Last Gun Alchemist

The golden Light Slash tore through the ancient tree Ezra had been standing on only moments earlier.

SHRAAAK!

The attack passed through the thick trunk without slowing down.

For a brief moment, nothing seemed to happen.

Then a thin golden line appeared across the middle of the tree.

The upper half slowly shifted.

CRACK!

The massive trunk separated cleanly into two, the cut surface so smooth that it almost looked polished. Branches crashed against the neighboring trees as the upper section tilted sideways, dragging leaves and smaller branches down with it before finally slamming into the forest floor.

BOOM!

The ground shook from the impact.

Dust and broken leaves rose around the fallen tree.

Ezra was already gone.

He remained airborne several meters away, his body still carrying the momentum from his earlier jump.

The Kel-Tec PMR-30 he had thrown toward another distant tree continued flying ahead of him like a harpoon, dragging the thin black metallic thread connected to his glove behind it.

The thread rapidly extended from the opening in his glove.

Meter after meter slipped free.

Ezra kept his right arm pointed toward the weapon while his black eyes followed its movement.

The Kel-Tec finally reached the distant tree.

Instead of simply striking the trunk, the handgun passed around a thick branch.

The metallic thread followed.

Once.

Then tightened.

The handgun became an anchor again.

At almost the exact same moment...

"Don’t let him move!"

Felix adjusted the muzzle of his AK-47.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A burst of gunfire erupted from the rifle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets rushed toward Ezra while he was still suspended in the air.

There was nowhere for him to plant his feet.

And...

Normally, that would have made changing direction difficult.

Ezra didn’t need the ground.

Cognis rushed through the Circuit inside his glove.

The magnetic connection strengthened.

The thread snapped tight.

His entire body was violently pulled away from the approaching bullets.

Moving his faster.

One round passed beneath his boot.

Another crossed behind his waist.

The rest tore through the space he had occupied less than a moment earlier.

Felix immediately adjusted his aim.

But Ezra was already being dragged toward the tree.

Fast.

His cardigan snapped behind him as the magnetic pull increased his speed, while wind rushed across his face strongly enough to push his black hair backward.

The tree rapidly approached.

Ezra didn’t slow himself down.

Instead of landing normally against the trunk, he twisted his body at the last moment.

His boots touched the tree.

One step.

His body rotated.

Then another.

Using the force pulling him toward the anchor together with the momentum he had already built in the air, Ezra rolled around the trunk.

Once.

Twice.

His body spun around the tree like a fan blade, the metallic thread guiding the center of his movement while his boots briefly touched the bark whenever he needed to correct his direction.

Then Ezra pushed.

Hard.

His legs extended against the trunk.

The magnetic pull changed.

And instead of stopping at the tree...

Ezra launched himself back toward the battlefield.

His body shot through the forest.

The sudden reversal was so fast that Felix’s muzzle struggled to follow him.

Tristin, however, was already preparing another attack.

The prince still held the enlarged Light Sword created from the combination of his materialized Light Blades.

His face still carried the mark left by the Springfield M1903A, and anger remained visible in his golden eyes.

He saw Ezra coming.

His hands tightened around the Light Sword.

"Die!!!"

Tristin swung.

Another golden slash erupted from the blade.

SHING!

The Light Slash tore across the forest toward Ezra.

This one was visible as well.

Bright.

Wide.

And carrying enough power to cut through another tree if it connected.

Ezra saw it clearly.

But he didn’t stop.

His body was already moving too quickly for that.

Instead, he twisted in midair.

The Light Slash passed beside him.

Golden light flashed across Ezra’s face as the attack missed his body by a narrow distance and continued into the trees behind him.

But that small turn had another purpose.

Ezra used the rotation, his body completing the spin.

His legs came forward.

Tristin’s eyes widened.

The prince had been so focused on firing the Light Slash that he hadn’t realized what Ezra’s return path actually was.

Ezra wasn’t escaping anymore.

He was coming directly back at him.

And several of the large trees between them had briefly blocked Tristin’s view of Ezra’s approach.

Combined with the brightness of his own Light Slash flashing across his vision, that momentary obstruction was enough.

