Gunfire
Sira, Victor, and Ashley heard the musket fire in the distance.
No time left.
They scaled the outer wall, sticking to the shadows. Most of Rollo's men were already rushing toward the main gate. The trio crept toward the side that led to the front door—slow, careful, but urgent.
The more time they wasted… the worse it got for Myth and Walker.
They began to jog—stealthily, weapons drawn.
---
Meanwhile, Myth and Walker crouched in darkness, backs pressed against the compound's outer wall.
About ten thugs had emerged—some checking bodies, some scanning the road, others scouting ahead.
Walker enhanced his legs—then jumped. His hands grabbed the edge of the wall, arms flexed with power, and he pulled himself up in one smooth motion.
BANG!
Myth fired.
A thug screamed and collapsed, leg bleeding. All heads turned toward the sound.
Myth raised his hand and jumped. Walker caught it and pulled him up. They dropped inside the perimeter.
Seeing this, all the guards ran inside through the main outer gate. The thugs had to catch them—make them pay for killing so many of their friends.
---
Victor, Ashley, and Sira heard the echoing shot.
"We have to hurry..." Ashley whispered.
The plan was to kill as many thugs as possible just as they re-entered through the main gate.
Victor could scale any wall, so he, Ashley, and Sira would stealthily go inside and prepare an ambush. Myth and Walker were the distraction.
That was it.
They didn't know any details about the location. The place was unknown. Time to prepare after the club hit had been very limited.
Everything was improvised by Ashley and Myth independently.
---
Time passed.
The guards were running toward Myth and Walker.
Bang...
Myth shot. One person fell.
Click... click...
More thugs appeared from behind Myth and Walker.
Bang...
Another one dropped.
Click... click...
Walker ran to stop the thugs coming from behind.
Things were looking grim for Myth and Walker. Myth was really worried now. If things kept going like this, they would die. Right now, they were facing around thirty armed thugs—alone.
Myth instantly changed tactics. Instead of shooting at the thugs in front, he turned around to help Walker by clearing the backline—so they could run.
Bang... Click... click... Bang...
The thugs in front were only a short distance away. The ones behind still weren't cleared.
---
Just as they were about to close in on Myth and Walker, the thugs crashed into a thin ice wall.
Bang... bang...
Sira and Ashley fired.
Myth heard the shots and sighed in relief. He turned back to the front.
Bang... bang... bang...
Three muskets fired again and again. Most of the thugs had their legs injured. Among the shots, only Ashley's were lethal.
---
Just as the battle looked like it was turning in their favor, Rollo came out through the main door with five thugs.
He instantly charged toward Victor's side.
He jumped—five meters high—coming down like a hammer toward the trio.
Victor noticed it and produced three thin sheets of ice from ground up, hoping to slow him down.
Rollo crashed into the first sheet—it cracked. But it slowed him down slightly.
That was all Ashley needed.
She raised her musket, aimed at Rollo—
Bang!
Rollo used the second sheet to propel himself, dodging the shot.
Click... click...
Ashley started reloading. Rollo prepared his next jump attack.
Victor was ready.
Sira kept shooting at the thugs who'd come out with Rollo.
---
Walker had killed all the thugs at the back.
Only a few remained in the front.
Ashley and Sira had stopped firing at the thugs in front—two or three seconds ago. Myth didn't have time to look back. But he was worried.
"Let's go," Walker said.
---
Walker ran ahead, killing the remaining enemies.
Myth followed close behind.
They heard the musket fire. Without hesitation, they ran to reinforce the trio.
Bam...
Myth jolted out of his thoughts and looked ahead.
Someone had struck Walker.
Walker reacted instantly, blocking the punch. Dust kicked up from the ground as the impact forced him back.
The dust settled...
A figure stood opposite Walker—tattered cloth in his hand.
"Shit... shit..."
Myth's eyes widened.
"Walker's face is visible."
His gaze shifted to the man.
"Raev...? Why the hell is he here?"
And then it hit him.
"The biggest problem isn't Raev... it's that Walker's face is exposed. The police—or anyone—can close in on us now.
We have to kill him. No matter what."
Walker spoke in a loud, deep voice:
"Go help them. I'll handle things here."
Myth hated it. Hated the idea of leaving Walker to face that kind of risk. But he knew—he couldn't help here.
