seats, abandoning any pretense of dignity as a fourth-stage witch, scrambling to the rear of the carriage.
Just as Mira was about to leap out of the carriage, three bullets flew toward her in a triangular formation. She quickly ducked behind the seats. She was only a step away from the carriage door, but if she charged through, she would take at least a few bullets, maybe even a dozen.
Clang, clang, clang…
Three crisp sounds rang out, sparks flying. The carriage wall was pierced with three clear holes.
At this point, Mira and Su Xiao were about ten meters apart. Due to the diamond fragments inside her, she couldn't use her transformation ability for a short time.
"Witch Hunter, take one more step, and all the humans in this carriage will die…"
Clang, clang…
Sparks flew. Two bullets whizzed past Mira's cheek. Her pale face trembled. Clearly, threatening Su Xiao with the lives of civilians was utterly useless.
Green smoke rose from the wounds on Mira's chest and abdomen. The diamond fragments inside her body dissolved at a visible rate. Once these diamonds were completely dissolved, Mira could use her transformation.
Just as Su Xiao was about to take a few steps forward, a green crystal flew out from behind the seat ahead.
With a muffled bang, Su Xiao immediately turned his head. The green crystal flew past his cheek, piercing the iron roof of the carriage and leaving a finger-sized hole.
Hiss~
Green liquid dripped down. In an extremely short time, a large patch of the carriage roof's iron was corroded away. Being hit by that kind of green crystal was no joke.
"Ah!!"
Screams rang out. The civilians in Car 6 fled toward the front and rear carriages. Seeing this, Mira, hiding behind the seats, smiled. The nails on her right hand turned emerald green, and she grabbed a fleeing civilian.
A shriek escaped the civilian as Mira pulled him in front of her. His face was twisted in pain. He felt his blood being rapidly drained, his head spinning, and his body growing cold.
The gunshot wound on Mira's abdomen healed at a visible rate. But in the next moment, a spray of blood splattered across her face. She looked closely and saw that the civilian she had grabbed had been shot through the head.
Furious, Mira tossed the corpse aside. Just as she was about to grab another civilian, her outstretched arm was pierced by a bullet. The movement also exposed her position, and a bullet flew toward the back of her head.
Mira's head buzzed. The surroundings fell into dead silence. She turned her head to look at a little girl in the corner nearby—her "insurance."
After a moment, Mira, her hands covered in blood, touched the back of her head. Her shattered skull had already healed.
The passengers in the carriage scattered like birds and beasts. In an instant, only Su Xiao and Mira remained.
Mira pulled three fingernail-sized green crystals from her bosom. The bloodstains on the floor were absorbed into the crystals. With a flick of her finger, the three crystals flew toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao had just reloaded the D·Assassin. Seeing the three crystals coming, he pulled the trigger repeatedly, blowing them up.
In the past, Su Xiao would have charged forward to engage Mira in close combat, but his Instinct ability kept sending warnings: he absolutely must not get within five meters of Mira, or he would be severely injured, if not killed.
Mira hid behind the seats. A mass of green energy clung to the seats. It was this energy that blocked Su Xiao's perception; otherwise, Mira would have been riddled with bullets long ago.
Puff, puff.
After two shots with a distinct rhythm, Su Xiao judged from the sound of the bullets piercing the seats that neither had hit the enemy. These two shots weren't meant to wound but to locate.
Su Xiao pulled the trigger repeatedly. Several bursts of blood mist erupted from Mira behind the seats. The D·Assassin's power was not to be underestimated; wherever it hit, it left a bloody hole.
Compared to being pierced by bullets, Mira was more concerned about the dead silence around her. In her perception, the world had become eerily quiet. This was the silent domain created when the D·Assassin hit an enemy's head.
Su Xiao pulled out a flashbang, bit off the pin, and tossed it near Mira.
Bang! The flashbang exploded. White light flooded the world. Mira's vision went completely white. She had never seen a weapon like a flashbang before.
Mira's hearing had already been stripped away by the silent domain, and now she had lost her sight. Just as she was about to break through the carriage to escape, she felt a binding sensation on her legs.
Mira hadn't rushed out of the carriage for two main reasons: first, she could absorb blood to heal her injuries, and second, she wanted to use ordinary people to threaten Su Xiao. Unfortunately, that tactic was utterly useless.
Boom!
Flames engulfed the entire Car 6. Su Xiao stood behind an energy shield. After three alchemy bombs exploded, the outer iron skin of Car 6 was blown away.
Not only that, but the coupling connecting Car 6 to the rear carriages was also severed. The rear carriages gradually slowed down and disappeared from sight.
A strong wind blew, scattering the flames and smoke. The outer iron skin of Car 6 was completely gone, let alone the seats. The entire carriage was reduced to a pitted iron floor.
Puff, puff, puff…
Su Xiao fired several more shots at the bloody mess that was Mira until he emptied a magazine.
Mira's head was pierced, her throat was torn through by bullets, her chest and abdomen had taken at least six hits, and both her lower legs had been blown off by the alchemy bombs.
Even so, Mira was still alive. She raised her head to look at Su Xiao and gave him a eerie smile.
Gurgle…
The blood beneath Mira began to boil. Su Xiao reloaded and continued firing at her.
A large amount of blood wrapped around Mira, rapidly forming a giant flesh ball. Bullets sank into it, and from time to time, pained cries came from within.
Emerald-green life force burst forth, drifting into the surroundings. The flesh ball quickly grew larger. Sensing this, Su Xiao put away the D·Assassin and drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Crisscrossing blade auras flew out. The flesh ball was slashed, blood splattering everywhere, and large chunks of rotten flesh were cut away.
The scene was astonishing. Su Xiao stood at the front of the flatbed carriage, while the flesh ball was at the far end. One after another, blade auras left the edge of the Dragon-Slaying Flash, flew a short distance, and then sliced off large pieces of flesh from the ball. But the ball was regenerating rapidly.