Last Gun Alchemist

The people standing near the gate pulled the thick ropes with all their strength.

The heavy wood-iron castle door creaked as it slowly moved.

Veda rushed forward and joined them, grabbing the rope and pulling with force.

The door slammed shut just as the first wolves reached it.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The beasts crashed against the gate violently, their massive bodies striking the reinforced wood again and again.

Outside the castle walls, gunshots echoed across the battlefield.

The sounds rolled through the air like thunder.

Veda immediately released the rope and ran toward the stairway.

He climbed quickly, taking the steps two at a time.

When he reached the top of the wall, the entire defensive line had already begun firing.

Everyone stood in position.

AK-47 rifles barked continuously; bullets rained down across the grass field below.

Veda stepped closer to the edge and looked down.

Wolf bodies were already collapsing one after another, but when he lifted his eyes farther ahead...

His expression changed; his brows slowly tightened.

The battlefield was much worse than it first appeared.

Hundreds of wolves were still running toward them.

Among them were different types.

Chasers sprinted across the field with terrifying speed.

Flankers moved in wider arcs, their bodies thicker and their hides tougher.

Scouters stayed behind, watching the battlefield carefully and deeper within the pack...

Several Alphas ran with commanding presence, but the most terrifying creature stood even farther behind.

It was enormous.

Twice the size of a flanker.

Its muscles rolled beneath its silver fur as it moved.

Its speed was terrifying.

Even from that distance, it stared directly toward the castle walls.

Like it could see everything happening.

It was the Alpha of Alphas.

The ruler of the entire colony.

The Silverback Dire Wolf leader.

The beast slowly lifted its head.

Then...

HOWLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

Its howl tore through the air like a blade.

The sound rolled across the field and echoed through the forest.

Immediately...More howls followed.

One after another.

The wolves suddenly shifted formation.

Two flankers rushed ahead of the chasers.

A scouter remained behind, watching the field.

”What are those wolves doing?!” the boy holding the binoculars shouted in shock.

”They changed formation,” Nickolas said, narrowing his eyes.

Veda raised a hand.

Immediately, the people standing behind the shooters drew their weapons.

Each of them held a Big-4 Barrel Revolver in their other hand.

The strategy of Veda’s group was actually very interesting when seen from a wider view.

From the top of the castle wall, the formation looked simple at first glance, but the longer one watched, the clearer the thought behind it became.

The shooters stood in a straight defensive line along the edge of the wall. Each of them held an AK-47, the barrels already glowing faintly from the repeated firing.

Their job was simple.

Bombard the monsters with raw firepower.

For a normal forged AK-47, the weapon statistics were already impressive:

Muzzle velocity: about 715 m/s (2350 ft/s)Muzzle energy: about 2,000–2,100 joulesEffective range: about 300–400 metersMaximum range: about 800 meters

But the rifles used by the group were Alchemy-created AK-47s, which meant their performance had been enhanced by Cognis during the creation process.

That changed everything.

For these weapons:

Muzzle velocity: 2,145 m/sMuzzle energy: 6,000–6,300 joulesEffective range: 900–1200 metersMaximum range: 2,400 meters

Each rifle held 30 rounds per magazine.

With that level of power, most Silverback Dire Wolves could be killed with a single shot.

However, it was not always guaranteed.

There were several reasons for that.

Sometimes a bullet would miss its vital target during the chaos of battle either because of the movement of the wolves or the shooter’s aim accuracy.

Other times, the problem came from the wolves themselves.

The Flankers were especially troublesome.

Their hides were thicker than the rest of the pack and some flankers had skin so tough that the first bullet only tore through fur and muscle instead of killing them instantly.

Just like how Chasers varied in speed.

Some chasers moved like normal wolves.

Others moved like shadows across the grass, crossing distances faster than the eye could properly follow.

Even the Scouters had their own strange advantages, using their keen senses to analyze the battlefield before moving in.

Because of these differences between individual monsters, Veda designed a second layer in the formation.

Beside every shooter stood another fighter.

Their role was simple.

If any monster managed to climb the wall...

They would kill it before it enters the castle completely.

