Gun of Ashes

Under the torrential rain, a dark blue silhouette stood upon the pooled water, his gaze hollow, yet inside it swirled with searing white flames, gripping the hammer and sword like a ghost with nowhere to go.

”Damn it! Damn it!”

The Demon Hunters cursed angrily, their hearts filled with wrath, yet their sword-wielding hands couldn’t stop trembling.

It was only now that they realized the vast gulf between themselves and Lorenzo. This Demon Hunter from the old Order had prepared for everything long before the events unfolded. Even more terrifying was that Lorenzo’s power was formidable, even without those specially crafted ”gifts.”

In a body forged from the Holy Grail Flesh, he carried the will from the Night of the Holy Arrival. These Demon Hunters who had never truly faced despair were utterly harmless in Lorenzo’s eyes.

The identities of hunter and prey had reversed. In the silence of fear, Michael the Demon Hunter could no longer contain himself as fiery flames surged, while the Secret Blood burned like molten lava, simultaneously healing and scorching his body.

Demonization.

At this moment, someone had to make a sacrifice; only then could they kill Lorenzo rather than be slaughtered by him.

The initial idea now seemed laughable—they had actually tried to capture this fearsome monster. In their terrified eyes was reflected a somewhat thin yet powerful shell.

The Demon Hunters couldn’t comprehend why the Demon Hunter, who could be easily defeated before, suddenly grew so powerful, like undergoing some sort of transformation.

But Lorenzo did not answer their doubts. As the blazing sun began to approach, bringing high temperatures along with scorching steam, Lorenzo did not hurry to attack. Instead, he slowly retreated, and his entire silhouette was concealed by the roaring storm, further obscured as Michael the Demon Hunter drew near, with the billowing steam intensifying the visual cover.

Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter was initially bewildered, not understanding why Lorenzo suddenly chose to withdraw, then he shouted.

”You fool! Stop!”

He yelled at Michael the Demon Hunter. Facing so many Demon Hunters capable of demonizing, direct confrontation would be strenuous for Lorenzo. But with this adverse weather, he could defeat them one by one like an ethereal ghost, and the rising steam just now perfectly aided Lorenzo, causing him to vanish from the Demon Hunters’ sight.

Why did Lorenzo suddenly become so strong? In fact, he was always strong, just restrained by one odd reason after another.

042 exists, self exists, Lorenzo Holmes exists.

Although it’s unclear where Watson escaped to, it is known that Lorenzo, this Prison Guard, no longer needs to adhere to the rules set for himself.

He liberated himself from those cursed duties, those cursed spells, he was free, hence the Secret Blood continued to surge, pushing the power to the limit.

The searing white flames grew ever brighter, Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter closely watched the surrounding curtain of rain, trying to precisely capture the potential future. As they scanned, they suddenly noticed, in a few seconds, a Nail Sword would stab out from that angle, attempting to kill another Demon Hunter.

”There!”

He hollered, and just as he predicted, a sharp Nail Sword pierced through the rain curtain. But with Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter’s warning, it gave others enough time to prepare, yet strangely, there was no one behind the Nail Sword.

It was a Nail Sword that had been thrown.

”Sometimes, the future can also be misled.”

A ghostly voice echoed from behind, and in the next moment, a sharp Nail Sword pierced through the chest.

Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter couldn’t quite believe it; he gripped the Nail Sword embedded in his chest, wanting to resist, but he couldn’t do anything.

The prediction of the future requires a target, such as predicting what will happen next to oneself, what changes will occur in this area next. But the storm obscured Lorenzo’s figure, causing Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter to lose the predictive target, and he was too terrified, so much so that he made the decision upon seeing the future at that instant.

”Lorenzo Holmes!”

Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter roared, his entire body emitting a heavy cracking sound instantly, with flesh vines winding around the piercing Nail Sword, preventing Lorenzo from pulling it out, while he swung the Nail Sword furiously backward.

There’s nothing left to hesitate about; in such circumstances, only a Critical Breakthrough, initiating demonization, could mount a confrontation against Lorenzo.

Yet what followed was the sound of clashing metal. Lorenzo did not defend against this strike but allowed it to land. But the Nail Sword did not manage to wound Lorenzo as it was blocked by dense armor.

”This shouldn’t be...”

Shangdafeng the Demon Hunter couldn’t understand—clearly, Lorenzo had already shed the armor. Then his pupils constricted; at the location where the Nail Sword struck, the armor was continuously peeling away. This was temporary armor, quickly formed but low in strength, which sustained only one attack before beginning to fracture.

This was Lorenzo’s application of Authority, covering specific positions with armor before the attack fell, sacrificing strength for swifter combat and misleading the enemy’s power.

Lorenzo raised the Armor-Piercing Hammer high, in those burning eyes, aligning the dying future with this moment.