Gun of Ashes

Merlin’s voice was deep as he stared straight ahead, the endless downpour scattered by the Sailing Dawn and sliding down its sturdy hull.

”I don’t quite understand your words, Merlin... but I trust you,” Gareth said after a brief silence.

It was a risky move; the storm hadn’t ended, Black Mountain Hospital wasn’t entirely safe yet, and hidden enemies still lurked within the vast Old Dunling.

Under these wolf-packed circumstances, Gareth chose to trust Merlin and set sail with his forces.

”Lorenzo... Lorenzo has likely discovered the [Truth], the [Truth] of the demons.”

Merlin kept whispering, almost like he was possessed.

Since parting with Lorenzo, Merlin couldn’t help but recall that conversation in the rain, those cursed pieces of knowledge.

Lorenzo had warned Merlin at the time not to continue pursuing, and Merlin felt a strange sensation, which exploded when he learned Lorenzo had piloted an airship to escape Old Dunling.

Perhaps... perhaps Lorenzo had been deceiving him all along, and he had long since glimpsed the [Truth], those cursed pieces of knowledge, and certainly knew what the [Curse] was, hence warning him.

So now what?

Lorenzo has already realized the [Truth], been affected by the [Curse], like those recurring historical events, Lorenzo will die, taking those secrets with him, sealing the door to the [Truth] once more.

”Is that why you warned me?”

Lorenzo knew very well what the [Curse] was; he believed this [Curse] could kill everyone, so he kept this secret to himself.

”No, that’s too selfish, Lorenzo Holmes.”

Merlin grasped his head with force, seeming as if he wanted to tear his own skull apart, and then a low, hoarse voice sounded.

”No... Lorenzo, you can’t die, you can’t die with those secrets.”

The Purification Mechanism needs those cursed pieces of knowledge; only then can they figure out what demons truly are and how to end the nightmare that has persisted for millennia.

”We can’t find the Reichenbach,” someone said.

In such harsh weather, chasing another airship was out of the question; even navigating was incredibly difficult. The Sailing Dawn seemed to have charged into another world, where every direction was the same lead-gray color.

Gareth’s face was equally overcast; continuing like this would make it challenging even to find their way back. That’s when Merlin, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up.

”No... activate all the Geiger Counters!”

Merlin looked at Gareth; at this moment, he was the captain.

”You mean...”

Gareth felt a sense of unease and suddenly understood Merlin’s intentions. With his order, the sound of the Geiger Counters filled the cabin.

With that monotonous sound, the cabin fell into silence, and then it was as if countless evil ghosts were screaming inside the cabin, filling it, hovering around everyone’s side, and issuing piercing shrieks with all their might.

This was an extremely bad situation; even a newcomer would clearly understand what it represented: amidst this storm high in the sky lay a pollution source with incredibly terrifying intensity.

”Reichenbach...”

Gareth murmured, feeling his heart sink. No one knew what was happening aboard that airship at that moment.

”Now, there’s a clue, Gareth.”

Merlin told him, Gareth looked over, seeing Merlin’s eyes filled with bloodshot threads.

”What exactly happened, Merlin?”

Gareth felt an indescribable fear, but the Merlin he saw was smiling.

”A new era is coming, Gareth. Find the Reichenbach; Lorenzo can’t die... at least not with those secrets.”

He said, leaving and heading toward the hangar.

As a war machine produced by the Perpetual Motion Pump, the Sailing Dawn was several circles larger than regular war airships. Its power and firepower far surpassed conventional configurations, which was why it could safely depart amidst such violent weather.

Generally speaking, the Sailing Dawn is meant for bombing ground combat; current technology couldn’t achieve aerial combat. Even catching up with the Reichenbach, they couldn’t do anything to it. Plus, with this terrible weather, even the Aerial Cavalry couldn’t land on the Reichenbach.

Merlin couldn’t do anything, only witness the unknown events erupting aboard the Reichenbach.

Actually... it’s not that he couldn’t do anything.

Merlin stopped, stood in place, gazing at the armor restrained by the Restraint Device.

As the technical chief of the Perpetual Motion Pump, Merlin had always thought there was a strange connection between armor and its driver, as if the armor was a key leading to the unknown door.

These unknown speculations were also demonstrated in Lorenzo, like that time he resurrected.

That was an ability beyond human imagination; even now, Merlin wasn’t sure what happened back then.

However, could such a miracle be replicated again?

If it could...

”Then let another miracle happen.”

Merlin said as he pulled the valve, the restraints confining the armor were opened layer by layer, and under the dim lights, the Black Angel resembled a silent statue.

...

The fire had spread from the ballroom, starting to extend to other areas. Within the burning sea of flames, enormous figures crashed against each other, fighting fiercely.

Lorenzo stood atop a hideous skeleton, plunging the Nail Sword down along his head, piercing through the spine.

Blood flowed into the wound along the grooves of the Nail Sword, and in the next moment, surging white flames ignited from beneath the shell, starting to burn from the inside, killing this demonized body thoroughly.

With the blessing of Secret Blood, Demon Hunters remained alive despite such injuries; he wailed in agony, twisted his body with force but, as if mounted on an execution platform, all his efforts were futile, only gradually experiencing the burning within until the purifying flame consumed his organs, leaving behind charred bones.

Countless sparks rose from the empty shell, Lorenzo withdrew the red-hot Nail Sword, his gaze traversing the raging flames and smoke.

Moriarty had disappeared, yet it’s no surprise; he was nothing but a cunning serpent, completely no match for Lorenzo in direct combat, so he used Authority: Raphael to control all the Demon Hunters. Though unclear what illusion realms these Hunters were experiencing, it could be known that under Moriarty’s control, their Secret Blood was still rising.

Initially, Lorenzo could swiftly kill the demonized Hunters, but as time passed, they grew increasingly terrifying.

However, fortunately, they were now in high skies rather than densely populated cities, otherwise, Old Dunling would experience a similar Night of the Holy Arrival.

”Where are you hiding, Moriarty?”

Lorenzo muttered, his gaze constantly sweeping across the environment around him, trying to avoid direct eye contact with others.

”You must be watching me too, right? Waiting for the chance to catch me.”

This cunning serpent hid the view with the Demon Hunters, just as he often did, lurking in the shadows, preparing for that moment’s deadly strike.

Lorenzo smashed through the doorway, and as the door opened, thick smoke poured out, promptly dispersed by the chilling wind.

The entire Reichenbach had encountered issues due to the continuous fighting; although the fire hadn’t burned through the entire airship, the outer wall had many breaches.

Lorenzo moved amidst them, his hard-earned advantage once again leveled by the demonized Hunters. These monsters were incredibly tricky. Lorenzo had no advantage in direct combat unless he also chose to step onto the road of demonization.

Yet, doing so might let him kill all these demons, but he would certainly have no strength left to deal with Moriarty lurking in the shadows.

He needed a new plan. As he thought this, suddenly a fierce gale sounded, and on the other side of the storm, the Sailing Dawn burst through the clouds.