Last Gun Alchemist

Earlier, right after Veda had left to support Ezra.

Nickolas walked back to the spot where Veda had been sitting moments ago, his steps slowing slightly as he looked around, expecting to see him still there.

”Huh?”

He frowned.

”Where is he now...”

His gaze shifted upward toward the tower control room window.

”Linda!”

He called out.

No response.

”Linda! I know you can hear me!”

He raised his voice, irritation creeping in.

”Shut up!”

Linda’s face suddenly appeared at the window; her expression already annoyed.

”What do you want?!” she glared at him.

”Is Veda with you girls?”

Nickolas asked, his tone more serious now.

Linda glanced back inside the room briefly, then returned her gaze to him.

”No.”

She shook her head, her expression plain.

”Why are you asking?”

She rested her arm against the window frame and leaned her head on it casually.

”I just wanted to talk to him, but he’s not where he was sitting.”

Nickolas replied, still scanning the area unconsciously.

”Can’t you just check his tent?”

Tracy stepped into view beside Linda, folding her arms.

”He might have gone to sleep.”

”He doesn’t sleep this early.”

Mariam corrected immediately.

Both Tracy and Linda turned to her with blank expressions.

”Oh... okay.”

Tracy muttered, then looked back at Nickolas.

Nickolas nodded slightly and turned, about to head toward Veda’s tent...

Boom!

A violent crash echoed across the castle.

The sound of something slamming hard into a wall sent a heavy vibration through the ground beneath their feet.

It was the moment Ezra had driven a Kalian into the tower wall with a double drop kick.

The three girls felt it, clear as day.

”What was that?”

Linda’s tone changed instantly as she looked at Tracy and Mariam.

”It came from the back of the castle.”

Tracy replied, her brows tightening.

They both exchanged a look.

Normally...They would have ignored it assuming it was Ezra doing something strange again, but this...

This was different.

It was night, everyone should have been resting and Ezra had never caused something like this at night.

”We need to check what’s going on.”

Linda said immediately.

Tracy nodded.

Both of them turned and ran down the stairs without hesitation.

Meanwhile...

Nickolas stood frozen for a split second, his body reacting to the sound before his mind could catch up.

”What is going on...?”

He turned sharply toward the left side of the castle, where a group had been assigned to watch, but no one was there.

His eyes widened.

”Huh...?”

Cold sweat slid down his forehead.

A strange feeling crawled up his spine.

Why do I feel like this...?

He shook his head quickly, forcing the thought away, then ran toward the position where the three assigned guards should have been.

The noise had already alerted the others.

People downstairs began gathering immediately, grabbing their weapons from storage without wasting time, their movements quick, tense, uncertain.

The shooters moved up taking their positions quickly, but they didn’t see anything beyond the grass field, although that didn’t change their focus.

While those assigned to ground support stayed below, preparing for what might come.

Nickolas reached the spot, looked around to see nothing.

No people, no signs of noise, nothing.

”Where did those guys go...?”

His voice came out low, frustrated and uneasy.

”Nickolas!”

One of the AK-47 shooters called out.

Nickolas turned. ”Yes?” He immediately walked toward them quickly.

”Have you seen the three assigned here?”

He pointed behind him.

The group shook their heads, confused.

Above, in the tower control room.

Mariam watched everything from the tower window, her eyes scanning carefully, her breathing steady as she focused.

Then...

She noticed something.

At the far edge...

Near where Nickolas stood. A torch burned, but the smoke...Was wrong.

It wasn’t flowing freely like something...

Something was blocking it.

”What is that...?” She whispered.

Her eyes narrowed as Cognis flowed from her Half-star to her veins to her eyes, enhancing her sight and then...

She saw it.

A distortion, something like a vibration, something moving through the air.

Invisible...

But present.

”Nickolas!!!!!”

She screamed.

At that exact moment...

Nickolas felt it.

A chill, sharp and violent.

Like death itself brushing against his neck, every hair on his body stood up and his instincts screamed.

Without thinking...He dropped.

His body bending low as his hand moved into his space bag, pulling out a Big-4barrel revolver as he turned.

Time...Slowed.

As he turned...

He saw it.

A shadow, swinging.

Then...

Blood, exploding into the air like scattered droplets.

His eyes widened.

As his body hit the ground...

He fired.

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

All four bullets got blocked, sparks burst into the air as the creature appeared.

Right in front of them and behind Nickolas...

Two bodies were cut cleanly in half.

”AHHHHH!!!!!”

A girl screamed loudly.

”Everyone shoot!!”

Nickolas shouted immediately.

The group reacted, but without coordination.

Bullets flew everywhere, wildly.

