Last Gun Alchemist-Chapter 93: Fifth Trial—Tower Defense Part Seventeen

A Larger Ground Ape suddenly broke formation and ran ahead of the others, its movement sharp and unpredictable as it twisted its body to evade the continuous stream of machine gun bullets, its heavy feet digging into the ground with each step while it held a thick tree firmly in both hands, the roots still clinging with dirt as it leaped forward, rolled across the ground to avoid another burst of fire, then rose again without slowing and hurled the tree forward with full force from as far back as the second line.

The tree cut through the air, spinning as it traveled, the sound of its movement loud and rough as it pushed through the wind, forcing the Lesser Ground Apes in its path to scatter to the sides instinctively as it rushed past them.

The tree struck the thin steel lines, for a brief moment... The ropes stretched pulling back slightly under the force, but they didn’t break; instead the sharp tension held firm and in the next instant the steel sliced through the tree cleanly.

The trunk split apart into several pieces mid-impact, the cut so smooth it looked almost unreal, before the broken parts fell heavily onto the ground, digging into the soil with a dull, heavy sound.

Veda reacted immediately.

His eyes locked onto the Larger Ground Ape that had thrown the tree, and without hesitation, he shifted the GPMG, adjusting his aim with a fast, practiced motion.

The Ape tried to retreat but too late, the bullets caught up.

Multiple bullets struck its leg, forcing it to stumble, then more followed.

The body jerked violently as holes tore through it one after another until it collapsed.

Veda didn’t stop. He shifted again tracking movement.

Taking down the next Larger Ground Ape, then a Giant Ground Ape, then another.

At the same time...Ezra adjusted his focus from above.

He let Veda handle the larger threats and shifted his aim back toward the Lesser Ground Apes that were still pushing forward, picking them off one after another with controlled shots.

Then, almost suddenly, three Giant Ground Apes and one Larger Ground Ape.

All rushed forward together, pushing through despite the heavy fire, their bodies enduring the impacts as they advanced.

The first Giant Ground Ape reached the final line and leaped, trying to force its way through the thin steel ropes.

Veda’s attention was split.

He needed to reduce the number of incoming Giant and Larger Ground Apes from the back...While Ezra was focused on stopping the Lesser Ground Apes that had already made it through the last line trap.

At that brief moment, no one could stop it.

The Giant Ground Ape’s body pressed against the steel ropes, the tension increased and the ropes stretched.

Its hands grabbed onto them, ignoring the cuts as blood poured down its arms, dripping onto the ground while its legs pushed forward with force.

The pulley system holding the ropes began to shift slightly.

Then...

Bang!

The shot came from above.

The Giant Ground Ape’s head exploded, its body froze for half a second, then collapsed.

The moment it fell, the stretched steel snapped back into place with force, slicing through the Lesser Ground Apes that had piled up behind and around it, cutting them cleanly as their bodies fell apart in uneven pieces.

Still, some made it through.

A few Lesser Ground Apes broke past the trap and rushed forward, jumping wildly, trying to slam their bodies against the castle walls.

"Focus!" Linda shouted, her voice cutting through the noise as she continued firing, though her eyes flicked to the side for a moment.

She could see it; everyone was now struggling.

Most of them were only half-star Novice Alchemists and didn’t have a good grasp on Cognis control.

She bit her lip slightly, her brows tightening.

Even though the number of incoming Lesser Ground Apes had stopped increasing...

Even though Veda was doing everything he could to hold back the Larger and Giant Ground Apes...

It wasn’t enough to feel safe.

She exhaled slowly, her gaze landing briefly on the dead Giant Ground Ape lying across the last line, then she looked up again.

"Oh no!" Tracy suddenly shouted, pointing forward.

The others glanced quickly while still firing and then they saw it...The Lesser Ground Apes had started using the body of the fallen Giant Ground Ape as a stepping stone.

Climbing over it, using it as a platform to jump over the steel lines.

One after another they landed now closer to the castle walls, too close

"Shit...everyone increase your focus!" Nickolas shouted sharply.

Without wasting time, he lowered the weapon in his hand and pulled out the AA-12 that Veda had handed to him earlier.