By the time Tristin properly saw Ezra again...

Two black boots filled his view.

What...

BAM!

Both soles of Ezra’s boots slammed directly into Tristin’s face.

The double kick landed perfectly.

No glancing impact.

No partial block.

Both feet connected.

Very Hard.

With Cognis enhancing the strength of the double kick.

Tristin’s cheeks compressed beneath the soles of Ezra’s boots as the force of Ezra’s flight, the magnetic acceleration from his glove system, and the strength behind his kick all transferred into the prince at once.

Gareth had only just pushed himself back onto his feet.

Dirt covered the front of his academy uniform, while even more clung to his face after Ezra had flipped him into the ground.

He had been brushing some of it away when he looked up.

And froze.

"...Damn."

His hand instinctively rose toward his own mouth.

From where Gareth stood, he had a perfect view of Tristin’s head snapping backward.

Felix’s expression wasn’t much better.

Even he looked stunned for a moment.

After everything Tristin had thrown at Ezra...

The Lowline had somehow used the prince’s own attack to hide his return and kick him directly in the face.

"Argh!"

Tristin’s feet left the ground.

His body flew backward like a rag doll.

He hit the forest floor.

Bam!

Then rolled.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

His shoulder struck the dirt, followed by his back, then his side as the momentum continued carrying him across the uneven ground.

On the next tumble, Tristin’s face struck the soil.

"Ugh!"

His mouth opened from the impact.

A small amount of dirt entered it.

His eyes widened in disbelief before his body rolled again.

Then...

BOOM!

His back crashed against a tree.

The trunk shook violently.

Leaves poured from its branches.

A deep crack spread from the point where Tristin’s body had struck it, and after standing for another second, the damaged tree slowly leaned backward.

CRACK!

It collapsed.

Ezra landed.

His knees bent to absorb the remaining momentum before his boots slid several inches across the dirt.

There was no celebration.

No mocking smile.

Not even a glance toward Gareth’s shocked expression.

Ezra immediately checked his weapons.

His fingers moved toward the magazine release of the Kel-Tec PMR-30.

Click.

The empty magazine dropped.

His other hand did the same with the Desert Eagle.

Click.

The second magazine fell toward the ground.

Ezra’s hands moved toward his Space Bag.

Fresh magazines.

He needed to reload before the others recovered.

Felix noticed.

His surprise disappeared immediately.

The AK-47 rose again as he prepared to move toward Ezra and stop him from completing the reload.

Gareth also regained his focus.

His grip tightened around his Colts.

Then...

BOOOOM!

A heavy fluctuation of Cognis spread through the forest.

Everyone paused.

Ezra’s hand remained near his Space Bag.

Felix stopped before taking his next step.

Gareth turned his head while he was just getting up.

Even Tristin, still recovering near the fallen tree, reacted to the sudden pressure.

The fluctuation had come from another section of the test forest.

Far enough that none of them could see what had caused it.

But close enough that the pressure could still be felt.

Leaves trembled.

The air seemed to pulse for a moment.

Ezra’s black eyes shifted toward the source.

Gareth looked in the same direction.

Felix also glanced sideways.

It was powerful.

And judging by how suddenly it had appeared, something serious had happened elsewhere in the forest.

For only a moment, the three opponents stopped thinking about one another.

Then Ezra’s gaze returned to Gareth.

Gareth looked back at him.

Felix’s AK-47 moved again.

The battle wasn’t over.

Whatever had happened somewhere else wasn’t their problem.

They were about to continue when...

BWAAAAAAAAAH!

A massive horn echoed across the entire forest.

The sound rolled through the trees, spreading far beyond Ezra’s battlefield.

Everyone stopped.

This time, completely.

The horn continued for several seconds, loud enough that students in almost every part of the training forest could hear it clearly.

Students hiding beneath trees looked upward.

Those who had still been searching through rocks and bushes for Numbered Gems stopped what they were doing.

Groups that had been resting together in safer areas exchanged confused looks.

And those who were still fighting paused in the middle of their battles.

Weapons lowered.

Alchemy Circles faded.

