Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra lay on his back for a brief moment, his head resting against the blanket covering the ground in his tent as his chest rose and fell unevenly, each breath heavier than the last, his arms feeling numb, his eyes aching, and his head throbbing from the strain he had forced himself through; his Cognis level had dropped almost low, and even keeping his focus steady now felt harder than before, but he didn’t stay down for long.

With a slow breath, he forced himself up, his body resisting slightly as if it wanted to remain where it was, his legs unsteady for a moment before he regained balance. For the first time, sweat covered his face—not from heat, but from the effort, from the pressure, from everything his body had just endured.

He reached for the zip of his tent and pulled it open, the flap shifted aside.

Outside...

Five pairs of eyes were already on him, they were staring not blinking but just staring in shock.

”Wow...”

One of them said it without thinking, the word slipping out before he could stop himself.

”Who said he was a fraud...?” another whispered, though her voice carried more than she expected.

Ezra heard them clearly from where he stood, he clutched his ear slightly breathing out. The problem was his hearing was too sharp.

The after-effect of pushing Cognis into his senses for a long time made even small sounds feel too loud now, sending a dull pain through his head.

Ezra sighed as he walked to the five.

In his hand, he held a new bag filled with loaded magazines, while his space bag hung around his neck. His face looked paler than usual; his eyes unfocused for a brief second as he stepped out into the light before slowly adjusting.

At first...Everything blurred, then with few blinks, it cleared.

His arms were slightly red, especially around his shoulder where the recoil had hit again and again, although no one could notice because of his coat. The muscles there trembled faintly, from overuse.

Still...He held himself steady.

”It was Linda th...” Ann replied in a low voice.

”Guys.” Ezra cut in before she could finish.

The small group went quiet.

”We need to move now.”

His voice came out rough, slower than usual, his body swaying just slightly as if it might give out at any moment.

”Are you sure you don’t want to rest a bit?” one of the boys asked, his brows tightening with concern.

”We don’t have time.”

Ezra answered immediately.

From the front of the castle...The sounds of battle grew louder.

Gunfire, Apes Screams and Heavy impacts.

”We can’t let this fight go on until night.”

He lifted a hand slightly and pointed upward.

The others followed his gesture and noticed the sun was already lowering.

The light of the whole environment had started to change.

”If it gets dark... and we haven’t reduced their numbers enough...”

He lowered his hand slowly. ”...then this fight will only get worse.”

The weight of his words settled in.

Then...

He pointed at two people amongst the five, a boy and a girl.

”You two are coming with me. We’ll join the others and assist them.”

”What about us?” one of the remaining boys asked quickly.

”You guys will stay here and keep watch. If another wave appears on this side, I’m sure one of you has a signal horn. Use it to alert me immediately if anything happens,” Ezra said, letting out a slow breath at the end, his voice carrying a bit of strain that he didn’t try to hide.

”Okay,” the boy who had the horn in his space bag replied quickly, his hand already moving toward it as if to confirm it was still there.

Ezra gave a small nod.

”Alright... let’s go.”

He turned, stepping forward, the two he had chosen moving right behind him without hesitation.

Their footsteps were quick as they moved along the side path, the sounds of battle growing louder with every step they took, the distant gunfire mixing with the rough cries of the Ground Apes, making the air feel tighter the closer they got.

When they reached the side where the tower entrance stood...Ezra stopped.

The sudden halt made the two behind him slow down as well.

”You guys should go on ahead,” Ezra said, his voice steady despite the tiredness in it. ”I’ll use the tower height advantage to attack, from there.”

The two didn’t argue nor did they ask any questions, they just simply nodded.

Both of them tightened their grip on their Ak-47s, their fingers adjusting slightly around the trigger and handle, their expressions turning more focused.

It wasn’t like they weren’t curious. Of course, they were.

The sniper rifle Ezra had used to wipe out the whole army of Ground Apes with one shot for each of them, the sight of how the bullet cut through the Ground Apes and trees.

None of that made sense considering the level of the gun felt like it should be in the Grand Arcanist rank or even above it, the level of Cognis needed would be eminence and the chanced of the gun coming out as a low second Grade gun was very high, but this wasn’t the time to think too much.

Curiosity wouldn’t help them survive.

What they needed now...Was to focus.

