BXBX NOVEL Chapter 61: Like I give a damn
I crammed all the Kinetic energy I tanked from his strikes into the bullets of the M60. I currently had ball rounds in but with {Counter} they might as well be armor-piercing rounds.
Ammunition was generally separated into categories. What changed was not how the bullet flew but what it was made of and its purpose. Everything from pistols to sniper rifles followed these bullet types which defined their roles.
First you had Full metal jackets or FMJs, bullets are typically made of lead. A full metal jacket was like an armored bullet that protected the lead in order to increase its ability to penetrate.
Then you had hollow points that are bullets with hollow areas in them. Normally you would think why would anyone want to do that? But the answer was derived from a thousand years of war. Basically, if the bullet is too fast or too hard, it didn't kill as much people as effectively.
If the bullet is far too powerful, they pass through the muscle or tissue of a human body. FMJ's normally just punches holes into people, if it is not able to hit bone, no shockwave would pound the body as the damage would be like a spear stab. Medics who can bandage and seal a wound with pressure would be able to save a target.
Man in his search to find the best way to fuck up his enemies invented the hollow points. These rounds due to the hollow area do not pierce with the kinetic energy but instead "Pancake" around the area like mashed potatoes. The result? Instead of the bullet exiting, the bullet turns into a steel flower that sends shockwaves to the body.
Depending on the bullet size, distance and caliber these shockwaves had enough power to break bone, destroy organs and rupture blood vessels. The worse part, they are hot, so they also burn the flesh around the area. This was on top of fragmenting into the body.
Meaning even if you survived the hollow point gun shot, you would have bits of metal scattered inside your body which if not treated will cause infections and eventually lead poisoning.
The main downside however is that due to being designed to kill people, hollow points cannot penetrate walls or armor which makes them close to useless against a well-equipped enemy. So the hollow points and FMJs would need to complement each other depending on who you want to kill.
Ball rounds of the M60 were this weapon's version of hollow points. They were harder than regular bullets but followed the same principle. I used them due to my intended goal for the M60. This light machine gun theoretically could rip apart zombies with its FMJ armor piercing rounds. But as undead can still move even if pierced, I opted to use ball rounds to shatter their bodies to knock them down.
However, it seems the decision was ill advised when going up against reapers. When the smoke cleared Zach had his axe on his shoulder. Surrounding him were floating ancient looking Cyrillic characters laid out like a wall.
"You have way too many tricks up your sleeve you bastard. You invoked like what… sixteen different {fates} in the short amount of time we fought?"
Seeing as the wall of text blocked even the 7.62 rounds, everything else I had most likely would be useless. The only thing I had with more power were the 10-gauge slugs.
For shotguns buckshots would be the hollow points and slugs would be the FMJ's. While the buckshots could send a normal human flying due to the combined force, individually they would not any stronger than a 9mm. Only the 10-gauge slug had enough kinetic power to pierce or more like smash the enemy in front of me.
"{Sheathe}, {Draw} 1887, slugs."
Not paying attention to Zach as he slowly walked towards me, I cocked the 1887's lever to cycle the ammunition. I afterwards I loaded slugs rounds I got from my armory.
"Are you still going to fight me? So long as you use guns you will not be able to penetrate this defensive array," the specter boasted.
"Like I give a damn about all that shit. If you can endure my next attack, then I give up. {Draw} M26. {Thief}."
I then rushed towards Zach, as I shifted my hold from the grenade's lever beginning its detonation. With {Thief}'s speed and reaction time I saw his face slowly warp in anger as I dashed faster than an Olympic sprinter.
"Don't get full of yourself you bastard! {CLEAVE BONE!}"
Zach's face raged as he lifted his one-handed axe high above to the sky. Ignoring on his attack I body slammed the reaper while roaring.
"{Fighter}!"
I then smashed the grenade I was holding into his face as it exploded. The heat, pressure and shrapnel all destroyed my body in less than a second. Yet as the flames and metal fragments ravaged my body, my eyes until the last moment remained focused on Zach.
