Chapter 594: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: The Sun vs The Gun VI

Ezra's black eyes locked onto Maxwell's golden eyes as he controlled the first QF 13-pounder and gave the weapon the command to fire.

The artillery piece jerked under the force of its own discharge.

DOOM!

The gunshot exploded across the arena, with fire bursting from the muzzle as a thick cloud of smoke was thrown backward. The sound rolled through the combat festival grounds and struck the Force Field surrounding the platform, making the protective barrier tremble faintly.

Before the smoke from the first cannon had even settled, the second QF 13-pounder fired.

DOOM!

Its muzzle flashed.

A heartbeat later, the third followed.

DOOM!

Then another.

DOOM!

And another.

DOOM!

The sound of artillery quickly became one continuous roar.

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM!

The remaining QF 13-pounders joined the barrage one after another, with Ezra keeping all of them under his control while his body continued its rapid spinning motion in the air.

The seventeen low-tier artillery pieces moved with him.

Their barrels shifted together, each one correcting its angle as Ezra controlled their positions through Cognis and Alchemy Levitation. The artillery did not simply float around him without purpose. Each cannon was being positioned for the next shot, and every movement was made with enough precision that the weapons remained in formation even while Ezra continued to rotate.

Loud gunfire erupted almost at the same time as the first barrage, and another group of thirteen-pound shells tore through the air.

Maxwell immediately raised the hand holding the Sun Blade as the shells came toward him in a nearly perfect line.

At first, he could only see the first shell.

Because the others were hidden behind it from his direct line of sight.

But Maxwell did not need to see every shell individually.

His senses had already picked up their presence.

Seventeen.

All seventeen thirteen-pound shells were flying toward him with only inches separating one from another.

Maxwell's golden eyes narrowed slightly.

If he simply swung the Sun Blade and sliced through the incoming shells, the explosions would happen almost directly around him. Even if he destroyed the projectiles before they reached him, the force of seventeen artillery shells detonating at such close range could still catch him in the aftermath.

And there was no longer enough time to move far away.

His fingers tightened around the handle.

Cognis rushed into the hand holding the Sun Blade, then flowed through his arm and into the weapon itself. Maxwell immediately brought his other hand onto the handle, gripping the weapon with both hands as the incoming shells continued to close the distance.

He turned the tip of the Sun Blade downward.

The motion was swift.

The blade struck the ground.

KZZRAK!

Golden sparks erupted around Maxwell's hands as a Sun Alchemy Circle formed beneath him, spreading outward from the point where the blade had stabbed into the platform.

The ground around his feet began to crack under the sudden pressure.

A hot gust of steam burst outward from Maxwell's position.

The first thirteen-pound shell was already closing in.

Very close.

The Sun Alchemy Circle brightened.

It began rapidly absorbing the heat surrounding Maxwell, drawing in the warmth produced by the afternoon sunlight and even pulling the heat radiating from the Sun Blade itself into the Alchemy Circle.

The golden light beneath Maxwell's feet became brighter with every passing moment.

The first shell was only inches away.

Maxwell's eyes remained fixed on it.

The Sun Alchemy Circle ignited.

A golden heat wave erupted around Maxwell, spreading outward before curling back around his body. Within an instant, the golden heat wave formed a barrier around him, its surface shimmering like heated air above a furnace.

BOOM!

The first thirteen-pound shell collided with the Sun Barrier.

The explosion swallowed Maxwell's position in fire and smoke.

Then the next shell arrived.

BOOM!

Another followed.

BOOM!

Then another.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The explosions came so close together that their individual sounds began merging into one continuous thunderous roar.

The seventeen thirteen-pound shells bombarded Maxwell's Sun Barrier almost simultaneously.

The platform beneath him could not withstand the repeated impacts.

The ground cracked.

Chunks of stone and broken pieces of the arena were thrown upward before being swallowed by the smoke and flames.

The force of the bombardment pushed against Maxwell from every direction. His body remained behind the Sun Barrier, but even the barrier itself shook under the repeated impacts.

Maxwell felt the full weight of the low-tier artillery exploding directly in front of him.

The heat pressed against his face.

Smoke rolled across his vision.

