Simultaneous Completion IV — Ambrosya

I raised my blade and pointed the muzzle of my gunblade forward. The approaching footsteps grew louder and louder, and the faint scent of death slowly permeated the area.

I blinked, putting complete trust in the plan I had crafted. There was no going back now.

Thus, I pulled the trigger.

BANG—!

When I reopened my eyes, there were clawed fingers just inches away from my face. The only thing that stopped its advance was the bullet that I had shot into Hunter's shoulder.

'F*cking Hell,' I inwardly cursed as my heart leapt around in my chest.

Hunter went spiralling past me, knocked into disarray by a single, perfectly-placed bullet.

"John!" I yelled, and a blur of movement sprung out, tackling Hunter in midair and knocking him back to me. A spray of blood splashed on John's face as he withstood the heavy impact of hitting a high-level zombie.

My Hyperfocus then kicked in, turning this momentary lull in the battle into a still image that I could analyse. I gained a clear view of what Hunter looked like.

His limbs were nothing but a bare skeleton from either his knees or elbows down. They were being held together by some kind of green goo that seemed elastic and malleable. His eyes had an eerie reversed colour scheme, where the whites of his eyes were now black, and his irises were pure white. Claws made out of bone extended out from each of his fingers, and his wound-riddled body oozed fluids of different kinds.

His hair was long and wolf-like, swaying with the wind as he slowly flew towards me.

"Haaaa," I breathed and brandished my blade, pushing it forward in a wide slash aimed to behead.

Slash—! Thud—!

Steel went through skin and flesh, but was stopped by bone. My blade could not slice through Hunter's reinforced spine. Nonetheless, a spray of blood flew through the air as I pulled my blade and lunged forward, leaving hunter behind with a large gash through his neck.

"Hu... mans..!"

Hunter growled, his eyes glinting with eerie intelligence as his gaze landed on Jennifer. In the next moment, his figure blurred before my very eyes as he lunged to his left. His movements were swift, even with my Hyperfocus.

There was no way for me to catch up. No way for me to beat his speed.

I could only trust in my companions.

Dong—!

Out of the corner of my eye, Jennifer was barely able to block Hunter's sharp claws. Her makeshift steel shield had five new scratch marks, but she was safe. She only stumbled backwards as the force knocked her slightly off her feet.

The entire group shifted, gravitating towards Jennifer.

With Ella hiding behind the shieldbearer, a counter-attack swiftly came for Hunter at the moment of his attack. The opportunity that I had predicted had opened up, allowing the katana to create a new gash on Hunter's neck. There was another spray of blood as Hunter rapidly disengaged.

...Only to find Gunther waiting for him.

Thud—!

Gunther's metal staff earned itself a new dent as it smashed into Hunter's skull. I watched as Hunter's face came smashing onto the museum floor. A small tremor shook the earth, making me cringe.

If that was any normal human being, then brains would've stained the ground.

Gunther then jumped back after that successful attack, careful not to over-commit. Hunter's claws thus slashed nothing but air as he spun around in futility.

RRRRAAAAGH!

Hunter roared, frustrated and enraged. Once again, he lunged forward.

'Predictable,' I thought to myself as I shot another bullet, this time aiming for the space around Jane.

Bang—!

Hunter's lunge turned into him crashing into the wall as Jane leapt to the side, rolling as if we were playing Dark Souls. My bullet had hit his arm, successfully making sure that no harm came to my companion.

'Now, we move to high gear,' This thought lingered in my mind as I observed the newly-cracked wall.

It was now my turn to strike, and I took the opportunity to rush forward with a burst of strength. My legs pushed me through the air as I aimed straight for Hunter's head.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

I shot a volley of bullets, with half of them missing and half of them hitting my foe. Unfortunately, only one bullet had pierced Hunter's skull. But it was enough. The bullet had drilled halfway into the brain, allowing more zombie blood to flow.

Hunter was finally in a stunned state.

Now, it was all about continuing the combo. We weaved our attacks together, rhythmically hammering Hunter down like a blacksmith forging a sword. Gunther used his staff, Ella used her katana, Jennifer would wield her shield, Jane used her baseball bat, and John used his crowbar. All while I alternated between my bullets and my blade.

Through our efforts, Hunter's head became an utter mess. His joints were broken, his ribcage shattered, and his neck was bent at a weird angle.

Everything had gone according to plan. Now, all that was left was to finish the bastard off. His tenacity was immense, and his bones were not that different from steel. It was insane how he could still roar at us from his smashed-in vocal cords.

But... who could have foreseen what would happen next? What should have been the final moment turned into a nightmare.

"Oh... shit—" I cursed as I watched my own blade break.

I had overestimated the durability of my gunblade, stumbling forward like a child who was still learning how to walk. I came face to face with Hunter just then, and his dazed gaze was revitalized.

I watched as Hunter's jaws opened up in an uncanny manner. I watched as his rotting tongue rapidly enlarged in my vision.

I watched as Hunter took a big bite out of my arm.

Hurriedly, I pulled myself away, but the damage had been done. All of Hunter's wounds were healing.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

At point black range, I emptied my magazine on Hunter's head, but the rate at which he was regenerating was beyond imagination. He was still moving despite his shattered brain. Tendrils of the same green goo that webbed his arms and legs were pulling his head together and barring my bullets from dealing any damage at all.

Click—!

I made an effort to reload, but in that instant, I found five claws piercing into my gut. I wasn't given even a moment to react. I was helpless as I used my Hyperfocus to watch those claws rapidly pass through my body.

"Bas... tard..."