Last Gun Alchemist-Chapter 103: Fifth Trial—Tower Defense Part Twenty-Seven

"I could just make use of the GPMG... and my traps are still fully active."

Ezra muttered to himself as he sat on his camp bed, legs folded, one hand resting under his chin while the Barrett M107 rested on his laps, his fingers brushing lightly across the worn surface of the weapon as he thought through his options.

He stayed like that for a moment, thinking on what to do.

"Okay." He nodded once.

A small, firm motion which signaled he had made his decision.

He placed the rifle back into his space bag, then stood up, turned and stepped out of the tent, the flap shifting slightly as he exited into the open air.

Outside, the five were gathered near the catapults, sitting and standing around casually, talking among themselves, their voices low and relaxed compared to the tension of earlier days.

"Oh...Ezra, you’re out again."

The third boy noticed him first, turning his head slightly as Ezra approached.

"Don’t mind me."

Ezra replied without stopping, his steps steady as he moved past them and walked straight toward the GPMG, his eyes scanning the machine gun, the positioning, and the ammunition boxes placed neatly beside it.

The five exchanged glances, then shrugged returning back to their conversation while Ezra didn’t stay there long, he continued walking forward to the stone barricade of the castle wall and without hesitation, jumped, his body dropping down from the castle wall.

Mid-air, he pushed a small amount of Cognis into his legs to strengthen it, to damp his landing.

Boom!

His feet hit the ground, sand and small stones burst outward from the impact, scattering in short arcs, while the clear imprint of his shoes pressed into the soil beneath him.

Ezra straightened, then began walking calmly toward the marked spots of his traps and one by one, he started checking them carefully.

The second wave had caused heavy vibrations through the ground, and those vibrations could loosen mechanisms, shift placements, or weaken tension points.

So, he inspected everything, every rope, trigger and anchor point. To see if something was off.

During the checkup he ended up fixing some of the traps that had actually loosened, adjusting them back and also reinforcing some of the traps while adding some new features to it.

Time passed without him noticing and when he finally finished, a faint chill brushed against his face.

He paused, then looked up.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue softly.

Small flakes of snow were beginning to fall from the sky, drifting down slowly, carried by the wind.

He brushed the sand off his clothes, then stretched his body, loosening his joints and turned back toward the castle.

When he reached the wall, he grabbed the rope he had tied on the first day of the fifth trial for whenever he wanted to climb down and up the castle wall.

He gripped the rope tight with both hands then climbed, hand over hand, steady and controlled.

"Ezra, you’re back."

Ann said as she adjusted her shoe, glancing toward him the moment he pulled himself up.

Ezra lifted his head slightly.

The sky was now dim as the sun began to set.

He paused, realizing he had spent far more time outside than he thought.

"It’s dinner time?"

He asked.

"Yeah."

Ann nodded.

"Me and Dan are on food duty for the others." She pointed toward the rest of the group.

Ezra followed her gesture to see the three laughing and playing cards again.

The campfire had already been lit; flames flickered casting light across the area.

"Okay."

He replied.

He walked back to his tent, came out again with a pot of water setting it over the fire, waited until it warmed, then removed his coat and shirt, feeling the cold breeze, but he endured as he always had, gritting his teeth and cleaning himself carefully.

One bucket mixed with soap, using a white cloth to scrub his body, then another to clean off the soap from his body wiping everything off completely.

After that he returned inside and changed his clothes, increasing the layers of shirt he wore to be more suited for the coming cold, then walked back out toward where everyone always gathered to eat.

Ann and Dan had already returned holding the other three’s food with their own on their hands, they passed Ezra while he was going to the general camp spot of the group.

When he got there, people were seated eating, talking, the atmosphere warm and bright, a sharp contrast to the battlefield.

Veda sat among them looking tired, not physically, but mentally because the long lecture from Linda had clearly taken its toll.

He lifted a spoon and ate slowly acting like a sulking baby.

"Don’t you think you went too far?"

Tracy leaned slightly toward Linda, whispering as she served food to the person in front of her.

Linda glanced at Veda, he noticed and smiled at her.

Her eyes twitched quickly and she turned away immediately, still annoyed.

"Humph." She muttered. "He deserved it."

Tracy watched her knowing she was just acting then laughed softly, as the two girls continued talking and serving the group, Ezra stepped forward when it was his turn.

Linda looked at him, her expression still irritated. For a moment, it felt like she might say something as always, redirect her frustration on him but she just served him quietly.

Which surprised Ezra, but he didn’t react facially.

"Thank you."

He said simply, then turned and went to sit in a corner where many people didn’t sit.

