Experience does come with age. Fiore realized her problems and shortcomings, yet found herself at a loss for solutions. On the other hand, Sisigou, after his attack was thwarted, could quickly devise a new strategy. This difference in experience is the greatest distinction between the academic and practical approaches.
Having completed his preparations, Sisigou stood up from his hiding corner, using not just his right hand holding the gun, but also his left hand, left foot, and right foot to simultaneously kick and throw three stones.
To ensure the success of his strategy, one of these stones contained a "heart grenade," the last grenade in Sisigou's possession. Because of this, he chose this moment to decisively determine victory or death in one go.
As the stones flew out the window, Sisigou also used magecraft to enhance his body and jumped out from the second floor.
Seeing three stones fly out at once, Fiore realized Sisigou was likely launching a new round of fierce attacks. Her body instinctively tensed up, her eyes covering the entire area of the low-rise building. Her magic circuits continuously drew mana from the "Great Source," injecting it into the four prosthetic limbs connected to her body.
Through the previous battles, Fiore recognized a discouraging fact—if Sisigou remained hidden in the low-rise building, there was nothing she could do. The confined space of the stairway limited the effectiveness of her Bronze-Link Manipulators: Coupled Reinforcement Mystic Codes. But as long as Sisigou came out, her opportunity would arise, even if it was predicated on his fierce attack.
All three stones were captured, their trajectories and landing points calculated, and the possible blast radius of the "heart grenade" estimated.
Based on this data, Fiore found the most suitable course of action. Two prosthetic limbs gripped the ground and propelled her, perfectly avoiding the three stones and the explosion of the hidden "heart grenade."
This round was avoided; next, you will—
At that moment, Fiore caught sight of another shadow.
Only one?
And its trajectory was quite off.
So far, Sisigou had thrown over ten stones, and Fiore had gradually gotten used to this mode of attack—the Necromancer's throws were always quite accurate, and even if they missed, they wouldn't deviate much. The sudden large deviation was something Fiore was not used to.
Was he tired? Or did he make a mistake?
As Fiore pondered, she saw the shadow move slightly upon landing.
No, that's not a stone; that's Sisigou himself!
Realizing this, Fiore saw that Sisigou had already launched his assault.
At this point, they were no more than ten meters apart.
Nine meters.
A double-barreled shotgun slid out from under Sisigou's coat, firing two subsonic, heat-seeking "finger bullets."
Eight meters.
"Jupiter: Tin arm of Protection!"
The prosthetic limb infused with the spirit of an animal extended from her right shoulder, precisely crushing the bullets approaching her head.
"Mars: Iron arm of War!"
Simultaneously, the prosthetic limb on her left shoulder began to fire light bullets, with a firing rate and frequency that far exceeded Sisigou's sawed-off shotgun.
Sisigou had anticipated this. He held a Lung Poison Gas Bomb in his hand, aiming it at the muzzle of the Mars: Iron arm of War.
Seven meters.
The Lung Poison Gas Bomb exploded, releasing a foul-smelling and oddly colored gas. Sisigou's figure vanished into the poison gas—since he created the gas, he also made the antidote to neutralize it. He had no fear of being harmed by his weapon.
"Saturn: Lead arm of Roaring!"
Losing her vision, Fiore continued to issue orders. The prosthetic limb extending from her left waist left the ground, stirring the air to keep the poison gas at bay. Meanwhile, the "Mars: Iron arm of War continued its barrage, though it was unclear if it hit the target due to the gas obstruction.
Six meters.
A blurry figure emerged from the poisonous mist.
Mars: Iron arm of War adjusted its angle immediately, unleashing a volley of light bullets at the figure. Unfortunately, the bullets passed through the gas without the sound of hitting a body.
He's not there.
At the same time, the sound of a shotgun fired again—from another direction.
Jupiter: Tin arm of Protection was already on high alert, deflecting the two-finger bullets.
Naturally, the Mars: Iron arm of War returned fire with light bullets, but the cunning Sisigou had already dodged.
Five meters.
The sound of a heavy object cutting through the air came from behind her head.
Uncertain of what it was and with her escape routes blocked by the poison mist, Fiore chose the safest course of action. The Mars: Iron arm of War shot at it, while the Jupiter: Tin arm of Protection and Saturn: Lead arm of Roaring protected her vital areas. She also activated the second "EIHWAZ" rune, made into a shell pendant hanging around her neck.
The result of such elaborate precautions left Fiore very dissatisfied; the object turned out to be just a stone, the same kind Sisigou had thrown from the building earlier.
Four meters.
Having failed multiple times, Fiore, still protected by the "EIHWAZ" rune, intensified her attack. Not only did the Mars: Iron arm of War continue to fire, but the Saturn: Lead arm of Roaring also joined the barrage.
Though the four prosthetic limbs had different names and usual functions, their design and construction were identical. They could switch freely between movement, attack, and defense—the names were merely given by Fiore based on the animal spirits infused and her interest.
The 360-degree barrage from the two metal arms seemed effective; a muffled groan reached Fiore's ears.
Despite the interference from the rapid light bullets and the groan's faintness, Fiore identified it as Sisigou's voice. This discovery invigorated her, making the metal arms' barrage even more frenzied.
Unfortunately, Fiore didn't hear Sisigou's voice again.
Three meters.
This was a crucial distance, close enough for hand-to-hand combat. It was also the limit of Fiore's current visibility.
At the boundary of her vision and the poison mist, a black figure loomed. Initially blurry, it became clear in the next second—a black jacket.
It was Sisigou. Fiore vividly remembered that Sisigou wore a black jacket today. Confirming this, the magus girl ordered, and the two metal arms merged, firing a high-powered light bullet.