Last Gun Alchemist-Chapter 57: Stage Five – Facing the Shadow of What You Were

Chapter 57: Stage Five – Facing the Shadow of What You Were

As he stepped into the room, Ezra slowed down immediately.

The door shut behind him with a dull mechanical thud.

His eyes moved first. Ceiling to the walls, then the floor.

Blue fire lamps burned on top of stone pillars fixed along the walls, their flames steady but unnatural. They gave off no smoke, only a quiet hum, as if the fire itself was alive.

He took a few careful steps forward.

Slow, measured and observing.

This place... seems normal. The silence was too complete.

Then he saw it.

Right in front of him.

A human-shaped shadow stood still at the center of the chamber, it had no clear face, no features.

Just darkness.

"This shadow..." Ezra muttered quietly, already sliding his hand toward his space bag.

Before he could blink...The shadow vanished.

Instinct took over. Ezra twisted and drew his dagger from his space bag at the same time.

Clank!

Metal crashed against metal behind him.

He blocked the attack.

The shadow had reappeared at his back, dagger in hand, the two blades pressed against each other. Sparks spat out between them.

The shadow pushed harder, but Ezra tightened his grip.

It felt like his own strength was pushing back at him.

He stared at it more carefully.

"This looks like me..." the proportions, the stance, even the way it held the dagger.

It was familiar.

That means...

The shadow suddenly pushed forward.

Ezra felt the force through his arms and slid backward, boots scraping roughly against the stone floor. He steadied himself, but before he could regain full balance, the shadow snapped its wrist and hurled the dagger straight at his face.

Ezra reacted instantly.

Clang!

He slapped the dagger aside with his own blade. The impact rang sharply in the chamber as the weapon spun away before being pulled back by the thin rope tied to its hilt.

He exhaled through his nose.

This stage really is about defeating oneself.

A faint chuckle left his lips.

"This will be hard."

His eyes sharpened.

The shadow reeled the dagger back again with a fluid motion and immediately launched it forward once more, the rope guiding its trajectory precisely toward Ezra’s throat.

Ezra tilted his head and shifted his shoulders just enough for the blade to pass by his cheek, he then pivoted smoothly, boots grinding lightly against stone, and turned to face the shadow directly.

Clap!!

While rotating, Ezra slid his dagger back into his space bag in one fluid motion. With his free hand, he tossed out a steel bar so it landed in front of him with a metallic clatter. His palms met.

White sparks burst outward.

Cognis crackled between his fingers as an Alchemy Circle unfolded midair.

At the exact same moment...

The shadow clapped its hands as well.

The same sparks, the same circle and the same precision.

Both slammed their palms down onto the steel bar simultaneously.

The metal liquefied instantly.

It did not simply melt—it folded inward, layers separating and reassembling as if guided by invisible blueprints.

The frame formed first, then the trigger system aligned into position followed by the magazine catch locked into place with loaded rounds already seated within, Slide stop, Thumb safety, Grip safety, the mainspring housing connected, Hammer dropped into alignment, Sear, Disconnector and the Grip panels sealing the final structure together.

The Colt 1911 completed itself in midair.

Both Ezra and the shadow caught their guns at the exact same time.

Ezra calculated instinctively the moment the Alchemy finished.

The Cognis consumption was light.

For him, who now stood at 31.5% total Cognis capacity, the cost of constructing the Colt 1911 had only reduced his reserves by 4.2%.

Efficient, controlled and no waste.

The handgun that formed in his grip, and the identical one in the shadow’s hand — were both Seventh Grade constructs.

That detail made his eyes narrow slightly.

Seventh Grade meant stability, Reliable structure and Balanced internal alignment. It wasn’t a rushed build, nor was it a flawed projection.

"Tsk."

He could not hide his slight surprise.

The shadow mirrored him perfectly.

It was not just copying movement—it replicated timing, efficiency, structure, and waste control.

It felt like fighting a blackened reflection of himself. Same posture. Same breathing rhythm. Same subtle habits.

Bang!!

Bang!!

Bang!!

Both fired three shots at once.

Aimed at Head, heart and knee joint with precision. But...

Each bullet met its counterpart midair.

Clash.

Clash.

Clash.

Sparks scattered as the shots canceled each other out, without hesitation, the shadow charged.

Ezra fired once more.

The bullet struck...

But the shadow raised a coat in front of itself. The reinforced fabric absorbed the impact with a dull thud.

Ezra’s eyes flickered in shock.

"Wait... it has the coat?"

His own coat had been damaged during his battle with Zack. Burned edges and torn threads. He couldn’t use it again, but the shadow wore a flawless version.

The shadow closed the distance, swinging the hardened coat like a weighted shield toward Ezra’s head.

Ezra stepped backward sharply, narrowly avoiding the strike.

The shadow fired immediately at his chest.

Ezra raised his Colt and fired back.

The bullets collided again, ricocheting downward and striking the stone floor with heavy impacts, dust spraying up between them.

