Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow as his gaze remained on Vera.

"You want me to exchange my Martial Art ideology?"

He repeated her words, his expression remaining calm, though there was a faint trace of thought behind his plain eyes.

Although Alchemists aren’t full-fledged Martial Artists, they still follow and learn a certain amount of hand-to-hand combat arts. Since their bodies are strengthened through Cognis, and there are always situations where a gun, an Alchemy technique, or an external weapon cannot be used immediately.

At such times, the ability to defend oneself at close range becomes important.

However, as already established...

Alchemists aren’t primarily Martial Artists.

Their growth doesn’t usually revolve around fists, kicks, stances, or the deeper principles behind Martial Arts. Most of them focus their training around their Alchemy, their Cognis Pool, physical reinforcement, Alchemy Accessories, and the techniques belonging to their respective Paths.

Because of that, many Alchemists learn Martial Arts only to a certain level.

Enough to defend themselves.

Enough to survive when someone gets too close.

But not enough to truly understand what lies behind the movements.

Yet there are still some Alchemists who use genuine Martial Arts as a major part of their combat strength.

And both Ezra and Vera belonged to that category.

Ezra looked at Vera without saying anything for a few moments.

Exchanging two Martial Art ideologies would mean allowing another person to understand a part of the foundation behind his Tai Chi.

But then again...

Even if he explained the technique to someone, mastering it up to his current level would be extremely difficult.

Tai Chi is something that came deeply from Ezra’s past-self’s world.

So, it isn’t merely about copying a movement or remembering the position of one’s hands and feet. A person needs a certain level of mental understanding to truly use the technique. They need to understand balance, timing, redirection, control, and the relationship between their own body and the force coming toward them.

That was one of the reasons Ravenor Burnwick, of all people, couldn’t properly understand how to use the Martial Art even though he was known as a copycat genius.

He could see Ezra’s movements.

He could also copy Ezra’s movements.

But seeing something and understanding it were two different things.

"You have two Martial Art styles that I have seen you use, Vera."

Ezra finally spoke, his voice calm.

"But I’m thinking about which one would benefit me more if I’m even going to give you an explanation of what you want."

He said the words thoughtfully.

"I already showed you the one I will be explaining to you."

Vera replied casually before turning and walking toward the exit of the workshop.

Ezra watched her back for a moment.

So, that was a martial art style.

His eyes darted downward as he quietly thought about the Martial Art he had seen Vera use earlier.

"I’ll go bathe first. Then we’ll head to the Martial Strength Club building, to use one of their training rooms."

Vera said calmly before stopping near the doorway.

"Or do you want to follow me to bathe?"

The moment she spoke, Vera turned halfway around.

Both her hands were behind her back as she looked at Ezra.

"No."

Ezra replied flatly.

He stared at her expressionlessly, though his eyes were still narrowed slightly, and there was a faint mix of irritation on his face.

Vera quietly looked at him for a brief moment.

Her dull black eyes remained still.

"Too bad."

She turned back around and walked out of the workshop, leaving Ezra seated there.

Ezra watched the door close behind her.

Minutes passed.

Inside one of the training rooms of the Martial Strength Club...

The room was spacious enough for several students to practice at the same time. The walls had been reinforced with layers of hardened material to withstand the impact of Cognis-enhanced attacks, while the smooth floor had faint scratches and marks left behind by countless previous spars.

The air was cooler than the workshop.

There was also a faint smell of leather, refreshener, and cleaning solution hanging in the room.

Vera and Ezra stood facing each other.

"I didn’t expect you to always have your training clothes inside your Space Bag."

Vera said calmly while stretching one of her legs to the side.

She bent smoothly, her body lowering as she stretched the muscles around her waist and thighs.

She had already changed into her usual training outfit, which was different from the standard academy training clothes.

Her long black hair fell behind her back, and without the workshop scarf or goggles, she once again looked like her usual self.

"It just became a habit."

Ezra replied plainly while stretching his arms.

He stood opposite Vera.

"You know... this is the first time we’ll ever fight."

He spoke as he bent down to stretch his legs, his fingers briefly touching near his ankles before he rose again.

"Are you excited?"

Vera asked softly.

She took a step backward and continued stretching her body.

"Excited can’t be the word."

Ezra replied after finishing his own stretches.

He slowly moved into his Tai Chi stance.

His posture lowered slightly.

His feet settled against the floor without pressing too deeply into it, while his arms relaxed before his body. His hands were open, neither clenched nor tense, and from the outside, his stance almost looked too loose for a fight.

However...

That looseness wasn’t, weakness.

It was, readiness.

"The first time I saw you."

Vera lazily raised a finger and pointed at him.

"You were about as weak as I am when I cut my nails."

She spoke plainly, though there was a faint teasing note in her voice.

Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"But now..."

Vera tilted her head a little to the left.

