Crap... I can't move my body now, can't dodge...
Angel tried to get up from the ground, but found that with a person and a table pressing down on her body, except for her head and the right hand protecting her front, the rest of her body couldn't move much at all.
Under the double impact of the bomb's blast and the collision with the workbench, Kavi had already fainted, now lying limply on Angel's body, becoming the greatest obstacle to her counterattack.
"Sleep talisman"... dagger...
One by one, usable items on her body flashed through her mind. She discovered that the only thing she could actually use was still the "Bloodthirsty" that she had let go of while dodging the bomb.
Staring at the gradually approaching figure, Angel slowly moved her right hand at a speed not noticeable to others, groping under herself and Kavi, searching for the revolver that had fallen somewhere.
Maybe the slight movement caught Thomas's attention, he stopped about three meters away from the two.
"I mean no harm."
She had expected to hear some mocking words, but unexpectedly, Thomas actually said this, and Angel almost burst out laughing.
If that old man who was once mistaken as a "craftsman" hadn't collapsed on the ground, if I hadn't nearly gotten my head blown off and been bombed to death, I might have actually believed you...
While groping, she finally grabbed hold of the icy-cold "Bloodthirsty."
Slowly moving her right arm, gradually pulling the weapon out from beneath her, she didn't make any large movements, but quietly looked at Thomas, wanting to see how he would continue to quibble.
"I'm only here to take the extraordinary characteristic. She refused to cooperate, so she had to die."
"As for you, I don't know what you're here for, but if you had left quietly from the start, I wouldn't have bothered with you either."
"You even have a sense of superiority from killing people?"
After listening to Thomas's nonsense, Angel couldn't help but retort.
She finally raised "Bloodthirsty" behind the table, aimed at him, and could no longer tolerate Thomas's arrogant words, directly pulling the trigger.
The enhanced bullet easily pierced through the wooden workbench, shooting at Thomas with flying wood chips. The opponent seemed to have expected the attack, moving his body sideways before the gunshot sounded, easily dodging the bullet.
"Zzz—"
A strange shriek sounded, like steam leaking from a high-pressure cooker. As Thomas raised his revolver, about to deliver a fatal shot to Angel, his body froze—his chest was as if punched by an invisible fist, torn clothing fragments and flesh flying forward, falling to the ground and onto the workbench.
Bang—
The iron door behind Angel shook, and at about one meter high, a two-finger-wide hole appeared.
"Steam... rifle..."
With eyes wide open, Thomas spat out a few words. Orange-yellow flames surged up on his body. The second rifle bullet passed through his now-phantom-like form, leaving another bullet hole in the iron door and stirring up a whirlwind that blew away the remaining ashes.
The nearly invisible fiery figure lifted his left hand—not holding a gun—and wiped across his chest. The fist-sized wound vanished and reappeared on his shoulder.
"Poof—"
The last bit of flame disappeared into the air, and Thomas's figure didn't appear again.
That move again...
The attack from outside her vision left Thomas no time to use the paper-man substitute. Or maybe that ability has a usage limit... But even after being hit in the chest and near death, he still activated flame-jump and damage transfer to escape the scene.
Next time, if there's a chance, I should aim straight for the head.
Amid the heavy footsteps of the "Heart of Machinery" member carrying the gray-white mechanical box, Angel thought this.
"I'm fine now, the injury isn't serious. You guys hurry up and catch that bastard, he killed Byrne, (Rune curse), what a damned traitor..."
Having just regained consciousness, Kavi sat on a "tall" backed chair with half its back missing. A man dressed like a professional soldier was bandaging her shoulder wound. This craftsman had been shouting non-stop since being rescued, wishing she could send everyone with a gun in the room to capture the escaped Thomas.
"Miss Kavi, please calm down and let us treat your shoulder wound. The captain and the others have already gone to pursue him. Thomas won't get far."
The man persuaded her helplessly.
Amid the glass shards and wooden debris from furniture all over the floor, two men holding repeating rifles and one carrying a steam box—wielding a high-pressure steam rifle connected to the box—surrounded Angel.
The steam rifleman glanced aside, seemingly surprised to hear Kavi curse, but quickly turned his gaze back to Angel.
Only after she took out the inspector badge from Ahova County to prove her identity did Angel stop being held at gunpoint. But even though the alert was lifted, the "Heart of Machinery" shooter in front of her still wouldn't let her go, scowling as he asked:
"Then why were you conveniently here when Thomas attacked Miss Kavi?"
"If she hadn't appeared, I'd be dead by the time you guys arrived."