Some students simply stared at one another, breathing heavily as they tried to understand whether they were truly supposed to stop.

For others...

There was no confusion at all.

"Finally."

Selena released a breath of genuine relief.

Unlike many students who were covered in mud, torn clothing, scratches, and sweat after spending so much time inside the forest, Selena had somehow managed to create a small resting area for herself.

She sat gracefully on a boulder.

But she hadn’t allowed herself to sit directly on the stone.

A large white cover had first been spread carefully across its surface, protecting her clothes from whatever dirt might have been waiting there.

Her academy training boots were sitting on the ground beside her.

They were filthy.

Mud covered the soles and parts of the sides from hours of walking through the forest.

A pair of dirty gloves rested beside them as well.

Selena had already changed into a cleaner pair she carried in case of situations like this.

At the moment, she was holding a comb.

Small pieces of dirt had gotten into her hair during the test, and she had been carefully removing them while waiting for everything to end.

The horn sounded again in the distance.

Selena stopped combing, relief settling across her face.

Because she knew what that sound meant.

The practical test was over.

No more searching through bushes.

No more walking through mud.

No more worrying about someone suddenly appearing to steal her Numbered Gems.

She could finally leave this filthy forest.

Selena lowered the comb and looked toward the trees.

However, that horn hadn’t been the only thing she had noticed.

Shortly before it sounded...

Four powerful fluctuations of Cognis had appeared almost at the same time from another area of the training forest.

The pressure had been large enough that students across a great part of the examination grounds had felt it.

Selena’s expression became slightly more curious.

Whatever had happened there...

It didn’t involve ordinary students.

And somewhere else in the forest, four people responsible for those sudden Cognis fluctuations had also heard the horn announcing the end of the test.

***

A Long Set of Minutes Earlier

In another part of the test forest, long before the horn announcing the end of the test had sounded, the atmosphere was far more peaceful.

Sunlight passed through the gaps in the canopy and fell across a small open clearing, where the grass hadn’t been completely destroyed by fighting students. A few broken branches were scattered near the edges, and signs of previous battles could still be seen on several tree trunks, but compared to most areas of the forest, this place was strangely quiet.

The leaves of a nearby bush suddenly rustled.

Vera stepped through them.

A small twig caught against the side of her academy training skirt, and she casually brushed it away before raising her head.

Her deep black eyes immediately settled on someone sitting in the middle of the clearing.

Vera stopped.

She stared for a moment.

Then she raised one finger and pointed.

"Ah."

Her expression remained completely plain.

"You are here."

There wasn’t even a hint of surprise in her voice.

The girl sitting ahead of her slowly opened her eyes.

"V-Vera."

Diane was sitting cross-legged on a throw pillow she had placed directly on the grass, her posture relaxed enough that it looked as though she had come to the forest for an afternoon nap rather than an academy examination.

In fact...

Judging from her half-closed eyes, that was probably exactly what she had been doing.

Vera looked at the pillow.

Then at Diane.

Then back at the pillow.

Her head tilted slightly.

"Aren’t you supposed to be searching for Numbered Gems?"

She paused, studying Diane’s sleepy face.

"Don’t tell me you slept through the entire test, Sleeping Ice Beauty."

Her tone remained dry, making it difficult to tell whether she was genuinely asking or simply insulting her friend.

Diane blinked slowly.

"I just wanted to take a break..."

Her voice carried almost the same flatness as Vera’s, except hers came from genuine tiredness rather than deliberate sharpness.

She rubbed one eye.

"I already found plenty of gems."

Another pause.

"And I beat some students for theirs."

She said it so casually that someone passing by might have thought she was talking about picking flowers.

Diane’s thoughts drifted back through her fights with her fellow students.

She had encountered quite a few fellow first-year students.

Her sleepy expression hadn’t changed much even while she terrorized them, and several of those poor students had screamed as though some horrible monster had appeared in the forest instead of a tired-looking girl who seemed like she wanted nothing more than to return to bed.

She had beaten them.

Taken their Numbered Gems.

Then continued on her way.

At some point, she had even encountered two students who fought her together.

