After being strengthened by "Bloodthirst," the "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" exploded midair into a mass of purple-black flame. Most of it attached directly to Mr. C, emitting sounds like water splashing into boiling oil.
The remaining black flame-burning light powder either drifted in the air or fell to the ground, consuming the scattered flesh and blood on the floor.
Though the strange black flames avoided the black robe, they scorched all his exposed skin before spreading along the inside of his clothing, quickly engulfing his entire body. Despite his earlier indifference to being shot, Mr. C couldn't suppress a sharp, miserable scream as the black flames consumed him.
He rolled on the ground, attempting to dive into the shadows as before to extinguish the flames, but the sealing object "Hand of Proclamation" maintained its iron law within a 30-meter radius—he was "forbidden from entering shadows."
"Hmph, 'Rose Bishop.'"
Clement stepped forward to stand beside Angel. His left hand remained half-raised, ready to snap his fingers again to activate the sealing object's extraordinary ability. His right hand hung limply, swinging with each movement.
The recent explosion had clearly caused him considerable damage.
"This level of damage won't kill a Sequence 6," Angel observed. "Hurry and attack again—use your extraordinary weapon."
Angel noted that Mr. C, though in a sorry state, hadn't suffered fatal injury. Currently, only the black flame from "Bloodthirst" could harm him. She quickly ejected the spent cylinder and reloaded a set of demon-hunting bullets combined with "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption." This time, she pre-rotated the cylinder to place "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" in the upper-left chamber, convenient for the first shot.
With the crisp sound of shell casings hitting the ground, the curled-up "Rose Bishop" suddenly raised his head. His face, already twisted by black flames, turned toward the two as he muttered:
"You crawling insects... dare to... heh... die with me..."
His hunched body began to swell violently, as if being inflated from within, his skin and tissues tearing inch by inch.
"This place prohibits flesh-and-blood bombs," Clement declared coldly.
In response to his words, Mr. C's half-executed "flesh-and-blood bomb" was forcibly banned, rendering his action futile.
"Pfft—"
Like a punctured water pouch, Mr. C's bloated body ruptured, spilling flesh and blood across the floor. Strangely, bones and organs seemed to have vanished, leaving only dark red, writhing chunks of meat.
These chunks of flesh, which should have been used as a bomb, now spread across several square meters, giving off a bloody, sweet scent. The outer pieces slowly wriggled toward the center, connecting together, as if about to reform into a human shape.
"It's just the same few tricks: shadow diving, flesh bombs. So much for being a divine envoy of the 'Aurora Society.'"
Clement's somewhat arrogant voice broke through. He turned to Angel, his pale face full of confidence.
"Don't just stand there. Finish him off. If this guy recovers again, the two of us won't be able to beat him."
So you do know you can't beat him? I thought your exploding ego already had you planning to challenge a true god...
Angel snapped the cylinder back into "Bloodthirst," bypassed the still-smug Clement, pulled back the hammer, and the ejector rod automatically pushed "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" into firing position.
Pouring what little spirituality remained into "Bloodthirst," she raised her handgun, aimed at the nearly formed flesh mass, and pulled the trigger.
Bang—
Blood splattered. Blood beads flew past Angel's eyes in slow motion. She first felt her gun-holding right hand being violently pushed aside, before her delayed nerves finally transmitted the pain in her forearm to her brain.
Someone shot her arm... was it Clement?
Her gaze shifted. Clement beside her wore an equally surprised expression. His left hand was covered by the sealing glove, and his injured right hand held no weapon.
Then who was it?
At the edge of her vision, Mr. C's divided flesh suddenly accelerated its convergence.
No, this bigger threat must be dealt with first...
Angel gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to pull the trigger again, but the gunshot wound in her forearm had injured the muscle controlling her index finger. What was once an easy pull now felt as heavy as a mountain.
Snap—
A finger snap sounded. Clement reactivated his left-hand sealing item. His gaze turned toward the distance, as if he'd already discovered the attacker and was about to use the power of "2-031" against them.
Then I'll deal with Mr. C...
Angel suppressed the pain, placed her left hand over "Bloodthirst," and channeled all her spirituality into the magical item through both hands. The revolver's exterior oozed sticky blood, and a rich coppery smell instantly filled the underground space.
Using her left index finger, she pulled the trigger. She launched "Bloodthirst's" charged attack, firing the last large-caliber "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" in the chamber. The bullet trailed black flames and shot into the writhing mass of flesh that had just reformed and was regaining human shape.
At the same time, using the recoil—several times stronger than usual—her body leaned backward, dodging the second bullet fired at her from the shadows.
The reconstructed "Mr. C" extended an unformed arm like a tentacle and touched the bullet hole blasted into his body by "Bloodthirst."
The next second, purple-black flames gushed from all over his body and engulfed him.
The writhing flesh distorted and melted in the black flames. It churned up and down, trying to resist the force that could burn both living and spiritual bodies. But having exhausted too much energy in the previous battle, it could no longer repair itself.
Soon, the congealed flesh mass split apart again, collapsed, and turned into a charred, unrecognizable object, oozing out like ignited asphalt.
"This place prohibits the use of firearms."
Clement's voice came at the perfect moment.
He didn't look at the now-charred Rose Bishop, but turned his gaze toward the depths of the cellar where a side door had been opened.
A man in a baseball cap and long trench coat stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a revolver. His sharp gaze pierced through thick-framed glasses and locked onto them. All light sources in the cellar had been extinguished, with only the dying black flames remaining. The three stood with Mr. C's corpse between them, exchanging intense looks.
Pfft—
With a flicker of firelight, Thomas's figure vanished.
"That's the defector from 'Mechanical Heart'? Can his magical item use flames to teleport? Doesn't seem that great. Once guns are banned, he's powerless."
Take off your sealing item before you say that...
Angel looked wordlessly at the boastful Clement. He had just used the power of the "Hand of Proclamation" three times in quick succession. Now affected by the sealing item, his mindset was overconfident and arrogant.
Even if a high-sequence extraordinary appeared now, he would probably provoke them without hesitation.
But that Thomas—was he really powerless without a gun?
He's not the kind to give up from a mere setback. This morning at Kavi's clock shop, after being forced to leave the scene, didn't he...
Angel suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
"No! We need to get out of here now—take Rupert and go, quickly!"
She urgently urged Clement, her body squeezing out the last bit of strength despite being affected by "Bloodthirst's" negative state, and moved toward the door.
"No rush. I checked earlier—Rupert's injuries aren't serious. Let's wait until Mr. C's extraordinary item appears, then leave. We can't let civilians come into contact with such dangerous items."
Clement didn't move. He continued standing in place, his gaze fixed on the still-smoking "Rose Bishop."
"If he thinks he can't beat us head-on, he might use a bomb. Don't forget—he's a member of 'Mechanical Heart.'"
At the mention of "bomb," Clement's overconfidence finally subsided. Having just been blasted by Mr. C's "flesh bomb," he frowned.
"A bomb? In this underground—?"
As if to confirm his doubt, muffled booms came from above their heads.
Boom—Boom—
Large slabs of moss-covered stone came crashing down toward them.