As surprised —even stunned— as Henry was by Rena's bounding speed, his Perception remained active and informed his body to spur his reflexes into action so he could raise his rifle at the very last minute to intercept the incoming blow.
*BAM!*
"Mmph!"
Henry was sent flying while Rena eyed him with surprise that he had managed to react fast enough to avoid a direct hit. Henry, however, was faced with the sheer power that backed the Vyker's blow and he felt so outmatched.
His arms shook as he got back to his feet only to hear the faintest sound of wind rushing toward him. He moved his head to the side and a scaly fist punched through the area he had been just a second ago.
Again, Rena eyed him with surprise but that did not stop her from swinging her fist and striking the side of his face in an impact that sent him a few feet away.
[You have lost 7 Hit Points]
[Hit Points: 18/30]
As he rolled to a stop, Henry remained conscious. He pushed his rifle into his Inventory and pulled out his Revolver. The moment he came to a stop, he fired shots and watched as Rena raised her forearms in front of her face so that her scales deflected the worst of the damage.
There were dents and about one visible crack but considering six bullets had been fired, all of which struck the target, it was a horrible sight. For Henry.
Rena put her arms down, grinning widely. Her upper canines appeared longer than normal,
"Guns? HAHAHA! Those boorish tools are useless against me. I am armed to my teeth with magic!"
The 'Teeth' comment seemed very deliberate because she slicked her tongue across her canines like she was inching to sink them into Henry's flesh.
Rena's adrenaline was on such a high that she failed to notice that Henry's rifle was no longer in sight. She also failed to notice that he suddenly had a second revolver in his other hand.
Henry pointed 'The Hydra's Sting' at the female Vyker.
"Another try?" Rena asked with a confident cackle but it faltered when she got a closer look at the gun. Its black color and the scaly design… Also, the faintly glowing green,
"Wait, that gun…" she said slowly in realization.
Henry said nothing. He simply powered the gun with his magical energy so that its acidic glow brightened even more and then he pulled the Trigger.
[You have activated 'Acidic Combustion']
*['Hydra's Tongue' bullet has cut down Mana cost by 50%]
[-20 Mana Points]
The bullet left the gun's barrel with a bright green glow and a speed that could not be compared to a normal revolver's firing speed. It was the first time Henry had truly successfully fired the gun and it was so satisfying.
It got even better when Rena managed to react at the last second but could not dodge in time so she was left with her previous forearm defense.
The bullet pierced Rena's scales and green cracks spread all over her forearm before the scales shattered in a combustive explosion that knocked her back a few steps in a cloud of green, choking mist.
—
After landing a successful hit on Triss, Urn, the male Vyker, calmly stalked toward her. He first set his sights on the burn on the side of her face where his flaming fist had struck, then he bent down and grabbed the back of her vest to lift her.
Judging by how he lifted her with one hand and with hardly a look of strain, his lanky stature was deceiving and he had far more strength than the average man.
Triss appeared limp as though knocked out and after observing her for a minute or two, Urn let out a scoff of disappointment.
"All that bravado to go down to a single blow," he said and then chuckled.
Urn was just about to glance over at Rena to see how she was getting on in her battle with Henry when he noticed Triss still had her gun. As limp as she appeared to be, her grip on her gun seemed as tight as it could ever be.
And then, suddenly, Triss' eyes flew open and her glare was one of intense hate. In barely a second, she pulled her hand up, pointed her gun at Urn's chin, and clenched the trigger.
In the second Triss took to raise her weapon and fire, Urn realized he had been played and with his eyes widened in surprise that an average Gangbanger could come up with such a ruse and play it so well, he knocked his neck back as fast as possible to avoid the shot.
Alas, even though he avoided a fatal hit that would undoubtedly have killed him, the bullet still cut a wound on his chin as it continued up into the sky.
As the stinging of the pain caused Urn to groan, he looked down to glare at Triss to see her produce a dagger with her left hand.
Triss raised the dagger with a skillful spin before aiming for the Vyker's neck. Urn knocked the arm aside and it was only after a gunshot sounded and a bullet pierced the arm he had been using to hold Triss up by her vest that he realized he had fallen for another ruse.
The dagger-strike attempt had only been to distract him so he would leave Triss' gun hand unattended and allow her to fire that shot.
"Argh!"
With a cry of pain that seemed to come from deep within his chest, Urn let go of Triss' vest and the moment her feet hit the ground, she hurried many steps away and fired three more shots.
Urn cradled his injured arm but still had enough reflexes and sharpened instincts to avoid two out of three of Triss' shots. The third struck his shoulder and he let out a groan of not just pain but annoyance.
Defense had always been a problem for him. It was why he relied more on mobility to avoid getting hit. He had underestimated the redhead and she had made him pay for it.
"You'll regret that," Urn said in a seething tone. His feet blazed with his characteristic fiery glow and again, he moved with the explosive speed he had used to get to her and deliver a blow earlier.
Triss' knew such a move was trouble so of course, she pointed her gun at Urn, trying to track his movement and deliver her shot.
Alas, Urn moved too fast to be tracked and in the brief second his body remained stationary enough to be targeted, he delivered a fast blow to her face.
"Ack!" Triss let out in pain as her head was knocked back.
Not only was the blow heavy because Urn's strength was greater than hers but it was also backed by a fiery heat that scalded her. Her nose broke and she bled but her blood was dried up before it even had the chance to run down her face.
*Bam!* *Bam!*
Urn delivered two quick-fire blows after. The first caused Triss to double over, her mouth open in a silent cry of pain.
The second sent her sliding away. Or more accurately, it would have sent her flying away had Urn not grabbed a piece of her shirt to keep her close just so he could overpower her and press her face into the ground.
"Now just stay right there," Urn said and his voice sounded gentle. In a predatory sort of way.
"Rena should be done with—"
*Bang!*
The explosive sound interrupted Urn's words and he looked toward the sound to find Rena standing —Legs shaking— a few feet away from Henry who had his gun pointed.
Urn's eyes widened when he saw the skin on Rena's arms was completely shredded like her scales had been forcefully peeled. The arms bled and the blood was mixed with a sickly acidic stream that sizzled ever so slightly.
"How—" Urn started to say in shock and then he saw the gun in Henry's hand,
"Grant's gun… How are you wielding it?!"
Henry ignored the question.
He was far more interested in the fact that 'Acidic Combustion' had not instantly killed Rena but there was no reason to let disappointment grip him too hard.
He thought, 'If one shot didn't end it, then the second surely will.'