"It seems you've already guessed who we are. So, we'll just have to capture or eliminate you."
Facing two enemies, both of whom possessed Teigu, Seryu didn't show even a hint of panic, even though it was Night Raid. She pointed at Mine, who had just delivered the threat.
"Then I shall execute you! My father sacrificed his life fighting against villains like you!"
"Not to mention you killed my mentor, Captain Ogre!"
"I will never forgive you!"
"It seems she's prepared," Mine remarked. She tightened her grip on her weapon and raised it to fire. The advantage always belongs to the one who takes the initiative.
Unfortunately, just as her bullet was about to strike, the beast beside Seryu expanded its body, forming a wall to shield its master.
"Is she dead?" Mine wondered, ceasing her rapid-fire mode. As the smoke cleared, the creature's body had grown ten times its normal size, baring massive, savage teeth. Its abdomen was riddled with deep holes from Mine's shots.
Slowly, the wounds closed as if nothing had happened.
"Mine, it's a Teigu!"
"Tsk, and a biological-type Teigu at that..."
Biological-type Teigu were among the opponents she hated facing most because finding their core was quite time-consuming.
"Tonfa gun!"
Seryu raised two handguns designed like tonfas for the guard force. The outer shells were encased in thick steel, serving as shields when under attack.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
A barrage of bullets was continuously unleashed, dodged by both Mine and Sheele, leaving small craters in the road. Seryu was serious; her confidence in fighting two-on-one didn't mean she underestimated her enemies.
"Even shooting them at this distance is ineffective. In that case..."
"Coro, hunt!"
Coro let out a roar, its massive mouth gaping wide to form a funnel-like structure lined with rows of sharp teeth. It pounced toward Sheele, spinning its entire body and turning its mouth into a giant meat grinder.
Slash!!
Sheele cut through it with her giant scissors, tearing open the beast's mouth. It lost its momentum and rolled backward until it slammed into a lamppost and stopped.
"Forgive me."
She flicked the blood off her scissors as she approached Seryu. Behind Sheele, Coro's massive silhouette reappeared with a savage face. Fortunately, Mine had been accumulating energy and fired a high-power shot that pushed the beast back toward Seryu, rescuing Sheele.
"Did you forget the data, Sheele? Biological Teigu have a core inside their bodies. If you don't destroy the core, it will continuously regenerate."
"It seems this is a tough opponent to deal with."
The large hole in the beast's chest from Mine's shot had completely healed, as had the cut on its mouth, just as Mine said.
"Coro, Arm Form."
Seryu commanded. Coro's stubby arms began to bubble like molten metal, transforming into long limbs still covered in a layer of slime.
"Ugh, gross..." Mine grimaced; she absolutely detested slimy things.
"Crush them!"
"Mine, get behind me!"
Sheele held the scissors in front to block the continuous punches from the beast.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang!!
Sheele struggled to hold her ground. With the durability of the Teigu Extase, damage of this level wasn't an issue, but the user, Sheele, was under immense pressure. Even more critical, Seryu took out a whistle and blew it.
"She's using a rapid assault to pin us down while calling for reinforcements!"
"That's what I call... pressure. But didn't you know that the more pressure I'm under, the stronger I get?!"
Mine jumped up, a sphere of energy swirling in front of her gun's barrel before firing a massive beam of energy. Coro howled as its body melted away like chocolate.
"Her power... is increasing!"
The energy beam was so intense that Seryu had to cover her face. By the time Mine landed on the ground, the beast had turned into a sagging mess. No longer under attack, its body began to recover.
"Dammit, it's regenerating instantly? What kind of power is this?"
Though she knew biological Teigu could regenerate, seeing it return to its peak state immediately after taking such severe damage was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
"Hahaha! Don't underestimate the endurance of a Teigu!"
"That's true, but a Teigu is just a tool. It is immortal, but the user is not."
To Seryu's horror, Sheele lunged out in a flanking maneuver, bypassing the beast.
