Last Gun Alchemist

Immediately after the bullet shattered the incoming boulder into fragments that scattered across the air like broken stone dust, Ezra did not pause, and without even shifting his breathing too much, he pulled the trigger again, the sound of the gunshot erupting loud as the bullet shot forward with terrifying speed and accuracy, piercing straight through the air and striking the Giant Ground Ape directly in the head.

The impact was instant, the skull of the ape burst open.

The massive body froze for a split second, as if the force had locked it in place, before it lost balance and collapsed forward, crashing heavily onto the advancing Lesser Ground Apes beneath it, crushing several of them under its weight as their screams blended into one chaotic noise.

For a moment, the entire group froze again.

Some of them stared, some widened their eyes even those already moving felt it.

That sudden impact.

The shooting squad quickly forced their attention back, tightening their grip on their weapons as they continued firing at the advancing Lesser Ground Apes, their shoulders jerking with each shot, their fingers pulling the triggers in steady rhythm.

Behind them, those assigned to support roles kept working, but their eyes kept shifting forward, unable to ignore the sight of the fallen Giant Ground Ape lying over the crushed bodies.

A quiet sense of relief spread through them.

A small lift in their chest.

Even though none of them knew who exactly was using that gun, or how it was even possible for a weapon to rival something like a GPMG in power...

They didn’t care, not right now when all that mattered most was surviving this wave.

Veda tilted his head slightly and looked upward.

The sun had already dipped lower and the light was fading faster now.

”Tsk... it’s already getting dark.”

He clicked his tongue lightly.

Without needing an order, the torches placed around the castle began to light one after another, flames rising steadily, casting moving shadows across the walls and the battlefield beyond.

The visibility dropped a bit, then rose a bit again, but it wasn’t enough.

The Lesser Ground Apes began to push forward more aggressively, their numbers tightening, their movement less restrained as a large portion of them had already reached the fourth line of defense.

There was one good thing and one bad thing.

The good... the stream of Lesser Ground Apes coming from the far distance had stopped.

No more Lesser Ground Apes were coming from the far distance and now they could now see the full numbers of Lesser Ground Apes that made up the wave. At least that’s what they could only say for the Lesser Ground Apes, but not the Larger Ground Apes and Giant Ground Apes, since they hadn’t really made their move, it was quite hard to discern their actual number.

And to increase the difficulty, the bad... was worse.

Without the pressure of the traps from behind slowing them down, the ones already present began to force their way forward, their bodies pushing into each other, climbing over one another, ignoring the traps and the resistance.

They broke through, the third line, then the fourth.

The muddy ground that once slowed them down was now losing its effect, due to the now getting filled with bodies.

The fallen Lesser Ground Apes had piled up, their bodies pressed together, crushed, flattened, by their own, turning the muddy zone into something solid enough to step on.

A path. Just like what happened in the first line.

The living stepped on the living, without hesitation and without pause.

Bones cracked under their weight; flesh sank deeper into the mud.

”The Apes have passed the fourth line!” the boy on watch shouted, his voice sharp with urgency.

A low groan of worry spread among the group, then the Kalthoff Repeater squad moved forward and the spear squad followed.

They aligned themselves beside the Ak-47 squad, tightening their formation, preparing for close engagement.

The sky darkened further.

The last light faded and the Lesser Ground Apes continued to advance...Toward the final line of defense.

Before they could fully reach it, Veda stepped forward collecting a lit arrow, then a bow.

He raised it slowly, pulling the string back as his eyes locked onto the forest at the right side.

Earlier...

Before this second wave had even started...

He, Nickolas, Ezra and another close aide had discussed what to do with the flammable liquid they had.

The close aid had suggested using it for traps again, but that idea had already been rejected and was still rejected.

Ezra and Veda had agreed on not using it for any form of traps.

Nickolas then suggested using it as fuel...To light the battlefield and Ezra added... It would be useful if they were forced to fight in the dark and so, they prepared.

Lamps. Filled with flammable liquid.

