Gun of Ashes

In the end, the so-called demons became mere onlookers, wailing as they fled, yet inevitably consumed by the blades and flames. Black and blazing white intertwined, transforming into a dense gray storm sweeping across the battlefield.

Ed was finally liberated. After the cold voice disappeared, he finally gained temporary peace. Then, with flames and a silver-white sword, he battled fiercely with Lorenzo.

At this moment, neither man felt well, like machines running on overload, on the brink of collapse.

The Secret Blood originates from demons. Even though it has become controllable after hundreds of years of effort by the Order, it doesn’t mean this bizarre thing has been tamed. It still readies itself within the body of the Demon Hunter, awaiting a moment to counterattack.

Just like the Purification Mechanism sets values for the Armor of Original Sin, Secret Blood also has its critical value. Depending on the type of Secret Blood, the critical value varies, but it is clear that for a Demon Hunter in a rational state, their power limit is the critical value. However, once the Secret Blood exceeds the critical value, the Demon Hunter’s body begins to undergo demonization.

Every Demon Hunter is a fearsome single-soldier machine. The cost of demonization is a loss of control. They are terrifying people who can hunt demons in their normal state. Once they lose control, they become a ferocious evil dragon. Therefore, the Evangelical Church implemented a series of insurance measures on the Demon Hunting Order, such as the Holy Hall Knight Order dedicated to handling incidents related to Demon Hunters, and the Silver Binding Bolt that clamps every Demon Hunter’s throat.

The body was crumbling; the surging Holy Silver burned through Ed’s flesh, incinerating his life. Yet, the ever-awakening Secret Blood was also healing Ed’s injuries. It proliferated madly, and as the Silver Binding Bolt melted away, it gradually lost its constraints, until it completely demonized Ed’s body.

It was a pure white demon, carrying an incomparably holy flame that baptized the earth and all living things. However, there would always be resistance. Several vines broke free from the fire’s encirclement, entangling Ed tightly.

Lorenzo strode forward with the black sword. At this moment, there were no more Demon Hunters in his eyes, only a pitiful man devoured by Secret Blood, a demon waiting to be slaughtered.

”Attack!”

Ed growled deeply, and thus the surrounding demons, who had been fearing battle, began to stir. Their instincts warned them of Lorenzo’s danger, but Ed’s command compelled them to obey.

”Kill him!”

Once again, the order was given. The boiling flames severed all the vines, and Ed charged at Lorenzo like a freed beast. With his second command, the wavering demons also rushed towards Lorenzo, moaning hoarsely like sorrowful lost souls.

Behind the face armor, the eyes carried a hint of heaviness. Ed had done it yet again.

According to Lorenzo’s knowledge in the Demon Hunting Order, mortals could not control demons at all. Even simple control required vast sacrifices, even at the cost of oneself. Yet now Ed had accomplished it with such ease.

Time is indeed a terrifying thing. Lorenzo once thought everything was over, but in just six years, more and more things beyond his imagination appeared in the world, such as the resurrected demons, such as Ed’s bizarre power.

The clashing of swords erupted once more in a roar.

”What on earth have you done? How can you control demons?”

Lorenzo’s voice came from beneath the black armor, murky and heavy, with a metallic ringing.

”If you want to know, I can trade you the answer.”

Ed laughed wildly. As a Demon Hunter, he spent his entire life fighting darkness. Even possessing the power to command demons, his dignity as a Demon Hunter made it difficult for him to use it, but at this moment, he did, and for the first time acquired the bargaining chip to trade with Lorenzo.

They each harbored secrets the other wanted to know, so the Purifying Flame soared, and the black armor resonated with its collapse.

It was a battle beyond ordinary imagination. The pitch-black night boiled and brightened because of it, the air scorched unbearably, and endless demons flocked meaninglessly like moths to a flame, dying subsequently. The ashes of their corpses fell like snowflakes, embellishing this death duel.

Lorenzo remained silent. In his mind, the warning from the Silver Binding Bolt persisted. Unlike Ed, he wouldn’t easily break through the critical value. It not only brought about an increase in power but also loosened the cage, for he had already seen in the Gap that the monster always longed to break free.

”Speak!”

Ed roared, and the burning blade fiercely slashed down. In his eyes was an explosive blazing white. The sturdy black armor was finally shaken under this sword swing, like shattered ice, black fragments flying. Yet beneath it was not a bleeding wound, but boiling, burning flames.

Lorenzo made no attempt to avoid the attack. In the state of reaching the critical value, there was no need to evade any attacks. The rampant Secret Blood at this moment was his best backing. The pitch-black blade also slashed down, breaking through the flames, but was ultimately resisted by the metallic substance.

Under Lorenzo’s sword momentum, the rampant flames were curbed for the first time. Emerging from the dazzling light, Lorenzo once again saw Ed’s grimacing face.

It was a suffocating scene. In fact, the Demon Hunter before him could scarcely be considered human. Scalding metal poured from his features, casting as if from pig iron, melting and solidifying along his body, and finally fusing with the grotesquely growing flesh and blood.