"BANG, BANG, BANG!"
Bullets, amplified by a double-whammy of gunpowder and psychic energy, roared out of the chamber. A single shot was enough to shatter the cheek of the hideous "Big Head Doll."
This monstrosity looked like the head of a three-meter-tall infant. It had massive red eyes weeping blood and a gaping mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, currently wailing in agony.
It had no torso below the head. Instead, the neck sprouted a dense, writhing mass of red, maggot-like tentacles. Originally, it had several thick, tree-trunk-like tentacles, but those had already been blown to bits.
The white-haired brat had transformed into this horror, but under Kenmei Isayama's saturation fire, it was already on its last legs.
Squelch.
Black ichor sprayed from the battered wounds. Kenmei took a step back to dodge the fluid, raising the double-barreled submachine gun in his hands to continue the barrage.
The gun was constructed from matte black metal. Its rough lines and the scrap screws holding it together gave it a wild, industrial "trash-bash" aesthetic.
The dual long barrels embodied the philosophy of "Bigger is Better." Looking at that massive caliber, it was hard to believe this was a submachine gun and not a grenade launcher. It boasted a max fire rate of 10 rounds per second.
This "Dakka-Gun," crafted by Kenmei, would be considered a top-tier masterpiece even in the Ork world. The thunderous roar of its exploding rounds was a sound no Ork could resist; they'd probably smash out all their own teeth to use as currency just to buy it.
Since crafting it, Kenmei hadn't had a chance to use it in actual combat until now.
That was why he didn't let Toji Fushiguro step in. Kenmei wanted to solo this monster to test the weapon.
The damn thing's HP bar was seriously thick. Even though it was near death, Kenmei had to worry about the overheating issues common with heavy firepower weapons.
Kenmei had already emptied three extended magazines into this Cursed Spirit. The black barrels were glowing red from the sustained high temperature.
If Kenmei hadn't used his [Tech-Priest's Soul] to establish a weak "WAAAGH" field from the start—constantly chanting "I think this gun won't explode" while pulling the trigger—this fresh-off-the-line shooter would have probably blown up in his face by the second magazine.
The problem, Kenmei realized, lay with the steel. It was a fundamental material defect that couldn't be fixed.
The Greenskins in the Warhammer world might love scavenging trash, but even their "trash" steel was the product of 40,000 years of human technological advancement. The material science there was on a different level.
By Warhammer crafting standards, the steel in this world failed in flexibility, hardness, and heat resistance, making the guns prone to exploding.
Kenmei decided not to drag this out any longer. The gun was reaching its limit for continuous fire.
With that thought, Kenmei closed his eyes. When he opened them again, everything changed.
The world before him had turned black and white. All color vanished, and time seemed to slow down several times over.
Kenmei could see the bullets he just fired slowly sinking into the Cursed Spirit's skin, then exploding from the inside like dynamite. The disgusting chunks of meat and blood flying through the air moved frame by frame.
He had activated a new psychic spell effect. The Mana consumption was even higher than his Pyromancy spells, draining a rapid 50 Mana per second.
There was no helping it. Due to their special nature, Divination-type psychic spells were destined to be energy hogs.
Kenmei widened his eyes. He had to find what he was looking for within the limited time.
The dog-like monster tried to ambush him by hiding its tentacles underground and launching a spike attack. After rolling to dodge, Kenmei finally saw it.
"Found it!"
Although faint, there was a streak of bright red in the center of the "Big Head Doll's" forehead, standing out against the grey world.
Because it was covered by the brat's hair, Kenmei hadn't been able to see it at all earlier.
Kenmei locked his gaze onto the red beam of light in the center of the "brat's" forehead. He lowered his center of gravity, and in the next second, he vanished, leaving behind a blue afterimage.
In an instant, he leaped and landed directly on the "Big Head Doll's" head. This proximity made the monster extremely uneasy.
Staring into the two glowing red pupils that were almost level with him, Kenmei saw a light flash in their depths. A bright red beam of light erupted.
His vision was completely flooded with red light, but Kenmei's expression didn't change. He simply tilted his head slightly, dodging the point-blank attack.
When the beam hit the "Curtain" behind him, it blew a massive hole in the barrier. The explosion in the sky made his hair rustle in the wind.
Kenmei remained unfazed. He fired two shots, blowing out the "Big Head Doll's" eyes, then aimed the barrel right at the spot where the red light had appeared and pulled the trigger.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
The muzzle spat dazzling blue fire snakes, while spent casings jingled as they hit the ground from the ejector.
Continuous gunshots rang out. Bullets coated in psychic energy exploded ruthlessly in the center of the Cursed Spirit's forehead, tearing through the flesh blocking the way.
As the bullets dug deeper, the Big Head Doll wailed in agony.
To open the hole faster, Kenmei jammed the red-hot barrel directly into the wound. The spraying blood actually helped cool it down.
This was pure torture for the "Big Head Doll." It lost all reason and began ramming into things, destroying trees within a hundred meters in its thrashing pain.
Kenmei just heard the sound of shattering glass, but he didn't let go of the trigger.
Not until the system notification chimed:
[Absorbable Cursed Energy detected. Absorb?]
Only then did Kenmei release the trigger. Moving the barrel aside, he saw the solid spherical core inside had shattered into pieces, with thick, blood-red liquid gushing out.
[Precognition (Foreseeing Victory)]: One of the Divination discipline psychic spells. As the name suggests, it is a precognitive spell to discover enemy weaknesses.
Cost: Determined by the strength of the target.
Description: Seers witness a path to victory; they use these prophecies to win on the battlefield.
The strength of this Cursed Spirit formed from the fallen brat put Kenmei in the bracket of consuming 50 Mana per second.
Looking at his glowing red gun barrel, Kenmei wondered if a red-hot crowbar might work better next time.