He gripped it tightly and fired.

The recoil hit hard, but he held it steady.

The blasts tore through the Lesser Ground Apes that had gotten close to the walls, pushing them back or breaking them apart before they could strike, because one hit was enough. A single punch from a Lesser Ground Ape could damage the structure of the walls and if the larger ones got close...It would be worse, far worse.

Above...

Ezra continued his support, picking off targets and focusing on those that got too close.

Those about to strike and those about to climb.

Then...

"Nickolas!"

A boy’s voice called out from the side.

"One of the Ak-47 users can’t continue!"

Nickolas turned, to see a girl part of the Ak-47 squad dropping her weapon, her hands were shaking and blood ran from her nose, dripping down her chin.

"No... I can continue..." she tried to reach for the gun again.

Nickolas stepped forward placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Go back." He pulled her slightly.

"But..." she said, her voice not coming out properly. Her face completely looked pale and exhausted.

"Go rest."

His voice was firm.

"I’ll handle this side."

She hesitated, gripping her hand tight, feeling really disappointed in herself, but she gave in and stepped back.

Veda heard everything while he continued shooting down the bigger Apes advancing at the back.

He glanced briefly, most of the shooters were already reaching their limit.

"Tsk."

The GPMG clicked empty.

Without delay, Veda grabbed a new belt of ammo from the box beside him, slamming it into place with a quick motion before returning to fire immediately, cutting down the advancing Larger and Giant Ground Apes again.

"We must not let them get closer to the walls!" Nickolas shouted, his voice sharp and urgent as he fired twice in quick succession as two Lesser Ground Apes dropped almost immediately, their bodies collapsing forward before they could take another step.

Without wasting time, he lowered the weapon in his hand and quickly switched back to the Ak-47, sliding the AA-12 into his space bag with a fast, practiced motion, his fingers moving without hesitation even as the battlefield continued to roar around him.

He ejected the empty magazine.

The metal clicked.

A new one was already in his hand and swiftly slammed it into place and then continued firing again.

Moving left, then right.

Adjusting his stance as his feet scraped against the stone floor, his shoulders tightening with each burst of gunfire as he poured everything he had into stopping the advancing Lesser Ground Apes.

Around him, the others followed, their movements became sharper, more desperate, but more focused and slowly... the numbers of the Lesser Ground Apes began to drop in a way that could finally be seen, their bodies falling faster than before, the pressure easing just enough for them to breathe.

Then...

BOOMMMM!!

A heavy impact shook the ground violently, the force of it traveling through the stone beneath their feet and up into their legs, making some of them stumble slightly as dust shook loose from the walls.

"What was that?!" Tracy shouted, her voice rising as she tried to look toward the distance, her eyes narrowing against the shifting light.

"Incoming!!!!"

The boy on watch screamed, his voice cracking from strain as he pointed upward with shaking hands.

Some of them glanced up just for a second and what they saw made their breath catch.

A Giant Ground Ape falling from the sky, its massive body casting a shadow as it dropped.

Veda reacted immediately.

He shifted the GPMG upward, his grip tightening as he prepared to take it down mid-air, but then he saw more.

Three trees thrown, rushing in from below and at the same time more Larger and Giant Ground Apes charging forward aggressively toward the last line.

Too many threats, too little time.

If he chose one there would surely be a price to pay.

He groaned under his breath, his jaw tightening, then he made a decision.

He lowered his aim slightly toward the rushing Apes.

"Ezra!!!!!" His shout cut through everything.

Above...Ezra reacted instantly.

He shifted the Barrett M107 without hesitation, his body moving with speed despite the strain weighing on him.

First, the trees.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots, almost at the same time.

The bullets tore through the air and struck the incoming trees, shattering them mid-flight into splintered fragments that scattered before they could reach the castle.

Then...

He moved.

One leg stepped up onto the bench, his body rose, the Barrett M107 lifted onto his shoulder.

His eye aligned with the scope and he aimed at the falling Giant Ground Ape.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another three shots, each one hitting a different part of its body.

The impact forced the Ape’s descent to shift slightly, pushing it backward as it fell, its body losing balance before it slammed down heavily not on the castle, but in front of it.