Nickolas and Tracy.

That battle had been more troublesome than most.

Still...

It ended in an overwhelming victory for Diane.

Her thoughts lingered on the two for several seconds.

"Hmm..."

Diane placed her index finger against her lips.

"Yes..."

Her sleepy eyes moved upward toward the clear patches of sky visible between the trees.

"I remember fighting..."

She frowned very slightly.

"...I think."

Vera remained silent, simply watching.

Diane continued trying to pull the memory together before it disappeared from her mind again.

"They used guns."

Vera blinked plainly, once.

Diane stared at the sky for another moment.

"Maybe they’re from your family."

She paused.

"Or maybe the Everg..."

Her eyebrows moved slightly as she searched for the name.

"Since the Evergrey’s uses guns too, don’t they?"

Vera’s expression remained unchanged.

Diane lowered her gaze.

"I didn’t check their family crests."

She thought about it again.

"But they were strong."

A tiny sigh escaped her lips.

"They’re the reason I got tired and decided to sleep."

Vera stared at her.

Silence remained between the two girls for several seconds.

Then Vera finally spoke.

"Couldn’t you have saved yourself all that thinking and simply admitted you’re lazy?"

Diane looked at her.

Vera folded her arms.

"And it’s obvious they’re from my family."

There was no hesitation in her voice.

"I see."

Diane nodded as though that settled everything.

She slowly uncrossed her legs and stood from the pillow.

Her academy training skirt had become slightly creased from sitting for so long, so she brushed both hands down the fabric before adjusting it around her waist.

Then she bent down, picked up the throw pillow, and placed it inside her Space Bag.

Once that was done, Diane looked toward Vera.

"So, Vera...Hm? I’m sure you have a good stash of Numbered Gems."

Her voice sounded innocent.

Far too innocent for what she was clearly suggesting.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of intimidation in her expression.

Vera’s black eyes narrowed by a tiny amount.

"Are you trying to snatch my gems?"

"I can take half."

Diane answered without hesitation.

Then, as if she were being extremely generous, she added,

"Since you’re my only friend."

Vera stared at her.

A few seconds passed.

Then Vera’s arms folded beneath her chest.

"Don’t worry."

Her voice remained soft and perfectly calm.

"I wouldn’t do something so cruel to my only friend."

Diane blinked.

Vera continued.

"I’ll only take seventy percent of your gems and graciously return the remaining thirty percent."

Silence.

Diane stared at her.

Vera stared back.

Neither girl’s expression changed.

"You don’t actually think you can beat me, Vera."

Diane spoke as plainly as ever.

"We’ve already seen how that went."

There was no mockery in her voice.

No attempt to provoke Vera.

She wasn’t even trying to sound superior.

Her tired voice didn’t let her.

Diane was simply saying what she believed to be a fact.

They had fought before and Diane had won.

Therefore, in Diane’s mind, Vera claiming she would take seventy percent of her gems was simply incorrect.

Vera didn’t appear offended.

"That happened when I was still a greenhorn, Icy."

Her expression remained calm.

Diane tilted her head slightly.

"But even if you’ve grown..."

She paused.

"I’ve grown too, Vera."

Her sleepy eyes became a little more focused.

"You won’t catch up to me that quickly since we are both grown."

This time, there was certainty behind her words.

Vera quietly studied her.

Diane wasn’t boasting.

That made it more annoying.

At least an arrogant person could be mocked properly.

Diane simply stood there looking half-asleep while explaining why Vera would lose as though she were reading the answer from a textbook.

Vera’s lips moved into the faintest hint of a smile.

"Then..."

She unfolded her arms.

"...let’s see if that’s still true, shall we?"

The sleepy atmosphere surrounding Diane changed.

Not completely though.

Her face still remained as tired-looking as before, but her eyes focused.

Neither girl needed another word.

Vera’s hand moved.

Diane’s moved at almost the same instant.

Both reached for their respective Alchemy mediums inside their space bag and threw them outward.

Their hands came together.

Clap!

Clap!

The two sounds overlapped so closely that they almost became one.