After that single nod, they pushed forward, breaking into a run as they headed toward the front lines, their figures quickly blending into the movement of others preparing for battle.

Ezra watched them for a brief second.

Then turned and stepped into the tower.

The air inside felt quieter, not silent... but calmer compared to outside.

He began climbing the stairs one step at a time.

His boots hit each step with a dull sound.

His breathing followed a pattern. In and out, In and out.

Trying to recover a bit of his stamina, but the fatigue didn’t leave so easily. Still...He kept going without breaking down, step after step, until he reached the top. The control room.

The moment he stepped inside...

Mariam reacted, she flinched slightly, her body turning sharply toward him as if she hadn’t expected anyone to come up.

”What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes narrowing, caution clear in her gaze as she looked him up and down.

”I need the high ground,” Ezra replied.

He didn’t look at her when he spoke, instead he walked straight past, moving toward the window without slowing down.

When he reached it, he stopped and looked out, the entire battlefield spread out before him.

Clear and wide.

The shooting squad held their positions, their rifles raised, firing continuously, their shoulders jerking slightly with each shot as they tried to keep the advancing Apes back.

The Ground Apes had already pushed into the fourth line of defense.

Closer than before, already too close at this time, the only reason they hadn’t broken through yet that line was due to the trap Ezra laid out for that area.

The ground in that area had changed.

Earlier, when the snow had started to melt slightly, Ezra had used that moment to lay out a plan. The ground had been dug just enough, then filled back with loose soil mixed heavily with water. Day after day, they had poured more water into that section, making sure the soil stayed soft.

Now...It showed results.

The Lesser Ground Apes struggled the moment they stepped into that area.

Their legs sank, their movement slowed.

Some tried to push forward, but their feet slipped, their balance breaking as they dragged themselves through the mud.

Their arms moved slower, their speed dropped and that created an opening for the shooters to take advantage of the situation, each time an Ape struggled its way out of the mud a series of gunfire met it.

Shots landed and bodies dropped one by one and that put the Apes and them in a stalemate, for now.

”Mariam.” Ezra finally spoke again, turning his head slightly. ”Please... can you leave this place to me?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, her eyes narrowed further. ”Why?” she asked. ”What do you want to do here?”

”Go join the others downstairs,” Ezra said, his voice calm, though still carrying that faint exhaustion underneath. ”I need the space alone... to focus better.”

Mariam didn’t move, just stood there watching him. Her gaze shifted slowly...To the bag in his hand, then to the way his chest rose and fell as he breathed, his eyes, his face which was pale and showing signs of tiredness, but still standing, still looking calm.

She let out a quiet sigh.

From what Veda had told her earlier, Ezra might be hiding something.

Something about his strength and she didn’t like that.

Not in a trial like this.

Why would someone hide their ability in a situation where survival depended on it?

It didn’t make sense and she didn’t hesitate to question Veda about her thoughts, but what Veda told her after... stayed with her.

It stopped her from judging Ezra completely based on that doubt alone.

Still...She couldn’t fully understand him and that bothered her. So, she stood there for a moment longer, thinking, watching, trying to read him... but got nothing.

Only that same calm, that same quiet focus and that tired body that refused to fall.

Finally, she exhaled and made her decision.

”Okay...” she replied, letting out another sigh as her shoulders dropped slightly, though her eyes still held that same cautious look. ”But I’m only listening to you because I trust Sir Veda, and Sir Veda trusts you, so... don’t try anything strange. I hope you won’t pull anything on us and steal the flag.”

As she spoke, she lifted her hand and pointed directly at Ezra, her finger steady for a moment as if trying to make sure her warning stayed clear, then without waiting for his response, she turned sharply and ran toward the stairs, her footsteps echoing quickly as she disappeared downward.

Ezra watched her go, looking at her with a plain expression, then he turned back.

Without wasting time, he reached into his space bag and pulled out the Barrett M107. The metal surface still carried faint heat, and thin strands of smoke continued to drift from the muzzle, curling slowly into the air before fading.

”I knew it wouldn’t come out properly...”

He frowned slightly as he looked at the rifle, his fingers adjusting their grip around it.

”But... I should still be glad it came out as a third-grade gun.”

He let out a small breath. ”And it doesn’t look like it’ll break anytime soon... at least for now.”

He stepped closer to the window.