"I'll settle this with my secret technique, Extase!!!"
The scissors emitted a blinding light. The intense glare neutralized Seryu's vision, forcing her to instinctively cross her Tonfa guns in front of her as a shield.
"This is the end!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The tips of the scissors repeatedly lunged at Seryu, clashing with the Tonfa guns and sending sparks flying everywhere. Seryu gritted her teeth against the pain in her arms, parrying the scissors to interrupt Sheele's offensive before jumping back.
"She's strong!"
Coro turned its head, intending to return and support its master, but its abdomen was pierced by a shot from Mine.
"Stay right there. I'm your opponent."
"Don't think I'll let you go."
The enemy was a creature with high speed and melee damage, a perfect counter to Mine. Furthermore, this was a flat battlefield with no cover, which was even more disadvantageous for a sniper. But Mine couldn't retreat; she had to keep this thing pinned down here until Sheele eliminated the guard.
"In the process, I can find the core and then destroy it."
Mine thought, aiming her gun at the monster tramping toward her. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sheele's abilities, but a battle could have thousands of different variables. If they failed to kill Seryu, they still needed another way.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seryu and Sheele's battle moved into the nearby trees. The scales were completely tipped in Sheele's favor. Although the Tonfa guns were encased in thick steel, the armor-piercing property of Extase meant the thick steel couldn't hold out for long.
"Aaaa!!!!"
Seryu accidentally tripped over a stone, causing her to lose her balance and drop one of her weapons. The price for that mistake was her forearms being sliced off into the air, blood splattering everywhere.
She sacrificed her arms to block my lethal blow!
In reality, it wasn't that Seryu lost her arms due to a mistake; it was the minimum damage she could pay to dodge. Sheele never aimed for the arms—if that strike had succeeded, Seryu would have been cut in two.
"Justice always prevails!!!"
Facing the charging Sheele, Seryu revealed a crazed expression. Two gun barrels protruded from her severed arms, aiming directly at Sheele.
"Body modification?!"
"This is the trump card my mentor Ogre gave me! Take this!!"
Bang!!
As they were both moving fast, Seryu was certain the shot would hit. But no, Sheele managed to block it with her scissors.
"That was dangerous."
Sheele's expression was grave, but she felt a secret sense of relief. The scissor blades swung horizontally, cutting off the two guns on Seryu's arms, making her scream in agony.
"It's not over yet!"
If I use that move, Coro might overload and become immobilized for a while. But I'm out of options!
"Coro, Secret Technique: Berserker!!"
The monster turned its head, its skin beginning to turn a deep dark brown as its body expanded. Its eyes turned a deep dark red with small black dots for pupils. It let out a roar that created a massive shockwave spreading for dozens of meters. Mine and Sheele had to cover their ears, their bodies trembling from the vibration. Because of this, Sheele missed her chance to kill Seryu.
"It has a secret technique too!"
"Dammit!"
Mine was snatched up by its massive hand.
"Mine!!!!"
"Crush her!!!"
Mine was in agony, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. Multiple parts of her body were being broken, yet she could do nothing.
Slash!!!!
Sheele managed to lunge out in time to cut off Coro's arm. The massive limb fell, and Mine crawled out from within it.
"Sheele!"
"I arrived just in time, didn't I..."
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Blood erupted from Sheele's body, leaving both her and Mine stunned. Hadn't she completely severed Seryu's weapons?
On the other side, Seryu had indeed lost the use of her arms. But she had opened her mouth, revealing a black gun barrel from inside her throat.
"My body... won't move..."
"Justice has been served!!"
Seryu laughed hysterically.
Sheele felt her body grow weightless. The beast's horrific, tooth-filled mouth appeared, and just as it seemed the next scene would be her being torn in half, a black shadow lunged out and caught Sheele, pulling her away.
"Are you alright?"
As weight returned to her body, the first thing Sheele saw was a pair of calm eyes.