Last Gun Alchemist

Lime did not waste a second.

The moment the round began, he ran forward.

”Ahhhh!”

His right fist shot toward Scott’s face, Cognis surging into his arm and tightening his muscles.

Scott stepped back calmly, avoiding the punch with ease.

Then, in a smooth motion, he moved behind Lime, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and drove his knee into Lime’s spine.

He didn’t even enhance his body with Cognis.

His raw physical strength alone was enough.

”Argh!”

Saliva sprayed from Lime’s mouth as the knee struck his back. His veins bulged as he clenched his fists, trying to endure the pain.

Scott lifted him up.

With one hand.

Lime struggled, kicking slightly, but Scott’s grip did not loosen.

Then...

Boom.

Scott slammed him down, dropping his weight and striking Lime’s back with his knee again.

”Arghhhh!”

Lime rolled across the stone, clutching his back tightly.

The pain burned.

It felt like his spine had cracked.

”Damn it...” he cursed under his breath.

”Come on, Lime! You can do it!” Aliya shouted from the cage.

Lime heard her voice, but it felt far away.

I should just give up now.

He pressed his palm against his back.

With the way this bastard is attacking me... he might snap my spine in two.

”I should just give up...”

His eyes darkened.

Before he could move...

Scott grabbed his collar again and lifted him off the ground.

”You look like you’ve lost the will to fight,” Scott said, grinning slightly.

”Well, that’s the smart option.”

He leaned closer to Lime’s ear. ”I was planning to break your back in half if you tried to fight back.”

His voice dropped lower.

”But if you surrender now, I’ll just throw you aside. No need to get hurt.”

He smirked.

”Make up your mind.”

Lime dangled in the air. His collar tightened around his throat, making it hard to breathe. He didn’t even have the strength to struggle.

What’s the point of fighting? I’ll just end up like Bobby.

The thought circled in his head.

Bobby.

The name sparked something.

He remembered how Bobby had fought Daniella until he collapsed.

Even after being beaten bloody, even after losing consciousness.

Something Lime could never imagine himself doing.

Is it really okay for me to just give up like this?

His jaw tightened, resolved.

He glared at Scott.

”F**k off,” Lime muttered, grabbing Scott’s wrist with his free hand.

Scott blinked.

”What did you say?”

”I said...f*ck off!”

Lime suddenly launched a punch at Scott’s face, pouring a high percentage of his remaining Cognis into the blow.

Scott dropped backward instinctively... but the punch followed through.

Boom...

Lime’s eyes widened.

”...F*ck.”

Scott had caught his fist, right in front of his own face.

He tightened his grip, Cognis surged into his hand.

Crack!

”AHHHHHHHHHH!”

Lime screamed as his finger bones fractured under the pressure.

Scott dragged him closer and drove a Cognis-enhanced punch into his abdomen.

The impact crushed the air from Lime’s lungs.

Ribs cracked, the pain exploding through his body.

Scott released him and sent him flying.

Lime rolled across the bridge until he hit the opposite side.

Blood spilled from his mouth.

And then...

Nothing.

** Winner: Scott **.

The mechanical voice echoed.

** Vacate the bridge for the next fighters **.

Silence followed.

”Well, that was quick,” Nathalia said with a satisfied look.

”At least he didn’t underestimate his opponent,” Zack replied calmly. ”That makes it two wins. Two points.”

He turned to Nathalia and placed a hand on her shoulder.

”If you win, we advance.”

His gaze sharpened while adjusting his glasses with his other hand.

”You know what you need to do.”

”Yeah, yeah,” Nathalia replied, brushing his hand away. ”It won’t be easy. But this time, my fight with Aliya will be different.”

Scott walked past Lime’s unconscious body.

He grabbed Lime by the collar and dragged him across the bridge toward Aliya’s cage.

”What are you doing?” Aliya snapped, glaring at him.

”I’m helping you return the trash to its dump,” Scott replied flatly.

”You...!”

Aliya pointed at him in anger.

Scott shrugged.

”I just don’t understand why you’d choose to be in a group full of Lowlines.”

”It’s none of your business,” Aliya replied sharply.

”Well, I don’t care anyway.”

Scott dropped Lime near the cage entrance and gave Aliya a mocking wave.

Before leaving, he glanced briefly at Ezra.

Looking at him up close... he really does look weak.

”Tsk. I wonder what those higher-ups were thinking, giving someone like him rank seventeen.”

He walked back to his cage, hands in his pockets.

The locks shifted again.

** Third Fighter **.

** Make your way to the bridge **.

”Good luck, Aliya,” Ezra said, raising his hand slightly in a calm wave.

Aliya glanced at him over her shoulder.

Her cheeks turned faintly pink.

”Humph.”

Weren’t you the one underestimating me?

She turned away quickly before he could read her face and stepped onto the bridge. The heat from the lava below brushed against her legs, and the stone felt warm under her boots.

”We’re down by two points now...” she muttered, stroking her chin as she walked. ”If I win this, it’ll be up to Ezra to secure two points for us and turn the stage around.”

She scratched the side of her head.

Not confident? Nah. That’s not it.

”Not confident?”

Nathalia’s voice reached her as she stepped toward the center from the opposite side. Her posture was relaxed, almost casual, as if this were nothing more than a friendly spar.

Aliya stopped and pointed to herself.

”Me? Not confident?”

She laughed loudly, though her eyes remained sharp.

”Are you overestimating yourself, Nathalia? Or do I need to remind you where you stand?”

Their gazes locked.

The air between them tightened.