The shadow did not slow.

Bang!

Bang!

It continued firing.

Ezra responded shot for shot, intercepting each incoming round, but in the middle of the exchange...

Ezra’s mind calculated.

He had already fired one extra round earlier and that meant...

The shadow held one bullet advantage.

Click.

His Colt 1911 emptied, in response he stepped backward immediately.

The shadow fired its final shot.

The bullet cut through the air with sharp force, aimed directly at his chest.

Ezra’s hand moved before conscious thought formed.

His dagger appeared in his grip.

Clang!

By the smallest margin, he deflected the bullet.

The impact made his dagger tremble violently. The force traveled up his arm, numbing his fingers slightly. The deflected round slammed into the ground beside him, carving a small hole and throwing dust into the air.

Ezra forced a thin smile.

"This is really going to be hard."

He decided not to wait.

Cognis surged into his legs.

He flashed forward.

Stone cracked lightly beneath his boots from the sudden acceleration.

As he appeared in front of the shadow, drew another dagger from its space bag and hurled it point-first toward Ezra’s eyes.

Ezra twisted mid-sprint, the blade sliding past his shoulder.

The rope snapped tight as the shadow reeled it back instantly.

Ezra ducked low, the blade slicing over his head by inches.

The shadow caught the returning dagger with its opposite hand smoothly.

Ezra stepped inside the guard and drove the base of his Colt upward in an uppercut motion toward the shadow’s jaw.

The shadow leaned its neck backward just enough.

Air brushed between the gunmetal and its chin.

Ezra did not hesitate.

He stomped downward, aiming to trap the shadow’s foot.

The shadow reacted instinctively, pulling its leg back and pivoting simultaneously.

Steel flashed again.

The dagger slashed toward Ezra’s ribs.

Ezra blocked with his forearm, letting the coat sleeve absorb part of the force, then trapped the shadow’s wrist with his other hand.

With that opening...

He rotated his Colt horizontally and attempted to chop at the shadow’s neck.

The shadow raised its free hand and blocked.

Their forearms collided.

The shadow seized Ezra’s wrist holding the Colt and squeezed tightly.

Ezra immediately rotated his wrist outward, slipping from the grip before pressure could lock him in place.

In one continuous motion, he raised his dagger toward the shadow’s throat.

The shadow shifted left, narrowly evading.

At the same time...

It drove its knee upward toward Ezra’s abdomen.

Ezra lifted his own left knee defensively.

Thud!

Their knees collided.

The impact echoed sharply through the room.

The force traveled through bone.

For a brief second, both remained locked in that close stance—breathing controlled, eyes steady, neither willing to retreat first.

It felt like punching a mirror.

Only this mirror punched back with equal precision.

Ezra lowered his left leg after the knee clash, sliding it back half a step to stabilize himself.

At the same time...

The shadow adjusted as well.

Its right leg shifted inward, stepping into Ezra’s center line just as Ezra moved toward his own.

Neither gave ground.

Then they moved again.

Daggers flashed and Gun grips swung.

Steel scraped against steel as they exchanged short, precise strikes in close range. Ezra thrust his dagger toward the shadow’s ribs; the shadow parried and countered with the butt of its Colt toward his jaw. Ezra tilted his head and blocked with his forearm, then snapped his wrist and drove the gun toward the shadow’s temple.

Blocked.

Again.

They shifted into punches and elbow strikes while still gripping their weapons. Each strike was calculated, not wild. They weren’t just fighting; they were reading each other. Anticipating rhythm. Predicting intent.

Then their legs joined the exchange.

Low sweeps, quick knee checks and shin-to-shin collisions.

Each attempt was intercepted instantly.

It was like fighting a reflection that understood your thoughts half a second before you executed them.

Then...

They both kicked forward at the same time.

Thud!

Their legs collided again, and the force pushed them apart.

Ezra slid back skillfully and planted his foot firmly, stabilizing his stance. Without pausing, he flicked out another steel bar from his space bag and hurled his dagger at the shadow.

The shadow did the same.

Clang!

The daggers collided in midair and fell aside.

This time, neither bothered retrieving them.

Clap!

Their palms struck together again.

White lightning burst outward, filling the chamber with sharp flashes of Cognis.

The Alchemy circles expanded beneath their hands, but this time...The shadow added another steel bar out.

Two bars instead of one.

Ezra noticed immediately.

The shadow melted both at once.

Metal twisted and reassembled.

Another Colt 1911 formed in one hand and a fresh loaded magazine formed in the other.

In a smooth motion, the shadow reloaded its first Colt and now held two guns.

Dual wield, while Ezra did something different.

He placed his original Colt 1911 back into the Alchemy circle.

The gun disassembled midair.

The Frame dissolved, slide reshaped, Grip thickened, Magazine structure altered, Internal chamber reconfigured, the outline grew slightly broader and the recoil system adjusted.

