Rattling Vermilion part 3

A battle between gunslingers.

They traded attacks, while evading each other’s blows. One equipped to kill, the other to only incapacitate.

As soon as the pistol emptied, the assassin simply pulled out a third.

Concentric waves of energy pulsed, striking nothing as the visored assassin moved too quickly.

He can keep up with me. Did the bomb make me sluggish, or is this just the level of a true professional?

Either way, he’s wasting zero time reloading.

Shots cracked in rapid succession — pistols spat fire mere inches apart.

The agent kept tabs, watching his guns. But even as he kept his distance, the Cinderash kept lunging towards him, their guns colliding in between bullets, using it as a blunt weapon.

Felix headbutt the man, then kicked him to create distance.

The air filled with the sharp smell of burnt powder and the ringing in his ears.

He paused, stood steady while raising Ion, using his free hand to goad him closer.

The visored man tossed the empty swapped to his fourth pistol, and stepped forward with a steady aim, finger on the trigger.

As he fired, Felix swung Ion down in —

Sparks scattered with a sharp clang, as the cobalt steel parried the bullet away.

“What the— ” The visored man emptied his pistol.

Felix deflected two more shots, only to be overwhelmed by the volley of bullets crashing into his body.

When the visored man reached for his fifth pistol, the blue-eyed agent lunged forward and tackled him into the steel wall. They crashed to the ground, groaning and grunting as Felix wrestled the loaded from his grasp.

Cinderash or not… he’s weaker than Harbinger.

And if he’s weaker than Harbinger, I can beat him!

Felix pried the pistol out of the assassin’s hand, and tossed it across the ground. The Cinderash weakly reached for another one, but Felix frantically punched his opponent’s face, cracking his mask.

He gasped, his head hanging over the visored man, pressing against the cargo’s steel wall. But he wasn’t done yet. He reached for the other two pistols attached to the left leg and pushed himself back up.

Still breathing heavily, he stared at the two guns, before shifting his attention to the assassin in front of him. He leveled the pistol at the Cinderash’s face.

He gripped the firearms tightly, his expression growing tense. With grit teeth, he hurled the sixth gun over the steel crate, letting it sink into the ocean as the sun dipped below the horizon.

With a relieved exhale, the black-haired agent turned around, headed to his partner. But a vibrating spin echoed behind him like a buzz saw.

“Lewis Shaw… still have to… ARGKH!—”

Spit flew as the assassin drove his foot into Felix’s back, sending him rolling across the concrete. The sharp pain in his back from the explosion earlier growing sharper.

“Thanks for sparing my life… but I can’t afford to fail a job.” Behind him, the Cinderash assassin was back on his feet.

“Wh-what?” The blue-eyed agent wiped his chin.

A whirring sound coming from the visored man’s legs. He grinned and lifted the cuff of his pants, showing a mechanical framework — a chrome exoskeleton brace wrapped around his legs.

“Combat prosthetics… those weren’t just holsters.”

“That’s right… I was hoping to have some fun, so I didn’t want to use it.” The Cinderash spat out blood from his mouth, “But since you’re stronger than I expected, it’s time I stopped holding back.”

Felix spat at the ground and lifted his cobalt gun, ready for round two.

~