Nathalia smiled slightly.

”I know, I know. But time has passed,” she replied calmly. ”I’ve grown a lot since the last time we sparred. I’m more confident than ever facing you now.”

She met Aliya’s eyes without backing down.

The mechanical voice echoed once again across the cave.

** Third Round **.

The sound bounced off the stone walls.

** Begin **.

Still, neither moved immediately.

”But honestly,” Nathalia said, folding her arms lightly as if they were in the middle of a hallway conversation instead of a battle, ”why are you with a group like that? Knowing you, you should’ve joined Sir Veda’s team. Or at least Linda’s.”

Aliya frowned.

”Again, with that question?” she snapped. ”What’s wrong with you people?”

She puffed her cheeks slightly in annoyance.

”What’s wrong with me being in any team I want? So, what if they’re Lowlines? I can team up with peasants if I want to.”

The lava below bubbled loudly.

”Hmmm.”

Nathalia studied her face for a moment. Then her eyes shifted past Aliya.

She glanced toward Ezra.

Her gaze lingered a little longer than necessary.

”...Damn. Now that I’m seeing him properly up close, he’s actually quite good-looking.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Aliya blinked.

”Huh? Who are you talking about?”

She turned her head slightly, trying to follow Nathalia’s gaze.

”The boy ranked seventeen in your group.”

Nathalia lifted her finger and pointed casually.

Aliya’s body stiffened.

”What? Get your eyes off him!”

Her voice rose immediately.

Nathalia’s eyebrows lifted in amusement.

”Ehhh... hmmm.”

She watched Aliya’s reaction closely, a teasing smile forming.

On the sidelines, Scott stared in disbelief.

”What are they doing?” he asked, clearly confused. ”Are they here to fight or gossip?”

Zack frowned slightly.

”Tsk. She isn’t taking this seriously because she’s friends with Aliya.”

Inside the opposite cage, Ezra observed quietly.

”I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to be fighting by now,” he said under his breath while laying Lime carefully on another blanket beside Bobby.

On the bridge...

Nathalia suddenly leaned forward slightly.

”Don’t tell me you have a crush on him,” she blurted out bluntly.

Aliya froze.

Her face flushed instantly.

”Who told you that?!” she shouted, voice echoing across the cave.

Her hands clenched tightly on her skirt.

Nathalia giggled.

”Your reaction just did. Hehehe.”

Aliya turned her face away quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

”This is exactly why I don’t like you,” she muttered, though there was no real anger in her voice. ”You always catch onto things about me too fast.”

Nathalia softened her smile slightly.

”Well, that’s why I’m your friend,” Nathalia said, her smile softening for a brief moment.

Then her expression changed.

”And that’s exactly why I’m telling you this...as a friend. Forfeit this round. Let us pass. You guys can win the next time another team reaches this stage. At least... Hopefully they won’t be stronger than you.”

Her voice had lost its teasing tone. It sounded serious now.

Aliya narrowed her eyes.

”Why would I forfeit? Do you think I can’t beat you?”

Her grip tightened around her rod.

”No,” Nathalia replied quickly, waving her hand dismissively. ”I’m not even sure I can beat you.”

”Then why?” Aliya asked, genuinely confused.

Nathalia hesitated for a second before answering.

”Because if you win... your crush fights Zack next.”

She pointed her chin slightly toward the other cage.

”And I don’t think you’d like seeing him get beaten to a pulp.”

She wasn’t mocking this time; she was trying to make sense out of the situation.

Aliya’s fingers twitched.

”You think he would lose to Zack?” she asked, glancing briefly over her shoulder toward Ezra’s direction.

”His rank is seventeen,” Nathalia said calmly. ”Yes, that means he’s strong. But Zack is ranked fourteen. Remember that.”

She pointed back toward Zack, who stood inside the cage with his arms folded.

Aliya’s face twitched slightly; she had forgotten that detail.

Rank fourteen.

The gap was not small, not at all.

Her thoughts slowed.

She didn’t want Ezra to get hurt and she didn’t want to watch him collapse the way Bobby and Lime had.

For a brief moment... she started to think about it,

Nathalia’s suggestion didn’t seem unreasonable.

But then...

Memories surfaced one after another, Ezra carrying her when she fell in the first stage, saving her and how he also rescued her in the third stage.

His calm eyes.

The way he had carried them through impossible situations, the precise movements. the knowledge and the way he never panicked.

It wasn’t just strength, it was something else.

To her, he already stood in the same space as Lady Vera... Sir Veda... Sir Felix.

He wasn’t someone fragile and he wasn’t someone she needed to protect.

”What you’re saying makes sense,” Aliya admitted quietly.

Nathalia’s eyes widened.

”You see...”

”But I honestly don’t see that happening.”

Aliya’s voice hardened. ”Not even close.”

She reached into her space bag and pulled out her two rods.

With a sharp click, she connected them.

The metal pieces locked together smoothly, forming a staff.

Nathalia blinked.

”Are you serious? The rank gap between them isn’t small, you know.”

”I know.”

Aliya lowered into her stance, planting one foot forward and adjusting her grip.

”But I don’t care.” Her lips curled slightly.

”All I care about right now is kicking your ass, Nathalia.”

Nathalia’s expression darkened.

”You idiot.”

She reached into her space bag and pulled out a slender fencing sword – a Saber. The blade gleamed faintly under the lava’s glow.

”Don’t regret this later.”

She stepped into position.

The teasing between friends disappeared, only the tension remained.

Both girls faced each other.

This time... they were no longer talking.