Crashing into multiple Lesser Ground Apes beneath it, crushing them under its weight, but that really wasn’t a good outcome because the Lesser Ground Apes behind it saw the opportunity.

They surged forward, using the fallen body as a platform preparing to leap over the defenses.

Veda saw it instantly.

He adjusted his aim without quickly to the body of the dead Giant Ground Ape,

The GPMG roared, bullets tore into the fallen Giant Ground Ape’s body, ripping it apart into pieces, scattering flesh and bone while taking down several Lesser Ground Apes that tried to use it.

At that moment, Ezra shifted again.

He dropped back down, returning to a kneeling position, his breathing heavier now, but his focus still sharp.

He adjusted his aim targeting the remaining Giant and Larger Ground Apes. One by one. he shot them, increasing his speed slightly, pushing himself further.

Even though his body was already tired, even though his Cognis was draining, even though his eyes burned. He didn’t stop because he knew something was coming from far behind and he could feel the danger.

Then...

"ROARRRRRRRRR!!!!!"

"KRAAAAH! KRAAAH!"

"BARK! BARK! HOO!"

The roar rose above everything else, drowning out the gunfire, the screams, the chaos, its weight pressing into the air as if something massive had just entered the battlefield.

Then...

Heavy stomping followed, each step louder than the last.

The ground shook again stronger this time.

Veda turned immediately, his eyes narrowing as he faced the new threat.

He had already taken down a large number of Lesser Ground Apes with the GPMG, enough for the others to feel a brief moment of relief and Ezra had kept most of the big ones from breaking through.

Even though a few had slipped past, Veda had handled them quickly, but now something else pushed forward.

The incoming Ground Ape moved through the others, forcing its way past the Giant and Larger Ground Apes that stood in front of it, its presence overwhelming, its movement heavy enough that everyone could feel it before they fully saw it.

The vibration, the pressure, the sound.

It was unmistakable.

"A Colossal Ground Ape..." Veda muttered under his breath.

Above...Ezra aimed and fired at the Ground Ape, the shot was precise, but the Colossal Ground Ape reacted. It grabbed a Larger Ground Ape beside it like it weighed nothing and pulled it up using it as a shield.

The bullet struck into the body it held, then the Colossal moved fast.

It jumped into the forest to its left, disappearing between the trees as the machine gun fire chased after it, bullets tearing through branches and bark as the Ape moved deeper.

Trees snapped and some of the lamps hanging on the tree started to go out as the trees fell.

The trees broke apart as its massive body forced its way through.

"Everyone...get down!" Veda shouted.

Those on his side reacted immediately, dropping low, flattening themselves against the stone floor as he turned the GPMG toward the forest, firing continuously into the moving shadow.

The Colossal Ground Ape didn’t stop, it moved through the trees using them to block and dodge the bullets, then it grabbed them and threw them back toward the castle.

At that moment the battlefield split.

Veda focused entirely on the Colossal Ground Ape while Ezra and the others focused on finishing the Giant, Larger and Lesser Ground Apes in front of them.

Veda adjusted his aim slightly upward wanting to shot down the incoming trees

Then...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A different gunshot rang out.

He glanced briefly, Mariam standing firm holding the AA-12.

Firing rapidly at the incoming trees, blasting them apart before they could reach the walls.

"Sir Veda, focus on the Colossal Ground Ape!" she shouted, pointing toward the forest. "I’ll handle the rest!"

Veda smiled slightly, then tightened his grip and pressed the trigger harder.

Adjusting his aim tracking and following the movement of the Colossal Ground Ape, but for something that big it was moving far faster than it should.

It burst out of the forest suddenly, its massive body moving faster than something of that size should be able to, the trees behind it still falling apart from the force of its movement as it swung a long, thick tree in its hand with overwhelming speed, the air splitting around the swing as it came forward, catching Veda and everyone else, off guard for that brief, dangerous moment.

The Colossal Ground Ape had a grin on its face. Wide, mocking as if it already knew what would happen next.

The tree cut through the air, the sound of it loud and heavy as it rushed forward toward the castle.

