The Godsfall Chronicles

Book 1, Chapter 25 The Experts of the Wastelands

As soon as the mysterious man began to move, Slyfox moved as well. Even if Cloudhawk hadn’t issued a warning, Slyfox wouldn’t have relaxed his vigil. He knew exactly who the most dangerous person on this battlefield was and exactly who he needed to keep an eye on. His twin customized pistols spun in beautiful intersecting arcs in front of him as spurts of flame erupted from the barrels. He had shot four times in an instant!

Slyfox was a truly accomplished control metahuman, and his gunnery skills were top-notch in Blackflag Outpost. He could instantly lock onto and shoot even a falcon flying at top speed, and was able to shoot a sparrow from thirty meters away as easily as shooting an elephant. Even though the mysterious man was faster than anyone Slyfox had ever met, could he move faster than a bullet?

Slyfox was highly experienced and a true master marksman. These four shots completely sealed off the space around the mysterious man, ensuring that no matter where he dodged he would still be struck by at least two bullets. There was no way he would be able to escape unscathed! In addition, Slyfox had just used some of his own custom-made, hand-crafted specialty bullets. These bullets were so powerful that so long as they landed on any part of their target, their target would definitely be crippled and slain.

The mysterious man’s eyes were pitch-black, like a mirroring pool of darkness. These eyes saw and recorded all of Slyfox’s movements, up to the point when he pulled the trigger.

Impressive! This gunner hidden within the outpost was definitely the most formidable marksman the mysterious man had ever met, and both his timing as well as his aim were impeccable. The mysterious man had virtually no avenues of escape at all.

However, the emphasis was on the word ‘virtually’. This wasn’t an absolute statement!

The mysterious man’s powerful ocular abilities allowed him to notice all four of Slyfox’s shots, and he instantaneously was able to predict the trajectory of the bullets. He could tell that it was impossible to dodge all of them; at most, he would be able to dodge two.

But two was enough! The mysterious man dodged to one side, avoiding two of the shots. At the same time, his two arms streaked through the air like meteors through the night sky, bringing the blades of his knives in front of the other two bullets.

Sparks flew everywhere as an ear-piercing screech could be heard. The knives had actually split the two bullets into four pieces. The cut was so perfect that if you used a scale or a ruler to measure the four halves, you would find that in size and shape the four bullet-halves were absolutely identical.

For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on Slyfox’s face. “No way. That’s impossible.” How could you use a knife to cut bullets in midair? It required perfect accuracy and control, instantaneous reflexes, and better vision than an eagle’s. This was simply unbelievable! Only someone who had multiple high-level metapowers over agility, control, and more would be able to accomplish such a task. Less than one in a million wastelanders would have the required powers, and they would be considered truly supreme combatants. As for Blackflag Outpost, it held no such figures!

Who the hell was this guy?!

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Cloudhawk clenched his shotgun in his hands. Several times now, he had planned to fire the weapon, but in the end he gave up the notion. He knew his own limitations and knew that he was far from being a match for Slyfox. If not even Slyfox could kill this man, how could he possibly succeed? In addition, shotgun pellets were sprayed over a very wide area. If he was to fire from such a great distance, he might even hit some of his allies.

Calm. He had to stay calm! This was what Cloudhawk told himself repeatedly. He couldn’t waste any opportunities. If he wasn’t certain of success, he shouldn’t attack at all. Otherwise, he would draw that terrifying man’s attention and his life would be snuffed out like a candle.

The mysterious man’s dark gaze, as fathomless as the depths of the sea, was now locked onto Slyfox. The other experts didn’t pose a threat to him, but this exceptional marksman did. The mysterious man knew who his real enemy in this fight would be. He had to first get rid of this troublesome marksman!

The mysterious man didn’t halt at all, continuing his headlong charge. Three members of the elite guards were in his path, and so he ended up disposing of them along the way. The three guards didn’t even have a chance to see how he attacked; they just saw the light of his knives pierce through their bodies. As they collapsed into pools of their own blood, the last thing they saw was his cloaked figure disappearing past them, not hesitating in the slightest.

“Damn him!” The second captain of the elite guards, Wulf, was enraged! Wulf was an agility metahuman, which meant that in speed at least he wasn’t significantly inferior to the mysterious man. If the members of the outpost had to choose one person who was close to being able to keep up with the mysterious man, they would definitely choose Wulf!

Wulf tossed away his saber and pulled out a pair of short knives. Short weapons were more agile and carried more punching power, and they also held advantages in fast-paced battles. In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged four or five blows! Knife-light flickered repeatedly as these two incredibly fast experts clashed against each other in close combat.

Almost as soon as Wulf engaged the man in combat, Wulf realized that he had made a mistake! First of all, the man’s metapowers were clearly higher-level than Wulf’s own; although the man was using a pair of long knives, he was able to wield them with just as much speed and agility as Wulf wielded his short knives. Even worse, the mysterious man’s attacks were so accurate, it was as though he had measured them to a millimeter in advance. With each strike, the mysterious man was able to attack Wulf at a weak spot, using a small amount of force to blunt Wulf’s strength, then unleash counter-attacks of incredible power.

Although Wulf was a very experienced combatant, he still had the occasional flaw in his attacks. The mysterious man attacked as though his moves had all been calculated countless times in advance by a computer; not only did he display no weaknesses, his attacks were precise to the extreme. After just a few exchanged blows, Wulf was cast into a position of great weakness.