Hung across trees in both the front and back areas of the battlefield and on all sides of their area.

Now, it was time to make use of it.

Veda released the arrow.

It flew forward going towards the trees at his right side.

The tip brushed against the wooden edge of the lamp and fire caught.

The flame spread instantly.

”Next!”

The boy beside him handed another lit arrow.

Veda took it and fired again.

Then again and again and again and again, each arrow finding its mark.

One lamp.

Then another, then another.

Until...

The entire field lit up and the darkness retreated to a certain level.

The battlefield became visible again, the moving shadows of Ground Apes revealed under the light, their shapes clearer now, especially with the added support of Cognis enhancing the vision of the fighters.

”Everyone, keep your focus!” Linda shouted, her voice firm as she directed the Ak-47 squad, firing along with them, her movements steadier despite the pressure.

They pushed back.

Firing, aiming, trying to stop the Apes from crossing the final line.

Ezra, from above...

Watched, calculated, and shot, but not as freely as before.

He was holding back. Not in effort... but in usage.

He shifted the Barrett occasionally using the spec to observe the Larger and Giant Ground Apes still at the back.

The total number of the wave that he estimated after the more Lesser Ground Apes that kept coming from the far distance stopped was over two thousand and his bullets...Only five hundred.

Not enough, if something unexpected happened and things went wrong because he couldn’t provide support.

So, he chose carefully.

Each shot mattered, decision mattered.

He placed his trust...In the Ak-47 squad to be able to handle the Lesser Ground Apes and even if they failed...

The final trap they made in the final line of defense, was enough to reduce the Lesser Ground Apes numbers immensely.

The Lesser Ground Apes finally broke into the last line due to some of the shooters misfiring.

It was not because they lacked skill, but because of the strain.

Using Cognis to enhance both strength and vision at the same time... wasn’t easy.

For many, it drained too much of their Cognis and so, many mistakes began to occur.

The Lesser Ground Apes rushed forward, closing the distance aggressively.

The Kalthoff Repeaters joined in the shooting, now that the distance was close enough for them to shoot.

Then...

A Lesser Ground Ape stepped forward without slowing down, its heavy foot pressing directly onto a thin rope stretched across the ground...

Snap.

The sound of the cut was small, but what followed was not.

The rope cut instantly, triggering the mechanism hidden deep within the forest, and in the same moment, a pulley system from both sides began to roll at high speed, the motion sharp and fast before it came to an abrupt stop.

Then...It happened.

The body of the Lesser Ground Ape didn’t fall nor did it stagger.

It split.

Cleanly.

Into six separate pieces.

The cut was so fast that for a brief second, its body remained in place before the parts slid apart, collapsing onto the ground in a wet, heavy motion.

Just like that more Lesser Ground Apes rushed forward, not slowing, not thinking and one after another...

They were cut, sliced cleanly apart, dismantled into pieces.

Legs severed into two, the cap of their heads split open.

Blood shot outward in sharp bursts, spraying across the ground and onto nearby bodies.

Chests cut open, arms detached and stomachs torn apart.

The battlefield turned messy and violent.

”SKREEE! SKREEE! KRAAAH!”

”SKREEE! SKREEE! KRAAAH!”

The screams rose sharply, louder than before, filled with confusion and pain, as the Lesser Ground Apes that were still alive began to slow down, their movement breaking as their eyes caught the sight in front of them...

Blood dripping, pieces of bodies scattered.

And a faint reflection of a thin steel line stretched across the field, barely visible unless you were looking directly at it.

They began to hesitate slowly.

Veda watched it all.

He sighed, then a small smirk formed on his face.

”Thank God I bought those thin steel ropes... for my own use... and Ezra brought some too... and Tracy as well...”

His eyes stayed forward.

Focused.

”That’s the only reason we can even cut through their thick skin like this...”

His gaze shifted slightly toward the back...Toward the Larger and Giant Ground Apes.

”Now...”

He muttered under his breath.