Carefully, he positioned the sniper rifle, adjusting the tripod and setting its base firmly against the bench in the control room so it wouldn’t shake. The legs pressed into place, steady enough to hold under recoil.

He lowered himself, one knee touching the ground, the other leg bent, his body leaning forward slightly with one eye closed and the other looking through the scope.

His finger rested on the trigger, not pulling, not yet.

First, he scanned the battlefield slowly moving from left to the right, from near too far, taking everything in.

”Let’s take this slow...” He spoke quietly to himself. ”No need to rush your thoughts.”

He took a controlled breath. In and out.

”Just focus on support... and taking down the ones that need to be taken down.”

His vision sharpened again, his thoughts steadied and his focus returned.

At the front line, the two Ezra had sent ahead had already arrived.

Before they joined in, Veda noticed them immediately.

”Only two of you? Where’s Ezra?” he asked, his eyes briefly shifting away from the battlefield.

”He went up,” the boy replied quickly, pointing toward the tower without hesitation.

”He said he’ll use the height advantage to attack from there,” the girl added, tightening her grip on her weapon.

”Okay.” Veda nodded once not thinking too much about it.

”Go to the right side.” He pointed.

The two didn’t waste time.

They moved immediately, running toward the position he indicated, their steps quick as they entered the active zone and raised their rifles.

The moment they joined...They felt it, the difference.

Back at their side earlier, when Ezra was handling everything alone, the pressure had been lighter, felt controlled, but here...

It was different.

The noise was louder, much louder.

Gunshots overlapped with screams, the number of Ground Apes ahead was far greater and the air itself felt tight and heavy like it was pressing against their chest, but they didn’t step back.

They didn’t hesitate instead they steadied themselves, held their breath and strengthened their resolve.

Now...They had to join the fight.

The catapult team moved into position.

Another set of boulders was already loaded and ready to fire.

Nickolas stood at the front this time, taking charge as Veda remained slightly behind, watching the battlefield carefully, tracking movement, counting numbers and adjusting the thoughts in his mind.

”Ready!” Nickolas shouted, his voice cutting through the noise.

The ropes tightened; the mechanism locked into place.

”Fire!!”

At his command, the release snapped.

The boulders launched into the air, spinning as they traveled forward, aimed directly at the Lesser Ground Apes pushing past the first marked line.

Then...

Something large moved, a shadow rose from behind.

One Giant Ground Ape.

It leaped.

Its massive body lifted off the ground with surprising speed, moving into the exact path where the boulders were about to land.

It reached out and caught the first boulder mid-air.

The impact pushed its arms back slightly, but it held on.

Then...It spun.

Its body turned with force as it used the weight of the boulder to increase its momentum.

When it first landed, the ground shook.

Several Lesser Ground Apes beneath it were crushed instantly, their bodies breaking under the weight of its feet, their screams blending into the chaos already filling the battlefield, but it didn’t stop.

Still spinning...Still holding the boulder...

Its movement swept through the area, catching nearby Lesser Ground Apes in its motion, throwing them aside or dragging them along the ground, then it released the boulder, throwing it back at the castle.

The boulder moved fast in the air.

”Incoming!!”

Multiple voices shouted at once, panic breaking through their tone.

Veda’s eyes sharpened instantly.

He moved toward the machine gun, his hand hovering near it as his mind ran through the options...

Should I use it now? Or activate the first energy field of the tower crystal?

”Tsk.”

He gritted his teeth.

No. Using the energy field now is not an option yet.

”Sir Veda!”

Mariam ran toward him, her voice cutting through the noise.

He turned, slightly surprised to see her there instead of the tower.

Then...

BANG!

The sound exploded through the battlefield loud, the difference from every other gunshot cut through everything and for a split second...Everyone paused.

The shooters turned, looking at the window side of the tower the gunshot came from, the same as everyone, even the Ground Apes.

The incoming boulder...

Shattered mid-air.

Broken into fragments that scattered outward before falling uselessly to the ground.

Veda’s eyes shifted immediately.

Upward, toward the tower window.

A small smile appeared on his face.

”Everyone... full focus!!”

He pointed forward sharply.

The shooters snapped back to their senses, gunfire resumed and the rhythm returned, but there was one certain question in everyone’s mind.

What the hell... was that gun?