Linda exhaled, then turned to her right feeling that gazes were on her, she saw Tracy’s mouth open wide, she turned back — other servers had the same look on their faces.

"What is wrong with all of you?"

She asked, confused.

"Linda...!" Nickolas ran over. "Are you feeling, okay?"

He asked, actually looking concerned.

"Eh?" Linda blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

She turned diagonally to her left and saw Veda, even, him had the same shocked look.

The vein at her temple twitched.

"Okay..."

She clenched her fist slightly.

"Someone explain why all of you are looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost."

"Well..."

Tracy said carefully.

"You didn’t shout at Ezra... or try to pick a fight with him today. Are you tired or something?"

Linda froze, then slowly her face darkened now understanding why they looked at her like that.

"...Wait."

She turned, pointing at all of them.

"Do you people think I bully him for a living or something?"

"Don’t you?"

Nickolas replied instantly.

Silence. One second, two,then...

"SHUT UP!" Linda exploded.

She lunged at him, knocked him to the ground and started hitting him.

The whole group suddenly burst into laughter watching Nickolas struggling, trying to push her off.

"Stop! Linda calm down...Argh" he shouted.

Veda watched, smiling. Clearly enjoying the show while Ezra ate his food and also quietly watching.

After dinner, everyone gradually settled down, one by one, they returned to their tents, their movements slower now, their bodies carrying the weight of the day’s work, while the people assigned to watch duty stepped forward without delay, taking their positions along the walls and key points of the castle and just like that, the night passed quietly.

The next day came and the routine resumed as usual, but something had changed.

Not in what they worked, but in how they worked. From that point on, everyone moved with awareness.

The whole group had officially entered a state of alert because now...They were all now waiting for the third wave.

The day passed like that, then another with nothing happened.

No attack, no sign of disturbances, but that silence didn’t bring comfort.

Everyone remained focused and sharp, keeping close watch on every movement deliberate and sound begin noted because they all understood one thing, they were close.

Close to the final wave, close to the end of the fifth trial and that thought alone was enough to keep them ready.

During that time, Ezra made his own preparations.

He collected a liter of Zyphoric Acid, then diluted it with water, increasing the volume while maintaining enough potency for use and sealed the container made for containing the acid, then placed it near the catapults within reach.

He also received his own mask from Veda, something simple, but necessary since he planned on using the acid and like that, the third day of the fourth week arrived with their daily routine continuing without any issue.

Because of the agreement made between all the leaders, there was no concern about attacks from other groups, which removed the need to divide attention.

So, every group could work in peace and remain alert, only for one thing...The third wave.

Time passed slowly, then the sun began to set and snow finally started falling fully.

Not just light flakes anymore, but enough to cover the ground.

The fields turned white.

The stone of the castle slowly layered with frost and snow, changing the color of everything around them, of course, the group had to clean the snow from piling on the stone floor of the castle.

Ezra sat on his beach chair near the campfire, leaning back slightly, his body relaxed but not careless, the heat from the fire brushing against his face and hands, even though he wore a coat with two layers of clothing beneath it and his alchemy gloves.

The cold still seeped in, bit by bit which annoyed him, considering his body condition.

The other five stood at their arranged positions.

Two on the left and three spread along the wall, all watching and observing.

The same arrangement held at the front of the castle, where others stood guard, their eyes scanning the distance without pause.

No one really wanted to sleep early, not anymore, even after dinner...No one truly rested because this was the fourth week and everyone knew—The wave could come at any moment, even in the dark.

The battlefield had been prepared.

A wide distance in front and behind the castle was lit with torches, their flames flickering against the cold wind, while lamps hung from the trees, casting steady light across the marked zones.

From where they stood, they could clearly see up to the first line of defense.

Thin ropes had been stretched across both the front and back lines.

Attached to them... empty cans.

If anything touched them, even the slightest of touch. The sound would carry immediately, that’s why little can noise was being heard due to how the wind was blowing little.

Veda sat on the barricade, an AK-47 rested in his hands while a blanket was wrapped around his body, shielding him from the cold as he stared into the distance, his gaze steady, unmoving.

Nickolas moved around the area with a few others, checking supplies again, adjusting positions, inspecting the alchemy lines that had been redrawn again.

Linda, Tracy, and Mariam remained inside the tower control room, their voices low as they spoke, likely reviewing plans, confirming positions, preparing for what was to come.

The wind blew. Soft, cold and peaceful.

At the back, Ezra remained seated, his body still and posture relaxed.

A book rested in his hand—the Binder rank gun manual he had bought from the marketplace, the pages shifted slightly as the wind passed.

The entire environment was quiet, too quiet, the kind of quiet that pressed against the ears and made even small sounds feel loud and then at the same time both Veda at the front and Ezra at the back, felt it.

