BXBX NOVEL Chapter 288: Ask Roland [1/2]
Though not as powerful as the Revenants, the Specters were just as terrifying. But somehow I wasn't afraid. Maybe it was because I had already set my sights on the Revenants; to me, Specters were the same as Phantoms.
They were just stepping stones.
"[Inventory] F90s."
Without so much as a word, I called up two Thales F90 Modular Bullpup Rifles. Not waiting for them to make the first move, I fired first.
I pulled both triggers on the F90s and unloaded on the Specters as I sped away from them. I trained my right on Raymond while my left fired on Xander.
Bullpups had many drawbacks, but their greatest advantage was phenomenal weight distribution and balance. The design also allowed bullpups to have longer barrels but still have a smaller profile than ARs or AKs.
This smaller profile allowed me to carry two of them with one handed. Effectively doubling my firepower.
The F90's were originally developed by Lithgow Arms, an Australian small arms manufacturer. But when their parent company planned to distribute the F90 worldwide, it was given the Thales name instead.
As the primary assault rifle used by the Australian military, the F90 was chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, much like a typical AR-15. It was the supposedly long overdue upgrade of the legendary Steyr Aug, the most iconic bullpup assault rifle in existence.
A vast improvement on the Aug, the F90 was to be marketed to the world as the F90 Atrax. I and many others were looking forward to its release. Unfortunately some fucking psychotic Aussie went to New Zealand and shot up a mosque.
With 51 dead and 40 injured, the world watched Australia with a judgmental eye as to how they would respond. In response to the scrutiny, Thales Australia forced Lithgow to abandon the Atrax altogether.
While they would never enter the civilian market, as military weapons they were beyond amazing. The Bullpups were praised for their reliability and accuracy.
"I told you, Roland, this bastard has bigger balls than my entire army," Xander commented with a smile.
With [Eagle Eye], I saw that my two targets didn't even move an inch. Xander's skin was smashed by the bullets, but his skin wasn't even pierced. Similarly, a cone of wind protected Raymonde, sending the bullets swirling around him.
"Tsk. No good, huh? Let's try this then."
I extended my middle fingers and grabbed the triggers of the SL40's. The SL40s were modular under-barrel grenade launchers made by Steyr. They fired 40x46mm low velocity NATO rounds.
Steadying my guns, I pulled the triggers, well, calling them triggers was generous. The SL40's for the F90 were weird, to keep them compact, the entire trigger guard was scrapped. Now my triggers were just circular pieces of metal.
Who cared how they worked as long as they got the job done, two 40mm M433 grenades flew at my targets. Normal people would die from those. But as expected, they didn't die.
Xander simply slapped the M433. The grenade meant for him exploded some distance away. Raymond's bullet, on the other hand, stopped moving in mid-air.
'What the hell is Xander's {Fate}! Raymonde's {Fate} focused on wind, right?'
Raymond flicked his fingers and my 40mm grenade flew back towards me.
'SHIT! I guess I have to go with this!'
I threw the F90s away and braced my right shoulder like a quarterback.
"[BATTERING RAM]! [ABSORB]!"
Figuring it would be easier to attack an enemy I knew, I ran straight for Raymond. Unlike Xander, who seemed to have no problem getting hit by bullets, the fuck boi protected himself with the wind. That meant only one thing.
'Bullets would hurt the fucker.'
I collided with the 40mm and continued my charges as the flames raged on. [Tank] absorbed both the impact and the kinetic energy. Meanwhile, my new combo skill, [Absorb], used the portal to draw in things like fire and smoke.
"Is this fucking bastard insane?" the fuckboy remarked in disbelief.
Of course, the shit was still burning, but at least the fires died instantly as I passed by. The main thing for [Absorb], though, was that it charged {Suffer}. In less than a second, I was within striking distance of the Specter, but he simply jumped into the air.
"Two can play at this game. [SKY WALK]!"
Ignoring gravity, I continued my furious attack as I slowly gained altitude.
Raymond dodged me completely. "What the hell? How many {Fates} does that bastard have?"
"{Portal}. [Inventory] Raging Hunter."
I opened a small portal in front of me and wished to arrive behind Raymond. Not forgetting the best fuck you. I summoned my great iron in preparation. My vision turned black as I entered the void.
All my senses stopped working, but my feet could still feel solid ground. Soon I saw a faint light and shifted my direction towards it.
Eventually, light and sound returned as I exited subspace.
'Fucking hell, that was scary! I need to prepare a way to not get lost in this place!'
"Eh?"
Raymond turned to see me coming from behind.
His face was surprised, but not panicked, and the winds began to howl furiously as I ran toward him.
"{STOP}! [FLASH STEP]!"
Copying a play from Jo, I cast a death resonance with {Announce}. Then I pushed my body to the absolute limit by calling [Flash Step]!
For a split second, Raymonde's body stopped moving. It took him less than a moment to recover, but a split second was all I needed.
I collided with him with a thunderous crash. I forced my hand to grab his neck and pushed the raging hunter into his stomach.
[Weak point targeting] No longer needed my active summoning, I could see the Reapers' Soulgems just by thinking I wanted to see them.
But for the three before me, I couldn't see anything. Like a veil, whatever I tried to analyze then failed miserably. So I decided to find out by experimenting.
"[DOUBLE DAMAGE]!"
Calling up the most powerful version of {Counter} I have so far, I pulled the trigger of the Raging Hunter. Powerful 500 S&W Magnums tore holes through the Specter. Blood spurted from his mouth as the kinetic energy of the bullets ravaged his insides.