Last Gun Alchemist

Gena’s fist tightened until the muscles beneath her skin became firm like tempered steel.

Cognis surged through her veins, flowing from her Star and gathering inside the muscles of her right arm. Every strand of muscle compressed under its influence, and even the air surrounding her fist began to tremble violently. Small currents of wind spiraled around her knuckles as the pressure continued to build.

The Male Bone Alchemist’s pupils shrank.

He had only just managed to recover enough from the shock of his claw attack not doing anything to Gena’s forehead.

His instincts screamed at him.

Danger.

Before another thought could even form inside his mind...

"Pinpoint..."

Gena muttered quietly.

BOOOOM!

Her fist shot forward.

There was no unnecessary movement.

No exaggerated swing.

Just one direct punch.

The distance between them disappeared in an instant as her fist crashed squarely into the Male Bone Alchemist’s face.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the workshop.

His jaw shattered immediately.

Several teeth exploded from his mouth together with blood, scattering across the iron floor like broken white stones. The force continued into his cheekbone, caving it inward before traveling through his entire skull.

His vision instantly turned white.

A deafening ringing exploded inside his ears.

His thoughts vanished.

His feet lifted cleanly off the ground and his body became nothing more than a lifeless projectile.

He flew backward at terrifying speed before crashing against the metal floor.

BOOM!

He bounced once.

The impact bent the thick iron beneath him.

BOOM!

His unconscious body rolled again, smashing through scattered tools and pieces of broken machinery.

The momentum refused to stop.

Finally...

BANG!

His body crashed directly into the burning furnace of a nearby Steam Furnace.

The heavy iron door burst inward as flames rushed outward before swallowing him whole.

The fire roared louder as pieces of burning wood and coal scattered across the furnace room, illuminating the battered workshop with flickering orange light. Smoke drifted upward, carrying with it the smell of burning cloth and scorched flesh.

Silence followed.

Only the crackling of flames remained.

Gena slowly lowered her fist.

The strength immediately left her legs.

"Ahhh..."

She exhaled deeply before dropping onto one knee.

Her breathing became rough as sweat rolled down her forehead.

Even though she hadn’t relied heavily on Cognis to enhance her strength, every punch she had thrown demanded complete control over her body. She had forced every muscle to work at its limit, and now the exhaustion was finally catching up with her.

"I’m drained..."

she muttered while wiping the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand.

Her chest continued rising and falling rapidly.

Not far away...

Ezra calmly glanced in her direction.

"Let’s go, Gena."

His voice remained as flat as ever.

To anyone who didn’t know him, it almost sounded as though he hadn’t witnessed a battle at all.

"W-Wait..."

Gena weakly raised one hand.

"Let me catch my breath first."

She forced a tired smile onto her face, her entire body aching.

She slowly lifted her head to look toward Ezra...

Only to discover he had already turned around.

Without another word, he walked toward the damaged hallway.

His black coat swayed gently behind him.

Not once did he look back.

Gena stared blankly.

"...Seriously?"

Her lips twitched.

A moment later...

"AHHHHHHH!!"

Her frustrated scream echoed across the workshop.

"You really don’t know how to wait for people!"

She grumbled under her breath while forcing herself back onto her feet.

Every step made her sore muscles complain.

Still...

She hurried after him.

If she delayed any longer, she had no doubt he would simply disappear without waiting.

***

Earlier...

The moment Lucy chased after Gwen, who escaped through the corridor....

"Gwen!"

Her voice echoed through the narrow metal hallway.

Her boots struck the iron floor one after another, each step producing a sharp metallic sound that bounced between the steel walls.

Steam hissed continuously from damaged pipes overhead.

Small sparks occasionally burst from exposed machinery before fading into darkness.

Lucy’s breathing remained steady as her sharp eyes swept across every corner.

Every doorway.

Every intersection.

Every shadow.

She searched desperately for the girl she had once called family.