A quiet shift in the wind.

"The wind..." Ezra muttered under his breath as his head tilted slightly.

Something was off.

He turned his head slowly to the left, the two girls there were still talking among themselves, their voices low, casual, their bodies relaxed, nothing out of place, nothing moving wrong.

No disturbance, no presence. Nothing.

He turned to the right; it was the same.

The three boys stood there, speaking quietly, unaware, completely normal.

Ezra stood up immediately, his movement was sharp and abrupt.

His eyes narrowed as Cognis surged through his body, flowing into his senses, sharpening his sight, heightening his hearing, stretching his awareness outward into the dark.

He stared into the distance.

Focused and listening, but nothing.

Not a sound or shift or even the smallest irregularity.

He exhaled slowly.

"...Did my senses improve too much?"

He muttered to himself, his brows tightening slightly. "Am I starting to hear things...?"

"No."

His pupils shrank, something inside him screamed, without hesitation he turned and threw the book in his hand.

Hard.

Cognis surged into his arm, the motion explosive. The book shot forward, cutting through the air fast, toward the right side where the three boys still stood unaware.

Clash!

Mid-air...The book stopped.

No, it hit something, something invisible, something that shouldn’t be there.

In the next instant, the book split cleanly in half as if sliced by something sharp and whatever it was didn’t stop.

Boom!

The second boy among the five was hit, his body flew backward slamming into the wall, the impact echoed heavily, his head snapped to the side and blood burst out from the side of his neck.

An axe...Was buried there, hooked into the wall and pinning him in place.

His body twitched once, then stilled.

Silence, for half a second.

"Eh...?" Ann turned, her voice small and confused.

The other girl beside her turned too and then, they saw it.

The body, pinned, blood pouring down the wall, the metallic smell spreading into the air.

Their breaths stopped.

The two boys who had been standing beside him froze, their eyes widened, their mouths opened, but before any sound could come out, something moved fast.

Dan was grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over his mouth, tight and a blade slid across his throat.

Clean and smooth.

Blood sprayed, warm across the cold air as his body shook violently, then went limp.

No scream, no warning.

The third boy turned panic finally hitting, but it was too late.

A spear drove straight through him, piercing clean, front to back.

His body lifted slightly from the ground before dropping dead just like that.

At the same time Ezra moved with instinct.

He dropped low, a blade cut through the space where his neck had been a second ago, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss.

He rolled forward, pushing off the ground and twisted his body, then glanced back and saw it for a split second before it vanished.

A figure. Humanoid, but wrong.

Its body was covered in uneven armor, a piece of spiked plating fixed over its left shoulder, while crude armor wrapped around its arms and legs, around its waist hung the hide of a Silverback Dire Wolf, torn and rough, its skin...Dark green, its mouth filled with two fangs that pushed outward unnaturally from under, scales lined parts of its body, a tail swayed behind it and its eyes glowed yellow staring at him before it vanished.

"Ann!!!" Ezra shouted, his voice cutting through the tension. "You and Bette...run! Alert the others!"

Ann snapped out of it, her body moved, she quickly grabbed Bette, turned and ran, but...Thud!

She hit something firm like an invisible wall and her body bounced back as she fell, dragging Bette down with her, they both hit the ground almost suddenly, then they looked up...And it was there, another one. Standing right in front of them, fully visible now.

This one...Had armor on both shoulders, heavier and in its hand was a saber.

Its head tilted slightly as its mouth opened.

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

The sound came out wrong, dry like bones scraping, then it moved.

The saber swung straight toward their necks.

Clank!

A sharp sound rang out with sparks burst into the air, falling like tiny embers.

Ezra stood in front of them.

His dagger pressed against the saber; his arm steady despite the force behind the strike, just moments ago, another one had attacked him which he had rolled again and dodged the attack then moved after noticing the two were in trouble.

Now, he was here.

The creature pulled back and swung again faster but Ezra shifted his footing, turned his body and allowed the blade to pass him just inches from his side, then stepped in and clashed again.

Steel against steel, the vibration ran through his arm.

Cognis surged, his body moving faster and sharper, he pushed forward, then stepped back.

Adjusting and watching, then he quickly glanced behind him.

The Three more humanoid creatures walking slowly from the dark visible, their footsteps light that he could barely hear their footsteps, the one in front of him stepped back and all of them vanished again in a blink.

The air felt colder and thicker.

"This is bad..." Ezra muttered.

His eyes moving front to back, left to right, the girls behind him breathing fast, shaking, not moving or they couldn’t move.

He knew the creatures ahead were definitely closing in from anywhere and they were moving fast.