Wulf wanted to retreat, but it was far too late. A long knife came howling through the air towards him!

The mysterious man’s knife sheared through half of Wulf’s head. The blood didn’t even have a chance to spurt out before the man turned and once more continued his charge towards Slyfox. This entire time, he had shown no hesitation and made no wasted movements at all. It was as though he hadn’t been fighting one of the outpost’s supreme fighters; rather, he had merely been disposing of a nameless pawn. The difference in skill between the two was extremely apparent!

Grizzly let out an enraged howl. “WULF!”

Slyfox didn’t let this affect his mental state. He suddenly reached out and grabbed an outpost warrior, then spun the warrior to stand in front of him.

“W-what are you…” The outpost warrior had yet to catch his bearings when a pair of ice-cold gun barrels pressed against his back. A crafty look flashed through the mysterious man’s pitch-black eyes, and he immediately moved to dodge.

CRACK! CRACK! A pair of gunshots rang out as a pair of bullets blasted through the body of that unfortunate outpost warrior, missing the mysterious man by just a hair.

Slyfox let out a frustrated curse. The man was able to lock onto his movements, then dodge in the same instant that Slyfox pulled the triggers on his pistols. As a result, Slyfox had decided to block the man’s line of vision and shoot at him through a human shield. Who would’ve thought that the man would still be able to dodge it with incredible accuracy and an almost preternatural sixth sense!

The mysterious man had perfect control over his own body, and he made no wasted movements at all, nor did he make any errors in judgement. He also had that absolutely stifling level of speed, and a keen sense of danger that was almost animalistic in its accuracy. He truly was an expert the likes of which were rarely seen in the wastelands.

The two were now extremely close to each other. Slyfox could almost see the specter of death reaching out for him! The mysterious figure was clearly determined to kill Slyfox no matter what the cost. Mad Dog was in the front lines, tied down by a host of thugs. The other mercenaries weren’t even close to being a match for the mysterious man; in fact, they weren’t even strong enough to slow him down. What to do?

A cold light suddenly flickered through Slyfox’s narrowed eyes. His normal, beaming countenance had completely disappeared. It was as though he had transformed into a completely different person, a person who was incredibly cold and calm. This was a mindset that had been formed through countless life-and-death battles. The more dangerous the situation was, the calmer he had to be.

His fat body suddenly began to move with an agility and grace which belied his size. His two customized pistols began to bark and spit out flames repeatedly as multiple bullets began to howl past the outpost warriors and towards the mysterious man. One bullet actually went straight through an outpost warrior’s neck, then continued onwards while spraying forth a bloody mist.

So what if he accidentally killed a few people on his own side? Hell, so what if he killed a few of them on purpose? Slyfox was not the kind, benevolent type to begin with. He knew exactly how difficult it would be to hit this man, and so he was willing to pay any price and do anything necessary to increase the odds. By comparison, sacrificing a few of the outpost guards was absolutely nothing. He didn’t have much time left; every single shot, every single opportunity, was incomparably priceless.

But it was all useless!

The mysterious man’s night-black eyes remained as calm as a tranquil pool of ink, and his gaze didn’t change in the slightest. His movements fluctuated as randomly and unpredictably as a viper’s, avoiding the large majority of Slyfox’s bullets while using his knives to block the bullets he couldn’t dodge. He advanced incredibly quickly, and everyone who got in his way (by accident or by design) would be met with his flashing knife. All those who barred his path were sliced apart with ease.

He was about to reach Slyfox! Slyfox only had a single bullet left in each of his pistols, and the enemy was so close and so fast that Slyfox only had enough time for one shot anyhow. If he missed this next shot… well, one could imagine what would happen to a gunner when attacked in close combat by a knife-fighter like the mysterious man.

Slyfox stared unblinkingly at his opponent. All others in the surrounding area seemed to completely vanish as Slyfox concentrated every iota of his energy and attention on his foe. Slyfox watched his movements, his breathing, his every minor motion. After having taken all factors and possible responses into consideration…

Crack! A tongue of flame flicked out from the barrel of his right pistol.

A sharp light flashed through the mysterious man’s eyes. Not only had this gunner perfectly calculated his movements and all potential variables, the gunner had even taken into account his reaction speed and the speed at which his hands were able to move. This shot had virtually sealed his fate. What a truly formidable gunner!

The mysterious man suddenly struck out his knife, moving 30% faster than he had in the past. Clang! A few sparks appeared in midair as the bullet was once more chopped apart.

Slyfox’s face turned completely ashen. “Damn.”

The mysterious man didn’t pause for even a second. He was like a hungry wolf who had spotted his prey, and he sent one of his death-bringing knives straight towards his enemy’s throat at incredible speeds.

The knife moved closer and closer to Slyfox, a harbinger of doom which quickly grew in size and took up more and more of his field of vision. At last, a look of fear was in Slyfox’s eyes, and his face was as pale as a corpse. Slyfox looked just like a man should when faced with his own imminent and inescapable doom.

Without question, this knife was going to take his life!

This was what the mysterious man believed, and he put all of his effort into this strike. As soon as that sharp knife landed, the chubby neck would be split open and the fat head would go flying like a dandelion in the wind.

Swish! The knife flashed with cold light as it swept past Slyfox’s neck, spots of smeared blood on its blade!