Gun of Ashes

Shao Liangye spoke with a touch of sadness, but he seemed accustomed to it, showing no significant emotional fluctuations.

”The past holds no meaning for the Anonymous. What we possess, what we need, is only the present that drives the future.”

Their conversation fell into silence. Lorenzo didn’t know what to say; he tried to compare the Demon Hunter to the Anonymous but felt the costs each bore were incomparable.

If Lorenzo had to make a choice, he wouldn’t know which to choose either.

One is the curse of becoming a monster, the other is the blankness of forgetting everything...

”Neither is a good thing.”

Lorenzo sighed, but then he heard something, subtle, a soft noise gradually increasing in frequency.

The sound kept intensifying until Lorenzo stood up in shock, looking at the others.

”Did you... hear it?”

Lorenzo’s pupils turned blazing white, and everyone who noticed this realized the severity of the situation.

The Geiger Counter was screaming.

...

”The future is destined to be dark, and only death offers release.”

Someone in the corner was murmuring these words. A passing thug was curious. These almost mystic words didn’t fit in the cruel Lower City District.

More effective than harsh words was delivering a punch when others were babbling.

He walked around the corner to see which lunatic was spouting nonsense. Maybe he would give that guy a beating, to keep him away from their gang’s territory; they didn’t welcome such people.

Turning the corner, the thug looked toward the corner, and a stench hit him.

A strong smell of blood rose in the narrow alley. Against the silhouettes created by daylight, twisted bodies advanced toward him, the ground covered with gore as if a fight had just taken place.

Instinctively, the thug gripped his weapon. Fights were commonplace in the Lower City District, but he assumed this was an attack on their gang. He quickly found the source of the sound.

It was a figure collapsed in a pile of trash, a homeless man with a face full of blood. Looking downward, the thug felt his insides chilled.

The homeless man’s body seemed to have been gnawed by a monster, the entire lower half missing, leaving only a blood and flesh-stained ground. Within the massive wound, he could see slowly writhing organs.

The thug was no stranger to such brutal sights, but this time it was different, as if something bizarre was brewing, causing him to retch uncontrollably.

”So pitiful...”

The homeless man let out a deranged laugh, glancing slyly at the thug.

He was about to die, but his expression was not of pain; instead, it bore a creepy smile, as if ”death” was some kind of blissful release.

The strangeness grew more intense, countless negative emotions springing up in the dark corners of the thug’s mind. Simultaneously, more footsteps echoed, and twisted, mutated figures appeared at the alley’s end, striding forward.

”Mon... monsters!”

The thug screamed as he turned to flee, his courage, not particularly strong to begin with, shattered by witnessing such brutality.

As he ran on the muddy ground, suddenly he didn’t know where to flee. In his hesitation, a fierce pain hit his abdomen.

A bloodstained, grim-looking spike pierced through his belly. Trying to grasp it, in the next moment overwhelming force came through, slicing along the abdominal wound, tearing apart most of his body.

In the corner of his vision, the thug saw the monsters gathering in groups, following the scent of the living, wandering in the Lower City District.

In his final moments, he witnessed the plague named Erosion, breaking out among the people, turning each ordinary person into demons. Amidst the terrifying bloodshed, a Shepherd raised the banner, commanding the horde.

...

At the first moment of the Erosion outbreak, large Geiger Counters installed in the Lower City District sounded alarms, the information transmitted to the Broken Dome. After a double-check, the Purification Mechanism fully activated, beginning containment and control.

Countless Armed Iron Serpents rushed along the tracks towards the Lower City District. Soldiers manned the roads, completely sealing off the area. Amidst the evacuating crowd, the towering Armor of Original Sin could be seen moving against the flow.

All nearby Peacekeepers received orders from the Broken Dome, beginning their movement toward the Lower City District. Simultaneously, the Iron Whale soared across the sky, dropping supplies at the road’s junction, the Peacekeeper’s inevitable path.

As if rehearsed countless times, the response speed of the Purification Mechanism was beyond imagination. The Peacekeepers made a brief stop by the supplies, opening crates containing additional weaponry, fortifying the Peacekeeper’s firepower.

In a mere few seconds, the Peacekeeper transformed into a killing machine, striding towards the site of the Erosion outbreak.

Vast amounts of information spread out, commanding each pawn on the chessboard, driving them into combat.

”This is a feint attack; he wants to feel out how much power we have.”

In the darkness, Watson observed all this from the side. As the true orchestrator of this chess match, she wasn’t surprised by such events, asserting everything was under control.

”The Purification Mechanism has come out in full force,” Galahad responded.

The Purification Mechanism must go all out; this is an overwhelming adversary,” Watson said. ”The initiative is in Roger’s hands. He can choose to feign an attack, probing the Purification Mechanism’s strength, and if he realizes the Purification Mechanism is only so, he will turn this feint into a full assault.”

”Why do you think it’s Roger coming?”

Galahad was puzzled; they only observed demons, never finding the enemy’s figure.

”Edlen is the original Watcher. He wouldn’t cause others to turn into demons. If he were attacking, he’d descend with the Watchers, not like this.”

Although the time spent engaging with Edlen wasn’t long, Watson felt she knew Edlen well. His actions were markedly familiar, purely those of a Demon Hunter.

”What should we do next?”

”Proceed with the original plan; we’ll stay in the shadows and leave this to the ones in the light.”

Watson paused and urged again.

”Roger’s probing is faster than I expected. We need to pick up the pace. The ’Death Row’ is already taking shape, and our ’Mechanical Deity’ must keep up.”

Galahad didn’t respond, and their conversation fell into silence, merging into the darkness.

The battle outside had erupted during their discussion, and the rampant high-intensity Erosion washed over most of the Lower City District. As the demons spread, it continued to intensify. This was a surprise attack aimed at the Purification Mechanism; it’s unimaginable what such power detonated in the city center would look like.

Thankfully, with the swift deployment of forces, the spread of demons was contained in the Lower City District, acting like disordered beasts, crashing back and forth against structures.

In Bola’s casino, the guests were scared out of their wits by the monsters outside. By rights, the people hanging out there were supposed to be top-notch tough guys, but in the face of these surpassing reason Evil Anomalies, everyone was like a child.

Fortunately, this seemingly fragile and dilapidated fortress was much more robust than anticipated. The demons were kept outside, unable to break in for the time being.

”Ladies and gentlemen, please don’t panic! As long as you remain here, the casino will ensure your safety!”

At this critical moment, a cheerful voice came from the depths of the casino, an employee-looking person came out, calming the guests... except he wasn’t dressed in a uniform.

More people followed behind him, two of them with foreign faces, hard to discern their origins amid the panic.

Some people retained some sanity under the Erosion, remembering the legend of this casino. It’s Bola’s property, the territory of the real controller of the Lower City District. They suddenly hoped for these strange employees, even growing fondness for Bola, the dark ruler.

Then, in the near-hopeless eyes of the guests, Lorenzo pushed open the tightly closed door, exposing the crowd to the demons’ sight.

”Have you ever seen how a Demon Hunter fights?”

Lorenzo drew the Staff Sword, asking Shao Liangye beside him.

”No.”

Shao Liangye glanced at those blazing white eyes, smiled slightly, and responded.

”Have you ever seen the Anonymous fight like this?”

”Neither have I.”

The two exchanged smiles and rushed out of the casino.