Ignoring the blood-soaked bandage on her shoulder, Kavi shoved past the shooters surrounding Angel to explain.
"When she walked in, that guy was already about to kill me. If she really wanted me dead, she could've just arrived late like you all did, couldn't she?"
The previously questioning "Heart of Machinery" shooter looked embarrassed and lowered his weapon.
From their conversation, Angel could guess that this "craftsman" should be a member of "Heart of Machinery," and probably held a pretty high position.
"Thank you so much this time. As soon as Thomas entered, Byrne recognized him. But he used that ability where he disappears and reappears from flames—he appeared behind Byrne from the door and shot him dead with one bullet... That bastard definitely planned it all out. When he fired, the church's hourly bell next door rang out just at that moment."
After reprimanding the late help, Kavi turned to thank Angel. Only then did Angel learn what had happened in the watch shop before she arrived.
This wanted murderer, hunted by "Heart of Machinery," had walked right past the Church of Steam and Machinery wearing a newsboy cap and entered Kavi's watch shop. Byrne, who had stepped down and now protected Kavi and her store, immediately recognized him, pulled out a short shotgun to attack, but Thomas used "Flame Jump" to get behind him and—taking advantage of the bell sounds—shot him in the head, killing the devoted guard.
Thomas then shot Kavi, wounded her, interrogated her about something, and was about to kill her when Angel happened to walk into the shop.
"Poor Byrne... he always said being an extraordinary was too dangerous, and was glad he never took the potion... Who would've thought, after living so long, he wouldn't die at an enemy's hand but at the hand of a traitor."
The shooter who had pointed a rifle at Angel murmured.
"Sigh... you guys take Byrne back and sort things out. I'll go inform his daughter—I'm the one closest to her."
Kavi had lost her cunning and cheer from yesterday's transaction, now wearing a solemn face as she looked at Byrne's body. The explosion had left his clothes shredded, his limbs twisted beyond recognition.
Immersed in the surrounding grief, Angel didn't feel it appropriate to ask Kavi to design and build a new weapon for her—besides, the shop had been blown to ruins and obviously couldn't serve as a site for transactions or weapon-making anymore.
But out of curiosity, she still asked Kavi, who stood silent:
"Wasn't Thomas already wanted for two days? After yesterday's raid, he should've escaped Enmatt Port. Why would he take the risk to come here looking for you?"
Do you two have some deep grudge that made him risk his life to kill you before leaving—Angel didn't ask this aloud.
A trace of anger flashed in Kavi's eyes.
"That guy said it himself earlier, didn't he? He wanted my extraordinary characteristic. That bastard must not be able to get potion materials in Enmatt Port and plans to use extraordinary characteristics to..."
She abruptly stopped speaking, as if realizing she had said something she shouldn't have. Her body tensed, and she looked nervously at the "Heart of Machinery" members carrying Byrne's body out on a carpet. Only when she saw they hadn't heard did her shoulders relax and she felt relieved.
Her overreaction only made Angel more curious about the second half of the sentence she didn't say.
Use extraordinary characteristics to? To do what?
Because he couldn't find potion ingredients, he had to kill Kavi to obtain the extraordinary characteristic that appears after death... Could it be that an extraordinary's characteristic can be used as materials for potions of the same sequence?
Shocked by this horrifying idea, Angel instinctively wanted to question her, but seeing Kavi's expression—like she'd just said something wrong—she figured the other wouldn't talk further, so didn't press and instead stiffly changed the topic:
"I didn't expect Thomas to have already reached Sequence 7. The wanted poster said he secretly became an extraordinary on his own by finding potions?"
"Sequence 7? Of course not, he's only Sequence 8. Otherwise, he wouldn't be after me, a Sequence 7."
Kavi shook her head.
That confirmed Angel's earlier thought: Thomas needed Kavi's extraordinary characteristic to advance from Sequence 8 to Sequence 7... Wait, Thomas is Sequence 8? But he could use powers clearly seen from a Sequence 7—used by the tailcoat jester?
"Miss Kavi, can you use the abilities Thomas just showed? Flame Jump, Paper Doll Substitute?"
Angel asked with a frown.
"How could I?! I... at most know some ritual magic, identification of mystical items, and basic weapon crafting. Even making mystical items has to wait until Sequence 6..."
Kavi loudly refuted, but her voice grew quieter, as if embarrassed.
But then she realized something, stood straight, and looked at Angel—who looked back, her gaze carrying the same thought.
"He's carrying mystical items that possess those extraordinary powers?"