The creature vanished as the shots hit nothing.

Walls, ground, air.

Still...

They kept firing, fear driving them. The wild fire continued for a very long time until...

Click, Click, Click.

Empty.

”Is it dead...?”

One voice asked.

”NO!” Nickolas snapped immediately. ”Reload! All Your Guns Now!”

They moved quickly.

Hands shaking while replacing magazines.

A boy on the left slammed his new magazine into place and raised his weapon...

Something grabbed it and pulled it upward, lifting him off the ground.

”AHH...!”

He screamed.

The creature appeared in front of him.

Its yellow eyes...

Glowing.

Staring directly into his.

He froze completely.

Unable to move, unable to speak.

The others saw and tried to save him, but...

The blade moved.

Clean.

His head separated from his body.

Nickolas’s teeth clenched as he rushed forward, Gun raised.

”Focus!!”

He shouted.

Forcing the others out of their shock.

The creature used the body as a shield, blocking bullets, then vanished again.

”...Shit.” Nickolas breathed heavily. ”It’s a Kalian.”

Now that he saw it clearly. His expression darkened at the realization of what the creature was, but he didn’t let the realization turn him down, he moved to the front of the others, holding his Gun with purpose.

”Form a circle! Stay close! This isn’t something we can fight without staying together!”

He ordered.

Everyone obeyed immediately.

They formed a tight circle, weapons raised, eyes wide and Cognis activated.

Watching, waiting for the monster to make its move.

”Krik... Krik... Krik...”

The sound came from everywhere.

Left, right, front, back, moving, circling.

The snow was now falling down from the night sky and the wind was blowing some of the crumbs of snow aside.

Then...

The torches began to go out.

One by one.

Starting from the far edge.

Closing in.

Until...

Darkness swallowed everything.

Except the center. Where it stood.

The Kalian.

Walking slowly. Dragging its blade across the ground.

Sparks followed its steps.

Its confidence...Clear.

Its presence...Overwhelming.

Nickolas looked into its yellow eyes. The presence almost got to him, but he gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the Ak-47.

”Shoot!!”

He shouted, but...

The effect hit.

Bloodlust.

Heavy and crushing.

The people behind and at his side dropped.

One by one.

Their bodies shaking, breathing breaking.

The creature...Smiled.

”Krik... Krik...”

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out from behind.

The creature vanished again, blocking as it moved.

”Nickolas!”

Linda and Tracy arrived with reinforcements.

”What is going on?!”

Tracy asked, her grip tightening on her weapon as she saw the bodies.

”It’s a Kalian.”

Nickolas replied, breathing hard.

”They’ve been affected by its bloodlust.”

Linda glanced at the fallen.

”Tch.”

She clicked her tongue.

”Some of you” she pointed at a few of the reinforcement ”Carry the rest downstairs” she ordered.

The people she pointed at nodded immediately and carried the people, two on both hands, the rest helping them to place them on their back as they carried them, then ran downstairs.

”Everyone, raise your weapons.”

She pulled Nickolas up.

”We deal with this one first, then we go help Sir Veda.”

When Linda and Tracy got down from the tower, they were about to go to the back when they heard the scream of a girl at Nickolas position and knowing the strength of Veda, the two immediately turned back to assist Nickolas, but first they went down to check on the people there, then came back up with reinforcement.

”Yeah.”

Nickolas nodded.

”If there’s only one here, then Veda must be fighting the remaining three.”

He cracked his knuckles.

In that instant...

A blade appeared. Right in front of Nickolas.

Spinning fast.

The air around it twisted slightly as it cut through, heading straight for his face with deadly precision.

Nickolas reacted without thinking.

His body moved before his mind caught up.

He raised his AK-47 horizontally, gripping it tight with both hands...

Clang!

The blade slammed into the rifle and bounced back.

A sharp metallic sound burst out as sparks flew from the point of impact, the force of it driving straight through his arms and into his body.

The recoil was brutal.

His feet lost balance and his body was thrown backward.

Crashing hard into two people behind him, knocking them off their feet as all three hit the ground with a heavy thud.

”Argh...!”

Pain shot through his back, but he didn’t stop.

Tracy had already moved.

The moment the blade appeared, her eyes locked onto the direction it came from, her instincts kicking in as she raised her weapon and fired without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets tore through the air.

But...

Nothing.

They passed through empty space and struck the stone floor.

Her eyes narrowed.

”Spread out! Don’t aim in one direction!”

She shifted to the side immediately, her boots scraping against the ground as she adjusted her position.

The others followed her lead.

Turning and rotating.

Firing in different directions, trying to catch even a hint of movement.

