Gun of Ashes

This is not Lorenzo, but another Demon Hunter who was slain by him.

”Here!”

The voice came from behind, but before they could look around, a violent surge of energy erupted from the shattered body. Lacquered Antimony pierced by a sword blow exploded in the confined space, red flames burst forth, shredding the broken corpse completely. In an instant, the rising heat wave engulfed all the Demon Hunters around.

A burning pillar of flame burst from the side of the Reichenbach, damaging the sturdy outer wall. Before the flames could fully combust, the difference in air pressure caused a violent gust of wind to drag the Demon Hunters, sweeping them out of the Reichenbach and into the high skies.

The remaining Demon Hunters drove their sharp Nail Swords into the walls to stabilize themselves. Cold rain and fierce winds poured into the cabin, leaving them no time to tend to their injuries, and at that moment, a Nail Sword pierced through the chest of a Demon Hunter.

”I told you I was here, how could you still be so careless?”

A voice like an evil ghost’s echoed from behind. Lorenzo’s eyes were calm, his grey-blue mirrored glasses reflected the gradually twisted faces of the Demon Hunters.

From the start, he had not activated the Secret Blood, hiding perfectly in the darkness, and the Demon Hunters had not detected his presence at all.

”Damn it!”

The Demon Hunter growled, attempting to counterattack, but at that moment, Lorenzo swiftly drew out the Nail Sword. Before he could react, Lorenzo quickly slashed again.

Like a sudden flash of lightning, the Nail Sword severed the Demon Hunter’s sword-wielding arm. He was momentarily stunned, then the fierce wind pushed him. Though his hand still gripped the Nail Sword embedded in the wall tightly, the connecting arm had been cut off. Before he could take any action, Lorenzo kicked him out through the gap, throwing him into the windstorm.

Lorenzo glanced at the turbulent wind and dark clouds below. After such a long journey, the Reichenbach had been steadily ascending. At this height, the Demon Hunters would be smashed to pulp, even with the Authority of Medanzo, the violent impact would turn their innards to a mass of foul blood.

He raised his head, eyes settling on the Demon Hunters beyond the gap. The Lacquered Antimony hidden in the corpse had detonated the entire corridor, severing Lorenzo from the rest of the Demon Hunters.

At this moment, Lorenzo was in no rush to continue the attack. Lighting a cigarette, he smiled at the surviving Demon Hunters before once again stepping into the darkness.

The Reichenbach was vast. As a civilian airship, its purpose was sightseeing tours, featuring not only a large restaurant but also a spacious ballroom at its center, enough space for Lorenzo and the Demon Hunters to play hide and seek.

Yet as Lorenzo proceeded, the broadcast sounded once more.

”Mr. Lorenzo Holmes!”

Hearing the voice, Lorenzo paused and then lifted his head, looking towards the loudspeaker in the corner of the corridor.

”This is James Moriarty. I’m waiting for you in the ballroom.”

The voice spoke and then stopped, with no further sound.

After a brief moment of surprise, Lorenzo laughed. He was not shocked by Moriarty’s actions; this was the meticulously planned trap from the start. Under his scheme, the Demon Hunters no longer held the previous advantage. Scattered, they would only be gradually dismantled by Lorenzo.

Moriarty had set the battlefield there, and presumably all the Demon Hunters had gathered there. Lorenzo would have no more opportunities to ambush them; a brutal frontal battle awaited.

Lorenzo didn’t mind this; he tightened his grip on his sword and hammer but headed in a direction away from the ballroom.

In the dim ballroom stood the silent Demon Hunters, all hooded, making their faces indistinguishable. The most deadly—Moriarty—hid among them.

This was the contest between both sides, the final chess match. Moriarty was keen to know how Lorenzo would retaliate and what approach he would take to break the current situation.

Lorenzo was formidable, undeniably so. In a one-on-one scenario, none of the Demon Hunters were his match; they would be effortlessly crushed, their weaknesses found, and struck down with one blow. However, as more Demon Hunters gathered and Authorities were activated, Lorenzo’s dominance would be slowly restrained, leading to a prolonged tussle.