Flames covered almost everything around him.

Yet through the gaps between the flames and smoke, his eyes caught movement in the air ahead.

Something was still moving.

Maxwell's expression changed slightly.

Cold sweat slipped down the side of his face.

"This guy just doesn't stop?"

The words escaped quietly as he watched Ezra.

Ezra was already holding a different firearm.

And it was aimed directly at him.

At the same time, the QF 13-pounders that had just fired their shells were now flying through the air toward Maxwell.

For a brief moment, Maxwell simply stared.

After firing all seventeen QF 13-pounder rounds at Maxwell, Ezra immediately threw the artillery pieces toward him with immense force.

At the same time, Ezra deactivated the polarity locks that had kept the black magnetic threads attached to the bodies of the QF 13-pounders.

The artillery pieces broke away from the magnetic control.

They flew through the air like heavy projectiles themselves.

The black threads rapidly pulled backward toward Ezra's hands.

They slid through the air with a sharp whipping sound before drawing back toward his wrists, folding and knitting together as they returned to their original position, as though the loosened strands had never been separated in the first place.

Maxwell did not wait for the Sun Barrier to save him.

Even though the golden barrier still covered his body, he moved from his position and jumped backward.

The first QF 13-pounder crashed into the ground.

BOOM!

Stone shattered beneath its weight.

Maxwell twisted his body while moving backward.

Another artillery piece fell.

BOOM!

It struck the ground dangerously close to where Maxwell had landed.

More QF 13-pounders followed from above.

Maxwell immediately changed direction, moving through the falling artillery pieces instead of allowing himself to remain in their path.

One cannon passed beside his shoulder.

Another crashed behind him.

A third dropped ahead of him, forcing Maxwell to shift his footing and leap sideways.

He understood what Ezra was doing.

The artillery was no longer simply being used as artillery.

Ezra was turning the weapons themselves into obstacles.

Every falling QF 13-pounder reduced Maxwell's available space, forcing him to keep moving while Ezra prepared another attack.

And from Maxwell's knowledge of Guns, he already knew what Ezra was about to use.

A sniper rifle.

High above the platform, Ezra had already taken out his Barrett M107 from his Space Bag only milliseconds after throwing the QF 13-pounders.

He immediately brought the massive sniper rifle into position while descending back toward the ground.

His right eye settled behind the scope.

The world inside the scope became clear.

Maxwell appeared in the center of his vision.

Ezra could see every movement.

Every shift of Maxwell's shoulders.

Every change in his footing.

Every adjustment he made to avoid the falling artillery.

White Cognis flowed rapidly into the circuit systems of the Barrett M107, filling the weapon with energy.

The rifle hummed faintly beneath Ezra's grip.

He did not aim at where Maxwell was standing.

He aimed at where Maxwell would move next.

Ezra had already noticed the pattern.

Whenever a QF 13-pounder fell toward Maxwell, Maxwell would naturally move toward the safest opening.

Ezra used Alchemy Levitation to alter the falling direction of several of the artillery pieces.

The changes were small.

But they were enough.

One cannon shifted slightly to the left.

Another began falling farther to the right.

A third changed its angle just enough to close the opening Maxwell had intended to use.

Ezra was not trying to hit Maxwell with the artillery.

He was forcing him into a predictable path.

His index finger rested calmly against the trigger.

Even while descending through the air, his body became still.

The wind pushed against his training clothes and passed around the Barrett M107, but his hands remained steady.

His breathing slowed.

His eyes stayed fixed through the scope.

Maxwell suddenly felt something different.

His senses screamed that danger was approaching.

The sensation ran down his spine.

It was not the same feeling as the artillery.

It was sharper.

More focused.

Something was aiming at him.

And that sensation awakened a memory.

A conversation.

A conversation between him and his Master.

***

"Maxwell, the world is a very big place, and the Kingdom we live in is already wide enough for you to realize that there are so many people living in it. Different mindsets, different growths, different ideologies, different Paths, and finally, different talents."

Andraver pointed a stick at the snow-covered ground in the mountains where the two of them had been training.

It was morning.