When it reformed...

It was no longer a Colt 1911.

Ezra lifted the new handgun slowly.

He stared at the shadow.

The shadow stared back.

It’s been copying everything I’ve done from Stage One to Stage Four.

He narrowed his eyes.

But this...

This wasn’t something he had used before entering this room.

Thankfully, before entering Stage Five, I perfected converting a new handgun into an Alchemy circle.

Ezra smirked faintly.

The shadow reacted instantly.

Bang!

It began firing with both Colts simultaneously, Ezra raised his single handgun and fired back.

Bullets clashed midair one after another.

The shadow fired two shots at a time.

Ezra responded with one.

Clash.

Clash.

Clash.

He did not panic.

Instead, he sharpened his focus. Cognis surged subtly into his eyes.

His vision tightened.

Every incoming bullet felt slower.

Clearer.

He calculated angles and timing precisely.

His single gunshot down both incoming rounds repeatedly.

The distance between them closed rapidly.

The shadow thrust its right hand forward and fired at Ezra’s face.

Ezra’s left hand snapped up and shoved the shadow’s wrist sideways.

The bullet tore past his ear.

Without hesitation, the shadow lowered its left-hand Colt and fired toward Ezra’s stomach.

Ezra reacted instantly.

He fired downward at the incoming bullet.

Clash!

The rounds collided inches from his body.

He stepped closer and angled his gun beneath the shadow’s left arm, firing upward toward its jaw.

The shadow twisted its neck sharply.

The bullet skimmed past.

Ezra grabbed the shadow’s right wrist and pulled it forward, trying to break its posture.

He fired at its face.

The shadow leaned back, evading again...

And at the same time fired from its other Colt toward Ezra’s abdomen.

Ezra had already anticipated it.

He arched backward sharply, bending almost vertically as the bullet tore through the space above his stomach.

The shadow continued firing rapidly with both guns.

Close-range chaos.

Muzzle flashes lit their faces.

Ezra kept shooting.

Every bullet from the shadow was intercepted at frighteningly short distance.

Then...

Click.

One Colt emptied.

The shadow didn’t stop.

It kept firing with the second Colt while using the empty gun as a blunt weapon, swinging it toward Ezra’s temple.

Ezra weaved the strike and shot down the bullets being fired at him.

Then...

The shadow froze slightly, something was wrong.

Ezra was still firing.

The shadow’s two Colts had fourteen rounds total. Seven each and they had already exchanged more than ten rounds.

Yet Ezra’s gun had not clicked empty.

How?

"I’m sure you’re wondering why my rounds haven’t finished."

Ezra stepped forward calmly.

The shadow instinctively tried to widen the gap.

"It’s simple." Ezra smiled faintly.

"This isn’t a Colt 1911." He lifted the handgun slightly.

"This is a Glock 17."

"A gun with thirty-three rounds."

The shadow fired two quick shots, trying to disrupt his rhythm, but Ezra shot both down instantly.

The shadow tried activating its coat... but Ezra grabbed the coat first.

He seized it before Cognis could flow into the fabric and yanked hard, pulling the shadow forward off balance.

The shadow fired its last remaining shot in desperation missing.

Ezra trapped the gun wrist upward with one hand and smoothly switched his Glock to his not-dominant grip.

Then...

He turned. Hooked the shadow’s arm, and flipped it over his back in a clean judo throw.

The shadow lifted off the ground, for a split second, its torso was exposed above Ezra’s shoulder.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Three controlled shots.

Each round fired into the narrow opening of exposed body before Ezra slammed it into the stone floor.

The impact echoed heavily. Dust rose.

When it settled...

The shadow dissolved into black mist and vanished completely.

Ezra remained standing there, breathing heavily.

His chest rose and fell, sweat dripped down his temple.

He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Ahhh..."

He exhaled deeply.

"That was hard."

A faint chuckle escaped him.

"I didn’t know I was that difficult."

A mechanical grinding sound echoed through the chamber.

Stone shifted, Gears turned behind the walls.

An exit door emerged.

Ezra stared at it quietly for several seconds.

"I’m sure the others finished before me," he murmured softly.

"They all improved before entering this stage so, it should be easy for them."

He smiled slightly.

"Lucky them." He stepped forward.

The door closed behind him.

Silence swallowed the room once more.

***

Then...

"EZRA!!"

A voice exploded into the air.

Ezra froze instantly.

"Why are you not eating? Is the food there for decoration?!"

The voice was old, familiar and sharp.

Ezra turned slowly.

A large dining room stretched out before him, white and gold coated decorated chairs, a long table draped in white cloth, plates filled with rich food and steam still rising from the dishes. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

At the head of the table...

A man sat on the chair, tall and strict posture.

His eyes filled with authority.

"I’m talking to you, Ezra!" The man’s voice grew harsher.

Ezra’s body went rigid, his face drained of color.

"Father...?"

His voice cracked slightly.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost.