Last Gun Alchemist-Chapter 106: Fifth Trial—Tower Defense Part Thirty

Kalians.

The apex hunters of the Stoney Rainforest, a dangerous region located deep within the Stonefall territory.

They are humanoid monsters, but their origin is unknown...no, not unknown, but deliberately hidden, buried so deep in time that even records had begun to fade, leaving only fragments behind.

The title Apex Hunters was not given lightly.

It came from their nature.

From the way they could camouflage themselves in both daylight and darkness, blending into their surroundings so perfectly that even trained fighters could not detect them until it was too late.

From the way they moved—light, silent, almost weightless, like ghosts slipping through the world without leaving a trace.

From the way they hunted.

With coordination, precision, patience and from the terrifying ability they possessed...

The power to paralyze weaker prey through their bloodlust alone, but what made them truly feared...

Was something else.

They could use Cognis.

No one knew how and no one could understand why.

Yet somehow, these creatures could channel Cognis just like Alchemist, strengthening their bodies, sharpening their movements, and manipulating weapons close to the way Steel Alchemists fights, while still retaining a level of intelligence that made them feel... human.

That was why they had earned another reputation.

The monsters responsible for the highest number of human deaths in Britannia.

Although that was no longer as common as before, ever since the Duke family of Stonefall—the Darek family...had suppressed their spread and limited their territory.

Still...

Even now, facing one meant death was already close.

***

The Kalian stood over Tracy’s unmoving body, its yellow eyes staring down at her as it slowly raised its leg, preparing to crush her head with a single stomp.

Bang!

The sound tore through the air.

Nickolas had forced himself up just enough, his hands trembling as he gripped the AA-12 and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The Kalian reacted instantly.

Its right hand stretched outward...

And the blade it had thrown earlier flew back into its grip as if pulled by an invisible force.

In that same motion...

It swung and the bullet was cut in half.

A small explosion burst from the collision point, sending sparks and fragments outward.

Nickolas didn’t stop.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired repeatedly, forcing his shaking arms to hold steady, but every single shot met the same result...clean cuts, small explosions, no damage.

"Tsk..."

He clicked his tongue, frustration rising, but he kept firing anyway, refusing to stop.

At the same time...

Linda moved.

Sliding across the ground low, her body hugging the surface as she avoided the scattered explosive fragments, her hand reaching out as she grabbed Tracy’s arm.

She pulled hard.

Dragging her out of the danger zone before the Kalian could step forward again.

With a burst of strength, she lifted Tracy slightly and jumped back, clearing the immediate range of attack.

"Now!!"

She shouted.

Nickolas heard her.

Immediately without hesitation...

He threw the AA-12 straight at the Kalian, forcing it to react, then pushed himself backward, retreating toward Linda’s position as fast as his injured body could manage.

At that exact moment...

Mariam acted.

From above, she threw a scroll toward him with precise aim.

Nickolas caught it with one hand without even looking, his focus still locked forward as his other hand snapped the scroll open mid-motion.

An alchemy circle was drawn across its surface.

Cognis surged.

From deep within his mind realm as his star pulsed.

Cognis flowed through his body like streams of light, gathering in his left hand as he slammed his palm onto the scroll.

The air shifted violently.

Dust, snow and broken fragments of stone...All pushed outward in a sudden wave.

Then...

A weapon formed.

A dual-barrel shotgun, in the Meister rank Gun series.

After the results of the second wave, weapons of that level had been added to the virtual market, and now...

He held one.

Nickolas gripped it tightly, his eyes locked onto the Kalian.

I don’t know why it hasn’t used its camouflage ability right now...But this is my chance.

He planted his feet firmly into the ground, ignoring the pain screaming through his body.

"I WILL KILL YOU!!!"

He roared and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The force of the shot was overwhelming.

His entire body was thrown backward from the recoil, the shotgun slipping from his hands as he crashed onto the ground.

"Argh...!"

Blood spilled from his mouth, his hands shook violently and the skin on his palms had torn open from the force, but the shot had landed.

The blast collided with the Kalian...

Causing a massive explosion to erupt.

The tower shook, the castle vibrated.

Smoke spread outward, swallowing the area where the creature had stood.

"Did we get it...?"

Linda asked as she carefully laid Tracy against the wall, her movements gentler now, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Tracy’s condition.

Tracy’s eyes were barely open.

Unfocused and her breathing shallow.

Then...

Her body went limp.

She fainted.

Blood, still dripping from her forehead.

Linda’s expression tightened, fear creeping in on the thought that her friend could have died just like that.

Nickolas forced himself up again, his vision slightly blurred, his body refusing to cooperate, yet his eyes remained fixed on the smoke.

"I... don’t know..." He answered.

Then...

From within the smoke....

"Krik... Krik... Krik..."