Not with someone like Raev.
Gritting his teeth, he took off. Circling wide around Walker and Raev, sprinting to reinforce the trio.
Raev didn't even glance at him.
His eyes stayed locked on Walker. A slow, twisted grin spread across his face.
"Ahh... Raven... now I remember you. I was just itching to fight you. Watching you hold back in the arena was really getting on my nerves."
Walker didn't waste time with words.
He enhanced his leg muscles—boosting his speed—and closed the distance in an instant.
Raev ran toward him too, but he was a little slower.
As Raev entered range, Walker kept his left leg enhanced to position himself. Then he boosted his arm strength—
—and delivered a devastating right hook.
Bam!
Raev blocked at the last second. The blow forced him back several steps. Dust rose up between them.
Raev burst out laughing, clearly amused.
Walker didn't give him a second to breathe.
He rushed forward again.
But something had changed.
Raev's speed—it was faster than before.
---
On the other side—
Sira fired at the thugs who had accompanied Rollo.
Beside her stood Ashley, carefully aiming her musket at Rollo.
In front of them was Victor, shielding the girls, shards of ice scattered across the ground.
Rollo stayed grounded.
If he jumped, he wouldn't be able to dodge musket shots mid-air. That worked in Victor's favor—his ice abilities needed contact with a surface. With Rollo close to the surface, Victor could form short, sturdy ice sheets instead of tall, fragile ones.
But the real problem was Rollo's speed.
He dashed low to the ground, leaping parallel across the field, rapidly changing direction.
And another issue—the muskets were slow.
Ashley couldn't afford to shoot recklessly; reloading took too long.
Victor's powers weren't built for speed or attack. He could only react.
---
Bang!
Sira fired.
Only one thug remained—but he was too close.
The sword came swinging for her.
She used the musket's body to deflect the strike.
The thug staggered slightly, but Sira was pushed back too.
No time to reload. She had to fight.
Musket body versus sword. Not ideal.
But Sira was surprisingly strong.
---
Rollo noticed the other person with a musket might soon be free.
He had to do something—fast.
He jumped again, parallel to the ground, this time even faster.
Victor was waiting.
He instantly created a thin ice layer exactly where Rollo would land.
Rollo's feet touched down for another bound—and slipped, just a little.
Realization flashed in his eyes.
Bang!
Ashley took the shot.
Rollo twisted mid-motion, abandoning the next parallel jump.
He changed tactics—switching to short vertical hops instead. He was adapting. Continuously thinking ways to win the fight, he was deadly.
The ice cracked beneath his feet, but didn't stop him.
Ashley missed.
---
Myth arrived.
He saw Rollo leaping—his form strangely agile and unpredictable.
He had no idea what Rollo's abilities were. But then he saw Sira deflecting a blow.
He made a quick decision.
'Sira can handle herself,' Myth thought. 'I'll wait... and strike Rollo when the timing is right.'
---
The thug attacked Sira again.
She blocked the blow with her musket, pushed back slightly once more.
But the thug didn't give her space. He instantly followed up—
—bringing the sword down, aiming straight for her head.
Sira raised her musket and blocked. But this time—
She wasn't pushed back.
She closed the distance instead.
Metal scraped against metal. Sparks flew.
Then she lunged forward—shoulder smashing into the thug and knocking him to the ground.
She didn't hesitate.
She started punching.
Hard.
Walker had taught her: never give your enemy a chance to retaliate.
After a dozen blows, the thug was unconscious.
Sira stood up, panting slightly, then began moving.
She walked slowly—carefully—behind Rollo, trying to cut off his escape.
Click... click...
---
Seeing Sira move behind Rollo, Myth's heart sank.
"No, no... don't!" he screamed in his head. As the ran toward her.
Bang!
Sira fired.
The shot hit Rollo in the leg.
But he didn't fall.
He shifted—instantly—into a high-speed dash.
Myth scrambled to line up a shot.
Bang!
He missed.
Rollo was already at full speed, racing toward Sira.
---
Crack!
A thin ice wall shattered under Rollo's momentum, barely slowing him.
He reached Sira in a blink.
With all his force, he punched.
Sira reacted on instinct, raising her arms to block.
Thud!
The impact was brutal. Her own arm slammed into her forehead. Her vision spun.
She was dazed.
Another punch was already coming.