Through the Scope of Death

Chapter 56: Through the Scope of Death

Kael-X barely shifted his head in time.

A bullet cut through the air, passing so close to his face that he felt the shockwave ripple through his hair. The impact behind him shattered a chunk of concrete into dust and debris.

Tch!

He had been dodging for minutes now, but Deadeye wasn't giving him a moment's rest. The sniper was relentless, precise, and most importantly—unseen.

Kael-X crouched behind a rusted car, slowing his breathing. His enhanced senses stretched out, trying to feel his enemy's presence, but Deadeye was different from the other Zypheron-5 hunters.

The assassin didn't exude any killing intent. No emotion. No excitement. No frustration.

Just pure, calculated efficiency.

Another shot.

Kael-X barely twisted his torso as the bullet whistled past his ribs, grazing his coat. He growled in frustration. This guy's accuracy is insane!

He had fought countless enemies—speedsters, powerhouses, tactical geniuses—but this? This was different.

This was a game of survival.

The Shadow Beasts' Reactions

"Tch, this is getting annoying." Nyx hissed inside his mind. The panther-like shadow beast prowled within Kael-X's subconscious, irritated that their usual brute force wasn't working.

"You think?" Umbra growled. "He's toying with us."

"Oh, but isn't that the beauty of the hunt?" Veyron's voice slithered through the bond, his tone amused. "The predator must first understand its prey before the final strike."

Kael-X gritted his teeth. Even Veyron, the most cryptic of them all, wasn't confident.

Oblivion, however, remained silent. The eldest of his shadow beasts simply observed—waiting.

The Problem

Kael-X narrowed his eyes.

The issue wasn't just Deadeye's accuracy. It was his bullets.

Every time he dodged, the impact left craters the size of small explosions. This wasn't just regular sniper fire. Deadeye had upgraded ammunition—something from Zypheron-5.

And Kael-X didn't know what it would do if one actually hit him.

I need to change my approach.

For now, Deadeye had the upper hand. Kael-X wasn't winning this fight.

Yet.

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Chapter 56 (Continued): Through the Scope of Death

Kael-X exhaled slowly. Think.

Zypheron-5 wasn't foolish. They didn't send weaklings after him. Every assassin, every specialist they deployed had been built to counter him.

And Deadeye?

This guy was made to kill monsters.

Kael-X wasn't just up against a sniper. He was up against a ghost.

Another bullet fired.

Ding!

Kael-X twisted his body, using his enhanced perception to track the exact moment the shot was released. Instead of dodging wildly, he moved just enough—letting the bullet graze his shoulder instead of taking a full impact.

Pain flared, but he didn't flinch. He was learning. The sniper had a pattern.

Deadeye might have been a perfect marksman, but even perfection had rules.

Veyron's Cryptic Warning

"A hunter unseen, yet his breath leaves whispers…" Veyron's voice slithered through Kael-X's mind. "He who gazes through the veil sees nothing—but the veil sees him."

Kael-X rolled his eyes. "Veyron, I swear, just say it normally for once."

The shadow beast chuckled. "Ah, but where's the fun in that?"

Kael-X clenched his fists. A hunter unseen? The veil sees him?

Wait.

Deadeye was hiding behind something more than just distance.

Kael-X's eyes widened. He wasn't just using stealth—he was manipulating the battlefield itself.

Deadeye was redirecting sound.

His shots weren't coming from where they sounded like they were coming from.

Clever.

But not unstoppable.

Testing the Theory

Kael-X took a slow breath.

Then—he moved.

Not in the direction of the sound.

Not where instinct told him to dodge.

But the opposite direction.

The next bullet fired—this time, Kael-X dodged before it even left the chamber. He moved ahead of time.

And then—

BOOM!

The sniper's shot barely missed, hitting a structure behind him instead of where Kael-X had been.

For the first time in the fight, Kael-X had forced Deadeye to miss.

Nyx's Reaction

"That's it," Nyx purred, the shadow panther's voice laced with satisfaction. "You're getting closer."

Kael-X smirked. "Took me long enough."

Deadeye had spent this entire battle controlling the rhythm.

But now?

Kael-X was starting to take it back.

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Chapter 56 (Continued): Through the Scope of Death

Deadeye's breathing remained steady.

The sniper was not rattled. Not yet.

Kael-X had dodged one shot. That didn't mean he had won.

From Deadeye's perspective, everything was still under control. He adjusted his scope, recalculating. Next shot: guaranteed kill.

He pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

A perfect shot—aimed right at Kael-X's heart.

But this time, something interfered.

Umbra's Intervention

Shhhhk!

Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, forming a mass of shifting shadows. The bullet that should have torn through Kael-X's chest was swallowed whole.

Kael-X turned his head slightly. "Took you long enough."

From within the darkness, Umbra stirred. The shadow beast was unpredictable, always silent, rarely speaking unless necessary.

But when it did…

"The hunter grows impatient," Umbra murmured. "And so do I."

Kael-X smirked. "Then let's make him regret waiting."

Forcing Deadeye's Hand

Kael-X blurred into motion, zigzagging through the battlefield. Now that he knew not to trust the sound of the gunfire, he could move freely.

Deadeye adjusted again. Faster than before.

BOOM!

Another shot.

Kael-X twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding it. This time, he launched a counterattack. A surge of shadow energy shot from his palm, aimed at Deadeye's hidden position.

But the sniper was already gone.

Deadeye's voice crackled over a communicator: "Predictable. I thought you were smarter than that, monster."

Kael-X landed on a rooftop, grinning. "And I thought you were better at keeping secrets."

Deadeye froze.

Kael-X wasn't looking at the wrong locations anymore.

He was looking directly at him.

Veyron's Riddle Unfolds

Veyron chuckled in Kael-X's mind. "The unseen is never unseen—only hidden in the open."

Kael-X now understood.

Deadeye wasn't just using sound manipulation. He had also been blending his presence with light distortions.

But that trick was useless against Kael-X's evolving perception.

Kael-X cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Deadeye. Now that I know where you are..."

"...let's have some fun."

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