Gun of Ashes

The long nail that pierced the silence shattered the skull of the Silencer, and its broken shell began to collapse, losing its support. 011 fell into the pool of blood, then struggled to rise again.

”My lord?”

011 lifted his head, only to see flickering arcs of light dancing before him.

The black arcs erupted between him and the old man, the radiant arcs obliterating everything they touched, and the collapsing matter was drawn together by an invisible force, forming the figure of an angel at its core.

Blood gushed from 011’s eyes. He was too exhausted to sustain the expansion of Authority, and thus he failed to notice the sudden appearance of the Silencer.

Authority · Shangdafeng.

This was the final moment, and as long as Ascension succeeded, there was still hope. 011’s eyes burned with fury, pushing his Authority to the limit, until even the Silver Binding Bolt within him began to melt away.

He needed to see a glimmer of hope in that certain death future, to find a chance of survival in this dire situation. 011 gripped the Nail Sword tightly, feeling a fury and a joy he had never experienced before. If he succeeded, then everyone’s death would have value.

But suddenly, he froze, standing dumbstruck on the spot, as chaotic images flickered in the blazing white light of his gaze, as if witnessing something deeply sorrowful. Blood flowed like tears.

”Why?”

He looked at the old man beyond the black arcs, but no one could answer his question.

The loathsome body began to form under the arcs, along with the severe pain that also assailed the old man. The old man, seemingly unable to believe all this, questioned himself.

”Am I... going to die?”

By now, half of his body had been obliterated, within the reach of the erupting black arcs, as if a razor-sharp blade had sliced through his body, with smooth cuts of flesh and blood, blood vessels, bones, and hot steaming organs all exposed.

In an instant, it seemed like everything was slipping away from him. The beauty that he had tightly clutched in his hands grew sharp thorns, piercing his palms, attempting to escape his grasp.

Perhaps because he was near death, all the sounds became clearer, from the buzzing of the dancing arcs, the sound of blood flowing, to the eerie noises woven by flesh and blood.

”So... did I fail?”

This is what the old man asked himself.

”Yes, you failed.”

In his self-conversation, he again answered his own question.

He failed.

A sharp long nail pierced through the black arcs and punctured the old man’s chest.

The Silencer was not yet fully born, only managing a rudimentary construction of head and arms, its torso merely a bloody spine. Yet, even so, it struck a decisive blow, fully intending to kill the old man.

The old man lowered his head, and his haggard face was reflected on the now calm pool of blood.

The feeling was peculiar, inexplicable. Although he had failed, he felt an unprecedented relief, like realizing that the ’golden era’ had long since become a curse for him. He had devoted everything to its pursuit.

When he actually realized he had failed, he didn’t feel any sorrow, but rather a sense of liberation, as if breaking free from a cage.

He was free.

Everything seemed better. In this light, death didn’t seem so terrifying. It felt like lying down on a soft mattress, dreaming an endless dream.

A beautiful dream...

”Lorenzo de’ Medici!”

A sudden shout snapped the old man awake. 042 dragged himself out of the blood pool, seemingly choked by the blood of the Holy Grail, and looked unsightly.

The terrifying corrosion pressed upon him, and his consciousness was on the brink of madness. But 042 knew he couldn’t fall just yet. He reached out his hand towards the old man. As long as he seized his body, if Lorenzo de’ Medici survived, if only...

The old man struggled to open his eyes, confusedly looking at 042, slowly raising his arm, only to find it had morphed into a hideous form. Unknowingly, the old man had become something demon-like.

Indeed, he was just a mortal. After enduring the assaults of the Silencer and the Holy Grail’s blood, it was a miracle he had lasted this long.

He looked towards the approaching 042, his consciousness slipping into chaos.

Who am I?

What am I supposed to do?

The demon looked around, seemingly forgetting entirely why it was there, but then an overwhelming hunger and desire surged from deep within.

It needed blood, pain, slaughter.

It...

”Lorenzo de’ Medici!”

Another voice sounded, as 011 painstakingly pierced the Silencer’s heart, laboriously severing its head. 011 too was dying, more arcs erupted around the pit walls, leaving him without strength to continue the fight.

”I am...”

The demon muttered to itself, then as if recalling some terrifying truth, its chaotic vision cleared, and a gruesome smile stretched across its face.

In a daze, it felt as if countless hands were dragging the demon back into that ideal cage, shackling it with heavy chains.

”I am... Lorenzo...”

”Lorenzo de’ Medici.”

The demon roared, pulling out the nail that pierced its chest, and 042 too reached it. As long as the demon’s hand fell, occupying 042’s body would end this nightmare. 042 looked at it with anticipation, but the dreadful arm never came down.

”I... seem unable to see any of that.” It said.

”What?”

042 couldn’t understand what it meant. If only it occupied his body, everything could be achieved. The demon would be eradicated, and humanity would usher in a golden age. So many had died for this, yet it hesitated now.

The demon shook its head, then a phantom shadow flashed before 042, cutting his neck, as he stared at everything in pain.

Blood gushed, connecting the scar to the entire Alchemy Matrix, and the next moment, radiant light once again shone around the pit walls.

The tranquil blood pool surged again, power imprinting deeply into 042’s soul, sublimating the mundane substance.

The demon bent down, embracing 042, whispering in his ear.

”Run now, go to the Seven Hills, to Saint Nalos Cathedral, there’s a gift I’ve prepared for you.”

”Lorenzo de’ Medici...”

042 muttered the name.

”You are my continuation.”

The demon nudged 042, pushing him away. The boy moved his stiff legs, already knowing what the demon intended to do, and what would happen next. The bloody steam chased him, and he slowly leaned against the edge of the pit, where the steps led upwards.

Lorenzo de’ Medici had died the moment the nail fell. Everything now was merely the Holy Grail’s blood forcibly extending his life, at the cost of demonizing this aged body, turning into a detestable monster.

Freedom of will was henceforth imprisoned, with no chance of escape.

The demon smiled, watching the boy leave. As the boy dashed away, countless arcs erupted once more, this time, accompanied by flames burning upon the pit walls.

”Someone must survive, someone must see the golden era.”

The demon whispered softly.

The demon hunters nailed to the pit wall reopened their eyes, their bodies starting to mutate, the overheated Silver Binding Bolts melting away. Dreadful power infused into their dying bodies, the demons roared and fought the reappearing Silencers, while the boy never turned back, moving upwards.

Fresh air filled his nose and mouth as he stumbled onto the ground. When he struggled to rise, he suddenly saw that the sky had already fallen into night. In the familiar direction, endless fires ignited the night sky, like a prolonged nightmare.

On this night, the great divine descended.