As the bullet makes its way towards Ermit's head, a sudden sense of strong power emitting from the ammunition catches him by surprise. His instinct told him to move, but unfortunately, the bullet was already an inch away from killing him. Despite Ermit's incredible speed and reaction time, he can't dodge it when it has already reached this close.
At the very last moment, Ermit cocked his head, the bullet only slipped by his cheek and left a bleeding cut.
Ermit pulled his head back into a neutral position, bewildered by the stinging sensation on his left cheek. The pain isn't getting into him as expected for an S-rank DH, however, he was left muddled as the ammunition he never expected as a threat, caused his blood to leak.
Ermit gently touched the part where he was hit and propped the same hand in front of his eyes, seeing a generous amount of dark-red liquid soaking his fingertips.
His glance rolled up to Wolf, and he asked, "What kind of sorcery did you put in that ammunition?"
"My feces," Wolf cracked up a joke. "So that when I kill you today, the last thing that will go in your head is my shit."
"Hilarious," Ermit replied in a serious tone.
Ermit, finally aware of the true danger Wolf can cause, drew his trusty weapon from his waistband, making a metallic scraping sound as the katana left its sheath.
"The gun wasn't a fluke, after all," Ermit said. "It was my blunder to assume that the most notorious criminal wouldn't be a deadly foe." Ermit bent his knees a little, preparing to launch forward. "Allow me to fix my overconfidence." His grip on the 'tsuka' (hilt of the katana) tightened. "It's time to show you the true strength of a seasoned swordsman," his eyes narrowed on the gun's barrel aimed at him. "Steel yourself."
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
A series of bullets, discharged from Wolf's gun, were accurately fired at Ermit.
Undeterred by the unperceivable bullet speed, Ermit dashes forward with his katana as his savior. His fluid and sharp movements enable him to observe the trajectory of the bullets coming at him. Sparks on the dimly lit promenade set in the air as the katana and bullets clashed. Ermit effortlessly sliced through each bullet as he thrust forward.
Wolf kept releasing more as Ermit seamlessly parried his way through, sizzling the place in sparks every time the steel intercepted.
Ermit is aware that getting hit by that irregular gun can result in a fatal injury, or worse, instant death. Luckily, his trained eyesight can keep up with the fight, hence, the barrage of bullets is precisely cut in half the moment it enters his proximity.
Ermit quickly stepped onto Wolf's reach, his katana outstretched, hungering for Wolf's neck.
Wolf could barely react. He leaned backwards, trying to evade the rapid blade swung to his neck.
Upon reaching the full extent of leaning back, Wolf lost his footing, rendering him unable to elude the assault.
"Perish," Ermit murmured as the tip of his blade pressed onto him.
*SHING*
Thinking quickly, Wolf reached for the combat knife under his belt and deflected the strike away, propelling the katana in the opposite direction of its swing.
Successfully surviving that blitz, Wolf backflipped away to keep his distance. The gun was his edge in this battle, so he's maintaining gaps for effective use of his advantage.
However, that advantage seems negligible as Ermit could cut through his shots as if he were playing Fruit Ninja. Wolf anticipated this to happen, but he still has something up his sleeve that might just work.
As he was upside-down while backflipping, he fired several shots with perfect aim.
"Too slow!"
Ermit cleaved the bullets in twain with no struggles.
However, the ammunition this time is different.
The moment the bullets were cut open, thick white smoke burst out of them, contaminating the entire vicinity.
Reacting sharply, the seasoned swordmaster covered his nose with his arms and tried assessing the situation through the smoke.
Intoxicating smoke normally doesn't have effects on DHs, but knowing that his opponent is Wolf, Ermit doesn't want to commit the same mistake he did on the first bullet round.
Ermit took a gentle breath, checking the intoxicating nature of the smoke. It dawned on him that the smoke doesn't have tricks, but it served a different purpose—to constrict his vision.
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
Shots were fired through the smoke, and Ermit was left with his reflexes and hearing to survive.
Several sparks lit inside the smoke—the bullets were intercepted yet again. Despite his restricted sight, his reception tracked the shots by their sound, ultimately allowing him to predict where it was coming from.
After surviving that sneaky attack, Ermit channelled every ounce of his strength into his hand, unleashing a powerful swing of the katana. The blade sliced through the air, blowing the dense smoke and dispersing it along the wind.
With the smoke gone, Ermit regained his perception, however, when he scanned his surroundings, Wolf was nowhere in his periphery.
*Bang*
Above.
Wolf was on the roof of the building and Ermit's conical hat prevented him from viewing that elevated height.
Without looking, Ermit slashed through the bullet over his head.
After the bullet, Wolf came plunging down to Ermit with the sharp end of his knife aimed down. Ermit agilely leapt backwards, skillfully evading the oncoming strike.
The brick ground dented upon Wolf's landing, and promptly, he fired another shot.
Obviously, Ermit thwarted it again. But just like the previous bullet, smoke burst out of it, engulfing him in thick, vision-restricting fog.
"That trick again?"
Ermit raised his katana preparing to slice through the smoke just like the last time, but it's not the same as last time.
"Gotcha!"
Wolf ignites the smoke, setting it to explode.
*BOOM!*
The place went still for a moment.
The smoke residues slowly drained away, and when the smoke settled, it revealed Ermit standing in the charred bricks, his shirt scorched, unveiling his skinny but well-maintained old physique.
His arms were proportionally placed in front of his chest with his katana held downwards.
He was still, not moving, eyelids closed.
Throughout the fight, Ermit is on the defensive, so this time, he will take over the initiative.
His eyelids rolled open, then he chanted, "THOUSAND BLADES! COMEFORTH!"
The katana he held downward multiplied. Countless katanas magically appeared out of thin air, hovering next to Ermit as the sharp tip of the blade menacingly directed toward Wolf.
Thousand katanas harmoniously float in the air, waiting for Ermit's command. The sheer magnitude of its number is a spectacle to behold, being perfectly arrayed like an organized art masterpiece.
Wolf paused in surprise.
Then, Ermit raised the katana in his hand, and that was the command.
The hovering katanas launched forward, all coming at once as if an invisible force were controlling them. Ermit remained still in his position as his art swiftly attacked Wolf in sync.
Alarmed by this inescapable assault, Wolf shot a couple of the katanas down, but their swiftness and sheer number overwhelmed him, leaving him defenseless against the relentless onslaught.
The katanas tore through Wolf, mercilessly skewering his limbs and torso—every part of him except his head. Their momentum drove his mangled body forward until it slammed into a building with a bone-cracking thud.
The katanas pierced through Wolf and into the concrete wall behind him, pinning his body like a grotesque, crucified effigy.
When the clangs of metal finally died, silence swallowed the scene.
Wolf's head drooped, lifeless, his mask hanging loose over his face.
Ermit's footsteps echoed through the stillness. Approaching Wolf, he slid his katana back into its sheath and muttered, almost disappointed, "I didn't know a Headhunter would be this weak."
Then as Ermit loomed over him, he declared, "Now… let's see who's behind that cruel mask."