Behind them stood a third group.

These fighters held Kalthoff Repeaters.

Their duty was to shoot the wolves while they were still climbing, stopping them before the second line had to fight directly.

Three layers; Shooters, Close defenders and Climbing suppressors.

A simple structure, but extremely effective.

The gunfire continued without pause. The air itself seemed to tremble.

Bullets rained down toward the battlefield below.

The repeated roar of the AK-47 rifles echoed like thunder rolling across a storm.

Sparks flashed from the barrels with every burst of fire.

The smell of burning gunpowder spread across the wall.

Down below...

The wolves continued charging.

The Flankers had taken the lead position in the pack.

Their bodies absorbed most of the incoming bullets.

Some of them collapsed after several hits, others kept running despite bleeding wounds.

One flanker was struck in the chest twice, yet it still continued sprinting forward, shaking its body violently as if trying to throw the bullets out, but the repeated impacts slowed them down.

Even monsters could not ignore that much damage forever.

Behind them, the Chasers ran in tight groups, using the flankers as living shields.

The ground trembled from the pounding of hundreds of paws.

Dust clouds rose behind them like smoke.

Soon...

The wolves that survived the barrage reached the castle entrance.

Their bodies slammed violently against the reinforced wooden gate.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Each impact shook the door.

Splinters cracked from the surface.

”Kalthoff Repeater holders, shoot down!” Nickolas ordered.

The candidates immediately moved.

They climbed onto the stone barricade along the castle wall and leaned their bodies forward.

Their rifles tilted downward.

Then they fired.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The wolves pounding the gate were struck one after another.

Some collapsed instantly.

Others rolled across the ground with broken legs before finally dying.

While that was happening...

Several AK-47 shooters suddenly heard a familiar sound.

Click.

Their magazines were empty.

They quickly pulled the empty magazines out and reached for new ones, but that moment of delay...

Was exactly what one Chaser had been waiting for.

The wolf suddenly increased its speed. Its body blurred across the grass.

Then...

It ran directly onto the castle wall.

Its claws dug into the stone.

The creature sprinted upward like a nightmare climbing from the earth.

The Kalthoff Repeater squad noticed it.

They raised their guns and fired quickly, but the wolf moved too fast.

Their shots struck the stone wall instead.

Nickolas reacted instantly.

He stepped forward.

Raised his repeater with perfect aim.

BANG!

The first shot struck the wolf’s rear leg, breaking its balance.

The beast stumbled.

But it kept climbing.

BANG!

The second shot hit its eye.

The wolf’s body twisted violently.

Then it lost its grip.

The creature fell backward and crashed into the pack below.

”Be focused everyone! Don’t show any fear!” Veda shouted loudly.

His voice cut through the battlefield noise.

”If we show fear now and slow down even a little, these monsters will smell it! and once they smell fear, they will pounce on it!”

His eyes swept across every fighter.

”So, what we must do now is simple!”

”Grip your weapons tight! and shoot!”

”Pull the trigger without hesitation!”

He pointed toward the battlefield.

”Trust the partners beside you! Trust your gut! Trust yourself!”

His voice grew louder.

”No matter what happens, you will cover each other!”

He paused for only a moment.

Then he shouted again.

”We will win this first wave! We will kill these beasts! And we will live to fight the next wave!”

”So don’t back down!”

”Look forward! And shoot to your heart’s content!”

He raised his fist.

”Let the steel running in your blood harden your resolve!”

The effect was immediate, the hesitation in the group disappeared.

Their eyes sharpened, breathing steadied and their resolve hardened like steel fresh from a forge being plunged into water.

The shooters resumed firing.

This time...

Not a single one wavered.

Meanwhile...

At Ezra’s side of the castle, the situation felt strangely different.

The sounds of the battle were distant. Gunfire echoed from the front.

Wolves howled somewhere beyond the walls.

The castle gate shook from the impact of monsters outside.

Yet Ezra himself remained relaxed.

He sat on a beach chair he had created before at the trial base.

His body leaned back comfortably.

A cap covered his face.

From the outside, he looked like someone taking an afternoon nap.

”Ezra,” a girl said hesitantly.