"Gwe..."

Before she could finish calling Gwen’s name...

Something suddenly entered her vision.

An iron rod spun rapidly through the air.

It whistled straight toward her face.

Lucy’s pupils focused instantly.

She didn’t slow down.

She didn’t dodge.

Instead...

She simply reached forward.

Grab!

Her fingers wrapped firmly around the iron rod.

The momentum disappeared the instant it entered her hand.

It was as though the attack had never existed.

The hallway fell silent.

Lucy slowly lowered the rod.

Only then did she raise her eyes.

Several meters ahead...

Gwen stood quietly.

She leaned against the cold iron wall while breathing unevenly.

Blood continued dripping from the gunshot wound in her right hand.

Even so...

A faint smile rested on her face.

"Alchemists really are something else..."

She laughed weakly before taking another painful breath.

"Ah... Ah..."

She looked at the iron rod Lucy had caught so effortlessly.

"I was hoping that would at least slow you down."

Lucy remained silent.

Her fingers slowly tightened around the rod.

Her heart felt heavier than it had during the battle outside.

She wasn’t facing an enemy.

She was facing someone who had once shared stale bread beneath an old bridge.

Someone who had laughed with her during cold winters.

Someone she had cried beside.

"...Why?"

Her voice came out softer than she expected.

"Why are you doing this?"

Her eyes trembled slightly.

"I don’t understand."

She stared directly into Gwen’s face.

"Why would my friend... become someone like this?"

The Gwen she remembered...

The stubborn girl who argued over the smallest things.

The girl who always pretended to be tougher than everyone else.

The girl who protected younger children whenever trouble appeared.

That Gwen...

Didn’t seem to exist anymore.

Or perhaps...

Lucy simply no longer understood the person standing before her.

"Hahaha..."

Gwen lowered her head.

A quiet laugh escaped her lips.

It wasn’t happy.

It wasn’t mocking.

It sounded tired.

Painfully tired.

She slowly lifted her head again.

A complicated smile appeared on her face.

"You really ask a funny question, Lucy."

The smile remained.

Yet it carried no warmth.

Lucy frowned.

"Funny?"

Her grip tightened more around the iron rod.

"Is this funny to you?"

Her voice rose despite herself.

"Is everything that’s happened... just some joke?"

"YES!"

Gwen suddenly shouted.

The sharp cry echoed violently throughout the corridor.

Lucy instinctively froze.

She hadn’t expected Gwen to raise her voice like this.

"I find it funny..."

Gwen pointed directly at Lucy.

"...that you’re standing here questioning me... when you’re happily serving the enemy."

Her shoulders trembled.

Not with fear, but with years and years of buried anger.

"W-What are you saying?"

Lucy’s brows knitted together.

"The enemy?"

"Yes."

Gwen stepped forward.

Then another.

Until she stood directly before Lucy.

She grabbed both of Lucy’s shoulders tightly.

"For Scholar’s sake, Lucy..."

Her fingers tightened.

"Who do you think left us to suffer all those years? Who allowed children like us to rot under the bridge? Who turned our lives into a living hell?"

Each question carried more weight than the last.

Lucy’s lips parted.

She couldn’t answer.

She simply stared at Gwen, completely confused by the direction the conversation had taken.

Then...

Gwen shouted with everything she had.

"IT’S ALL THE NOBLES’ FAULT!"

Her voice cracked with years of resentment.

"Every single one of those privileged bastards!"

The frustration in Gwen’s voice was impossible to hide, with the hatred burning inside her eyes was even clearer.

Lucy saw everything.

Every trembling breath.

Every clench of Gwen’s fists.

Every tear she was desperately trying not to let fall again.

"The lives those bastards live are nothing but bliss."

Gwen’s lips trembled.

"They sleep in warm beds, eat until they can’t eat anymore, ride luxurious steam carriages, and never have to worry about whether they’ll survive the next day."

