As a Sequence 7 "Nightmare" of the "Sleepless" pathways, Clement—captain of the Enmat Port Nighthawks squad—possessed formidable close combat abilities. Yet the shadow's arm, extending from extremely close range, struck too swiftly for him to defend against. He could only retreat rapidly.
Angel raised her revolver as blood-tipped slender fingers reached for Clement's neck. She aimed and fired in one fluid motion—the demon-hunting bullet struck Mr. C's arm with a dull thud.
The projectile tore through Mr. C's right forearm, creating a wound two fingers wide. Flesh sprayed from the exit wound but strangely clung to his arm rather than falling to the ground.
Using this momentary opening, Clement backstepped twice, escaping the shadow's reach. His trigger finger worked rhythmically, emptying his gun in a single breath.
Two bullets hit the floating shadow with no effect; the rest passed straight through, vanishing into nothingness.
Mr. C emerged from the darkness, still draped in his black robe. The wound on his shoulder—from Clement's earlier sneak attack—had stopped bleeding, not hindering his movement whatsoever.
This terrifying recovery ability... normal attacks barely affect him...
Angel frowned as she studied the enemy's wounds, holding her fire to observe.
"Gulu... Gulu..."
A disturbing squirming sound emanated from Mr. C's injured arm. The flesh writhed, rapidly filling the void. The tissue hanging around the wound seemed to possess its own consciousness—crawling, leaping back into place. Within seconds, the injury had nearly vanished.
Now they understood how his shoulder had healed so quickly.
"Normal attacks won't work—aim for the head!" Clement shouted. He discarded his empty weapon, clenched both fists, and charged toward Mr. C.
The towering "Nightmare," dusted with phosphorescent powder, glowed like an ethereal warrior. Leveraging his size and strength, he launched a powerful straight punch at Mr. C's face.
Extraordinary individuals on the "Sleepless" pathways are as formidable in close combat as "Assassins"!
While Clement engaged Mr. C, Angel holstered her ineffective handgun and drew "Bloodthirst." She rotated the cylinder, moving the "Phosphor Eruption" round—originally reserved for a sneak attack—to the last chamber. Raising her weapon, she waited for an opening amid Clement's flurry of strikes.
Since emerging from the shadows, this Extraordinary seemed surprisingly inept at close combat. Under Clement's assault, he struggled defensively, gradually retreating. His nearly-healed arm wound reopened, fresh blood dripping between them.
Could Mr. C be... inexperienced in close combat?
Angel watched intently until Clement executed a sweeping kick that sent Mr. C flying several meters, finally giving her a clear shot.
In that instant, her shadow-penetrating vision caught a strange smile creeping across Mr. C's handsome face.
"Careful!" Angel cried out, abandoning her shot to warn Clement.
BOOM—
A violent explosion erupted beneath Clement's feet. The ground seemed to transform into pure explosive force, blasting him into a cloud of crimson mist—bricks and flesh scattering in all directions. The shockwave surged toward Angel.
It was Mr. C's spilled blood—he'd weaponized his own flesh as bombs!
Angel couldn't begin to imagine Clement's fate amid the explosion. She inhaled deeply and squeezed the trigger, sending an enhanced bullet from "Bloodthirst" into the grinning Mr. C. The shot carved horrific wounds through his abdomen and legs, spraying viscous blood.
"Ha ha, useless... the blessing of the Lord allows me to—"
Having successfully eliminated a Nighthawks, Mr. C's laughter was cut short as black flames erupted from his bullet wounds. The dark fire not only consumed his spraying blood, turning it to ash, but spread rapidly across his body, threatening to devour him entirely.
Angel stared in astonishment. She hadn't expected "Bloodthirst's" black flame enhancement to prove so effective against this abnormally regenerative Extraordinary. Seeing the flames take hold, she quickly raised her weapon for another shot.
Mr. C roared in agony, enduring the burning pain as he swung his injured arm, flinging a fan-shaped spray of blood. Before it touched the ground, he detonated it mid-air.
The explosive force tore through the space, soundwaves reverberating off the walls. In the chaos, Angel's hurried shot went wide. She watched helplessly as a shadow materialized beneath Mr. C's feet, swallowing him into its void.
Bang— Angel channeled spirituality into "Bloodthirst" and fired a demon-hunting bullet wreathed in black flame directly into the center of the shadow. But this darkness proved incredibly nimble; the moment of impact, the affected area dispersed, creating a hollow space. The bullet struck the floor, leaving a fist-sized crater. The black flame extinguished with a soft poof.
The shadow swayed mockingly, then—still partially illuminated by phosphor powder—surged toward Angel with frightening speed.
Right—phosphor powder... the black flame-enhanced "Phosphor Eruption" should harm the shadow...
"Bloodthirst" still contained one "Phosphor Eruption" round and four demon-hunting bullets. Earlier, Angel had rotated the special round to the last chamber. Just one more shot would unleash that potent ammunition!
The shadow's avoidance of the black flame bullet confirmed its vulnerability to such damage.
She feigned panic, retreating haphazardly. The shadow pursued, closing the distance much faster than she could flee, expanding rapidly as if preparing to engulf her.
One chance—this shot has to count!
Angel gripped "Bloodthirst" tightly, her eyes tracking the shadow as it lunged toward her.
"This place forbids shadow infiltration."
A deep, calm voice resonated from behind. Clement stepped from the darkness, his coat torn to shreds. Half his body was stained with blood and grime, his face pale as wax, a deep gash on his forehead streaming blood down one cheek.
But his left hand—wearing the artifact "2-031"—remained perfectly steady, positioned mid-snap.
An invisible wave radiated from his hand, sweeping over Angel and throughout the underground chamber.
The rapidly approaching shadow seemed caught by an invisible giant hand, lifted into the air. It twisted and struggled before reforming into human shape—Mr. C, still draped in black.
The black flames that had engulfed him extinguished during his shadow transition. Several wounds now exposed themselves through tears in his robe, flesh squirming slowly to fill the gaps.
Suddenly dragged from his shadow form, even the usually composed Mr. C displayed a flicker of panic. Before touching ground, he roared, attempting to summon the scattered blood and flesh that didn't belong to him.
If I can just gather that flesh and blood...
As this thought flashed through his mind, a burst of golden-yellow flame interwoven with purplish-black exploded before his eyes. Searing pain and heat engulfed his entire body.