Chapter 270: Please explain. [1/2]
"I! LILLY BROWNING KINDRED OF LIMITLESS, BY MY COMMAND, AUTHORIZE THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE! SPARE NO ONE! SEVEN SIRENS! OPEN COMBAT!"
Knowing I had the most reliable people behind me, I ignored the hundreds of Reapers and focused on the headless bastard in front of me. For some reason, he didn't scream, even though he had a mouth.
"Sirens, please switch to wordless communication, honey, you too," Bella ordered.
[Exa, join the Sirens in my place. I do not wish to be disturbed].
[Understood.] Exa replied robotically.
The douche Jas had attacked was obviously a Phantom. Like a draugr, he tried to pat around helplessly, looking for the top half of his head. Unlike the Slayer, this idiot was a novice in Reaper combat.
"[Inventory] M1014."
The M1014 was the military variant of the Benelli M4 Super 90 combat shotgun. Unlike the shotguns used for ducks and deer, combat shotguns had two major differences.
First was the barrel; while most shotguns were used for hunting, they had longer barrels to increase accuracy. Combat shotguns were designed for trench warfare. So they had shorter barrels and regularly used 00 buckshot shells.
Unlike rifles, which had rifled barrels, shotguns were smooth-bore. This meant that their ammunition didn't spin and was therefore only suitable for short distances.
Consequently, all of these factors ensured that shotguns had a terrible range beyond 30 yards. But their accuracy at that distance was unmatched.
00 buckshot rounds meant nine 0.33-inch pellets as opposed to the larger buckshot numbers. The #4 Buckshot for example, which had more 21-28 pellets, hit less harder individually but as a whole their stopping power was better. Especially for smaller targets.
The second difference was the magazine capacity, 5 rounds is enough for anything but the military. Of course, with the Exa, magazine size no longer mattered to me.
Many things have changed over the years, but the primary purpose of the shotgun in combat has remained the same.
I aimed the M1014 at the fucker's chest and let loose. The 12-gauge buckshot had enough momentum to knock the bastard to the ground like a quarterback tackling him. Seven shots rang out and the phantom's torso was Swiss cheese.
Just as I was about to run out of ammo, Exa reloaded my weapon as I felt it getting heavier.
As he writhed in agony, I pointed to the man's groin and fired three more rounds. Moving violently as if on adrenaline, I sadistically continued to destroy his elbows and kneecaps.
Normally, I would use {Reveal} to find his Soul Gem. But with [Eagle Eye], a single thought is enough to reveal his soul gem. [Weak Point Targeting] would also ensure that if I decided to finish him off, one shot would be enough.
The top half of his head was still covered in shadows. But perhaps he had finally regained his ability, he began to scream in pain. Annoyed, I dropped the M1014 and drew the Raging Hunter.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! I MPHPMH!"
I shoved the business end of my .500 Magnum revolver into his mouth. The .500 Smith and Wesson Magnum was made for taking down grizzlies. And the Taurus revolvers were one of the best ways on the market to deliver this monstrous payload.
"Get one thing straight, Phantom, there is no way you are going to escape me after today. The only question is how much pain you suffer. I can see your soulgem. It is under your left heel."
Upon hearing my words, the man stopped resisting and began to tremble. As I brutally smashed his elbows and knees, his limbs were no longer connected to each other. This simply meant that he was beyond helpless at the moment.
I stepped on his crotch and twisted my shoes like I was squashing a cockroach.
"Tell me what I want to know and maybe I will let you rest after I have had my fun. Otherwise, you will live a life of nothing but pain from today until Armageddon."
Though he could barely speak, his grunts and muffled screams told me how much pain he was in. I drew an F90 MBR to my left hand and began firing at his midsection. Already on the ground, my shots caused his body to dance as if he was being electrocuted.
"GHGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! HMMPGGGG!! HGHHSHGH!" Guttural sounds came from his throat as he continued to suffer.
"Who told you to come after me? And how did you form this huge army?"
I pulled out the Raging Hunter and allowed my prisoner to speak.
"NO ONE, YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER! I SWEAR AFTER I GET THROUGH! HMPGGHPH!"
Unwilling to wait for his curse, I pumped holes in his throat with .500 magnums. Blood began to pour in, causing the phantom to choke on his own blood.
Still raining bullets down on his body, I slowly moved the target of the F90 to his heel. The slow and painful way my bullets made their way into his soulgem caused his screams to grow louder and louder until he finally crumbled.
{WAIT! WAIT! I SURRENDER! PLEASE SPARE ME! I WILL NEVER HARM YOU OR YOUR WOMEN AGAIN!}
"Talk."
{It was the Machiavelli! Dominic Maegester! He introduced me to about thirty other groups and over 500 rogue Reapers. He said we could do anything as long as I didn't kill anyone from the Administration! He said the Rogues would take the fall!}
"I see," even after his words, I still riddled his entire leg with bullets as I made my way to his foot!
{WAIT! MR. LIMITLESS! I TALKED! STOP! I WILL DO ANYTHING!
LET ME GO!}
"Why have you come after my people?"
{Julius Caytiffe! He said you had a harem of Formless women! and that we could have them as sex slaves if we completed the mission. He said everyone else was off limits! We didn't do anything to your saints, we just fondled them a bit!}
I threw away the Raging Hunter and pulled out a healing tablet. Then I jabbed the healing tablet into the phantom's shadowy forehead. When his face healed a bit, I shoved the SL40 grenade launcher's barrel down his throat and pulled the trigger.
"[Double Damage]."
We were both engulfed in a blast of fire and smoke.
{AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}
Blood curdling screams shook the air. I used my legs to shield his heel, making sure he still survived. Then I touched the burned foot and sent souls into his soulgem along with a message as I stood up.
{You will not die today, but you will wish you did.}
{NO MORE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! KILL ME ALREADY!}
Unlike me, who was used to the pain of being burned alive, this man probably only had scrapes and scratches. I originally had an extremely high threshold for pain. But after repeated near-death experiences, it became even higher.