Gunners were trained to hunt monsters and track down and eliminate rogue mages and sorcerers, but fighting the undead required special knowledge and skills possessed only by the witch hunters. However, the last witch hunters had hung up their boots over a hundred years ago when the last necromancers had been killed. Now, all that remained of the fabled merchants of death were their tales of adventure and their fading journals. No one would have expected the undead to come crawling back out of nowhere and blight the lands around Aranor, but Zepheroth’s awakening had unshackled the forces of evil. Left with no better options, Lord Sebastian had been compelled to send his own children to deal with the undead threat. No Prime Patriarch or Elder would even think about sending a newly inducted Initiate Gunner to fight a horde of undead, but Ezra had earned his badge of honor by killing a Behemoth. And with Aurelia by his side, he would always have someone to watch his back and pull him o

Ezra rushed at the Skeletal Warriors and peppered them with Fireshot bullets. The mini explosions spewed magma all over their bones, shattering their ribs and turning them to ash. Although the Skeletal Warriors were highly resistant to fire due to the absence of a fleshy covering, the magma eruptions were hot enough to even melt bone and steel. Ezra continued firing without stopping, his enchanted bullets slowly thinning the horde. Since his magic power had peaked at 200% percent he did not have to worry about drinking potions as he could fire around 60 enchanted bullets before draining his magic power completely. While Ezra dealt with the dazed skeletons, Aurelia focused on the Slasher. She started off with Radiant Glory bullets and her enchanted nine-shot revolver empowered them with each new shot. Beams of golden light shot out from the barrel of her gun, pushing back the shadows and illuminating the surroundings. As they struck the Slasher, it tried to shield its vitals with i

Ezra had heard about necromancers raising the dead from their graves and even twisting corpses with dark magic to turn them into necrophages. However, he had never read about wild animals being transformed into the undead. The Night Walker had not only killed the brown bear but corrupted its body as well. Its flesh was now merely a husk of its former self, and the creature ambling toward them was nothing more than a walking corpse. However, the surprising thing was that the bear’s flesh had not started decomposing, and the only signs of decay were visible on its furry hide. Apart from that, the bear looked to be in great condition for a walking dead. As Ezra and Aurelia prepared their weapons, distant growls reached their ears. Dozens of blood-red eyes stared at them from the darkness, surrounding the village from all sides. Undead direwolves killed by the Night Walker joined the fray, ready to do their master’s bidding. They looked pale, and their fur was stained with blood, but

The boy who had been hailed as a prodigy in his early years had yet again become tangled with the threads of fate and awakened an old prophecy. “I have never seen anything like this before. This weapon isn’t a gun. It cannot be,” Marlin remarked as he analyzed the blueprint spread atop the altar. “The one who designed this wasn’t trying to create a firearm. This is entirely different. It’s shaped almost like a dragon’s gullet. There is no way this thing can shoot bullets.” “I don’t think he designed this weapon to fight other gunners. Maybe this was created to deal with the undead,” Ezra replied, taking a good look at the strange blueprint before him. “But how did I become a part of this prophecy? What has this got to do with me?” Even Marlin was surprised to learn that his fellow Gunsmith had kept a blueprint hidden for Ezra. There was no way to dismiss it as a coincidence anymore since Ezra had seen the village in his visions, and the pillar’s magic seal was awakened by his touch.

Once the other Gunners left, Lord Sebastian headed out with Abigor to inspect Aranor’s defense and check on the town guards. With the election coming up shortly, he wanted to spend more time with the common people and understand their hardships and grievances to serve them better in the future. Since the news of Zepheroth’s awakening had already spread like wildfire, the townsfolk were already beginning to doubt the Goddess, and many were even suggesting that they should leave Aranor and find safety behind the walls of the capital. The town guards had also started panicking because they were only used to fighting bandits and wild animals. However, none of them imagined they would be asked to defend this little town against the undead. Being a commoner belonging to the lower rungs of society, Abigor had been able to interact freely with the townsfolk and learn more about their opinions and this helped Lord Sebastian understand whether he was walking on the right path. If the electio