Her breathing gradually became heavier.

"But people like us..."

She pointed aimlessly beyond the walls.

"...we’re left to rot in the forgotten corners of this damned Kingdom."

Her voice suddenly rose.

"Why?"

She took another step closer.

"Why can’t they develop the towns?"

Her finger pointed toward the ground beneath them.

"Why can’t they build schools for children who aren’t Nobles?"

Another step.

"Why can’t they create jobs for ordinary people instead of forcing them to beg for scraps?"

Her shoulders trembled.

"Why can’t everyone be treated equally?"

The last sentence echoed through the empty corridor.

Steam hissed softly from the damaged pipes overhead while droplets of water slowly fell onto the cold iron floor.

The silence that followed felt unusually heavy.

Lucy stood there without moving.

Her lips parted slightly.

Yet...

No words came out.

She wanted to comfort Gwen.

She truly did.

But...

Everything Gwen said came from things they had both experienced.

From the freezing nights beneath the old stone bridge.

From watching children starve.

From watching friends disappear one after another.

Lucy couldn’t simply tell her she was wrong.

Because...

Some of it wasn’t.

"I..."

Her lips moved.

Nothing followed.

She was completely lost.

Gwen lowered her head more.

A quiet, broken laugh escaped her mouth.

"I thought I lost you, Lucy..."

Her voice suddenly became softer.

Far softer than before.

"I really thought... I’d never see you again."

Her shoulders slowly shook.

"I thought you died."

A tear slipped down her cheek before another quickly followed.

She didn’t bother wiping them away.

"I searched everywhere I could. I kept hoping. I kept telling myself that maybe... just maybe... you escaped safely."

She smiled bitterly.

"But, with every day that passed... I believed it less."

Her eyes slowly closed.

"That’s why... I couldn’t forgive them."

This time...

Her voice no longer trembled.

It became frighteningly calm.

"The House of Melody..."

She slowly raised her head.

"...originated from a Noble woman. It exists because of them; it survives because of them and it continues to grow richer because of them."

Her eyes met Lucy’s.

"Everything inside that place... was created to satisfy the filthy desires of Noble pigs... and those privileged citizens who live comfortably because this Kingdom favors them."

Every word came out calmly.

Which somehow made them hurt even more.

"Our Big Sister..."

Her breathing became uneven again.

"The Leader... The children from our creek... They all died and suffered because of those Noble bastards."

She clenched both fists.

"And after everything happened... their deaths and suffering meant nothing."

Her voice gradually hardened.

"The Local Guards did nothing. The State Alchemists did nothing. They were supposed to protect every citizen."

She laughed again.

"What a joke. They only protect whoever has status. They protect whoever has money. They protect whoever can benefit them. As for people like us..."

She slowly spread her hands.

"We were never worth saving."

The corridor fell silent once more.

Lucy’s eyes slowly lowered.

The memories Gwen mentioned surfaced one after another inside her mind.

The bridge.

The snow.

The stale bread they happily shared.

The screams.

The blood.

Big Sister, and the House of Melody.

Every memory recollection, hurted.

"Gwen..."

Lucy finally spoke.

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Don’t..."

Before she could finish...

"Don’t call my name!"

Gwen shouted.

Her voice struck the corridor like a gunshot.

Lucy instinctively flinched.

Gwen turned away immediately.

She raised her sleeve and roughly wiped away the tears covering her face.

Several deep breaths later...

She had already fully regained her composure.

The gentle smile returned.

But this time...

It felt completely different.

It carried no warmth.

No kindness.

Only distance.

She slowly turned back.

"Lucy."

Her tone became calmer.

Almost emotionless.

"After hearing everything..."

She looked directly into Lucy’s eyes.

"...do you finally understand who your real enemy is?"

Lucy froze.

Her thoughts became tangled.

Everything Gwen said...

None of it came from imagination.

The deaths and suffering of everyone in their creek.

