Akaiso
Works Chapter 38
Sniper Showdown
Nick vs Mr. 3
Evian and Nick both stepped into the massive and cool room together. It seemed to be Akaiso's relaxation station, as it was set up with a fine dining table running through the center, a sparkling white tablecloth neatly placed over. To each side of the dining hall were luxurious sofas and chairs of pure velvet. A massive grandfather clock towered above all in the room, with several beautiful paintings hung neatly upon the wall.
"This is amazing..!" Evian cried. Food had already been placed on the priceless table in colorful trays. The silverware hung from the ceiling, tied by loose threads, and were there to be grasped for the meal.
Before the foolish chef could rush to the food, Nick grabbed him by the collar. "How dumb are you gonna get. It's obviously a trap."
The butler seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He was a pleasant old man stumbling along with a thick wooden cane. "Welcome, my friends.. this is the hidden corner of the Frona Kingdom. We serve you the best food available.."
As he spoke, Nick noticed something unusual. He could definitely not see.
Evian charged forward, serving as a distraction as Nick aimed and fired. The butler dived out of the way before a bomb bullet obliterated him. He rolled around and grabbed Evian from behind. The wooden cane jammed against the pirate's head. Nick cursed - he was too late.
"A blind old man, wooden cane, disguised as a butler, found in the kitchens. I knew it was you, Assassin Sogechi, hailing from Sharpshooter Island."
The wooden exterior of the butler's cane hung loose, revealing a double edged weapon. The sniper end pushed against Evian's head. "I go by the name Mr. 3 now days, young one. I can tell that you're from my old home too. It hurt me when Akaiso sent Mr. 6 and 7 pairs instead of me to bomb the island." Mr. 3's finger held tightly to the trigger, ready to pull back if Nick made the slightest movement.
Evian was the one to respond. He kicked his leg back into Mr. 3's shin and attempted to disarm the blind sniper of his weapon. "You don't stand a chance if you can't see!"
Mr. 3 took the hit but fired anyways. The bullet whizzed by Evian's ear and all the way to the side of the room. Crash! The outer glass of the grandfather clock shattered and distracted Evian just enough for Mr. 3 to fire again.
Boom! Nick's aim proved worthy, as he intercepted Mr 3's bullet with his own before Evian would suffer. "Evian, let me take care of him. Go into the kitchen back there" - Nick pointed towards a mostly covered door at the opposite end of the room. Mr. 3 groaned and began taking his cane-gun apart and reforming it into a multi-barrel shooter.
"Shit.." Evian muttered.
"RUN!" Nick roared. Evian underestimated his opponent's blindness and ran away in a straight line.
He was an easy target for the wise sniper. Fortunately, the chef spun around with his staff handy and shielded himself from the worst impact with a static ball. "EVIAN, HE MAKES UP FOR HIS BLINDNESS WITH OTHER SHARPENED SENSES! His bullets move so fast they produce a streak of light, and for some reason that light is the only thing that he can see."
Nick countered Mr. 3's rapid firings with his own grenade. Mr. 3 was too focused on Evian...
An explosion filled the entire dining hall, obliterating the luxurious furniture. Nick jumped back to the wall to avoid the falling grandfather clock. "Get out of here Evian..." he muttered. From a distance, he heard hissing sounds, as if something was whizzing through the air and slamming into the wall beside him. "Damn it."
Nick ducked right before Mr. 3's Wasp Missiles struck him. He noticed the timer on each one as they struggled to break away from the wall. "They're lock on.. explosives.. NO!" The first three exploded right above his head.
As the smoke fully cleared, Nick found himself alive but sprawled on the ground. The entire room had been decimated. Shattered glass lay on the floor in front of him; Nick took a look at his reflection in a relatively large chunk and made out blood gashing from his forehead.
His head ached terribly. His arms were weak. His weapon had been pushed away by the concussion of Mr. 3's projectiles
And as for Mr. 3, the blind sniper made his way towards the fallen youth. "Sharpshooter Island really hasn't changed, huh? I was expecting more of a challenge, but all I get is a pathetic kiddo." Mr. 3 twirled his cane in his hand until it finally stopped. Gripping tightly, he brought the sharp razor end straight down. "Goodbye."
Nick rolled to the right in time and barely escaped his death. Mr. 3 flipped the cane around and lifted up a small hatch. Hidden underneath it was a knob. Nick at the same time crawled to the displaced weapon.
By the time he grasped it, Mr. 3 released full power. "This may be just a cane, but it's loaded with tons of energy!!" The knob had been turned to maximum. Nick cursed when he saw the end of the gun glowing as it focused its power into a large beam.
Nick looked at the last bullet he had. It was a bomb bullet. The chunk of glass lay between him and his opponent. "I can't shoot him, he'd dodge too easily. I gotta aim so that the impact of the explosion will move the glass without breaking it."
"There's no way you'll survive this you idiot. This one shot will take out everything in front of me. There's no escaping! Five seconds you got left!"
Nick thought deeply. "This is life or death.. the blast is unstoppable. But the light that's produced.. that's the one thing he can see. The light could be enough." Four seconds. "Think.. think.. if the glass shatters then.." His hands shook. Three seconds. "Gotta take the chance. Either he goes down or he prevails." Two seconds. "I'm gonna fall no matter what.." One second!
The young sniper pulled the trigger. The bullet smashed into the ground and exploded.
The glass shattered. His plan had failed.
Or so he thought.
The chipped glass pieces stabbed into Mr. 3's skin, forcing the cane out of the veteran's hands. As it came crashing upon the floor, it began to break down. "No..!!" Mr. 3 roared. Nick, knowing there was one more chance, charged full speed ahead at his opponent.
His weapon, not a true gun, self destructed right there. All the stored energy came out the front, all towards Nick.
Nick grasped a large enough portion of the glass and held it out straight at the blast coming his way. The light particles had already pushed towards him.
The reflection bounced them off and back at Mr. 3. He felt the dark world of blindness suddenly light up as it had never done before. "AHH!!"
Mr. 3 cringed and was struck motionless. In the half second remaining for Nick, he prayed that what he did was enough. The surge of unstoppable energy ripped straight through his body and continued, obliterating the entire room. Mr. 3 opened his eyes for the first time in seventy years. "My.. vision has returned??" Everything was a blur to him. His vision focused sharply but soon dulled, the cycle repeating itself over and over.
He could see his opponent for the first time in the battle. It was a tall male, holes bored into his clothes, smoke rising from the incinerated body. An entire arm had been blown off. Blood poured down enough to bathe a child.
Assassin Sogechi cursed to himself. The speed and impact of the reflection had been enough to fry his own brain. "To think I'm seconds from true death. Too much.. that kid is something. Sharpshooter Island.. damn it they have become strong."
Both snipers dropped.
AKAISO WORKS BASE, EASTSIDE – DINING HALL
WINNER: 'SNIPER DEMON' Nikhil Anarion