Gun of Ashes

Eve couldn’t help but lament that the Broken Dome, once solid as a fortress, had turned into a dangerous building in such a short time.

The piercing wind swept in, carrying the few people, dispersing the lingering heat below and revealing the dome’s ruined remnants.

”Arthur would cry...”

Red Falcon murmured to himself.

This was the Round Table Conference Room, a place that Shao Liangye and a few others still remembered. Just earlier, they had held a meeting here, and now it had become part of the ruins. The tall dome was completely shattered, glass littered the ground, with only a few charred and bent supports pointing skywards.

The most heartbreaking sight was the massive round table standing amid the ruins. It had already withstood the test of time, covered in scratches and holes, but now it was shrouded in a layer of black charcoal.

A third of it had been burned to charcoal, with a few faint glows remaining, a once symbolic object of glory, now fallen into decay.

The roaring winds swept by, a pitch-black shadow crossed above their heads; Red Falcon looked up—it was the familiar Iron Whale arriving at the Broken Dome at the same time as Red Falcon and his group.

”Seems like we’re very late.”

Red Falcon spoke as he searched for a way upwards, looking for a path through the twisted jungle.

...

The Iron Whale hovered above the dome, ropes descended one after another, soldiers slid to the ground, raising their firearms to control the scene. But not only them, the hatch on the Iron Whale’s belly opened, and steel cables pulled out Peacekeepers, deploying them one by one.

”Seems like everything’s destroyed.”

Left Garrison looked down at the soldiers below; they were well-organized, with some guarding the fallen Lorenzo, while others kept watch over Roger’s corpse.

It was just a corpse, yet it still warranted their full vigilance.

”What did you just use? Was it [Wangchuan]?”

Gawain asked from the side; he had witnessed Left Garrison’s gunshot, where the special bullet fired from a specialized firearm had a massive impact with just one shot.

”No, no, [Wangchuan] is far more powerful than this,” Left Garrison waved his hand, explaining, ”This is just a regular Anti-Meme weapon, though its carrier is a bit special, allowing it to hold more ’information’ for greater power.”

Left Garrison spoke as he gently brushed the gun grip, saying somewhat helplessly.

”It’s a pity this thing is very hard to make, requiring specialized craftsmanship, and it needs a specialized weapon to shoot.”

Gawain said nothing, his gaze drawn to Left Garrison’s ammo pouch full of intricately made bullets with fine text engraved on them, not knowing how many characters were inscribed.

”Don’t worry too much, it’s not all bad now. Anyway, the moment of decisive battle is coming, and if we lose, there’s no use saving these facilities.”

Left Garrison said lightly, then continued, ”Bring the airship closer, I want to check myself.”

”Okay.” Gawain nodded.

Left Garrison strapped on the slender Fallen Star, pulled the rope, and after the Iron Whale drew close to the dome, he jumped down.

This was a man older than Arthur, but aging seemed to affect only his flesh, while his mindset and movements were remarkably youthful, as if the soul within him had never changed.

Amidst the fierce wind, Left Garrison accurately landed in a safe zone, glancing around at the lingering embers everywhere. Fortunately, it was cold enough here with the drizzle to help curtail the spread of the flames to some extent.

The ancient face wrinkled with worry, the lingering corruption unsettled him. Despite being protected by layers of Anti-Meme Protection, he still picked up a Florun Potion and injected it into his neck, then said to others.

”Quickly clean up the scene and then evacuate; we can’t linger here long.”

Left Garrison finally erased the smile from his face, turning slightly stern, his murky eyes bright like those of an eagle.

After slaying Roger, Lorenzo stopped, resting on his Great Sword, half kneeling at his place, his Armor shedding with the settling Secret Blood, piling around him like blooming sharp-edged flowers.

Corrosive decay, battle scars, and Anti-Meme baptism.

The cumulative stress caused Lorenzo to collapse right after dealing with Roger, seeming to have fainted, standing at his place.

Left Garrison approached him, feeling the fearsome remnants of corruption on Lorenzo, and such power only barely allowed them, with Left Garrison’s help, to kill Roger’s vessel; it was hard to imagine the extent of Roger’s full power.

”You’ve reached the Abyss’s edge, Mr. Holmes.”

Left Garrison muttered, unsure if Lorenzo could hear him.

Only Lorenzo’s body had shed its Armor, yet traces of abnormality remained, with veins bright red, stark even under the skin, resembling crimson tattoos covering Lorenzo’s body.

Left Garrison removed the Fallen Star, loaded a bullet, not knowing why the gun barrel pressed against the back of Lorenzo’s skull; only a trigger pull and cold metal would pierce his skull, turning his brain into a bloody mush, and consciousness would likely collapse under the strong Anti-Meme influence.

Perhaps due to Jiuxia’s philosophy, where Anonymous completely eradicated corruption, refusing any corruptive force, unlike the learning and control used by Purification Mechanism, where in Jiuxia, it’s true extermination.

”Passing the world’s future to a monster like you doesn’t seem like a wise choice, does it?”

Left Garrison mused, cold wind billowing his grey-white hair.

”Just like the story you told, the Secret Keeper entrusted the future to Roger and Ed, but now they are to become the enders of the future.”

His finger brushed the trigger, Left Garrison’s eyes narrowed, staring intently at Lorenzo.

The Jiuxia Anonymous possessed a large amount of [Wangchuan], and his gunshot proved Anti-Meme was effective against Roger, coupled with Lorenzo’s [Echo of the End]...

Perhaps, maybe even without Lorenzo, this could all come to an end.

”After you kill Roger and Ed, who will kill you?”

As he pondered, noise sounded, Left Garrison sharply looked toward its direction, raising his muzzle to precisely aim at an anxiously appearing face.

Covered in dust, Red Falcon climbed up from beneath the dome, barely catching his breath before finding Left Garrison’s gun aimed at him.

He expected to die at the enemy’s hand, never thinking he’d be killed by his own, immediately raising both hands, shouting out.

”It’s me! Red Falcon!”

In the face of life or death, who needs dignity?

Left Garrison glanced at Red Falcon, seeing Shao Liangxi and Shao Liangye emerging behind him, sighed and holstered his gun, his gaze drifting toward Lorenzo.

”Perhaps... we really do need a Demon.”

He said, giving Lorenzo a kick, but Lorenzo didn’t react at all. Left Garrison crouched down, vigorously clearing around the hardened surroundings, laboriously dragging Lorenzo from its encasement.

”Come help!”

Left Garrison called out.

Seeing the situation, Red Falcon assumed the battle was over and happily didn’t face a monster like Roger, then trotting over to assist Left Garrison in hoisting Lorenzo.

This guy was carrying many injuries, some so dire that on anyone normal, there wouldn’t even be a chance for treatment, yet Lorenzo was different, his flesh slowly writhing and Self-Healing.

”Such strength!”

Red Falcon took Lorenzo from Left Garrison’s shoulders, hoisting him aloft, praising the old man for his remarkable physique.

Left Garrison said nothing more, turning to deal with Roger’s corpse, with a serious demeanor, as if facing a sworn enemy.