Big Sister.

The House of Melody.

The forgotten towns.

The poverty.

The hunger.

Lucy had lived through every part of it.

After becoming Ezra’s maid...

She had also witnessed the other side of Britannia.

The grand estates.

The luxurious districts.

The protected cities.

The industries.

The companies.

The countless ordinary people who enjoyed stable lives simply because they served powerful Noble families.

She had seen both worlds.

That was what made this so painful.

Because she understood exactly what Gwen was trying to say.

Britannia wasn’t equal.

Not even close.

Those born into privilege stood at the top.

Those born without it struggled every day just to survive.

"Answer me, Lucy!"

Gwen suddenly shouted again.

The hesitation on Lucy’s face only made her angrier.

"Or..."

She folded both arms.

Tilting her head slightly.

"...don’t tell me you actually believe that Noble boy you serve is different from the rest."

Lucy remained silent for several seconds.

Her fingers slowly tightened into fists.

Finally...

She lifted her head.

"What about Blake?"

Her voice was quiet.

"Hav..."

She continued.

"Haven’t you seen that some Nobles can be good too?"

Her eyes remained fixed on Gwen.

She wasn’t trying to argue.

She was genuinely asking.

Because after everything she had experienced...

She wanted to know the answer just as much as Gwen did.

"They’re all the same, Lucy."

Gwen answered without the slightest hesitation.

Her voice wasn’t loud this time.

It was calm.

Too calm.

The kind of calm that only came after years of convincing yourself that there was no other truth.

"If you still can’t understand something so simple..."

She slowly shook her head.

"...then I was wrong about you."

Disappointment slowly spread across her face.

"I thought you had grown."

Her eyes met Lucy’s once more.

"But you’re still the same clueless, dumb brat who used to follow everyone around back at the creek."

Her words were sharp.

Not because she wanted to insult Lucy.

But because she genuinely believed Lucy had lost her way.

Lucy quietly lowered her eyes.

Her hand slowly tightened into a fist at her side.

The words hurt.

More than she expected.

Still...

She didn’t get angry.

"Call me whatever you want, Gwen."

Her voice remained gentle.

"I don’t care what names you call me."

She slowly looked back up.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

Not one born from happiness.

It was simply the smile she always wore whenever she wanted to hide her sadness.

"You know..."

Her voice softened.

"I was really happy when I found out you were still alive."

She smiled a little more.

"I thought... I thought we could go back to how things used to be."

She laughed quietly at herself.

"It was a stupid thought."

Gwen remained silent.

Lucy continued.

"I wanted to show you everything. The amazing places I’ve seen. The cool people I’ve met. I wanted to show you that the world isn’t only filled with suffering anymore."

She looked directly into Gwen’s eyes.

"I wanted to show you the amazing life I’ve experienced after becoming part of a Noble household."

"HUH?!"

Gwen’s eyes widened.

The disbelief on her face quickly turned into anger.

"The amazing life?"

She almost laughed.

"Lucy..."

Her voice became colder.

"Do you even hear yourself?"

"I know!"

Lucy suddenly shouted.

Her own voice surprised even herself.

She took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I know this Kingdom isn’t fair!"

Her eyes gradually became moist.

"I know there are many towns where children still go to bed hungry. I know there are places no Noble ever visits. I know there are people who spend their whole lives struggling while others are born with everything."

Her breathing became uneven.

"I know all of that."

She slowly lowered her voice again.

"But..."

She looked at Gwen with pleading eyes.

"Hatred isn’t the answer. Gwen... It can’t be."

"And you really believe that?"

Gwen asked quietly with one eyebrow slowly raising.

There wasn’t even anger in her voice anymore.

Only pure disappointment.

"I..."

Lucy opened her mouth.

Then stopped.

The words refused to come.

She knew what she wanted to say.

She truly did.

But...

The moment she looked into Gwen’s eyes...