Her voice carried nervousness.

”Shouldn’t we join the rest?”

She looked toward the direction of the battlefield.

The gunfire.

The howls.

The heavy banging from wolves slamming into the castle gate.

Every sound made the five people assigned to guard this side feel more uneasy.

They couldn’t see the battle; they could only hear it and that made their imagination worse.

”We can’t,” Ezra replied calmly without lifting the cap from his face.

”Why?” a boy stepped closer.

His face looked annoyed.

”Are you too scared to help others?”

Ezra did not move. ”Whatever you say.”

His voice remained flat.

”If we leave here, this side becomes open and if monsters appear from this side, no one will know. All because someone wanted to play hero.”

His words were blunt.

”Play hero?” The boy clenched his fists.

Ezra raised a finger slightly and pointed toward him without even looking.

”If you want to go, you can, but you won’t help them. You’ll just become a burden.”

”They are already fighting in rhythm. Throwing in a random variable will disrupt that rhythm and then everything collapses.”

”What!” the boy waved his hand dismissively.

”Hey... I think we should just relax,” another boy said quickly.

He grabbed the angry boy’s shoulder before the situation worsened.

”He’s not wrong.”

”If you think about it calmly.”

The others looked at each other.

”It’s true,” one girl said slowly.

”Everyone has a role and our role is protecting this side.”

”So, let’s trust the others.”

Their words gradually calmed the group.

The angry boy pulled his arm free. He clicked his tongue and walked away from Ezra.

”Arrogant piece of shit,” he muttered loudly.

”You’re just like us. A lowline and yet you act like you’re something special.”

He spat on the ground.

Ezra didn’t react, he didn’t even move. The cap still covered his eyes and the noise of the battlefield sounds continued echoing in the distance.

Back at the front of the castle, the fight continued without pause, and none of the defenders could truly tell how much time had passed since the battle had started, because every second was swallowed by the roar of gunfire and the desperate focus required to keep the wolves from climbing the walls.

The shooters kept firing.

They fired again and again, their fingers repeatedly squeezing the triggers of the AK-47 rifles, the sharp explosions of the gunshots echoing across the battlefield like continuous thunder, while the wolves below kept rushing forward without any sign of fear.

Most of the shooters’ hands were already beginning to feel numb from the constant recoil.

Their shoulders trembled from the repeated impact of the rifles pushing against them.

Some of them had already lost feeling in their fingers.

Yet none of them dared to stop, they utilized their Cognis to heal the parts that hurt and some used it to strengthen their bodies. They knew if they stopped shooting...

Even for a moment...

The wolves would reach the walls.

”How many reloaded magazines do you have left?” Veda shouted while moving along the wall, walking back and forth behind the shooters and the support fighters, his sharp eyes watching the battlefield and the condition of every person in the formation.

”If your stock of magazines is getting low,” he continued loudly, making sure everyone could hear him over the noise of battle, ”tell me immediately so we can get you restocked before you run out!”

His voice carried authority, cutting through the chaos.

While he was speaking...

A Scouter wolf suddenly appeared from the left side of the wall.

The creature had been moving through the battlefield while weaving between the bullets raining down from above, its body twisting with unnatural agility as it avoided several shots fired by the supporter holding the Kalthoff Repeater.

For a moment...

It almost made it to the top of the wall, but the boy standing beside the repeater user reacted instantly.

He thrust his spear forward with all his strength.

The blade pierced into the side of the wolf’s stomach.

The creature let out a savage roar, its claws scraping violently against the stone wall.

Before it could recover...

The Kalthoff Repeater fired.

The bullet struck the wolf directly in the head.

The impact threw the creature backward.

Its body crashed down onto the pile of dead wolves already forming at the base of the castle walls.

The battlefield below was slowly turning into a mountain of corpses.

Linda, who stood among the AK-47 shooters, noticed it first.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the growing pile of bodies.

”Shit... Sir Veda!” she shouted loudly; her voice strained as she continued firing.

”The Silverback Dire Wolves might use the pile of bodies to elevate their jump to the walls!”

Veda immediately followed her gaze.