Cognis flowed through Vera and Diane’s bodies almost at the same time, rushing along their veins before gathering between their palms.

The lines of their Alchemy Circles connected rapidly.

Symbols formed.

Cognis filled the completed structures.

The entire construction took only milliseconds.

Anyone watching from a distance would have expected the two girls to immediately attack each other.

After all, they had just agreed to fight over their Numbered Gems.

Vera stood directly in front of Diane.

Diane stood directly in front of Vera.

Their Alchemy Circles were ready.

Yet neither girl aimed forward.

Vera suddenly turned her Alchemy Circle toward her right.

A completed firearm materialized within her grasp.

The E-V 26 MK.II.

She caught the shotgun naturally, pressed the stock into position, and pointed the muzzle toward a section of trees beside the clearing.

Her finger pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The shotgun roared.

At the exact same moment...

Whoosh!

Diane also turned away from Vera.

Her Frost Alchemy Circle faced another direction to her right, where the trees and bushes appeared completely empty.

Cold air gathered around the circle.

An Ice Thorn formed.

Then Diane fired it.

The sharp piece of ice tore through the air toward the seemingly empty section of forest.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then two separate fluctuations of Cognis erupted from the places the girls had attacked.

Vera’s black eyes remained calm.

Diane’s sleepy light-blue gaze didn’t change either.

They had been right.

BOOM!

A blast of flame suddenly erupted from the direction Vera had fired.

Heat expanded between the trees, causing the air to twist and blur as the shotgun attack was intercepted.

The impact of the flame, caused the pellet of the shell to deflect to a different direction.

From Diane’s side came something completely different.

A strange disintegrating sound passed through the clearing.

The Frost attack disappeared.

Not shattered.

Not knocked away.

It seemed to break apart under whatever force had met it.

The two reactions produced enough disturbance that hiding any longer became pointless.

Heat rolled through one side of the clearing.

Another fluctuation of Cognis remained on the other.

Vera and Diane now knew exactly where both hidden observers were.

A figure moved above them.

"I didn’t expect to be found that quickly."

Maxwell appeared from the tree where he had been hiding.

He jumped from the branch.

The air surrounding him was still distorted by waves of heat, making his outline shift slightly as he descended.

His boots touched the ground.

Maxwell straightened himself and looked toward the two girls.

On the opposite side of the clearing, another figure stepped out.

"That was dangerous, Vera Ashenlocke."

Ravenor walked from behind the trees with both hands resting casually inside his pockets.

He appeared calm, almost as though Vera hadn’t just fired a shotgun toward his hiding place.

Vera looked at him.

"Spying on little girls is wrong, Ravenor Burnwick."

Her voice remained plain.

There was no embarrassment in her expression, nor did she sound particularly offended.

She simply stated it as though she were informing him of a basic rule he somehow hadn’t learned.

Ravenor’s expression barely changed.

Vera then turned her head.

Her black eyes settled on Maxwell.

"And..."

She raised one hand.

Her index finger pointed lazily toward him.

"The one who called himself the student of an unknown Alchemist."

Maxwell blinked.

Ravenor’s eyes shifted toward Vera.

He studied her face for a moment.

Does she know about this Commoner’s master’s actual identity?

The thought immediately entered his mind.

There was nothing in Vera’s expression that gave him an answer.

Since she looked as calm as usual.

I don’t think the Duke of Ashenlocke would have told his children about Andraver, unlike my father, who told me all he knew about the Sun Alchemist of this kingdom.

But information concerning someone like Andraver wasn’t exactly the kind of thing any noble family or powerful noble families casually discussed with their children.

At least, that was what Ravenor believed.

Still...

This was Vera Ashenlocke.

Ravenor knew enough about her to understand that normal expectations didn’t always apply.

But at least, knowing Vera...

His eyes narrowed slightly.

There’s a possibility she already understands that Maxwell isn’t an ordinary person.

His gaze moved away from Vera.

It settled on Maxwell.

This time, Ravenor studied him more carefully.

But now that I’ve found him here...

A faint interest entered his eyes.

This is my opportunity.

His father had spoken highly of the Alchemy Path connected to Maxwell’s master.

