Gun of Ashes

”Do you think I would be the kind of person to do such a thing?” Lorenzo said. ”It’s Moriarty, a demon hunter from the New Order, whose authority is Raphael, who misled me.”

”As Duke Phoenix, I am willing to believe you; you’re not someone who would easily slaughter the innocent.” Arthur said, ”But my current identity is Arthur...”

Arthur’s tone remained devoid of emotion, but there was a slight change in his gaze. The situation now was dire, everyone had already tightened their grip on their swords. The demon hunters and the Armor of Original Sin were all here for Lorenzo. If there was any mistake in decision-making, it would lead to the worst possible outcome here.

Arthur seemed to be the only one who could stop all this; he knew what kind of person Lorenzo was. He could only try to counsel him, though he felt that the hope was slim.

The rain continued to pour, washing over the iron city. After some time, Lorenzo slowly sheathed his nail sword, the iron armor on his body peeling away piece by piece until the burning flames were extinguished.

If a direct confrontation occurred here with the Purification Mechanism, Lorenzo would have no hope of escaping. Not only would the Armor of Original Sin, but those demon hunters would also join the hunt without hesitation, and in fact, Lorenzo had no hope of escaping once Arthur appeared.

He could also draw his sword and take Arthur hostage, but with Lorenzo’s understanding of him, Arthur would not care about such things at all.

”Then let’s have a proper conversation.”

...

The Iron Serpent sped along, traversing these silent streets. Perhaps to show goodwill, Anthony had dispersed the demon hunters. It was only him and Lorenzo who boarded the Iron Serpent, with their destination unknown this time.

Amidst the torrential rain, some enormous entity followed closely behind the Iron Serpent. The Armor of Original Sin darted through the rain. Its shape was obscured by the vast white mist, rendering it indistinguishable. But Lorenzo could feel it; judging from the faint intensity of erosion, they were all Third Generation Armor.

Perhaps this was the power of industrialization. Just recently, he had destroyed a prototype, but now the Perpetual Motion Pump could already produce them in small quantities. However, it might have been completed long ago, and Merlin’s words in the workshop were deceiving him, lulling him into believing that the Purification Mechanism had few Armor of Original Sin at its disposal.

But none of this mattered anymore. Lorenzo sat in his seat, looking at his two companions across from him. The three of them looked eerily similar at this moment, with expressionless faces, as if they were dead, casting an atmosphere of killing intent.

”Lorenzo Holmes... I remember they said you like to be called by this name.”

Anthony was the first to break the silence, unarmed and facing Lorenzo alone.

”Do you know what the Pseudo Holy Grail is?”

Lorenzo remained silent, his face cold and stoic, like a life forged from iron. Although he had temporarily given up resisting, he hadn’t relinquished his weapons. The folding blade was at his waist, and his pocket still held the Lacquered Antimony Flying Knife that could detonate everything.

If Lorenzo wanted, he could launch a nearly crushing beheading operation here, to slay the leaders of the New Order and the Purification Mechanism in such a coup. However, he also knew that this would only be in vain.

They were also mere puppets, controlled by a higher power, bearing different names like the new Pope, Queen Victoria, or even the God of faith.

Killing them would change nothing.

”After conducting checks by the Evangelical Church, we roughly deduced the specific nature of the Pseudo Holy Grail, which is also the reason our attitude has suddenly become more assertive.”

Anthony continued.

”The Pseudo Holy Grail is an unknown entity developed based on the Holy Grail, with its documentation already destroyed. We are unclear about its specific form, but from what we understand now, the Pseudo Holy Grail possesses properties similar to the Holy Grail, the ’concept’ of the demon. This concept might be difficult to understand, so allow me to use a different term.”

”Erosion.”

Lorenzo remained silent, as it was not yet the time for him to counter. Regardless of the truth in Anthony’s words, Lorenzo was somewhat intrigued by what exactly the Pseudo Holy Grail was.

”Erosion is a phenomenon, an influence derived from demons. In this sense, there is no difference between the Holy Grail and ordinary demons, but in reality, it is a form of ’erosion’ beyond our current understanding, one that cannot be perceived.”

A significant reason we can counter demons is due to humanity’s consciousness to sense that unsettling erosion. However, the Holy Grail is different; its erosion is silent, yet its influence genuinely exists, gradually distorting this world and transforming humans into demons, likewise loathed.

We analyzed this inability to perceive erosion as a reason for the continuous wars over these years that couldn’t eradicate demons until we captured the Holy Grail.”

Anthony didn’t continue. The Night of the Holy Arrival caused a sizeable historical gap in the Evangelical Church’s history, leading to much knowledge being lost, naturally including the part about capturing the Holy Grail.

”Well, the above are just hypotheses. The Holy Grail is already lost, while the Pseudo Holy Grail is being carried on you; all our intelligence can only infer through these clues.”

Anthony candidly stated that, in the history of fighting demons, knowledge was the most precious existence, yet also hard to pass down.

”So what?”

Lorenzo asked, curious about what kind of reason the New Order used to convince everyone.

”So, we have reason to suspect that the Pseudo Holy Grail possessed properties similar to the Holy Grail: that silent erosion. It is because of this power that even you, once... once Medanzo, couldn’t perceive the odd reason.

Through all those years, it quietly influenced you, Lorenzo, until the arrival of the New Order made the Pseudo Holy Grail feel threatened. It wanted to rid itself of us, thus driving you to commit those acts.”

Anthony said sternly.

”Lorenzo, you’ve been controlled by demons; that invisible erosion has always been affecting you and even causing distortion in your memory.”

”Isn’t this the New Order’s desire? You need to retrieve this power to continue maintaining your world’s position after losing the Revelation.”

Lorenzo couldn’t help but retort.

”Then what about your previous atrocities? You killed innocent people.” Anthony questioned.

”Moriarty, the demon hunter of your New Order, misled me with his authority!”

Lorenzo said, but in the face of Lorenzo’s words, Anthony showed a peculiar expression, that of someone clueless, knowing nothing.

A cold chill spread from within, and Lorenzo found the feeling familiar. Immediately, he recalled it was like a performance he had seen back at the Royal Academy of Arts, with the curtain lifted, and the actors began performing according to the script.

”Moriarty? There’s no such demon hunter in the New Order.”

Anthony’s words confirmed Lorenzo’s suspicions, and he barely held back his inner turmoil. This was Moriarty’s game, and acting rashly without understanding the situation would only result in a deadlock like just now.

Arthur understood Lorenzo’s doubts, and at this moment, he also spoke.

”There is no such person on the demon hunter’s list.”

”He infiltrated secretly...”

Lorenzo stopped midway, realizing his words held no meaning since there was no evidence to support his claim.

After a brief silence, Lorenzo recomposed his thoughts. For a long time, he had loathed such strategic confrontations, finding them extremely troublesome. That’s why this great detective always carried a shotgun to shatter all plots and schemes completely.

But the current situation wasn’t one that a single shotgun, named Winchester, could break, and that weapon was long gone.

”Lorenzo.”

Suddenly, Arthur called out, looking at him with a complex gaze. After a long hesitation, Arthur asked a question that seemed unrelated to the conversation.

”Do you think humans truly have free will?”