"I don’t know just how much you’ve grown."

Her teasing disappeared as she began taking her own stance.

The Steel Snake Arts of the Ashenlocke Martial Art series.

The Steel Sutra.

Her body shifted.

The change wasn’t large.

But Ezra immediately noticed it.

One of Vera’s feet slid slightly across the training-room floor, positioning itself in front of the other. Her body lowered, though not as openly as Ezra’s stance, and her arms rose before her in a controlled position.

Her shoulders remained relaxed.

Her fingers were partially curled.

Yet the tension behind her stance could clearly be felt.

She almost resembled a snake that wasn’t moving.

But could strike at any moment.

Both of their dull, plain eyes locked onto each other.

"No use of Cognis."

Vera spoke calmly.

"Just a spar showing the Martial Arts we’ll be exchanging."

Ezra said also in a calm tone, while his eyes continued observing her.

The small shift of her right leg.

The way her shoulders were positioned.

The movement of her plain black eyes.

Vera’s expression barely changed, but Ezra knew better than to think that meant she wasn’t preparing anything.

But, even with that...

Yeah, I can’t read her perfectly.

He quietly thought to himself.

Her body language was far more difficult to understand than most people.

"Start."

Vera suddenly said softly.

The instant the word left her mouth, both of them moved.

Ezra and Vera dashed toward one another without slowing down.

Their footsteps struck the smooth training-room floor almost at the same time.

Vera moved first.

Her right leg shot upward.

The movement was fast and direct.

A front kick immediately headed toward Ezra’s upper body.

Ezra stepped to the right with fluid footwork.

His plain black eyes moved from Vera’s attacking leg toward her arms.

Then he raised his left hand toward the leg that was coming at him earlier.

However, just as his hand moved...

Vera spun her body slightly.

The front kick that had been hanging firmly in the air for just a second, suddenly changed within a split second.

Vera’s hips twisted.

Her leg followed.

The attack turned into a Hook Kick.

Ezra’s eyes narrowed.

He immediately lowered his body, changing the direction of his hand as he went down.

Whoosh!

Vera’s leg swept over his head.

The movement was close enough for Ezra to feel the air disturbed by the kick pass above him.

Vera smoothly brought her leg back down.

When her foot landed on the ground.

She faced Ezra again.

However, she had barely completed the motion when...

Whoosh!

She leaped a step backward, because Ezra was already in front of her.

His right palm thrust forward.

Vera only needed to shift her body slightly.

The palm passed by her from less than an inch away.

A faint ripple of air flowed past her training top, causing the cloth around her waist to move slightly.

Ezra didn’t stop there.

The moment his right palm missed...

His body shifted again.

His left palm immediately drove toward Vera’s face.

Vera tilted her head slightly to the right.

The attack passed by her cheek.

At the same time, instead of retreating from Ezra’s attack, she stepped into his range.

Her body moved closer.

Her left hand formed into a fist.

She aimed directly toward Ezra’s stomach.

Then...

"Ah..."

Thud!

Ezra turned slightly as he looked back.

Vera was on her knees, one hand pressed against her forehead.

For a brief moment, she remained there, her black hair falling over part of her face.

Ezra quietly observed her.

She managed to regain her balance.

Vera slowly looked up at him.

Her dull black eyes contained a trace of thought as she remembered what had just happened.

The moment she had gone for the punch with her left hand...

Ezra hadn’t tried to evade it.

Instead, he had moved closer to her.

His right hand had moved in a quick motion.

Vera had seen what he was going for.

But it had already been too late.

The instant Ezra’s right palm touched her forehead, the force behind her own forward movement had been redirected.

Her body had turned backward.

Her feet left the ground.

For a moment, the entire training room had flipped upside down in her vision.

However, Vera reacted quickly.

Her hands touched the floor.

Instead of allowing herself to crash onto her back, she used her arms to support her body as she twisted smoothly.

Her body spun with the momentum.

Then her feet landed properly.

Vera’s knees bent slightly to absorb the landing before she dropped into a crouch.

She had still been thrown.

But she hadn’t been completely taken down.

"So, it’s more about using your opponent’s momentum to attack them."

Vera muttered thoughtfully.

She slowly stood up.

Her eyes remained on Ezra.

"I have now seen yours."

Vera said as she returned to her fighting stance.

Her body gradually settled into position, while her dull black eyes remained fixed on Ezra without wavering.

The brief exchange had been enough for her to get an idea on what Ezra’s Martial Art was about.

Especially since she had experienced his Martial Art with her own body.

"Now, I will grace you by showing you my art."

Vera’s dull black eyes remained fixed on Ezra as she spoke.

"Be grateful, Musician."

Her voice was calm, as though she were simply stating a fact.

Ezra looked at her, then his eyes shifted slightly.

His body relaxed once again.

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