41 Chapter 40

Joan soared through the air, relishing in the way the wind howled in her ears. It was as if God had stitched wings on her back, allowing her to fly. She rapidly approached the roof of the barbershop when she began to descend at a rapid pace.

Struck with fear, Joan madly waved her arms as she worried she wouldn't make it to the other roof.

Behind her, Amarya spotted her taking flight. She followed Joan's body with wide eyes as it rapidly descended toward the barber shop's roof.

Amarya was dead-set on taking advantage of the opportunity placed right before her. Joan's trajectory was predictable, and with Amarya's skills, she was confident she'd be able to place the shot on her head.

With a wave of her hand, Amarya took out the shotgun from her inventory and placed it in her shoulder. With shallow breaths, she calmed herself as she predicted where Joan would land.

Joan's eyes widened as she realized she wouldn't be able to make it to the roof. Just as she was about to fall past the building and to the ground, her fingers reached out and latched onto the building's edge.

Bang!

The sound of a gun startled Joan, and she flinched but found herself powerless when it came to defending against the shot. Much to her luck, the round didn't find her, and instead, it flew off into the distance.

Amarya cursed to herself. She'd overestimated how far Joan would leap.

When Joan took hold of the building's side, the shingles came loose and detached from the building. Her hand slipped from the building and fell limply by her side.

She shrieked in shock as she focused all of her energy into trying to stay attached to the building with her left hand.

"You alright there, Rem?" Amarya smirked from her module as she aimed once more at Joan's stationary figure.

"Fine," Joan growled.

Using all of her energy, she swung her legs to generate momentum to pull herself up the building.

Behind her, the water tower finally collided with the ground, blocking Amarya's view of Joan. The collision sent vibrations throughout the earth. The building Joan desperately clung to shook violently, and she feared the unstable building might collapse at any moment.

"You got lucky this time," Amarya scowled as she put her gun away.

"You're just bad," Joan scoffed.

The accusation made Amarya roll her eyes. "Says the one who's stuck in Immortal."

"Says the one who missed an open shot."

Amarya bit back her snarky remarks and amused giggles as she ran out from behind the water tower, looking for Rem. But Joan had already disappeared from the top of the barbershop.

Amarya groaned in annoyance. She'd lost the advantage of knowing her opponent's location. Now, she had no clue as to where Joan could be. Instead of dwelling on her misfortune, she rushed toward the ghost town to find a building to take shelter in.

She ran as fast as she could, terrified at the prospect of Rem sniping her out of nowhere. Her eyes flickered back and forth from building to building, looking for any sign of Rem. Luckily, she never encountered the girl and rushed into a random building.

Like every other building in the ghost town, the inside was in shambles. The wood planks beneath her feet sunk in at her every step, struggling to support Amarya's weight.

Amarya ignored her messy surroundings and rushed to the second floor. Anxiously, she paced back and forth, thinking of what to do. Propping her hands on the window sill, she looked outside, scanning her surroundings.

Besides a car, buildings, and a dirt road, there was nothing much to see in the ghost town. Wait a minute. Amarya's eyes flickered back toward the car. It was a dirty brown color covered in the filth of neglect.

"That's it!" Amarya exclaimed. Her eyes glistened impishly, as a mischievous smirk graced her cheeks.

Amarya rushed back downstairs with a new strategy in mind.

Joan sat in an empty seat of the barbershop, anxiously rubbing her heart to cool her nerves. She'd cut it close with Amarya, and now, she had no idea where the other was. The rest of the match would be in the narrow streets of the ghost town.

Suddenly, the rev of an engine pricked her ears. Joan's back straightened, and her eyes became alert. Frantically, she pushed open the barbershop's heavy wooden door and sprinted toward the direction of the noise.

But before she made it there, she stopped in her tracks. Why would Amarya give away her location so blatantly? Something didn't sit right with Joan.

Nevertheless, she continued toward the sound, albeit a little more on guard. Joan peaked around the corner of the building and spotted the roaring car. Suspicious, she looked toward the driver's seat, only to see it empty.

"What?" Joan mumbled to herself.

Bang!

At the sound, Joan jerked right, nearly dodging a bullet. The round ripped through the air and tore the skin on Joan's cheek.

"Tch." Joan sourly shook her head. Amarya had been expecting her.

The sound of incessant firing continued from behind Joan, and she immediately sprinted away. In doing so, she made sure to make the occasional sharp diagonal turn, so her route wouldn't be predictable.

However, Amarya's sharp eyes caught on to a pattern as she continued to fire at Joan rapidly.

Two left. A right. A left. Two rights. A left. A right.

Amarya predicated Joan would make a left turn. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and aimed the gun to Joan's left.

Bang!

'Headshot!'

'Hypatia has slain Joan.'

"Hell yeah!" Amarya giggled as she pumped her fist into the air.

"Lucky shot," Joan spat.

Amarya raised her brow in amusement. "What can I say? You're only Immortal for a reason." Joan's grumpy response entertained Amarya, and she found great pleasure in her newfound toy.

She looked toward Joan's module with a smirk. The predator had caught her prey, and there was no way she'd let go.

"Don't worry. I'll be getting the next kill," Joan assured Amarya.