Crimson splatters erupted from Reyn's shoulder, followed by sharp pain.
Ignoring the wound, he stood firm, shielding Viola, and shouted:
" Stay behind me! "
The woman shooter fired again instantly.
Her Spiritual Rifle flashed. Reyn saw only a burst before a tremendous impact hit his forehead, snapping his head back.
It wasn't a regular round but an Explosive Shell. Flame and metal shards burst on his brow. The shock dazed him, ears ringing; he nearly blacked out.
" Damn it! " Reyn cursed.
He felt warmth trickling down his forehead, touched it—blood. Realizing she'd nearly cracked his skull, he sighed in relief:
" Thank the heavens Steel Body held! Otherwise, that shot would've blown my head off! "
" Damn, " panic flashed, " just don't end up disfigured for life... "
The woman shooter across from him froze in shock.
She knew her Explosive Shells' lethality—even a Steel Knight couldn't withstand one. She hadn't expected a headshot to leave just a shallow wound.
" What supernatural class is he? A body that tough, tanking my bullets! "
Shocked but undeterred, the woman shooter fired again without pause.
One shot didn't kill—more were needed, aimed at the eyes. She didn't believe his eyes were that invulnerable!
This time, Reyn reacted lightning-fast. Guessing her intent, he shielded his head and face with his hands.
Bang! —another shot, but he knew it missed.
Simultaneously, coolness flooded his body, like a water flow. Wounds on his forehead and shoulder healed rapidly; pain ebbed.
Reyn lowered his hands and saw a layer of water bubbles around him, like a shield.
The shield rippled ahead, deflecting another crimson bullet.
" Reyn, are you okay? " Viola's anxious voice came from behind. She peeked out, saw he was intact, and sighed in relief.
Her body was also enveloped in a shield of water bubbles. Her eyes had taken on a deep blue hue, her golden hair billowed without wind, exuding an aura of water and storm. Her face became cold and stern, as if she had transformed into another person.
Reyn's Soul Eye was still active, and he could clearly see Viola's condition.
She had merged with her spirit!
Reyn and Viola had spent quite a bit of time together, and he had long studied her powers.
As a sixth-level Mage of All Spirits, Viola possessed two main spirits: the beginner-level elemental "Beka Wind Spirit" and the mid-level beast "Lake Spirit." Both were extremely rare demonic souls that she normally nurtured in her Soul Gathering Tower and could merge with at any moment to cast spells.
The "Water Shield Art" that enveloped them both, and the "Nourishing Water" that healed Reyn, were secret arts of the Lake Spirit.
These thoughts flashed through Reyn's mind like lightning.
Bang-bang-bang...
The female gunner didn't stop attacking. The spirit rifle fired continuously, three bullets whistling toward Viola, who was now in view. The impacts were so powerful that her water shield shook violently and seemed about to shatter.
Viola snorted coldly and, raising her hand, erected a wall of wind in front of her. The bullets veered off course immediately.
Then four fiery red figures appeared around her, instantly growing in size and transforming into four massive Fire Ravens, emitting piercing cries.
The wingspan of the Fire Ravens reached nearly two meters. They blazed with furious flames, whipping up a scorching whirlwind, and charged at the female gunner.
In flight, all four Fire Ravens simultaneously spewed streams of flame, engulfing the entire deck.
The female gunner was forced to cease fire and leap back. With a quick hand motion, she reloaded her spirit rifle and fired twice—bang-bang!—hitting two Fire Ravens in the heads. The bullets emanated freezing cold, causing both ravens to instantly freeze over and plummet down.
The remaining two Fire Ravens continued the pursuit and engaged the female gunner on the lower deck.
"Reyn, are you okay?" Viola asked again.
Reyn wiped the blood from his forehead and reassured her:
"I'm fine, just a bit of blood, nothing serious."
Viola's eyes were filled with surprise and even greater gratitude.
She had clearly seen how Reyn had just shielded her with his body without hesitation. In that moment, she thought he was surely done for, and she nearly lost her mind. Fortunately, Reyn's body proved incredibly tough, and he withstood the gunner's bullets.
She didn't know how he managed it, but now was not the time for questions.
Viola nodded. In her snow-white palm appeared a curved short sword of pale azure color, with a gem at the end of the hilt. The moment she gripped it, her spiritual power began rapidly recovering. Pointing the sword at the two Fire Ravens on the deck, she flicked it lightly, shattering their icy shackles. The birds reignited in flames and soared back into the air.
Then, from somewhere, she produced a vial of potion, uncorked it, and drank it down.
Before Reyn's eyes, Viola's spiritual power, which had been greatly depleted, surged sharply after taking the potion. First, she pointed at herself, and an azure stream of air enveloped her legs, making her steps light.
Then she drew two blue crystalline cards and infused them with spiritual power.
Two gigantic figures materialized on either side of Viola, their massive bodies making the deck creak.
One was a four-meter-tall giant covered in frost, with a face twisted in rage. Long hair and a braided beard were encrusted with ice crystals. In his shovel-sized hand, he gripped an ice axe!
The other was a huge white bear clad in thick ice armor, beneath which dense white fur was visible. Its powerful paws towered over an adult human, and massive fangs protruded from its enormous maw. Its small eyes burned with fury. The moment it appeared, it let out a deafening roar.
