Dion Bismark channeled the ether like a cannon for a boost. The enemy calmly fired. From the distance, he saw that he was wearing a full head mask equipped with a respirator. His posture didn't change. He kept the long barrel pointed at Dion Bismark. Dion Bismark's heart froze for a second at the sight of that.
Dion Bismark slammed his ether up. His body curved down as he then used his ether as steps to recover before firing them like boosters. From what he gathered, the enemy is using an anti-material rifle. Knowing this, he knew that he has to get in close and finish this assassin.
The assassin, however, didn't stay on the rooftop. He took his rifle and jumped off the building. Dion Bismark thought the man was insane, but seeing that steel wire come out of the assailant's left arm. Dion Bismark frowned. Climbing on the rooftop, he deployed his ether like a dome immediately.
Two shots shattered the dome. The assailant hung on the side of the metal-plated concrete building. Seeing how he positioned himself, Dion Bismark took a deep breath. He channeled his ether out of his palm's pores and turned it into an arrow of lightning.
The assailant shot four more times; a well-practiced motion that made Dion Bismark defend. After defending, Dion unleashed an arrow. There was a no panic on the assailant as he retrieves his grappling stake, stabbing it on the side of the building producing sparks.
"What the hell!?"
Dion Bismark has fought people before. But none like this that could produce an astonishing effect with an exosuit, grappler stake, and the audacity to perform moves such as this. It was impractical. Maddening. How could anyone sane do such actions knowing he was facing an etherian!?
The next action however forced that thought away. The assassin twisted his body, used the booster to jettison to the side, fired the grappler and using his dominant hand to fire three shots at him. Dion Bismark kindly responded by letting the steps he conjured to vanish. Falling over, he threw an orb of lighting, creating a branching sparks towards the foe. Landing on the side of the building, running sideways, the assassin landed on his back, rolled from that attack and started running down.
"This agility," Dion Bismark glared. "He should have etherian abilities."
Dion Bismark concluded. Even with an exosuit like that, it was hard to perform such feats without having these abilities. Not only that, he could feel that none of the shots were missing. If Dion Bismark didn't put up protection, he was sure that this assassin could take his head.
"Perception and peak human abilities?"
Dion Bismark produced a step. He gazed at the sky. Thunder rolled as the famous wetland rains obstructed his vision. The assassin zipped up to a rooftop, changed magazine, and aimed at Dion Bismark.
"Tsk!" Dion Bismark controlled the ether on his body. Ether takes a toll on the body. Although he could channel, the toll on his body would cause him to lose focus. It takes will to focus and control the ether on the body. Like air they can circulate, but unlike the natural way humans could breathe without thinking about. To use ether one has to inhale the ether, exhale it and make use of the ether by combining different effects to produce reaction.
The assassin shot another bullet at Dion Bismark. Dion Bismark closed off his thoughts, guided the ether, and lashed it like a whip. The assassin took five steps back, produced a cannister and lobbed it on the floor. With his enhanced physical abilities by using ether, Dion Bismark saw the assassin flee the rooftop by taking a leap. Not wanting to lose the assassin and let it hide in the shadows. Dion Bismark followed while keeping a conjured arrow on his right hand.
"Found you!"
Chucking the arrow at the assassin, Dion Bismark suddenly changed the form into a net. The assassin used the booster on his back to move away, barrel still pointed at Dion Bismark. The recoil of the anti-material rifle rolled the assassin backward, he then slung his rifle on his back, and vaulted off the building.
The rain got louder. The gutters in the alleys rushed in the manholes. The neon lights bounced off as Dion Bismark landed. Feeling the tremors in his hands, he took something out of his pocket. Injecting the syringe on the bracelet he was wearing. Dion Bismark's body shook as he felt his absorption rate sharpen.
"Shit!"
Dion Bismark raised a shield as his senses felt the tremor in the air. The bullet shattered the shield, Dion Bismark rolled and spreads his senses. Seeing the foe, he changed his tactics and produced bullets. The only reason he conjured arrows was to show etherian might, but against an opponent that could stay calm it was useless.
Pointing his palm, he released marble-sized bullets at the enemy. The enemy rolled to cover, firing his anti-material rifle, shattering Dion Bismark's shield. The shield recovered faster. His off-hand to generate a shield. His dominant hand to fire the bullets. Although there was no need for him to take cover, Dion Bismark hug the wall while firing his bullets.
The enemy's firing rate slowed down, but that meant nothing when the enemy could still be so calm. His mechanical-like way of reloading, his accurate shots, could put fear through anyone's heart. The shots stopped. Dion Bismark raised his head and heard the rasped of a grappler's stake punching through concrete. Moving to another core, Dion Bismark shot the assassin, the edges of the concrete building falling.
Not taking his chances, Dion took an emergency exit while keeping his head down. Upon exiting to the roof, the edges of the doorway shattered. Dion recreated shotgun blasts while making sure that the electricity could reach the assassin. It was useless, but if he could damper on his exosuit and booster then it would prove to be an advantage.
"It's probably insulated," Dion Bismark clicked his tongue. "Anti-belua equipment is just too much. I need to break this stalemate. He'll run out of ammunition, but who knows what this bounty hunter could do? Diana, I really need that backup now."
Dion Bismark could fight for a while, but if his deductions are right, then this enemy could still fight for an hour. Although he was sure that at least he could hold him in close-combat, the focus of this hunter made him shiver. Not to mention, he was watching on why the foe wore that respirator. He has lived long enough to understand the weakness of the etherians. He wasn't stupid enough to ignore that or make second guesses.