Gun of Ashes

”Run! Red Falcon! Run!”

Merlin was sprinting down the corridor, with Roger’s arrival causing constant tremors and the lights flickering on and off.

He ran while yelling at the Red Falcon behind him, urging the slacker.

”I’m running! I’m running!”

Red Falcon shouted, his mood beyond words like terrible.

Holding the firearm, a folding blade hung at his waist.

He was armed to the teeth, but thinking about the formidable foes he might face next, Red Falcon felt fragile.

A mere mortal, having taken down a few demons, Red Falcon thought he was somewhat of a hero, but soon he might face Roger Cruz, an enemy that even Lorenzo couldn’t confront head-on, making him feel like he’s walking to his death.

”I say, Merlin! Is there any secret passage for evacuation? You old thing lived enough, I still want a peaceful retirement!”

Red Falcon wailed, previously his luck might alter a slim chance, but this time Red Falcon saw no hope.

”Retirement? With the attitude you’re showing right now, you want retirement?”

Merlin shouted as he unlocked one dusty gate after another, moving towards the core.

”And retirement? You think ordinary life is easy?”

Merlin scolded, always feeling Red Falcon would likely just waste away after retirement, better off dedicating himself to the Purification Mechanism.

”It’s alright... anyway, I’ll live well, so you don’t need to worry!”

A sunny afternoon flickered in his mind, Red Falcon said decisively.

”Alright? You really think you can do anything after retiring? Work, be a regular employee? You think you’d be good at it? You’re best at cutting and slashing, perhaps after retirement you’d be living in the Lower City District, wouldn’t it be the same as always?”

”Then what? Don’t I still have the retirement benefits sent by your Purification Mechanism?”

”Retirement benefits?”

Merlin almost laughed in outrage, as they stopped at another gate that hadn’t been visited in ages, stuck with rust and dust, opening very slowly.

”If we don’t make it through this, do you think the Purification Mechanism would still exist?”

Merlin panted and continued, ”Without the Purification Mechanism, who’d give you retirement benefits, Red Falcon?”

Red Falcon was taken aback and mumbled incoherently, then cursed loudly.

”Damn it, you bunch of heartless bastards, what are we doing now?”

Having run with Merlin all the way, Red Falcon realized he didn’t even know what their plans were.

Merlin didn’t respond but laughed heartily.

Sure enough, whether to call Red Falcon an idiot or praise him for being straightforward, he was surprisingly easy to manipulate, tricked entirely with a few words.

”Stop laughing! You old thing!”

Red Falcon urged, now truly fighting for his beautiful retirement life, determined not to fall here.

Despite the crisis, the atmosphere unexpectedly lightened.

”Head to the central control room, there we can control the Furnace Pillar, dump all the preset Anti-Meme material in, then boost output, spreading the Anti-Meme material through the mist.”

Merlin was explaining his plan.

”This will cover the entire Old Dunling, reducing the city’s level of corruption.”

”You had this planned from the start, didn’t you?”

Red Falcon said, such a plan must have been prepared.

”Indeed, it’s the post-war treatment plan, using this method to ’cool down’ cities baptized by fire, but it seems we have to do it earlier.”

”Is this feasible? I mean, will it work?”

As the gate opened, murky and stale air rushed in, causing Red Falcon to cough repeatedly.

”Who knows? We can’t just sit and wait for death.”

Merlin hesitated and then spoke.

”I don’t know what change it will bring to the battlefield, but it’s better than dying meaninglessly in a corner.”

”So you brought me along to die?”

Red Falcon shouted, his voice gradually dropping, looking conflicted.

Reflecting on all the hardships, Red Falcon didn’t know how many times he had brushed past Death God, if Death God was a bit weaker, maybe he’d get a shoulder injury from Red Falcon’s brush.

Suddenly another tremor hit, like an earthquake, with dust pouring down heavily.

Looking up, intense erosion interfered with communication, nobody knew the state of the Mechanical Institute on the surface, maybe still resisting stubbornly, or it might have been overtaken, possibly Roger was leading his army down the Furnace Pillar, if it were true, Red Falcon and the others didn’t have much time.

Red Falcon growled like a beast, then abruptly lifted his head, reinvigorated.

”Enough, do your job, love your job, lead the way! Old thing!”

Merlin nodded at him, his stiff face hard to read, then he started running again.

”Sometimes you need to think positively, Red Falcon.”

”What?”

Red Falcon asked.

”Actually, this kind of suicide mission, seen from another angle, isn’t that bad.”

Merlin dashed through his memories, amidst dim lights, he saw those dust-covered signs pointing the way.

”How so?”

Red Falcon was on guard, not understanding anything about controlling the Furnace Pillar, leaving it to Merlin, he had to ensure he died after him.

”You’re saving the world, you’re one of the saviors now!”

Merlin praised.

”I thought only heroes get to be saviors, we’re just extras off stage.”

Merlin’s praise didn’t cheer up Red Falcon much, the continuous tremors, faintly sharp sounds, like countless claws scratching at the gates.

He’d heard these sounds many times, even his toes could figure them out.

”Looks like the Mechanical Institute is done for.”

He mumbled, looking a bit down.

”Let’s put it another way, Red Falcon.”

Merlin wasn’t discouraged by the fall of the Mechanical Institute, gathering his strength, continuing forward.

”If we win this battle, maybe we can truly end this dark fate!”

”If only heroes get to be saviors, then we are all heroes!”

Red Falcon felt surprised, asking, ”Are you encouraging employees so they happily accompany you to death?”

”No, I’m just stating facts.” Merlin’s tone was sincere.

”Heroes?”

Red Falcon carefully tasted the word, then smiled bitterly, ”Feels foreign, I’ve only heard its existence in books.”

Chaotic footsteps and roars arose, like tides infiltrating underground, surging along gaps, swallowing everyone in their path, dull thuds rang out, the visitors pounding on the gates, trying to tear open a path through steel.

”By the way, will we get a monument?” Red Falcon asked coldly.

At the last gate, Merlin opened it while looking at Red Falcon puzzled.

This guy was no longer whining about evacuation, leisurely leaning against the wall, occasionally observing the degree of demon invasion behind.

”I know, demons should be kept outside history, so even if we become heroes, perhaps no one will know of our feats, right?” Red Falcon said helplessly, unable to boast about such things, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

”So, will there be a monument? Inscribed with something like Moon Naredo?”

Red Falcon muttered to himself.

”Hold on, by regulation only a code name stays, right? So inscribed as Red Falcon?”

Red Falcon posed proudly, then continued with seriousness.

”Commemorating the brave, invincible, glamorous, fearless and great Red Falcon,” if he weren’t uneducated, his flattering words would be even longer, ”Merlin, I can already imagine the reactions of passersby upon seeing this monument.”

Red Falcon got more absurd, eventually even he couldn’t help but laugh.

”They’d be utterly perplexed, saying, did the city council build such a big monument just to commemorate a ’bird’?”

Merlin couldn’t react immediately, after a while, he also let out a stiff, raspy laugh.

”That’s quite a good joke.”

”Indeed.”

Red Falcon tightened his grip on his weapon, looking to the corridor’s end, at the swaying gates.

”I really hope I have the chance to tell this joke to others.”

Sharp claws stabbed through steel gaps, and behind Red Falcon, the final gate to the central control room opened at this moment.