Very highly.

And that alone was enough to make Ravenor curious.

Especially because of what that Path represented to his own family.

A Path my family sought out to perfect our Flame Alchemy.

Ravenor’s attention became more focused.

He wanted to see it.

Not through someone else’s explanation.

Not through illegal stories that could only be read in hidden doors.

He wanted to watch the Alchemy with his own eyes.

Maxwell noticed the stare.

He shifted slightly, then he looked down at his clothes.

Nothing.

His hand rose toward his face.

"Is there something on my face?"

He looked genuinely confused.

Ravenor didn’t answer, instead he just continued gauging Maxwell.

"You boys should leave."

Diane spoke.

Everyone looked toward her.

She was frowning.

At least...

She seemed to be trying to frown.

Her eyebrows had barely moved enough for anyone to properly notice it.

Her sleepy face remained almost exactly the same.

Diane looked at Maxwell.

Then Ravenor.

"Vera and I are about to fight."

Her voice carried the same tired flatness as before.

The interruption clearly annoyed her, but even her annoyance looked exhausted.

Maxwell glanced between the two girls.

Then at Ravenor.

Then back toward Vera.

"With all these big figures standing here..."

His shoulders remained slightly tense.

"...why would I leave?"

There was still nervousness in his voice.

That hadn’t disappeared.

Yet underneath it was something completely different.

Excitement.

Maxwell pointed toward Vera.

"I was originally going to wait until you and the black-haired girl finished fighting."

Vera’s eyes moved toward his finger, then slowly back to his face.

Her expression remained blank.

"The black-haired girl?"

She looked down briefly at her own hair, then back at Maxwell.

"You’ve already heard my name several times."

Her tone stayed calm.

"Are you nervous, stupid, or simply bad with names?"

Maxwell’s pointing finger slowly lowered, the excitement almost dying within him.

"..."

Diane watched him sleepily.

Ravenor’s lips moved slightly, although he didn’t quite smile.

Maxwell cleared his throat.

"I meant Vera Ashenlocke."

"Congratulations." Vera nodded once. "You remembered."

Maxwell decided not to respond to that.

He continued.

"I wanted to wait until you two finished fighting..."

His nervous expression gradually changed.

"...then fight whoever won."

Vera looked at him plainly.

Diane’s eyes remained half-open.

Maxwell’s gaze moved across everyone in the clearing.

Vera Ashenlocke.

Diane.

Ravenor.

And himself.

He had originally intended to wait.

Watch.

Learn something from Vera and Diane’s fight.

Then challenge the winner.

That plan was already ruined.

They had discovered him before the fight even started.

And Ravenor had been discovered too.

There wasn’t much reason to hide anymore.

Maxwell took a breath.

His fingers slowly curled into fists.

The nervousness remained on his face, but his golden eyes began to shine with growing excitement.

"But now that I’ve been caught..."

A grin gradually appeared.

His golden eyes sparkled.

The chance to fight one strong student had already interested him.

Now there were three standing in front of him.

Why would I walk away?

"I’ll just beat all of you together."

Silence followed.

Vera raised an eyebrow.

Diane stared at him blankly.

Ravenor also stared at him, narrowing his eyes.

The confidence in Maxwell’s words didn’t match the nervous boy who had asked only moments earlier whether something was on his face.

Vera was the first to react.

Her head tilted slightly.

"You hide in a tree spying on girls, get discovered immediately, forget my name after hearing it..."

Her black eyes remained fixed on Maxwell.

"...and somehow your conclusion is that you’re going to beat everyone here."

She paused.

"Your confidence is strangely healthy."

Maxwell’s grin twitched.

Diane looked toward Vera.

"Is that an insult?"

"Encouragement."

Vera replied without hesitation.

"I see."

Diane nodded as though the explanation made perfect sense.

Ravenor finally removed one hand from his pocket.

His attention remained on Maxwell.

The peaceful clearing from only a few minutes earlier no longer felt peaceful at all.

Four students now stood within it.

Four different Alchemy Paths.

Four different reasons for fighting.

And none of them seemed interested in leaving.

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