The usual snowstorm had not been blowing as violently that day, allowing the sunlight to reach the mountain slopes. Snow continued to fall gently from the sky, settling across the towering mountain and covering the ground around them in a white layer.

Andraver had written several words into the snow with the stick.

Maxwell stood nearby and looked down at them quietly.

The words were simple.

But Andraver had taken the time to write each one.

"This is why I'm telling you that there will always be people who are better than you in some other aspect, and even people who are better than you in the same aspect as well. You might meet them when you go out into the world of this kingdom."

Andraver spoke calmly as he rested the stick against his shoulder.

Maxwell looked at the words again.

"But then, Master, if that's the case, then why did I get chosen to wield the Path of the Sun, which is the strongest Alchemy Path in the Kingdom?"

Maxwell's expression was serious.

He had never treated the Path of the Sun as something ordinary.

To him, it was proof.

Proof that he had been chosen for something greater.

"You taught me that what separates Alchemy Paths from each other, even though they are in the same category, is how easily they have access to their Alchemy Materials, and especially the power that the Alchemy Path itself wields."

He continued speaking his thoughts, his eyes remaining on Andraver.

"Most Combat Alchemy Paths have a fixed power output for each Alchemy rank, which does make them strong, but those Alchemy power outputs come from Alchemists using natural materials to create that fixed power. It doesn't compare to Nature Path Alchemists, who only elevate the natural power output of their various Nature Alchemy Paths. And the Sun is already a power that transcends other Paths."

Maxwell looked up toward the sun.

The bright light reflected against his eyes.

His hand slowly tightened into a fist.

"I know that there will be people stronger than me in other aspects, but as your disciple, the strongest Alchemist this kingdom has ever had, I can't allow myself to be overshadowed by anyone. Even though I might sound arrogant or prideful."

He placed both hands against his chest.

"This is the philosophy I chose to follow the day you took me in as your disciple."

Maxwell paused.

The wind moved across the mountain.

Snowflakes passed between him and Andraver.

"I will try my best so that the day I show the whole Kingdom the power of the Sun, they won't see it as some flashy old Alchemy Path that had been lost. It will be shown as the powerful Alchemy Path that towered over all other Alchemy Paths."

A grin appeared on Maxwell's face.

"And wouldn't it just be bullying if I used my full power on another Alchemist weaker than me? I mean, I don't believe there will be any Alchemist my age who can force me to really take a fight seriously."

Maxwell waved his hand, dismissing the possibility as though it were too ridiculous to consider.

"But what if you meet someone like that?"

Andraver narrowed his eyes at Maxwell.

"Then that person has to be a Young Alchemist whose potential is crazily good, or the person is illogically beyond my mindset."

Maxwell answered sarcastically.

***

Maxwell's golden eyes reflected the immense, bright light of white Cognis.

The memory faded.

The arena returned.

The heat returned.

The noise returned.

The falling artillery returned.

And so did Ezra.

Maxwell's gaze shifted upward.

Ezra was still descending through the air with the Barrett M107 pressed against his shoulder.

The sniper rifle remained aimed at him.

Maxwell's expression slowly changed.

"I see. I have been taking things for granted even after our talk, Professor Kent."

He straightened his body.

His shoulders rolled back as his feet settled firmly against the broken ground.

The golden light surrounding him grew stronger.

Maxwell had spent the entire fight treating Ezra as just another Young Alchemist he needed to overcome to show just how powerful the Path of the Sun is without fully showing everything he could do.

At least face him, in the same power output he displayed, that was the plan.

But now, something inside him had changed.

The artillery barrage had forced him to defend himself.

The magnetic threads had forced him to move.

The falling cannons had forced him to think.

And now a sniper rifle was waiting for the moment he made his next mistake.

For the first time since the Combat Festival began, Maxwell stopped treating battles like something he could win while holding something back.

He raised both hands.

His palms came together.

Clap!

Golden streaks of Cognis burst from his body like thin strands of lightning.

They raced along his arms, across his shoulders, and through his body as the pressure surrounding him suddenly increased.

The golden light around Maxwell became brighter.

His eyes sharpened.

"I will take this seriously now."

His voice was no longer playful.

Maxwell's golden eyes burned with a new intensity as he looked directly toward Ezra.