Chapter 10: The Weight of a Bullet

July 17, 1325 – 08:42 PM - First jump

"Kitty... don't tell me that girl... has been bothering you all this time?" asked our savior from three doors away.

Without moving away from Ien, I replied:

"That's right, big sister. That bad woman hasn't stopped bothering me. Please punish her and make her head explode."

"Kuroha, she can control space at will!" said Ien, while getting up to run towards the masked woman. "Don't get close to her!"

"Understood!" responded Kuroha, preparing her revolver.

"I'm going too!" I said, following Ien.

"That's what they want... fine, all three of you come."

Both Ien and I tried to reach the girl, but she extended the space between us and twisted the hallway. Suddenly we were running through a path that curved like a whirlpool; we stepped on doors, dodged lamps, and the ceiling became the floor.

The concept of up and down vanished. Everything looked like the typical optical illusion games you see in amusement parks.

BANG BANG

Two bullets flew toward the masked woman, but she made the hallway take a sixty-degree curve. The bullets were going to impact against the wall; however, just like before and without any explanation, they changed direction and headed toward her.

She dodged the first one, but the other hit her leg.

"Aaaah!" she screamed while grabbing her wound.

After the impact, things returned to normal... well, more or less. The hallway was still twisted, but at least the distance between us shortened, allowing Ien and me to start combining attacks.

"Essss!" Ien made a strange cry while attacking.

A high kick that aimed for my assassin's chin was avoided when she increased the space. I took advantage to get closer and punch her in the face with what little I remembered from boxing.

I was always taught not to hit women. But now I have breasts, so... exceptions are made. Which is good because I hit her right in the face and I don't feel guilty anymore.

She attacked me with her hand. Crap, in the excitement I forgot she can cut things without touching them.

"Watch out!" Ien shouted.

She kicked the masked woman's palm, deflecting her attack, and without stopping I went for her ribs. She protected herself with her damaged arm. I could feel her bones breaking against my knuckles.

She separated the space again and we charged at her, but... when we were about to prepare our strike, she reduced the space, leaving Ien and me in an awkward position and her ready to cut us... and so she did. The invisible knife opened Ien from side to side, and before it reached the center of my abdomen, Kuroha fired.

A bullet advanced passing under Ien's body... but the diamond girl split it in two with her hand.

And before Ien's halves could fall, I could already imagine what was going to happen.

It activated...

"[PATHFINDER]!"

Ien's Deus Ex Machina activated, and now she was intact making a sandwich with her elbow and knee against the crazy woman's hand. She chose a timeline where she didn't manage to get hurt, and now here I come for a liver punch, but... the masked woman's good leg moved fast, and with a turn of her body she kicked me in the face... no, she cut my face.

Turns out not only her hand can cut things, her feet can too. Damn...

"[PATHFINDER]!" said Ien, saving my skin.

I appeared stumbling over the masked woman's leg that was left halfway, but I could make out a hole in her leg. In this timeline, Kuroha's bullet did reach her, though it seems it was only in the muscle.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Incredible, I didn't think she could use her ability that way: consecutively and changing time by just seconds.

With those wounds she was almost immobilized, but she didn't give up. She expanded the space with me and went with her leg toward Ien. She had no choice but to let go and step back, but she didn't stop, brought the space closer to Ien and cut her again.

"[PATHFINDER]!" for a third time Ien changed the events.

She had her body arched backward, the masked woman's leg passed over her. Ien jumped and dropped a sphere. She reacted quickly by expanding the space, but didn't count on it being a pellet explosive.

They came out like shrapnel, splitting the floor and walls in the direction of the masked woman. She made the hallway create a strangely pronounced curve. From above, the hallway looked like a rope waving in the wind, it was a zigzag or electrocardiogram inside the hotel.

The point is, behind her I was waiting for her. I punched her, but before retracting my fist she grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground with a judo throw.

She made the curved hallway area extend even more, isolating us from Kuroha and Ien, and now I was alone with the diamond girl.

When trying to break free, she put her knee on my neck, pressing so hard it hurt my throat.

From the floor I heard a breaking sound.

