Death Sonata

Clawford remained perched in his rusty throne, bored but thrilled at the same time, when a foot slammed into the door to open it as Natan's silhouette stood between the frames.

"So you've finally found my hiding place. Shadow Rider, I'm surprised you didn't discover such a large fortress on this small island sooner..."

Clawford had smiled as Natan raised the poster with Clawford's $28 million bounty and presented it to him.

"Don't say you've come for the money. Such a nasty individual, but I'd expect nothing less from a coward who rarely appears in public. Trust me when I say that greed kills a lot of people, it really does."

"I prefer to work independently. It's just how I operate, and I don't usually deal with company since it would drag me down and prevent me from accomplishing anything. As for the bounty... Let's just say I'm renowned as a bounty hunter, but at the same time, I'd rather you didn't kidnap and enslave people, then slay them cruelly."

"I might add that you're quite composed, but will that be enough to defeat me and claim your reward? Have you considered why I'm carrying such a large bounty on my head? It's really that simple. I'm a pirate who's managed to slay enough other pirates to become incredibly powerful. But, when it comes to you, I believe you'll achieve nothing since I'm beyond your powerless reach."

While Natan stood there, his neck collar, covering his mouth, he pointed his pistol forward and pressed the trigger, the bullet flying through the air and appearing in the distance, only to be instantly halted by Clawford's huge claws and bounced into one of the walls.

"It takes a keen eye to shoot at someone so quickly and precisely. You certainly deserve the title of gunner, but what happens if you run out of bullets in the middle of a fight? How do you continue?"

Natan remained silent and ready to shoot once more, but he did listen to Clawford's next word.

"Do you prefer to be still and silent? If I may say so, that was a very bad judgment." He finally got out of his rusted old throne and stretched both arms, the metals resonating throughout the room.

"What makes you think I'll run out of bullets?" His statements sounded threatening, but Clawford seemed unfazed. "At some time, any pistol will run out of ammo. Besides, based on the number of rounds on your belt, I'd estimate you have approximately 500 shots left, which won't be enough to kill me."

"I'm going to show you what my ability can do!" Clawford crossed his arms in front of his chest, claws hanging down, as he began to walk with his feet on the floor, purple energy dusting the room, prompting Natan to fire another bullet that swirled through the air, only to miss as Clawford vanished out of sight.

After the bullet hit the wall, purple energy began slicing through the air, almost ostensibly piercing Natan's body, while Clawford materialized behind Natan's back who converted into dark-like smoke, allowing him to move quickly to a different position.

The slicing energy looped around the room next to the walls, attempting to slice Natan once more. Natan quickly spun the gun in his hand and ran on the stoned floor, rapidly shooting bullets from his hand at Clawford, who then leaped out of the way of the bullet and landed on the wall in a cat-like manner.

Natan raised his violin case to defend himself from the slicing purple energy, which pushed him away from the position, but it was enough to halt the energy from raging on.

Clawford slammed his sharp claws into the wall, crouched his limbs, and propelled himself through the air at breakneck speed, causing the ceiling, floor, and walls to crack, while Natan crouched and darted across the floor after transforming into the same black smoke, while Clawford slammed into the ground, causing the ceiling, floor, and walls to crack, then hurriedly located Natan on the other side of the room.

He took a step forward and fired five bullets at Clawford, who dodged them by zigzagging through the room and then hurling himself forward at high speed, sharp claws aimed right for Natan's forehead. In reaction to his sixth and final round in the magazine, he fired a larger bullet into Clawford's body.

It caught Clawford off guard and forced him to cross his claws in front, thinking he could simply redirect the bullet out of the way, but in the end, the larger bullet exploded on impact and threw Clawford's body back, forcing him to fall on his back and shift into a back roll, ramming his body into the wall.

Natan returned to battle after flicking his gun downward to reload the six-bullet mag and witnessing Clawford bleed from his forehead due to the explosion, who was also surprised. "An explosive bullet? That can't be right."

As Natan took a step closer, he dropped his gun slightly to meet Clawford's gaze, whose mouth had been quivering in irritation, making him look like a loser or a fool.

"The music of the grave. That is, without a doubt, my masterpiece. You could count yourself fortunate to have heard such wonderful music." Clawford laughed in response to Natan's words as he raised his lowered arm to point his pistol forward.

"There is no music playing. A fool like you would never be able to create wonderful music that is soothing to the ears." Natan silently pressed the trigger and fired five bullets, all of which passed through Clawford without a hitch who then vanished from the scene.

Natan looked about the area carefully, trying to figure out where Clawford had gone, but he couldn't see him, and in the end, he felt a chilly sensation breezing behind his back, where purple energy loomed. Clawford leaped from it with crossed arms and swung them crosswise, which Natan sensed from his acute hearing; however, it was a little too quick for him, and instead the energy, shaped into an "X," flew forward, and he only had a fraction of a second to lift his violin case in return to protect himself.

The attack, however, was forceful and much sharper than he had anticipated, as it slashed through the violin's casing and into Natan's torso, leaving a purple energy pattern as it constantly flared, producing a tense agony in Natan's body and leaving him perplexed about the aftereffect.

"A job well done. I'm sure you're curious about the aftereffect. It's simple: if it's attached to your body, it leaves a mark, and the moment it's cast, it's pretty much a win for me. When I attack you from all four directions, both arms, back, and chest, the energy will flow throughout your body, slicing it into millions of pieces. So, watch out. Try not to stutter with movement, or you'll be killed."

Natan's body felt a little more tired from the mark than it had before, putting him at a disadvantage, but he walked up carelessly, twirled the pistol in his hand, then dropped both arms to hang next to his torso.

"You're a bit of a bore to listen to. I'm going to play you the best sonata you've ever heard, the 'Death Sonata.'" He pressed the button on the violin, which turned it into a long-range weapon and tossed the handgun into his belt, where it became connected. Clawford's mouth grew wide in amazement when he saw it was shaped like a bazooka, and leaned onto his shoulders.

Natan hurriedly fired a gigantic bullet and rolled to the side, while Clawford leapt into the air, allowing the bullet to slam into the wall, explode, and demolish a large portion of the wall, releasing a powerful wind wave.

"What the hell? That violin turned into a bazooka?" Clawford's eyes, shook as he saw Natan crouched on the floor and fire another mega bullet at him, which would easily obliterate his body if it hit, so instead, Clawford pushed himself away from the wall and flipped over the bullet that almost touched his body but missed by a hair and then exploded on impact at the wall.

But the explosion's aftermath severely fouled up his air maneuver, causing him to lose control and crash to the ground, next to a wall and on his buttocks. The next second, he observed Natan staring at him, and it wasn't long before the massive bullet launched at Clawford, whose eyes trembled violently.

A gigantic explosion shattered the castle's walls in seconds, causing the forest birds to flee in terror, while its explosive boom resonated throughout the forest, even reaching the farthest regions of the island, alongside the town where Ayuka and the others loomed.

Despite the din, Tim slept on the floor, snoring as he whistled in his sleep and having a great dream.

"Don't be afraid, chicken; I simply want to taste your beautiful aroma..." As he mumbled in his slumber, drooling, he yawned and immediately began to think about other things, with a spirit floating out from the sword, around him.

"Is he sleeping at a time like this...?" The female spirit crouched next to his face as she gently drifted to the floor. With a serene expression on her face, she gently shook his shoulder. "Yup..."

To be continued...