”What are you going to do...?”

By now...Night had fully fallen.

The wind moved steadily across the battlefield, carrying the smell of blood and dirt with it.

The torches burned; the lamps flickered.

Light spread across the field, illuminating both the castle and the advancing enemies.

From far away, other castles could be seen.

Each one lit in its own way, different methods.

It was also clear that no one had finished their fight.

Then...

The sound changed.

”OOH-OOH-OOH-OOH!”

”RAAAAHHH!!”

”GRRRR-RAAAK!”

The louder roars came from the Larger and Giant Ground Apes, their bodies rising and dropping as they pounded their chests and stomped the ground aggressively, their movements heavy enough to send vibrations through the battlefield.

”KRAAAAH! KRAAAH!”

”BARK! BARK! HOO!”

”They look like they want to join in now...” Nickolas said, a dry smirk forming as he felt the ground shake beneath his feet, the vibration traveling up through his legs.

”Don’t worry!”

Veda shouted, his voice firm as he exhaled and stepped forward toward the GPMG, gripping the weapon tightly as his finger settled on the trigger.

”Let them come.”

His eyes didn’t waver, confidence sat there clear and determined.

At that very moment...

One Larger Ground Ape reached forward, its massive hand grabbing onto a tree, beginning to pull it out from the ground...

Bang!

A sharp shot cut through the noise.

The head of the Ground Ape exploded.

Its body froze, then dropped, but the others didn’t stop.

Another one reached for a tree...

Bang!

Another head...Gone.

More followed, some started moving faster, some began jumping, some pounded the ground harder.

The Giant and Larger Ground Apes advanced at the same time, their combined movement shaking the ground more violently than before, each step heavier, each impact stronger.

The Lesser Ground Apes responded with this.

Their voices rose again, louder and rougher.

Like something had pushed them forward.

They began to run again, straight toward the thin steel lines aggressively, without hesitation.

They were cut down.

Bodies split, limbs flew, but they didn’t slow down.

Some reached out, trying to grab the steel lines...Only for their hands to be sliced clean off the moment they touched them.

Blood sprayed; fingers dropped.

Still, none of them stopped.

It was no longer just movement, it was madness.

Pure madness.

Some of the Lesser Ground Apes jumped, trying to clear the wires, but many failed.

Some were cut in half mid-air, their bodies separating before they could even land.

Others landed badly...

Only to collapse moments later, but a few made it through.

The moment Veda saw that, he reacted instantly.

He pulled the trigger of the GPMG.

The weapon roared.

Bullets rushed out at high speed, forming streaks of light as they tore through the air, slamming into the bodies of the Apes that had crossed the final line.

There was no resistance, their bodies were torn apart instantly.

Chunks of flesh scattered; bone shattered.

They didn’t get a second step.

Above...Ezra continued.

His rifle moved steadily as he aimed upward and forward, shooting down the trees that the Larger and Giant Ground Apes threw or were about to throw—breaking them apart mid-air before they could reach the castle.

Some of the Apes carried the trees and charged forward instead.

Ezra took some of them down, but not all.

His movements... were slower now.

The strain had caught up to him.

His body couldn’t keep up the same pace as before.

So, he adjusted.

He chose his targets and focused on the most dangerous ones letting the others pass because he knew Veda would handle them.

Below...

Nickolas joined in, raising his AK-47 and firing continuously, stepping into position beside the others.

The spear squad joined in using the Big-4 Barrel or Acu-Vector Mk.I.

They all moved and Fired at the advancing Lesser Ground Apes at close quarters.

On the lower floor of the castle...

The Others continued working without stopping, performing joint alchemy again and again to create more ammunition, their hands moving quickly despite their exhaustion, moving the supplies up so the fighters above could restock and continue shooting without any lag.

While at the back of the castle, the three that were left to watch there, stood – their hands clenched slightly, their eyes fixed at the tower blocking them from seeing the battle ahead only hearing the noise.

Not speaking, only hoping and believing that they would make it through.