He leaned slightly over the wall and looked down.

The moment he did...

He saw it.

Several wolves had already begun running toward that exact spot, their bodies stepping onto the corpses of the fallen wolves, using them like crude stairs.

”Kalthoff Repeater holders on the right side!” Veda shouted without hesitation.

”Adjust your aim!”

”Stop the wolves from using the pile of bodies to assist their leap onto the walls!”

The repeater users quickly shifted their positions.

They leaned forward and aimed downward.

Then the guns roared again.

Several wolves trying to climb the corpse pile were shot before they could jump.

But just as the defenders began regaining control of the battlefield...

A much deeper howl suddenly echoed across the plains.

It was louder than any howl heard before.

The sound tore through the battlefield like a blade cutting through the air.

The defenders froze for a brief moment.

The howl belonged to the leader of the colony, signaling the Alpha wolves to charge.

The sound was so powerful that it stung the ears of almost everyone standing on the wall.

Several shooters flinched.

Their guns paused for a brief moment.

That moment...

Was all the wolves needed.

”Focus!” Veda shouted while clenching his teeth, forcing his mind to ignore the ringing sound still echoing inside his head.

But by then...

Two wolves had already jumped.

A Flanker and a Chaser.

Both of them cleared the wall in a single leap.

The sudden appearance of the monsters sent chills through the defenders.

But Nickolas and Veda reacted instantly.

The Flanker was about to land when Veda dashed forward with the Kalthoff Repeater in his hands.

BANG!

He fired directly at its head.

The shot struck the creature, but the thick skull of the flanker prevented an instant kill.

The beast crashed onto the ground inside the wall, still alive, but Veda didn’t hesitate.

The moment it landed...

He stomped down with his right leg. Cognis surged through his body.

His muscles tightened.

CRACK!

His foot smashed directly into the wolf’s skull.

The impact crushed the creature’s head against the stone floor.

At the same time...

Several defenders who had recovered from the shock of the howl immediately raised their guns and bombarded the flanker with bullets, making absolutely sure the monster was dead.

Meanwhile...

Nickolas drew out his heavy long sword from his space bag, while the Chaser wolf rushed straight toward him.

Its jaws opened wide.

But Nickolas stepped forward instead of retreating.

His sword swung in a powerful arc.

The blade flashed in the air.

The wolf’s body split cleanly into two halves. Blood sprayed across the stone floor.

”It got my gun!” a girl suddenly screamed.

Everyone turned.

A Scouter wolf had grabbed her AK-47 while pulling her downward, its claws digging into her body as it tried to drag her off balance.

Veda reacted immediately.

He flashed forward with incredible speed.

He grabbed the girl and pulled her backward while gripping the rifle.

Now both him and the wolf were pulling on the same gun.

The creature snarled as it tried to drag the weapon away.

Veda planted his left foot against the stone barricade.

His muscles tightened.

”AHHH!”

With a burst of enhanced strength, he yanked the rifle back.

The scouter lost its balance.

The sudden force sent the wolf flying.

Its body slammed violently into the tower wall. Small fractures appeared in the stone where it struck.

Before the creature could recover...

Several defenders rushed forward.

Spears stabbed down and swords slashed.

They attacked repeatedly until the wolf stopped moving completely.

”Everyone get back to your positions!” Nickolas shouted, raising his sword and pointing back toward the defensive line.

The defenders quickly returned to their formation, but the situation was becoming worse.

”Sir Veda... my stock of magazines is about to finish!” one boy shouted nervously.

Another voice followed.

”Mine too!”

Then another and another.

Soon multiple shooters began reporting the same problem.

Their ammunition supplies were running dangerously low.

The battle had already lasted longer than expected.

The tide of the fight was slowly becoming more complicated.

But even that was not the worst problem.

Far across the battlefield...

A huge cloud of dust began rising.

The ground trembled more than slightly beneath their feet.

Something massive was approaching.

The Alpha wolves were finally charging and behind them...Something even worse moved within the dust.

The creature that controlled the entire colony.

The Alpha of Alphas.

The name whispered among the defenders...

Morvarg. The Lord of the Silverbacks.