Gunfire filled the air. Loud and chaotic.

Boom!

The air in the center of the group distorted violently like something forced itself into existence.

The ground beneath them cracked...And then...

It appeared.

The Kalian.

Right in the middle of them. Before anyone could react...

Its hand shot forward and grabbed a boy by the neck, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.

The boy’s eyes widened.

His hands clawed at the creature’s wrist...

Crunch!

The sound was short and brutal.

His body went limp instantly.

Linda reacted fast after the crunch sound.

She stepped in.

Closing the distance in a single motion as she raised her AK-47, bringing the muzzle close to the creature’s body to ensure the shot wouldn’t miss, but the Kalian swung the corpse.

Hard.

The dead body smashed into Linda before she could even pull the trigger.

The impact lifted her off her feet and sent her flying.

She crashed into the barricade wall, her back slamming into the stone with a heavy sound before dropping to the ground, she was almost dangling on the barricade about to fall down from the castle.

”Linda...!”

The others fired.

Again, again, and again.

Bullets rushed toward the Kalian from all directions.

The creature reached behind its back...

And pulled out a second blade.

Its arms moved fast, too fast.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every bullet was deflected.

Each movement, precise, clean and controlled.

Then...

It stepped forward and began cutting.

One step...

A blade flashed and a head separated cleanly from a shooter’s body.

Another step...

A second swing, another head fell.

A third movement...It kicked a boy in the chest.

The force sent him flying backward across the battlefield, his body crashing down toward the lower level of the castle.

Nickolas finally got back up.

Ignoring the pain and the fear he felt from the Kalian.

In his mind he already knew that Kalian wasn’t a normal one, the way it moved, the confidence, the fact it was the only one.

Something about this Kalian was worrying him.

He rushed forward; Tracy moved at the same time.

The two of them met the Kalian head-on.

Nickolas raised his AK...

Blocked a downward strike.

The impact pushed him back slightly, his boots scraping against the ground as he held his position.

Tracy stepped in beside him, her gun raised, ready to fire at point-blank range.

The Kalian held the gun and raised it up.

Just for a moment.

Its yellow eyes shifted between the two of them.

Watching and measuring the two, if they were worth his trouble, but with sight of neither of them backing down, not even a step.

The Kalian smiled pleased.

In its expression, it said. ’This would be fun’

Nickolas dropped the AK instantly, his hand moved into his space bag and pulled out an AA-12.

At the same time, Tracy switched weapons.

She left her gun for the Kalian and took out a long sword from her space bag.

She gripped it firmly, adjusted her stance and lowered her center.

Ready.

The Kalian reacted.

It grabbed the abandoned guns.

One in each hand.

Then swung.

The first gun came crashing toward Nickolas.

He raised the AA-12 and blocked, the impact forcing him to slide back slightly as his arms strained under the force.

Before he could recover...

The Kalian spun.

Its second strike clashed against Tracy’s sword.

Clang!

The sound rang out sharply.

Then...

The fight exploded.

Nickolas fired. A single shot.

The Kalian tilted the gun in its left hand...

Redirected the blast upward.

At the same time...

It blocked Tracy’s slash.

Its movements were unnatural.

Too smooth, too fast.

The three of them moved around each other.

Close and fast.

Each attack followed by another, each defense barely holding.

Around them, the others stood frozen.

Unable to move, unable to help.

Some trembling, some staring and some gripping their weapons but unable to step forward.

Below...

Others listened to the clashing sounds of metal, the crash sound of the stone walls, worrying about what was going on upstairs.

While from the tower control room, Mariam saw everything. Knowing there was nothing she could do.

”AHHHHH!”

Nickolas roared, pushing forward.

Tracy followed.

Their attacks grew sharper. More aggressive.

The Kalian responded.

It swung both bent AKs toward Tracy.

She dropped low instantly, her knees bending as she ducked under the strike, the two guns smashing into the tower wall behind her and breaking apart on impact.

She didn’t waste the opening.

She stepped forward.

Thrust her sword straight toward its chest...

The creature bent backward.

Its body folded unnaturally, avoiding the blade by mere inches.

Then...

It snapped forward like a released spring.

Its forehead slammed into Tracy’s head with the force of its movement.

Crack!

The sound echoed.

Tracy’s body went limp, her eyes lost focus.

She fell forward.

Face-first.

Her body hit the ground hard enough to crack the surface beneath her.

Blood spilled from her mouth, from her forehead spreading slowly.

”Tracy!!”

Linda forced herself up despite the pain still running through her body, her legs shaking slightly as she pushed forward, her grip tightening on her weapon as she ran straight back into the fight.