The silver bullet crossed the few meters, drilling accurately into the clown's forehead, opening a gaping hole.
Crimson blood poured from the ghastly wound, dulling the light in his eyes.
The clown couldn't scream, only producing a hoarse gurgle from his throat as he tried to lift his hand to cover the fatal wound.
But his shoulder and elbow joints seemed filled with glue, making his movements awkward and slow.
Klein, however, remained unfazed, even as the blood and brain matter splattered onto his face.
He repeatedly pulled the trigger to ensure the clown was truly dead.
Only after firing all six bullets and seeing the clown's body twitch and fall to the ground with a heavy thud, blood slowly pooling beneath it, did Klein stop.
There was no other sound.
Then—
Dressed in a black suit with a half-height silk top hat, Klein coldly flipped open the cylinder, letting the empty shells fall to the ground one by one. He pulled out the last silver demon-hunting bullet from his pocket and slowly loaded it into the chamber.
The clown in the tailcoat was undoubtedly dead—
With a hole in his head, there was no chance of survival.
Yet, this was far from over.
"It's not over yet. Be careful, everyone!"
Dunn, his eyes vigilant, shifted his gaze from the dead clown to the warehouse ahead.
He had thought their target was only Ray Bieber, but the appearance of the clown suggested there were accomplices.
Though Ray Bieber had not shown himself despite the clown's death, they couldn't afford to drop their guard.
Clatter!
Ashen One walked through the fire, picking up the violently thrashing box again.
As before, the group approached the warehouse in a fan-shaped formation.
They drew close enough to hear the heavy breathing from within the warehouse.
Uneasy from the ominous breathing, Dunn and the others halted.
Bang!
The warehouse door suddenly shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Next, a thing wrapped in rags flew out, landing not far from Klein.
It was an arm!
One thing after another flew out.
Klein felt a wave of nausea; if not for having seen more disturbing sights earlier, he might have vomited.
Bang!
Without hesitation, everyone raised their guns, aiming at the darkened warehouse.
But their bullets seemed to vanish into the void, leaving no echo.
Until, filling the "open" doorway with a grey-white color, a figure emerged, dominating their view.
It was a humanoid creature over two meters tall, with all its joints unnaturally twisted.
Bones jutted out from under its skin, the grey-white surface filled with crevices.
The monster oozed a grey-white, putrid liquid, but its head remained relatively normal, with deep nasolabial folds and pale skin.
This 'normal' head made them recognize the creature—
Ray Bieber.
Bang!
Leonard's demon-hunting bullet hit Riel Bieber's forehead, leaving a deep hole.
Grey-white liquid oozed out, dripping to the ground, transforming into fat, milky maggots.
But the monster was unfazed, charging directly at Ashen One!
Or rather, at the '2-049' in his hand!
"Watch out!"
Dunn and Al's expressions changed drastically. Keeping their distance to avoid '2-049's influence, they couldn't assist Ashen One immediately.
Simultaneously, Al Harsen and Leonard Mitchell began chanting, trying to slow Ray Bieber with sleep-inducing power.
At that moment, Ray Bieber opened his mouth and let out an inaudible screech: "AAAAH!"
Bang!
Klein's head throbbed, and he instinctively touched his nose, his hand coming away bloody.
He looked around at the others.
Al and Leonard bled from their orifices and collapsed without resistance.
Borgia, Dunn, and Loretta fared slightly better but were still pale.
One screech had incapacitated six Beyonders!
Ray Bieber's strength was far beyond their expectations!
Meanwhile, the monster was already upon Ashen One, with no one able to help.
Bang!
Ray Bieber's twisted joint swung towards Ashen One.
The terrifying gust it generated could easily crush a person to pulp.
However, in Klein's blood-blurred vision, Ashen One merely raised his left arm.
Smack!
Ashen One's comparatively small arm easily deflected the monster's blow, sending its arm flying, even causing its body to stiffen under the immense force.
Somehow, Ashen One had seamlessly switched his staff for the ice-blue straight sword, which now stabbed into the monster's body.
Parry, then riposte.
The thought flashed in Klein's mind, perfectly mirroring his memories.
"What is that?"
Ashen One withdrew the sword, frowning.
The Irithyll Straight Sword had hit something inside the monster—
Something hard, unlike soft organs, that had blocked his attack.
Otherwise, the riposte would have killed it outright instead of leaving it half-dead!
After all—
Despite being a starting boss, this monster was far weaker than Gundyr.
"AAAAH!"
The monster screeched again, making Klein, who had barely stood, clutch his bleeding ears and nearly lose consciousness.
Though partly due to his low Sequence, the others were similarly incapacitated.
Even Dunn, the strongest, had lost all strength, lying unconscious.
The monster, taking advantage of their paralysis, swung at Ashen One again.
Ashen One, as if anticipating this, raised his left arm.
Smack!
The monster's arm was deflected again, but Ashen One's ice-blue sword vanished.
He reached into the monster's body, rummaging as if searching for something, mixing its intestines and organs, causing yellow-brown blood to spill.
"Got it!"
Ashen One's grip tightened, then he yanked his hand out.
In his grasp was an ancient, blood-soaked notebook.
Just as Ashen One suspected, it had blocked his earlier attack.
"Ah!"
The monster let out a pained scream, its body glowing as if melting.
Ashen One's left palm glowed faintly, forming a massive molten iron shield before him.
Boom!
The monster exploded, sending putrid flesh flying, which wriggled a few times before going still.
Ashen One put away the Dragon Slayer Great-shield, glanced at the bloody remains, then at his unconscious comrades a few meters away.
He picked up the glowing item from the monster's remains.
He instinctively pulled out a bottle of pulpy orange juice but hesitated and put it back.
Without finding a bonfire, using the juice sparingly was wise.
He took out the Yorshka's Chime to perform a miracle but paused, looking at the unconscious group.
Though seriously injured, their health bars suggested they wouldn't die.
Using a miracle seemed excessive.
Just using a weapon skill should suffice.
While Ashen One's Fool's Weapon slowly regenerated focus, conserving it until he found a bonfire was prudent.
Ding-ling!
Ashen One gently shook the chime, a small golden array appearing at his feet.
Meanwhile, Klein and the others' health bars began rising visibly.
(End of this chapter)
50 power stones = extra chapter