OLD-WORLD EXTRA C.462: True Might Of An Arcanist

***

Iron Reich stood at the center of a massive crater, his augmented suit glowing against the rubble.

In his hands, he gripped the Thunderstrike X-12, a formidable minigun designed for maximum firepower rather than accuracy, only able to be handled by Seraphims and above.

It was similar in size to the Calamity V1 anti-material rifle, and it featured multiple compact handles, allowing him to wield it with surprising ease.

The barrels glimmered with a faint blue light, the engravings on their surface matching those on his suit.

He was prepared.

Across from him was a Seraphim with the same Specialization, the one responsible for illusions that made a mockery of them and the Academy.

He held a massive pump-action shotgun, the long barrel glinting menacingly.

The priest had previously ambushed Kalahari but switched targets once he failed to take her by surprise.

He knew he wouldn't fare well in a direct duel against her.

Despite possessing the highest damage output per second, making him the most capable of taking her down, that advantage meant little if she was aware of his approach.

So instead of fighting a losing battle, he went after Iron Reich, leaving Kalahari to someone else.

With no one else around them, those two went at it, shots loud and clear, decimating their surroundings.

They were similarly skilled, as the priest likely wasn't a rushed Seraphim like the rest, but one with a solid foundation.

The prolonged duel had proved that.

Still, it didn't go in his favor; Iron Reich was relentless, his minigun not allowing him to get close or an uninterrupted moment to breathe.

But the priest wasn't about to keep the status quo.

If the battle continued much longer, another hunter group leader would come by, and death would be inevitable then.

Now, how would he get unpinned when against a minigun?

The answer was simple.

He backed off completely, staying low while moving through the rubble, and found a new place of attack.

Gunfire stopped, pen-drop silence remained, and Iron Reich's eyes locked on a pile of rusting beams in the distance.

He knew that the priest was there thanks to his information-gathering device, and the priest knew that himself.

There was no hiding.

Only distractions.

That signal was fake, a lie created by the priest.

He peeked out from behind a large bolder to the right of those beams, shotgun aimed at Iron's head.

Quickly spotting him, the German man dove behind cover.

Almost at that exact moment, a blast of shrapnel tore into the ground where he had just been.

Not pausing, he immediately retaliated, using the time the priest would take to pump his shotgun to his advantage.

Before Templar's Arcanist could fully step back into cover, a few bullets from the minigun clattered against his force shield, sparking but failing to penetrate.

"STOP HIDING YOU LITTLE RAT!"

Iron Reich advanced, his minigun firing as he walked forward, a barrage of bullets peppering the area.

Without hesitation, the priest leaned out from the other side of the rubble and fired his shotgun, aiming for Iron's head.

A bullet hit it mid-air and the shot scattered, but still, several pellets found their mark.

It wasn't something to worry about however, his force shield absorbed the impact with little effect.

"I'll fish you out, you priest bastard."

That was when Iron Reich shifted his strategy, ceasing the continuous fire and launching a concentrated burst at the debris, aiming to force the "rat" out.

Heavy rounds tore through the cover, and after a few seconds, when the stone was near its breaking point, he rushed out.

Yet he wasn't hit.

Just before moving, he touched a part of his body with runes that read {××××× ×××××××}, activating it.

That, combined with the {0} enchantment on his robe-like augmented suit, momentarily increased his agility to the Exarch sub-rank.

All Iron Reinch saw was a blur, and by the time he realized that it was the priest, he already got behind the next set of rubble.

Though it drained him to use that ability, he didn't pause and raised his shotgun to fire.

'Damn!'

Surprised, Iron Reich anticipated the move, swinging his arms upward to shield his head. Not a fraction later, those very arms turned into steel as the {0} rune brightened and the force shield dissipated.

The shotgun blast hit his arms, lightly cracking the steel, and the resulting impact pushed him back while shaking his entire body and the minigun that was still tightly clutched in his

grasp.

"Urgh..."

Though he protected himself, the concussive dampeners on the suit weren't enough to shield him from the force behind the shot; it felt as if he was run over by a truck the size of a

skyscraper.

"Got you now!"

Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, Templar's Arcanist charged forward,

closing the distance between them in another burst of speed.

In that flash of time, Iron Reich had his force shield back up, expecting ricochet.

The priest shoved his shotgun into Iron Reich's chest and pressed the trigger.

Before the bullets could shoot out, Iron Reich retaliated by slamming the butt of his minigun

into the shotgun, the force sending the priest's arms down.

A loud blast resounded, the pellets flying everywhere as they bounced off the ground.

"Die!"

While that happened, Iron Reich immediately crashed into the priest's chest, staggering him

backward.

Templar's Arcanist recovered quickly though, too fast for Iron's liking, as he raised his

shotgun and fired point-blank into his torso.

He couldn't do much at that moment; dodging a shotgun at that distance was impossible; instead, he needed to focus on defense.

{*} brightened, and his torse turned into steel.

It was the only thing that could stop the priest's enhanced pellets.

BANG!

The blast hit hard, instantly destroying his force shield and hitting his body.

CLANG!

But sure enough, {?????} was the savoir as it had managed to deflect the bullets, protecting

him from certain death.

And though the subsequent impact knocked the wind out of him, he stood his ground, unmoving, and counterattacked with a powerful kick that sent his opponent flying back.

"Eat this! HAHAHA!"

Then, before the priest could even hit the ground, Iron Reich opened fire once more, the minigun unleashing a torrent of bullets.

His force shield rekindled to life with what remained of its energy, while his opponent's situation started to match his of a few seconds ago.

The priest's shield sparked and cracked under the barrage, but still, he kept his grip on the shotgun, rolling with the impact to minimize the damage until he reached cover, pulling

himself behind it.

He then quickly scrambled to his feet and raised his shotgun for another shot.

Iron Reich anticipated that, shifting his stance to reduce his profile.

The shotgun blast went wide, the pellets scattering harmlessly across above him.

In response, he charged forward, using his bulk, enchantments, and momentum to close the

distance.

Templar's Arcanist saw the charge coming and ducked, secretly activating an ability.

That created a familiar illusion-a wall of Aether where only one side could see the other.

Aiming his shotgun behind that wall, he trained his sights on Iron Reich's legs, waiting till he

got a clear strike that would guarantee to cripple him.

BANG!