Everything became tangled again.

The hatred inside those eyes wasn’t fake.

It wasn’t born from jealousy.

It was built from years of pain.

Years of loss.

Years of surviving a life no child should have lived.

Lucy couldn’t deny any of that.

Because she had lived through it too.

Yet...

Even after everything...

She couldn’t bring herself to hate.

She had never once dreamed about revenge against the House of Melody.

Nor had she wished for every Noble to disappear.

Why?

She honestly didn’t know.

She had asked herself that question countless times, but she had never found an answer.

The only thing she knew...

Was that she wanted to keep living.

She wanted to keep walking beside her master.

She wanted to see the future he was walking towards.

Without realizing it...

A memory quietly surfaced inside her mind.

Late at night.

In their home’s study.

Only Ezra remained on his desk as usual, which had been covered with blueprints.

His hands were stained with graphite.

Which meant he hadn’t stopped working for hours.

Again and again...

He erased.

Redrew.

Calculated, and started over.

Even when his eyes looked tired...

He never once complained.

He simply continued working toward the future he wanted to build.

A gentle smile slowly appeared on Lucy’s face.

Seeing that smile...

Gwen frowned.

"Why are you smiling?"

She couldn’t understand it.

After everything they had just talked about...

Why is Lucy smiling?

Lucy slowly looked back at her.

"I don’t know."

She answered honestly.

"Maybe..."

She lightly touched her own chest.

"...because I finally understand what I want."

Her smile gradually faded.

The hesitation inside her eyes disappeared.

"I can’t accept your ideology, Gwen."

She spoke firmly.

The words weren’t loud.

Yet they carried more conviction than anything she had said since this conversation began.

The confusion that had filled her heart moments ago had quietly settled.

She still couldn’t explain everything.

She still couldn’t answer every question Gwen had raised.

But she knew one thing.

She couldn’t walk the same road Gwen had chosen.

Gwen quietly stared at her, and Lucy looked back without avoiding her gaze.

Neither of them spoke.

The corridor fell silent.

Steam drifted lazily from the damaged pipes overhead.

Outside the base, the distant sounds of steam carriages rolling along the roads mixed with faint voices from workers fleeing the area.

For a brief moment...

It almost felt as though the entire world had stopped moving around them.

"Ahhh..."

Gwen finally let out a long sigh.

She rubbed her forehead with one hand before lowering it again.

"I guess..."

A bitter smile appeared on her face.

"...this is where our paths separate."

BOOOOOOM!!

Before Lucy could answer...

The entire side of the building exploded inward.

Iron beams twisted violently as chunks of stone and steel crashed onto the ground.

A thick cloud of dust instantly swallowed the corridor.

The shockwave swept past both girls, causing their clothes and hair to flutter.

Neither of them flinched.

Neither of them took a step back.

They simply watched the dust slowly settle.

"Gwen..."

A familiar male voice echoed through the broken hallway.

"I’ve been waiting for you."

The mysterious man who had made an offer to Ezra earlier slowly walked into view.

Both hands remained tucked casually inside his pockets.

A faint smile rested on his face as he looked at the two girls.

Behind him stood a large Steam Truck.

Several armed guards formed a defensive line around it, their Kalthoff Repeaters already aimed directly at Lucy.

Standing a few steps behind the mysterious man were Baroness Terenza Orvain and the second masked man, both silently observing the scene.

Gwen slowly turned toward them.

Then...

She glanced back at Lucy one final time.

A complicated emotion quietly flickered across her face.

Regret.

Sadness.

Perhaps even guilt.

No one could tell.

Without another word...

She walked toward the mysterious man.

He waited until she stopped beside him before speaking quietly.

"Were you able to convince her?"

Gwen remained silent for several seconds.

Finally...

She slowly shook her head.

A faint sadness appeared on her face as she walked to stand beside the second mysterious man.

"No..."

She answered softly.

"I couldn’t."