The sound echoed.

Low, as if mocking.

The smoke began to clear. Slowly and then it appeared.

The Kalian, standing unharmed.

Its form revealed piece by piece as the smoke faded, its tail swaying slowly behind it, its yellow eyes glowing through the haze.

From both its hands...

Long blades extended outward, stretching unnaturally like living weapons.

"Krik... Krik..."

It sounded again as if laughing.

Nickolas, Linda and Mariam. All stared, frozen.

"No..." Nickolas whispered.

The Kalian appeared, not by fading in and out this time, not by hiding.

It simply ran straight at Nickolas. Fast.

So fast that the air around it seemed to drag behind its movement, its feet barely making sound against the ground as it closed the distance in a blink.

At that moment...

Nickolas understood again, fully.

This thing was far beyond him.

This is fucking suicide.

The thought came clearly into his mind.

Then...

Impact.

The Kalian’s knee drove straight into his stomach, hard.

All the air in his lungs burst out at once as his body folded forward, his mouth opening wide as blood sprayed out uncontrollably, the force shaking through his entire frame.

He stumbled back, trying to regain balance, but the Kalian didn’t let him go.

Its hand grabbed his coat, tight, then yanked him back.

Violently.

Before he could react...

It raised him up and slammed him down.

Back first.

Crack!

The ground beneath him broke on impact, lines spreading out from where his body hit, dust and fragments of stone rising into the air.

Pain exploded through his back through his ribs and spine.

More blood rushed out of his mouth as his chest heaved, his body refusing to respond properly as something inside him cracked under the pressure.

Nickolas groaned.

Low and rough.

His breathing became heavy, uneven, each inhale feeling like his lungs were tearing from the inside.

"Get away from him!!"

Linda’s voice cut through the chaos as she rushed forward, her steps quick despite the fear creeping into her body, her weapon already raised as she began firing at the Kalian without slowing down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets rushed forward, but the Kalian moved its arm.

The blade attached to it shifted slightly and blocked every shot.

Clean and precise.

As if it had done it a thousand times before.

Looking at it clearly now...

There was no doubt.

The explosion from the Dual-barrel shotgun earlier...Had done nothing to it.

The second blade on its other arm moved.

Stretching, unnaturally, like a whip made of steel.

Then...

It swung.

The blade cut through the air toward Linda.

She reacted instantly.

Her body dropped low as she rolled across the ground, the blade passing just above her, slicing through empty space where her head had been moments before.

While rolling...

Her hands moved.

Fast and fluid.

She removed the empty magazine and replaced it. In one smooth motion, she then pushed herself back up and fired again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Kalian blocked again and again and again.

Each movement... exact, each motion controlled.

Then...

It swung again.

This time...Faster.

Linda stepped in. Raised her AK.

Clashed.

The blade struck against the gun with force, the impact running through her arms as she held her ground.

She didn’t stop.

She resumed firing immediately, but...In the blink of an eye...The Kalian vanished.

Gone, the moment her block connected.

Linda froze for half a second. Her pupils shifted rapidly.

Left, right, front, back.

Trying to track it, trying to feel it, trying to hear it.

Rrrip... Glrk.

Her body went still, her breath caught. She slowly lowered her head and looked.

A stretched blade had pierced through her stomach.

From behind.

The blade slid back.

Smooth and effortlessly returning to the Kalian...

Which now clung to the wall of the tower like a monkey, its limbs spread out as it watched from above, its yellow eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

The gun slipped from Linda’s hand, hitting the ground.

Her knees gave out and she dropped.

Her hands pressed against her stomach, trying to hold in the blood as it spilled through her fingers.

Her face tightened from the pain she was feeling.

Above, Mariam stood frozen.

Her body stiff, her mind racing.

What do I do...? What do I do...?

Her thoughts collided. Over and over, but her legs...Would not move.

The fear of dying...The image of herself on the ground like Linda...

Stopped her completely.

The Kalian lifted its head. Looked up and met her eyes.

"AHH...!"

The moment their gazes connected...

Mariam collapsed.

Her body shook uncontrollably as fear flooded through her, her hands gripping the ground as she struggled to breathe properly.

"Sir Veda... where are you..."

Her voice cracked, barely holding together.

The Kalian dropped from the wall.

Landing lightly, then began walking. Step by step toward Linda, who was still trying to stay upright, still forcing her Cognis to heal herself.

Nickolas saw it, barely. Through blurred vision.

His body refused to move, no matter how much he tried.

He could only guess what was happening with his hearing and the shooting had stopped.

That meant...Something bad had happened to Linda.

Move...Move...Move!

MOVE!

He screamed inside his own mind.

His veins bulged across his skin as Cognis surged violently through his body, trying to force movement, trying to break through the pain that held him down.