Tracy reacted first, her body moved before her thoughts fully caught up, her hands grabbing the two people beside her and pulling them down hard, forcing them flat against the ground.

At the same time, Linda lunged forward. She tackled Mariam without hesitation, driving both of them down as the wind from the incoming strike brushed past them.

Nickolas didn’t stay still either, he grabbed the people near him, forcing them down, his body pressing low as others followed, dropping quickly to avoid the impact.

Then...

The tree struck.

CRACK!

Part of the barricade shattered, fragments of stone breaking apart and scattering outward as the force carried through, the broken end of the tree continuing forward toward Veda’s position.

Veda didn’t move back, he stepped in. Cognis surging, a large portion of it flowed directly into his right leg, the muscles tightening instantly as he raised it and struck the tree.

His leg collided with the incoming tree, the impact exploded outward, the tree shattering into pieces, breaking apart under the force of the kick, fragments flying in multiple directions as the main body split and fell, but the Colossal Ground Ape didn’t stop, not even for a moment.

It stepped forward immediately, its massive arm reaching out toward Veda and the machine gun, closing the distance before Veda could turn and bring the GPMG fully back into position.

BANG!

A shot rang out from above.

The bullet tore through the Colossal Ground Ape’s hand, piercing through the palm, breaking through bone, and exiting through its shoulder, forcing the arm backward as blood burst outward.

The grin on its face disappeared instantly.

Its expression shifted from confidence to shock.

It paused, like time slowed before it.

Its head turned slightly, looking back, the battlefield almost cleared, most of the Ground Apes dead while the ones left...Injured, unable to move, then it looked up.

Ezra, standing above, his face calm even with sweat running down his face and the blood trailing from his eyes and nose staring back at it, then slowly he raised his hand and showed the middle finger.

The Colossal Ground Ape froze. the time it took for it to process that moment... 0.8 seconds.

Veda moved.

He adjusted the GPMG instantly, pulling it back into position, his grip tightening as he aligned the aim directly at the Colossal Ground Ape.

"AHHHHH!!!"

He roared as he pressed the trigger.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The machine gun thundered.

Bullets poured out in a continuous stream, slamming into the Colossal Ground Ape’s chest one after another, each impact forcing its massive body to shake violently as the rounds tore through its thick, stone-like skin.

The sound was overwhelming, the force relentless.

The Ape screamed. A loud, broken roar as its body absorbed the barrage, blood bursting out from multiple points as the bullets continued to pierce through it.

Then...

Click, Click.

The GPMG ran empty, for a split second everything paused.

Then...

The Colossal Ground Ape moved. It let out a deep, furious roar as something inside it surged, a last reserve of strength rising as its body pushed forward despite the damage.

If it was going down it would take Veda with it.

It raised its remaining arm and swung all the power it had left behind that punch.

"Not on my watch!!!"

Nickolas charged forward, his footsteps heavy as he held the Baske 1945 tightly in his hands, the weapon already raised as he stopped just enough to aim.

His focus locked on the right eye.

He fired.

The shot was clean, the bullet pierced straight into the Colossal Ground Ape’s right eye and the punch stopped mid-motion.

The Ape roared again, this time in pain, its body twisting as it lashed out blindly, swinging its arm toward Nickolas in retaliation, but Linda moved fast, she raised a shield positioning herself in front of Nickolas and took the hit.

The impact was massive.

It sent both of them flying, their bodies lifted off the ground and slammed hard into the right-side barricade of the castle wall, stone cracking slightly under the force as they crashed against it.

"Thank you," Veda said, his voice low but steady.

The GPMG was already reloaded.

He pressed the trigger again.

The bullets roared back to life.

This time there was no stopping.

The Colossal Ground Ape couldn’t move properly anymore.

Its body failed to respond as the bullets tore through it again and again, punching holes through its chest, its torso, its frame, breaking through its defenses until there was nothing left to resist.

Its body trembled.

Then...

Gave out, it fell big.

THUD!

The ground shook under the weight.

Its body twitched once, then again.

Blood poured out from the countless holes across its body, spilling onto the ground as a low, exhausted sound escaped from it and finally, it went silent.