Manuke FPS

With a lul in the fight, I was able to reoutfit my equipment.
Blue was incapacitated and ready for capture.
Now, all that was left was to deal with Red and Tall.
In addition to the equipment, I prepared for Nekoyanagi, I took out my ‘Shaft’s Basic’ that included the Welrod and the Electric baton.
I didn’t include the tomahawk this time around though. 

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Instead, I took out the > AS_VAL <, which was a rifle equipped with a built-in ARF suppressor, for the first time.  Both the Welrod and the VAL were similar in that they had built-in suppressors.
The FMG9 I used earlier was not as it needed its own suppressor attachment. 

Therefor, I wasn’t surprised to see light dots moving hurriedly inside the buildings on that made up the alley.
Eyes peaked from between cracked wooden doors and I heard others calling for the guards.
This meant that either the guards or Ophelia-san would arrive here eventually.
However, theres a chance that more ordinary people would arrive with the commotion.
Therefor, I needed to keep the sound of gunshots to a low as to not attract more attention. 

“Shaft-cha~n, you crossed the line you know~? Cross~the~line.” 

Red said lightly, but the smile on his face disappeared. 

“Shall we get this over with soon~? Uhii!”

Tall raised his spear and marched forward.
Red followed behind with casting self-reinforcing skills one after another. 

“Skill, [Reinforce body], [Reinforce attack], [Reinforce Agility], [Grant: Fire Attribute], —” 

Oy, oy, just how many times are you going to buff yourself? I’ve seen many knights and adventurers do it, but not with so many at once.
I had no idea whether it could be done, or if it was even effective, but seeing someone buff themselves to no end bothered me. 

I pulled out the Welrod from its holster, holding the gun in my right with my left free.
Since the VAL only had 20 rounds per mag, I refrained from using it now.
I had taken note that people with a certain amount of ability could dodge bullets they could see.
I’ve since confirmed this with the FMG9. 

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As if knowing my modus operandi already, Tall tightened his grip on his spear with the spear tip following my every move as if it was locked to my center.
I couldn’t get around him… This tall guy – he’s pretty good.
Even when discounting the skill he used me earlier.
My fighting ability was largely dependent on VMB’s CQV system.
While I did have the initiative, I often let the system take over. 

How effective would it fare against this world’s strongest? So far, it served well, but I’d eventually hit a ceiling.
And Tall was giving me a sense of pressure, not just once but twice, didn’t he? It was similar to when I competed in an FPS Tournament.
Where the results could be decided with the first step — but who would take the first step? It was a moment when I would never be sure whether to jump or wait. 

“Haa!” 

Tall decided for me with speed. 

“Kuh!” 

I blocked his attack and intended to send a counter-attack to his face with the Welrod.
However, he was taller than me, so I could only strike at his chest instead.
But he exhibited a reflex and litheness I’ve never thought someone of his height had as he managed to duck; leaving me to strike empty air.
If only the attack had landed, I had intended to pull the trigger. 

I was left open. 

This is bad — 

While my upper body was still in motion, I forced my lower body to dodge the incoming leg sweep Tall tried to do.
I managed to backward slid-jump just in time.
He didn’t stop there and stepped further forward after me as I was still midair.
I was able to block with the Welrod a second time, land safely and slid-jump back once more.
He gave chase but it was my turn to attack. 

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I jumped, aligned my crosshair with his chest, and pulled the trigger twice. 

“Naa!” 

Bloody holes appeared in his chest while I aimed for a spot to land.
His head.
Tall looked at his chest with surprise at its suddenness and power.
Red spilled from his mouth and I was sure of my victory. 

“Hyahha–!” 

I heard a strange voice and saw Red jump over Tall from behind.
The way he moved through the air —

“ [Furious Kick] !” 

Red activated a skill that allowed him to do a plunging kick after he jumped over his 2m tall friend. 

“Kuh!”

Red’s kick reached my chest before I could deploy the CBS, though I was able to block it with the Welrod; his attack did not end there.
The power behind the kick sought to knock me down, but I pushed forward to fight off the pressure when it disappeared.
I was left to push empty air. 

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“Wha?”

Red switched to another kick.
I only realized what happened when his foot hit my temple.

“Hyaha-!”

Following the noise Red made, his kick sent me flying into a wall.
It’d been a while since I’d last been hit – I’ll never get used to pain.
Half of my vision went dark, then realized that it was because my mask became misaligned.
I fixed it and looked up, only to be greeted by the twisted smile on Red’s face.

“Sha~ft~cha~n, something interesting just crossed my mind~.
Under that mask~, what in the world have you been hiding~? Before you die~, show it to me~.” 

“Fuuh. 

His gaze gave me all sorts of bad vibes.
Sitting against the wall, I allowed myself to calm down and feel the natural healing begun.
Were they aware of my healing ability when I was in a non-combat state? While he gloated, I used the lapse in combat to heal.
But this Re… He hadn’t brought out any weapons.
Could it be that he was an expert in bare-handed fighting?

Thinking back, he did have that glint which was usually a cue for strengthening skill.
In addition to magic, there were also skills that can strengthen yourself — recalling the story of Honorary Chancellor Zephanel, it was originally a skill from a different game.
It was possible that the descendants of a ‘Manuke’ like me to inherit the skill. 

Alright, the dizziness and headache disappeared.
There were no gauges such as HP, or stamina in the UI information in view, but I felt it physically. 

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Anyway, I didn’t think he was waiting for me to recover, but he finally stopped gloating and rushed me again.
He took a stance that looked like an orthodox boxing stance with both fists raised, then flames covered his hands. 

“ [Triple Knuckle Strike] !” 

Red executed another skill again.
I stood up with my back against the wall, and reacted to the incoming punch that split into three.
First, second, and third.
I managed to take them all with the Welrod.
Then, I reached out to grab the hand but it disappeared like an illusion.
Three times and my counterattacks failed.
My overreliance on the VMB system became apparent. 

“Gotcha~!” 

The burning red right hand closed in on my face at breakneck speed. 

“Kuh!” 

I managed to bend my neck just in time to dodge — no, it scratched me somewhat? The outstretched fist grazed the left side of my face and pieced the wall behind me.
Red’s face was distorted before me with the distance between our faces less than fifty centimeters as an M84 flashbang entered the view between that gap. 

“What?”

At that moment, Red’s expression changed into that of suspicion as the flashbang detonated with a flash and a deafening noise rang out.