"Young Ice Giant and Armored Ice Bear..."
Reyn watched wide-eyed.
Both these creatures were summoned from outside, mid-level. They weren't nurtured in Viola's Soul Gathering Tower but called forth using Soul Cards.
The spiritual power spent on summoning external souls didn't recover. If they were killed, the Soul Cards would become useless.
The cost of a single mid-level Soul Card was no less than a thousand gold shields!
Seeing Viola summon external spirits without sparing expense, Reyn realized she was furious. At that moment, shots rang out from the lower deck, followed by two heavy thuds—something massive had fallen—and then silence.
Viola and Reyn exchanged glances.
The fourth-level gunner already possessed the "Illusory Flicker" element, allowing her to move at incredible speeds, effortlessly dodging most attacks and minimizing damage taken. Beginner-level Fire Ravens could only delay her for a few seconds, not kill her.
"I'll handle her."
Reyn jumped to the lower deck without waiting for Viola's objection.
A gunner's greatest strength was her spirit rifle: fast, accurate, high rate of fire. It was their advantage, but also their weakness.
If the spirit rifle couldn't pierce defenses or lacked lethality, the gunner became nearly harmless.
Reyn had Steel Body, and now a water shield protected him too. He had no fear of this female gunner; to her, he was an invincible turtle.
On the other hand, Viola, as a mage, greatly feared gunners: the slightest carelessness could cost her life. With the Ice Giant and Armored Ice Bear guarding her, Reyn's help wasn't needed yet.
Reyn dropped to the second deck and saw the two frozen Fire Ravens lying on the floor. No sign of the female gunner.
He had already activated Voice of All Things.
His hearing picked up myriad sound waves: wind noise, water lapping, rustling leaves on the island, and several faint breaths from the lower cabin—the yacht's servants, all seemingly unconscious.
Suddenly, a barely audible sound came from the side porthole.
"She's outside, clinging to the hull."
Reyn pretended not to notice and walked step by step toward the cabin. His warhammer and shotgun were there, nearby. He needed to reach them first.
The moment he entered, the barrel of a spirit rifle poked through the porthole.
Bang!
Reyn tumbled, dodging the bullet in time, and rolled into the cabin corner. There he grabbed the hammer and shotgun from his bag, leaped to his feet, and charged the porthole.
A burst of air from his feet accelerated him. In an instant, Reyn was at the porthole and slammed his hammer down.
Boom! The purified iron warhammer punched through the cabin wall, leaving a massive hole.
The female gunner, caught off guard, plummeted into the lake.
Reyn, shotgun in his left hand, unleashed a barrage from above. Bang-bang-bang! Hundreds of tiny metal pellets rained down on her.
The female gunner's silhouette suddenly blurred, as if multiple illusory images overlapped. The pellets hit her but caused little harm. At that moment, the four Fire Ravens circling the yacht reacted, diving down and spewing streams of scorching flame at the female gunner.
With a splash, the female gunner hit the water. The Fire Ravens, fearing water, halted their dive just above the surface.
Underwater, the female gunner's silhouette vanished instantly.
Reyn quickly tucked the shotgun into his belt, grabbed the hammer, and returned to the upper deck. Viola was fully safe under the protection of the Ice Giant and Armored Ice Bear.
"She's in the water, probably under the yacht. That's a problem."
Reyn said grimly. In water, his power would be limited, speed drop, making him an easy target.
"Leave it to me," Viola said calmly.
She approached the deck edge, pulled out a scroll, unfurled it swiftly, and infused it with spiritual power, activating the spell within.
Freezing breath spread across the lake surface in a flash. In just two or three seconds, the lake around the yacht began icing over. The ripples froze as if time had stopped, winter descending. Heavy snow fell from the sky, and a piercing icy wind rose around them.
The four Fire Ravens emitted sharp cries; clearly, this environment was highly unpleasant for them.
Only the Ice Giant and Armored Ice Bear near Viola felt even more at ease.
The icy aura around Viola thickened, rime covering her, as if she could conjure countless ice spells with a wave of her hand.
"Ice Domain Scroll of the fifth circle, used so casually."
Reyn couldn't help but admire. That was the power of money! Viola had poured a fortune into elevating her magic to the fourth circle and beyond—abilities only high-level mages could access.
A few seconds later, a patch of ice near the yacht exploded, and a figure leaped from the water, fleeing.
It was the female gunner.
The ice was slippery, so her speed was low, steps unsteady, her body already frosting over.
"Go," Viola commanded. The Armored Ice Bear leaped from the deck, landing on the ice with a crash, roaring, and charging after the female gunner.
In the low temperatures created by the Ice Domain Art, her fate against the Armored Ice Bear was sealed.
Reyn stayed vigilant and approached Viola.
Just then, his hearing caught an extremely faint sound from the other side of the deck, near Viola. Someone was slowly approaching her.
He instantly drew the shotgun from his belt and fired in that direction.
Bang!
A half-hidden figure revealed itself prematurely. The foe was shrouded in shadow, face concealed. A pair of blades flashed before him, trying to slice Reyn's bullets.
The shotgun unleashed dozens of pellets. The man's movements were lightning-fast, but he missed completely and took the full blast.