At this moment, all the Demon Hunters were here, combined with Moriarty’s enigmatic and varied powers, posing not an insignificant threat to Lorenzo.

Moriarty knew no swordsmanship or combat skills; he thrived in madness. Authority Raphael was perfectly suited to him and in his hands, this power would bring the most terrifying Nightmare to everyone.

Lorenzo was well aware of this; once caught by Authority Raphael, his defeat was certain. But if Lorenzo managed to evade it and kill Moriarty before then, everything that followed would be no issue for him.

Both Moriarty and Lorenzo understood where their chances lay in what followed. Now, the key was to find a way to end it all.

The Demon Hunters stood in the darkness, forming a circle with Moriarty hidden among them. They awaited Lorenzo’s arrival, and amidst the lengthy anticipation, footsteps echoed from the end of the darkness.

”Welcome, Mr. Holmes!”

Moriarty’s voice resonated from the pitch-black crowd, but it was impossible to pinpoint his location from it.

No replying sound came from the darkness. Lorenzo seemed to stand a short distance away, watching them. For the Demon Hunters, darkness was no hindrance; with the power of the Secret Blood, they could clearly see the things in the dark.

As a result, one pair after another set of eyes ignited, trying to spot Lorenzo’s position in the darkness. But then, they heard it.

Gunfire.

The scorching Dragon Breath Bullet tore through the darkness, rolling and decimating everything in its path. But this could not kill the Demon Hunters; dense Iron Armor covered their bodies. The Medanzo Demon Hunters stood at the front, blocking the flame flow head-on. Burning Scale Armor dropped piece by piece, behind which were fierce eyes.

Raise a sword? Open fire? Or charge directly into everyone’s face?

The Shangdafeng Demon Hunters scanned the darkness, trying to catch Lorenzo’s next move. But then a curtain of rain descended.

A drizzling rain fell from above in the darkness. The Dragon Breath Bullet had triggered the fire alarm of the Reichenbach, cold water gushed from the pipes, cleansing the whole ballroom.

No... something wasn’t right.

The expression of the Shangdafeng Demon Hunter turned to horror. He saw the imminent future: a sea of endless flames. He adjusted his vision repeatedly, but no matter which direction he looked, it was all raging inferno.

No... no... he saw, at the end of the sea of fire, a blurred figure, like that of an evil ghost.

”This... is not water.”

One Demon Hunter lifted his hand to catch the rain. In the scorching gaze, the rain was faintly illuminated, but it appeared gray-black, somewhat sticky, like a liquid that had been diluted.

”Run!”

The Shangdafeng Demon Hunter shouted, Authority does not lie, and the future does not lie. He had seen it, the burning Hell.

Meanwhile, those halted footsteps echoed once more. At the end of the darkness, Lorenzo arrived leisurely, a nearly spent cigarette dangling from his mouth.

He appeared extremely relaxed, taking the burning cigarette, and remarked nonchalantly.

”A nice tactic, but also a foolish one.”

The burning cigarette butt was thrown into the drizzling rain, and Lorenzo gazed indifferently at each Demon Hunter.

”This saves me the trouble of finding you all one by one. How about I annihilate you here, Moriarty?”

A weak spark fell into the darkness, igniting a surge of wrathful flames in the next moment. The scorching tide swept over the water, burning everything around and continuing to blaze along the diluted oil, as if standing on the volcano’s crater. The dusk-red rose.

The air was instantly heated to an extreme, followed by roaring waves of heat and fire bursting forth.

The Demon Hunters struggled and wailed in the sea of fire, like sinners suffering punishment in Hell, while Lorenzo slashed through the flames and heat, striding forward.

”I’m here to kill you, Moriarty.”

Lorenzo was immensely pleased, swirling his Nail Sword outward, decapitating a burning head, and marched on relentlessly.