Gun of Ashes

Yage sprinted all the way. Although he also came from the mysterious Evangelical Church, compared to the monster relentlessly pursuing him, he was as harmless as a little white mouse.

He could hear gunshots echoing from deep within the tunnel behind him, along with the frightened shouts of the followers. They couldn’t stop that monster, he was coming.

Yage began to regret his recent decision. Who would have thought that exterminating merely some rats would attract a monster like Lorenzo.

He sprinted through the complex tunnels, having first killed the guide rat. In this labyrinthine maze, he ran back and forth, colliding blindly, yet as if holding onto some hope, he believed he could escape.

No one knew how long these inferior rats had lived underground. They had been hiding beneath Old Dunling, unbeknownst to others.

But soon, the sound of gushing water grew louder in the darkness, and Yage knew he was close to getting outside, or into another sewer, but it was better than staying in this dark tunnel.

The urging footsteps came from the darkness behind; that monster was almost upon him.

While running, Yage drew the short sword from his waist. Despite his fear, he felt he should at least have room to fight back, given he was once a member of the Holy Hall Knights.

Breathing heavily, with labored breaths, he burst out from the tunnel, stumbling and almost falling into a ditch.

He had made it out.

Yage looked around with a bit of delight. As he expected, it was a sewer, but outside the entrance lay the Thames River. He could see the simple steps and could return to the city along them.

Under the strange sense of oppression, even this foreign land felt familiar.

He hurried to run outside, but just then, he heard the footsteps behind him clearly. Lorenzo had caught up, his staff sword reflecting faint white light in the darkness, like a death god in pursuit.

”Don’t run, weren’t you trying to kill and silence me?”

Lorenzo mocked, approaching with his staff sword tightly gripped.

Yage had neither the time nor the courage to respond. He quickly climbed out, re-emerging on the streets of Old Dunling. Perhaps it was his disheveled appearance that caught the attention of the passersby, who wrinkled their noses at the underground stench he carried while casting sidelong glances his way.

Appearance was no longer a concern. He had to find a way to shake off Lorenzo and choose to flee toward where the crowds were, but due to his filth and shabby state, the pedestrians instinctively kept their distance. By the time Yage raised his short sword, panic had already ensued.

But this was only the beginning of the panic. Everyone soon saw the man following closely behind Yage. He was even more disheveled and soaked than Yage, but holding that staff sword, he exuded a murderous aura.

The residents of Old Dunling, worldly-wise as they were, quickly understood the situation. This could be a street vendetta. Some righteous onlookers considered stepping in to maintain the somewhat disordered law and order, but almost immediately, the man chasing them shouted loudly.

”Suyalan Hall is handling a case, keep out if you don’t want to die!”

Lorenzo shouted confidently, regretting not borrowing Pres’s badge. Of course, if Pres knew about this situation now, he’d probably also regret going back to sleep.

Hearing Lorenzo’s shout, everyone momentarily froze, unsure of the truth. Although Lorenzo wasn’t wearing a police uniform, his confident voice made him sound convincing.

Seeing this, Yage could only run with all his strength, continuously heading toward the crowd, knocking over street goods as he went, seemingly trying to create more chaos.

He truly succeeded. With Yage’s sudden intrusion, the street carriages screeched to a halt, accompanied by the neighing of horses. The carriages toppled, and chaos ensued. It seemed to catch the attention of the mounted police, and faint iron whistle sounds echoed around, signaling their approach.

Lorenzo acutely sensed it all and knew very well that once the mounted police arrived, the situation would get complicated and Yage might escape.

With this in mind, Lorenzo reached into his coat. According to the Lorenzo Holmes Detective Code, rule number seven, in this situation, he needed to break this suspect’s leg before he escaped.

Yet his hand came up empty. Only then did Lorenzo remember that his beloved Winchester was no longer with him. A pang of sadness overwhelmed him, leading to tears fit for a tough man.

In that relentless storm of fire, Lorenzo was half-blown to death, and as expected, the Winchester didn’t fare well either. Lorenzo lost it in that explosion. Although Arthur promised to meticulously search the battlefield for it, Lorenzo estimated that given the scale of firepower, even if found, it would be a piece of ruined metal.

It had accompanied Lorenzo for so many years. The deep bond was akin to that of close brothers, cherished friends, and loved ones.

Thinking of this, Lorenzo’s anger boiled over, his murderous aura intensified significantly, which in turn frightened Yage.

The chaos had already spread across the street, with Yage darting about like a headless fly, no longer hoping to escape but just wishing to run a bit longer, every extra minute of running was a victory.

But suddenly he realized the monster chasing him was gone, leaving only himself on the street. Yet immediately, an icy killing intent came from behind. Yage abruptly turned around, just in time to meet Lorenzo charging from the alley with his staff sword enlarging in his eyes, followed by the clash of steel.

His former Holy Hall Knight instincts saved him in this moment of crisis; Yage instinctively raised his short sword. It connected briefly with Lorenzo’s staff sword but unpredictably lost balance due to Lorenzo’s unstoppable force.