Clash

The river was not deep, but it had a bone-chilling coldness to it. Kurumi had never experienced being smashed directly into a riverbed before.

The stirred-up mud and sand swirled around her, making that patch of river water slightly murky.

She successfully caught the sniper rifle Hirono Toda had thrown over. It was the very one he had used from the second floor of the apartment to hunt Dead Bodies at the beginning.

Though obtaining the gun had been somewhat roundabout, Kurumi truly had no desire to face that mutated stingray head-on.

Who the hell knew how it had mutated into that thing?! The murky river water obstructed Kurumi's vision. She pressed her left hand into the silt and pushed herself upright, her black hair plastered wetly against the front of her body.

Seeing that Kurumi was all right, Busujima Saeko let out a breath of relief, only to grow anxious again. "Kurumi, watch in front of you! That stingray is swimming toward you!"

The modified Hummer had already stopped. Its body, fitted with thick steel plates on both sides, was covered in deep dents that looked particularly alarming!

The mutated stingray had initially been on the other side of the vehicle. Sensing that someone had been knocked into the water, it immediately flapped its "wings" and sped toward Kurumi.

Soaked from head to toe, Kurumi looked somewhat bedraggled. The water only reached her waist, and through her grayish-white shirt, the alluring black underwear beneath was faintly visible. Unfortunately, the mutated stingray had no idea what it meant to cherish a beautiful woman.

Besides, no matter how pretty Kurumi was, she could not compare in its eyes to those plump female manta rays. Right now, it only wanted to devour the lovely morsel in the distance and find out what she tasted like.

The previous night, those little fish reeking of Dead Body blood had left a deep impression on it. What? Did it even have taste buds? What could I do if it thought they tasted good? Why not ask it yourself?

Maybe it could even recommend a few recipes, along with some ancestral secret seasoning...

Her left hand gripped the front of the sniper rifle tightly, but her right hand kept trembling. The pain was growing increasingly intense. That previous blow had probably numbed it at first, but now that the numbness had faded, pain surged continuously through her nerves and took control of her entire right arm!

She had been through plenty and suffered injuries worse than this more times than she could remember. Kurumi did not care about this little pain and would not even furrow her brow, but her body's instinctive response made it nearly impossible for her fingers to pull the trigger!

Takagi Saya, leaning out the window, felt her entire body turn cold. The nearly six-meter-wide mutated stingray stood in stark contrast to Kurumi's slender frame. She fully believed that the creature could tear Kurumi to pieces in a single encounter!

"Hirono, Hirono! What the hell are you doing, you useless fat otaku?! Hurry up and shoot that fish!" Seeing Hirono Toda still lying inside the cabin and searching for something, Takagi Saya was furious.

"I... I can't find my glasses. Huh?" Hirono Toda stared blankly at the women's glasses handed to him by the Goddess of his heart.

"Hurry up. Borrow my glasses for now, and remember to return them when you're done. What are you still standing there for?! Go shoot that stingray!"

"Y-yes!" Under the Goddess's imposing gaze, Hirono Toda naturally did not dare resist. He put the glasses on his nose, stretching the frames wide at both sides and looking particularly comical.

After feeling around on the seat for his gun, he hurriedly braced himself against the sunroof and began searching for the mutated stingray.

Takagi Saya's prescription was not that strong, so even with her glasses on, Hirono Toda still saw the world in a blur. But this was no time to worry about that!

Kurumi had already exchanged fire with the mutated stingray! The situation was still fairly optimistic. She had it completely suppressed, preventing it from showing itself, but once the bullets in her magazine ran out...

The moment it emerged from the other side of the vehicle, Kurumi locked onto it. In a river this shallow, its enormous body had nowhere to hide. Once a gentle creature of the ocean, it had now become a savage monster!

Six meters wide and weighing four thousand kilograms, the stingray was enough to rule this stretch of water! Especially now, when the water level was nearly at its lowest point of the day. It was impossible to imagine what kind of might it possessed when the tide rose at night!

She held the gun steady with her left hand. Since her right hand could not pull the trigger, she forcibly wedged it in place and pulled her arm back! Even so, the muzzle continued trembling violently. Even Kurumi, with Mastery of Firearms, had to put in considerable effort.

"Bang! Bang bang!—"

The gunshots rang out in rapid succession. While the rapid-fire sniper rifle maintained a degree of suppressive fire, its power naturally fell short. It could not replicate the one-shot kills of a large-caliber sniper rifle, but in return, it offered more opportunities.

It seemed angry, but every time it moved forward, it was met with a barrage of bullets! Its huge body circled back and forth in the distance, churning up the sediment on the riverbed and turning that entire patch of water utterly murky! Blood was faintly mixed within it...

Kurumi did not lower her guard. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly moved toward the modified Hummer, all while watching that patch of water. The bullets had already met one layer of resistance after passing through the river before striking the mutated stingray.

Though it was not much, it was better than nothing. Yet they were still firmly caught by its thick muscles. Kurumi was absolutely certain that those shots had not injured it at its core! Maybe... it was afraid of pain?

Damn it, humans become completely brainless after turning into Dead Bodies, so why are fish getting smarter instead?! As expected, these 100 Reincarnation Points won't be easy to earn! Kurumi's gaze grew increasingly grave as she stared unblinkingly at the murky water.

Kurumi could not determine the mutated stingray's position, much less Hirono Toda on the roof, who saw everything in a blur. He could not see even a trace of the thing. Though he knew it was hiding there, firing would have a high chance of wasting bullets!

"Boom!—Bang bang bang!—"

The mutated stingray burst out of the murky water, its wings slamming violently against the surface. The tremendous thrust propelled it to extreme speed in an instant, while Kurumi's bullets arrived at the same time and poured mercilessly into its head!

On the roof, muzzle flashes burst from Hirono Toda's gun as well. Though he could only hit its body, not a single bullet was wasted. This time, however, the mutated stingray did not retreat in the slightest!

Instead, it accelerated once again and charged fiercely toward Kurumi!

Kurumi pulled farther away from the modified Hummer, trying to ensure every bullet struck its head. She could feel the ammunition in her magazine running out. When that happened, without any spare magazines, she could only pray that Hirono would throw accurately this time.

Busujima Saeko stood anxiously on the roof. Though the mutated stingray was not far from her, someone who only used a sword would inevitably have her strength greatly reduced in the water. Thus, she had not gone down, afraid of becoming a burden to Kurumi. But... this time, she saw an opportunity!

Judging from its route, the mutated stingray would likely pass near the vehicle. When that happened, she would...

She retreated to the other end of the roof, holding the Steel Katana horizontally before her. Kurumi, observing the surroundings from nearby, immediately understood what she intended to do. After firing her final bullet, she looked toward the roof.

Blood drifted across the river's surface in the mutated stingray's wake. With her sharp eyesight, Kurumi could see that its head had nearly been turned into a hornet's nest by the bullets. But why was it still alive? Wouldn't a Dead Body become a corpse once its head was blown apart...

This thing was fucking hard to deal with! Just as it was about to pass near the vehicle, Busujima Saeko casually flung the sword hilt behind her. A sharp aura burst from her entire body, and with only two steps of space on the roof, she leaped high into the air!

The gleaming silver blade plunged straight down toward the mutated stingray's back!