I am the second in command...Veda’s right-hand man...When he isn’t here...It’s me that as to stand in and protect others.

MOVE, GOD DAMN IT!!!

MOVE!!!

The Kalian reached Linda and grabbed her, lifting her up by her arm.

Her body hung weakly, blood dripping down.

Linda looked at it.

Her vision blurred, her body barely holding on, but...

She laughed.

"Hehehe..."

Weak and faint laugh.

"You are... fucking ugly..."

Her words came out broken and low, but her eyes...

Remained sharp, even in a situation like this.

The Kalian tightened its grip.

Its other hand rose and closed around Linda’s neck.

Her body lifted slightly as her feet left the ground completely, her hands instinctively reaching up to grab its wrist, but her strength was fading fast, her fingers trembling as blood continued to slip through her grip.

Then...

It opened its mouth wide.

Slowly.

The long fangs extended downward, sharp and wet under the dim light, while the rows of spike teeth inside stretched unnaturally, revealing something closer to a predator than anything human.

It leaned in closer to bite.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The gunshots cracked through the air.

Accurately precise.

Each bullet cut through the space with controlled accuracy, passing dangerously close to Linda without touching her.

The Kalian reacted instantly.

Its body snapped back.

It released her, then leaped away, its movements weaving between the shots as some of the bullets grazed its body, drawing thin lines across its skin before it vanished again into the air.

Linda’s body dropped, but before she could hit the ground...

A hand caught her carefully.

"I’m sorry I’m late."

Veda’s voice, low.

Linda looked up at him, her vision blurred and breathing weak, but...She smiled, faintly.

"What took you so long... you fucking leader..."

Her voice was barely there, but the sarcasm remained.

Veda didn’t reply immediately.

He lowered her carefully, placing her down on the ground with controlled movement, making sure her body rested against the surface without worsening her injury.

Then...

He stood up slowly.

His eyes moved, taking everything in.

Nickolas...Barely standing, Tracy...Leaning against the wall, unconscious, while some people were also on the floor unconscious and others...

Dead.

The air grew heavy.

"Hahaha... cough... cough..."

Nickolas laughed weakly, the sound breaking apart as blood spilled from his mouth.

"You’re... back..."

His body finally gave out, he fell backward on the floor.

Veda didn’t respond.

His gaze had already shifted.

Locked onto something, even though nothing was visible.

The Kalian and the Kalian...Felt it.

Even without being seen, it instinctively stepped back.

One step. Cautious.

As if something about Veda’s presence...Was warning it.

"Meister rank... huh."

Veda muttered under his breath.

His tone, calm, but heavy. "Mariam!!!!" His voice cut through the air. Commanding.

Mariam’s body jerked up; her thoughts snapped back into place.

"Sir Veda...?"

She blinked rapidly, her breathing still uneven.

"Activate the energy shield!"

He ordered.

At the same time...The Kalian moved.

It rushed forward at him fast.

A blur cutting through the air straight toward Veda.

Mariam forced herself up, her legs slipped.

She almost fell, but caught herself, then ran and slammed the palm of her hand onto the crystal.

The moment her palm made contact...The crystal reacted.

A blue energy pulse burst outward.

Expanding rapidly like a sphere unfolding into space.

The shield spread fast.

The Kalian didn’t stop.

It kept charging...Until...It hit the expanding field.

Boom!

The impact forced its body backward violently, lifting it off the ground as the energy pushed it away from the castle entirely, sending it flying across the snowy field.

It landed.

Sliding.

Its blades struck into the ground, cutting through the snow and soil to stabilize its body as it came to a stop.

Veda immediately turned running toward the wall, climbed onto the barricade wall with a single fluid motion and jumped down.

Boom.

He landed outside.

The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly from the force, small lines spreading outward as his body absorbed the impact.

Snow fell around him, slowly as the cold air wrapped around both of them.

Veda lifted his head and looked straight at the Kalian.

The Kalian stared back, its tail swaying lightly, its body lowering.

Preparing.

"You must have had a lot of fun..."

Veda said slowly, his voice steady but carrying something darker beneath it.

"...toying with my friends, huh?"

He reached into his space bag and pulled out two revolvers.

His fingers adjusted their grip naturally as he lowered his stance, his feet pressing into the ground, his body aligning into a stable fighting posture.

"Krik... Krik... Krik..."

The Kalian responded.

Its arms moved.

The blades extended downward.

Stretching until they touched the ground like whips of steel, dragging lightly across the snow as it shifted into its own stance.

The space between them grew quiet and heavy.

"I’m going to murder you."

Veda’s voice dropped, deeper and colder.

Cognis surged through his entire body like pressure building beneath the surface.

The snow beneath his feet trembled, the sand shifted and the air itself felt tighter.