Gaby grinned, his finger snapping forward in command.
"Crush him!"
The two colossal snow golems responded instantly, their fists rising high before crashing down toward Liam with bone-shaking force.
But Liam was faster.
In a blink, he launched himself forward, narrowly evading the crushing blow. The rooftop behind him exploded in a cloud of debris, the entire structure caving under the weight of the golems' assault.
Liam landed lightly, on the arm of one of the golems, and without pausing, sprinted toward its head. The other golem moved to intercept, its icy fist hurtling in from the side.
"Hmph!"
Liam aimed and fired. The bullet screamed through the air, shimmering with the blue aura of his revolver. It struck the fist, then detonated with a burst of energy. Ice and snow exploded outward as the golem's hand shattered mid-swing.
Liam smirked, but his victory was short-lived.
The golem he stood on turned its head with a mechanical groan, its mouth yawning open, then unleashed a freezing blizzard straight at him.
Liam's eyes widened in alarm. He jumped, spinning through the air as the blizzard roared beneath him. Mid-flight, he aimed and fired two rounds at the golem's head.
Both bullets struck, and exploded. The blast ripped through its skull, snow and ice bursting apart as its face was blown clean off.
The other golem, already regenerating, launched another attack. Still airborne, Liam twisted, landing on the monster's fist just as it came at him. He kicked off, flipping backward while unleashing a barrage of shots at its legs. The bullets erupted on impact, fracturing its balance.
The massive creature fell, right beside Gaby, its collapse leveling the building beneath and the one beside it.
But just as Liam prepared to land—
WHAM!
A massive blow struck him from the side. Caught off-guard, Liam gasped, blood bursting from his lips as the impact hurled him across the rooftops. He skidded through broken tiles, finally stopping at the edge.
Gaby burst into manic laughter, his tone mocking and triumphant.
"You never had a chance!!!" he shouted, practically skipping in place. "So bad... I actually wanted to play a little longer with you."
The remaining golem marched forward, its heavy steps shaking the ground as it closed in on the downed Liam.
"This was fun while it lasted~" Gaby sang.
But then—
A revolver spun through the air, curving toward Gaby from the side.
Caught off-guard, Gaby's face contorted with confusion. "How desperate can you be to throw your gun—"
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
A second bullet tore through the golem's abdomen—BOOM!—shattering it in a storm of snow.
Gaby's eyes went wide. But it wasn't over.
The bullet continued forward, toward the spinning revolver.
Time seemed to freeze as it struck the trigger.
CRACK!
A second shot fired instantly, streaking toward Gaby like a beam of light. He barely had time to blink.
The bullet slammed into his shoulder.
"AGHHHH!!!!" Gaby screamed, collapsing backward, tears streaming down his face as he clutched the gushing wound. He slowly turned his head to look at the running blood from his shoulder, his eyes trembling.
"BLOOD!!! IT'S MY BLOOD!!!"
The last golem crashed to the ground in pieces.
Across the battlefield, Liam stood slowly. His breath was ragged, his coat torn. He opened his hand and the revolver snapped back to his palm with a satisfying clink.
He glanced down at Gaby, who writhed and sobbed beneath him.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" Gaby howled.
Liam's expression was unreadable. Then he spoke, his voice calm and cold.
"You're nothing more than a spoiled little brat, who's probably spent his whole life playing with others however he wanted."
He adjusted his glasses.
"You've never known suffering. Never fought for what you desire."
"SHUT UP, YOU SHITTY HUMAN!" Gaby spat, trembling with rage and pain.
"That's why," Liam continued, "you're down there crying… while I'm still standing."
Gaby gasped, speechless. His fingers dug into the tiles, his body shaking with fury.
"Shut up…" he muttered. "Shut up… Shut up… SHUT UPPPPPPPP!!!"
A violent blizzard exploded from him, swirling upward like a rising storm. Liam raised his arm to shield his face.
"This isn't good..." he muttered, his jaw clenched. "He's using up all his remaining mana, he's going insane."
Everything within the storm began to freeze. Liam's arms crackled with ice.
"Not good…"
He leaped from the edge of the storm, landing on a nearby rooftop, ice breaking off his sleeves. He looked back at Gaby, still in the heart of the blizzard, now barely recognizable, a wraith-like silhouette.
"He's out of control."
Liam reached into his coat and pulled out a crimson bullet.
The Paralyze Bullet.
"A magic bullet that disables 99.9% of mana flow when shot at the core."
He set his sniper rifle on the ground, loading the red bullet into the chamber.
"I've got one shot. The wind from the blizzard will make it nearly impossible..."
He took a breath. Everything went still.
"Now."
BOOM!
The shot cracked like thunder.
The red bullet tore through the air, only to slow as it neared Gaby.
Liam's heart skipped a beat.
"A self-conscious barrier?!"
The bullet struggled against the magical resistance. Liam's hands trembled, but then, a flash of inspiration.
He pulled out mana bullets, rapidly modifying the sniper's barrel.
"If I detonate them near the red bullet… the explosion might give it the force it needs."
He fired again.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Explosions rippled through the air as the bullets detonated near the barrier, sending a shockwave that echoed through the city.
The red bullet surged forward
And pierced Gaby's chest.
The blizzard halted instantly.
Silence.
Liam exhaled hard, relief washing over him.
"Ahh... Finally..."
He shouldered his rifle and approached.
The ground beneath him had frozen solid, the frost spreading as he walked. Gaby lay still, conscious but unable to move.
"Stay away from me!!!" he cried, panic returning.
But Liam kept walking, silent.
"DON'T COME CLOSE TO ME! NO! NOOO!"
He stood over Gaby now, his shadow looming. Cold, unreadable.
"YOU WILL PAY—!"
BANG!
A shot to the leg silenced him. Gaby screamed.
"You demons took everything from me," Liam said quietly, his tone like steel.
"Killing you would be easy…" he added.
Gaby trembled in fear.
"…But it's better that you live."
"Y-you will?" Gaby asked, stunned.
Liam smiled.
"Yeah."
He leaned down, voice calm, almost innocent.
"But you'll have to pay for it first."
He pressed his palm to Gaby's chest—CRACK.
Something snapped within, the mana core in his body broke.
Gaby screamed in agony.
"I shall break it first," Liam whispered as he stood.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"Let's just say…" Liam turned his back.
"You can say goodbye to your little snowy golems."
Gaby's eyes widened in terror.
"Y-YOU—"
Liam didn't look back.
Gaby began to sob in rage. But suddenly—
"BROTHER!!!!"
Liam froze.
"Brother? Who's—"
SHINK!
A shard of ice pierced his side, sending him flying into a nearby wall. Blood splattered across the stone.
He staggered, clutching the wound.
From the settling dust, a tall figure approached Gaby and lifted him with ease.
His black hair curled upward in strands. A scar marred his cheek. His deep blue eyes, calm yet burning, stared straight at Liam.
"We will meet again," he said flatly.
"Be prepared… human."
Then he turned, and leapt away with Gaby in his arms.
Liam stood, not angry, not afraid… but intrigued.
"That guy… I've never heard of him…"
He pulled the shard from his side and dropped it.
"I have to admit though…" he muttered, his hand pressed against his wound.
"If I had fought him instead of Gaby…"
A small chuckle escaped him.
"…He would've torn me apart."
---
Liam vs. Gaby: Winner – Liam!
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