The wall of text surrounding his body disappeared and a large number of souls were being drawn into the pen into his right hand. Just then his axe fell and cleaved my left shoulder sending my entire left arm to the ground. The pain of losing an entire limb made my mind go numb. I couldn't stop the feral howls that escaped my lips.
Still, despite all the suffering and damage {Fighter} allowed me to remain sane and upright. With a smile I stabbed the business end of the 1887 towards Zach's weak point. I saw it earlier using {Mage}, his left iliac region or the spot just above the left side of his groin.
"Get fucked, {Mage}." I cursed in satisfaction as I pulled the trigger of my shotgun.
A loud bang erupted, and Zach was sent flying. Such an outcome meant he had armor that I failed to penetrate. Otherwise, he would have just stayed in place as his lower abdomen exploded. Without the abilities of {Fighter} my mind went hazy. Bit by bit my wounds healed, my eyesight being the fire to do so.
But I didn't want to waste a {Rewind} until I was sure he was out so I endured the torture of mending my wounds.
Delirious like I was hungover, I limped towards the specter lying on the ground. He vomited blood as he made an angry expression. I spin cocked the 1887 with my remaining hand as I pointed it to his face and shouted in annoyance.
"I don't want to kill another reaper. I already am 26,000 souls in debt. Just let me pass already you fucking gangster!"
Just then "Zach" who had been on the floor disappeared and suddenly the world revolved around so fast I puked my guts on the spot. After I emptied the contents of my stomach, I then found myself once again standing in the counter of the registration booth. With the gangster holding his pen and book in front of me.
"Not as impressive as David said but It is enough," he said with a frown.
I checked with {Code} and noticed all the souls I used returned. Even the injuries I got disappeared without me rewinding. What the fuck was going on? Did we even fight for real or was that all an illusion? Did I really even puke at all? Probably as he saw the confusion on my face, Zach began to chuckle heartily.
"None of that was real. It is one of my {fates} abilities {Reverie}. It was two parts illusion one part possibility. What you fought was a recorded Phantom version of yours truly. Despite almost dying to it, for a rookie your combat prowess is nothing to scoff at."
'Holy fucking shit. That illusion was a {fate}? I didn't even notice when it started or when it ended. I currently am still standing in front of the counter, was I here all this time? How long did the whole illusion last? If an undead could use such tactics I would be dead even before I knew what happened,' I analyzed in panic.
Unable to immediately come to grips with such a truth, I clenched my hands in frustration. I really underestimated this place. Despite thinking my abilities were OP, a fucking booth clerk shattered my ego into pieces. Become a fucking Revenant? If the booth clerks were all as strong as this fucking gangster how the fuck was Hellsgate still open?
If it was me before I died, probably would have turned back and bowed my head in shame. But now? The option of giving up no longer existed. Hell, I took down a brute as a formless. Also, my girls all entrusted their lives to me, if I lost heart then who would lead them? It has to be me, I would fight, run even crawl until I closed this fucking place!
"Thank you for the lesson, Zach. I will remember well. Can I pass now? Or do we still have business to discuss?"
Zach then smiled as he closed the book. Stretching his hand, he offered me a handshake.
"Welcome to the North American Battle Front, John Smith. I expect great things for you. Report to the dispatch office and register yourself to the Mercenaries. Tell them Zachary Lynch sent you. May your fate end the darkness."
After I shook his hand, Zach sent me my way and I rejoined the majority that passed the entrance booths. We immediately arrived in a small town with rustic feeling. It reminded me of the small towns in Isekai novels or the run-down settlements in old western flicks.
The buildings were made of what looked like steel and concrete. There were streetlights that illuminated the area but overall, the quaint little town looked peaceful and serene.
'If not for the thousands of armed reapers within its midst,' I commented.
An extremely large building that had a sign saying "Dispatch Office" stood at its center. Around 30% of the people where either heading to or coming from this said building.
"Looks like the place," saying those words I walked towards the genesis of my life as a reaper.