The front of my gun exploded, spewing out long tongues of flames while scattering overheated pellets from its complicated muzzle.
The rail and explosive-powered bullet pulled the burning air into its tail, artificially lengthening the fiery discharge to several meters... While cutting straight through the nearest rider, the one behind him, and then burying itself into the chest of the horse of the one further back.
And for just a moment, the tranquility of this moment became everything.
The cavalry that was about to crash into the barriers looked into the eyes of the celestials and divines who rose from behind their barriers.
Some readied their weapons, others pushed the parts of the barriers at the horsemen while a huge chunk of my force hurried to cast some sort of spell.
For this one, fleeting second, everything was right in its place. They were about to off us, we were about to off them. Everyone on the field came prepared, ready to pick a lot in the bowl of this messy fate of ours.
And as the voice of the system sang in my consciousnesses, this tranquil moment came to a crushing end.
[Battle Log:
- Average attribute level of the kill: 17.2 Participation: 70%
- Average attribute level of the kill: 15 Participation: 70%
- Average attribute level of the kill: 15.6 Participation: 70%
...
I didn't even have the time to realize I'd actually killed the third horseman... and most likely, either their mounts were counted as slaughtered beings or the bullet actually cut through the entire length of the horse, struck the ground, and claimed at least one more life as it ricocheted.
Such was the power of the weapon designed to burst bunkers open. And while anti-personal use was possible... its creators clearly didn't put much focus on it.
Which, strangely enough, in this crazed world of sword and magic, proved to work in my favor.
A bullet capable of penetrating several inches of the military-grade reinforced concrete turned out to be a great tool to crack open not only the armor but most importantly the barriers of the enemy soldiers.
"Haaa..." I heaved a long sigh as I felt the power surge toward me, instantly filling in a huge part of what my current body could contain.
But there was no time to waste. And two cavalrymen bursting through the clouds of dust and debris while slashing down at the celestials hiding behind them proved my point.
BOOM!
Fay's shot went through one of the riders, exploding only at the back of the man's barrier and showering the man behind with a sea of flame and boiling-hot metal shards.
I raised my eyes just a tiny bit, only to see Fay's fire sweep anyone who dared to crest over the top of the hill, slowing down the influx of the new enemies...
But there were already too many.
'Shit!'
I cursed when my body jerked, jumping back in a desperate attempt at dodging.
Not a second too late.
A long, barbed blade of a two-meter-long lance struck the place I was in just before.
'DIE!' With the adrenaline cursing in my veins, I raised my shottie...
And held back my shot.
That man's charge pushed me deeper into the line, while the man ended up slightly to my side. And if I were to shoot him at this angle...
The backs of the celestials would become the targets for all the side pellets!
'If that's the case,' swallowing down my fear, I regained my balance right as the attacker pulled on his horse's reins, making it turn to face me.
But by the time the rider readied himself to accept my attack and properly find out who here had bigger cohones and greater skill in a battle... I angled my shottie to the side, aiming right back to the place where I just escaped from.
And then...
"FALL OFF!" I screamed out like a madman while already pressing the trigger down.
The cavalryman only looked at me with confusion, not expecting me to scream out when it was time for the two of us to culturally decide who would be the slaughtered one and who would be doing the slaughtering.
Behind the rider, though, all the divines and celestials in my immediate surroundings fall back, breaking contact with the enemy forces and running for their dear lives to the sides...
Away from the cone of the fire my gun was about to unleash.
"Whatever..." The rider rolled his eyes and struck the sides of his mount with his heels, raising his lance to simply skewer me with it and put this farce to an end...
But the last of the celestials just escaped from my range of fire. And with the rider's horse stepping up for a jump charge, I pulled the trigger all the way back, instantly removing all the thoughts from the rider's determined and now all-bloody face.
As it turned out, neither his barrier not extremely nice decorated helmet helped him to stop the barrage of hundreds if not thousands of small needless pellets so hot, they turned half-liquid during the discharge.