KRACK

A hand came out of the floor several meters away. My assassin turned, but she was too far to reach it.

"[PATHFINDER]!" I heard.

She changed time again, and now the hand that had missed succeeded in hitting the masked woman's chin, sending her flying upward. The hallway returned to its normal shape and the hand that was coming out of the floor was now in the wall.

Ien had gotten into the room that was below (due to the space distortion) and after trial and error landed a tremendous uppercut on her.

BANG BANG BANG BANG

Four bullets went straight, but in a desperate move she brought the hallway closer, or rather normalized it, as the distances had always been. That made the bullets pass by, impacting against the ceiling.

She was left on the ground, at Kuroha's mercy, between Ien who was coming out of the room and me who was getting to my feet.

"Ugh... ig... cough... I can't... believe it..." said the masked woman while getting up with difficulty.

It was exhausting... Ien was panting and crying... blood. Her eyes were red. Using a stone so many times must take its toll... how is the diamond girl doing? I can't see her face... I imagine she's just as bad.

"Ien, can you see my embedded bullets?" asked Kuroha.

"Se... several..." her gasping showed how exhausted she was.

During this pause, another conversation took place, one we couldn't hear:

"They're giving you a beating, don't you think? Do you want my help?"

"It's always the same with you... ha... you only act normal... when the captain isn't around..."

"Now that he's dead, you should see me as I am from here on out."

"Nesty... you're a... son of a bitch..." said the girl through the communicator. "But I need your help... I can't handle them."

"That's what you get for going all angry looking for a fight. We took out the portal girl and lost the captain almost at the same time. Running away was what we had to do."

"I won't let... the captain's death... be in vain... Now, come out and help me."

"Oki~doki."

"Though I doubt it'll last too long," thought the masked man with the X on his eye.

The first to move was the masked woman. She stretched her stones and with her hand made a sweep that began to split the wall on one side in half, advancing like a giant wave.

This wave started from where she was, but I managed to duck so the flying debris wouldn't hit me. The destruction kept advancing toward Ien and Kuroha, who moved quickly.

"Kuroha!" Ien shouted. "Do it!"

The bullets that were trapped in the ceiling or walls began to vibrate. I still hadn't learned to visualize the abilities of the stones, so I missed the spectacle that was.

By concentrating the energy of the stones in the head you can see how an ability manifests. For example, Kuroha's bullets not only moved, they also emitted a purple light that came from a dark center.

Each of the bullets expanded that aura until it covered everything around them. That stopped my assassin...

"HOW ANNOYING, BITCHES!" she was losing patience.

"That's the [Gravity Field]!" said Ien. "Kuroha's ability!"

All the debris started to levitate and be attracted to where the bullets were, even the masked woman herself, who got stuck to the wall with her limbs pointing in the direction of the various bullets.

"Agh!" being slammed against the wall, she could only complain.

With a huge hole in the wall and the girls crouched down, we felt we were finally about to win.

"[Gravity Field]... You really are an otaku, Ien," said Kuroha.

"But it's super cool! I bet Robin likes it too."

"Eeeh... yeah it's cool..." I didn't know how to tell her that now that I know the names are her thing, I'm embarrassed to say it.

"At least... thanks to all the space returning to normal, I could use my ability without problems."

Well... the bullets are tremendously spaced out, I suppose the effect wouldn't have reached the assassin.

"Ha... ha, ha, ha..." the girl was laughing. "Ha, ha, ha, ha... Ow, it hurts... ha..."

That laugh gave me a bad feeling...

"What's so funny?"

Bzzz

Again the sound from hell...

"Nothing."

I had forgotten in the heat of the fight, but she wasn't the only enemy.

"Kuroha, Ien!" I screamed. "Sniper!"

A bullet went through Ien's head...

"IEN!" Kuroha screamed.

[PATHFINDER]

Or at least that's what I hoped she would say, but no, Ien didn't move.

I froze for a few seconds until Kuroha shouted:

"Robin, take cover!"

That's right, we still have one more enemy.

Bzzz

How long will we have to survive until Ien arrives?

July 17, 1325 – 09:10 PM - First jump