Gun of Ashes

Yes, Bola has fallen, and no one can hold back the Demons for her; she is going to die too.

It seemed as though he recalled something, Bola heard another voice.

[You want to save her, don’t you?]

[Accept me.]

[Become one with me...]

An eerie voice whispered by his ear, as if someone was softly speaking to him, and the Demon’s face began to contort, then unified, as though an ancient presence was speaking with him... No, it was this damned Armor.

Bola’s level of erosion was nearing its critical point, and the Armor of Original Sin was retaliating against him, controlling him.

He should refuse, even if it meant dying rather than joining the Demons, but he suddenly thought of Blue Jade. What would her fate be? Torn to pieces, or becoming one of the Demons?

For a moment, Bola was tempted by this deal. In the darkness, he reached out his hand, and just as he was about to grasp the Devil’s hand to seal the contract, furious flames saved him.

The Demons howled in pain, the boiling flames scorched everything in an instant, the rapid depletion of oxygen brought Bola a bit of clarity, and then a scarred hand rapidly enlarged in his sight.

”That’s why I said, men are unreliable!”

Within the blazing inferno, Blue Jade discarded the depleted Spear of Melting, her slender strands of hair twisted and burned away in the high heat, and the searing glow illuminated her resolute face. She descended like a Valkyrie, saving Bola, turning thousands of Demons to ashes.

”Get out!”

She cursed angrily. The deal was about to be sealed, yet Bola still subconsciously listened to Blue Jade. The emergency switch of the Armor of Original Sin was activated, releasing endless steam from the seams of the Armor, subsequently ejecting the mechanisms binding Bola one by one.

Amidst the lethal temperatures, Blue Jade endured the pain brought by the steam and dragged Bola out of the shattered Armor. She stepped on the burning molten iron as if she felt no pain and threw Bola onto a piece of Plate Armor, then dragged him towards the open car door in a mad dash.

This was an escape of iron and fire, with no time to consider the pain, driven purely by will. Countless Demons bypassed the already dead Armor, pursuing the two of them.

Bola only felt the whole world shaking, then turning into dark steel. Her breath and the fierce beating of the heart mixed together, followed by a metallic clang that isolated all the chaos.

The Demons pounded on the compartment, the heavy metal shaking slightly, and Bola tried to lift himself somewhat, looking towards the dim other side where Blue Jade leaned against the car door, seemingly too drained to move from her spot.

No one could understand why she would return in the end to save Bola, nor could anyone empathize with the fear and pain she had to bear. The arm that pulled Bola out of the Armor was already scalded, with clothes and skin sticking together, and various blisters looking extremely sinister.

After a long while, she seemed to finally muster some strength, and Blue Jade tried to speak optimistically.

”See, we lived a few more minutes.”

She attempted to laugh joyfully, but only a hoarse sound came from her throat, like a broken blower.

”You shouldn’t have done that. If you didn’t save me, you had a chance to escape.”

Bola lay weakly on the ground. If Blue Jade hadn’t saved him, she would have had a chance to get the Radiant moving. But now both had lost the ability to move; even standing up was an issue.

”Keeping rational is a difficult task, let’s just say I was very kind-hearted.”

Blue Jade said casually. In the dim space, Bola couldn’t see her face; it was a mass of impenetrable shadow.

”Ah... I’ve always wondered what to do in the last moments of life.”

Bola looked at the pitch-black car ceiling, hearing only the Demons’ vague noises. He finally found an answer but felt a slight urge to laugh.

”I think... zoning out is better, after all, in the final moments, no need to tire myself, zoning out is fine too.”

His pupils slightly enlarged; he truly seemed to be zoning out.

But after some time, Bola forced himself to turn over, then pulled out a crumpled letter from his chest, and forcefully slid it towards Blue Jade.

”What is this?”

Her voice also sounded weak.

”My will. I ask you one thing, if you survive, please deliver it to Arthur, he knows where my home is.”

When in the Armor, Bola regretted not handing over his will, in the end, this wish was somehow fulfilled.

”Do you think you’re going to die?”

”Aren’t I going to die?”

After a long silence, Blue Jade’s voice rang out again.

”You owe one more favor.”

Bola chuckled, ”Not sparing even the Dead’s favors?”

This wasn’t a funny joke, the atmosphere fell into silence again. The Demons clawed at the compartment, although reinforced, it obviously couldn’t hold for long, not to mention the bizarre erosion. The two of them would sooner or later die, or become one of the Demons.

”Perhaps in the end, it will be you who survives, Bola.”

Blue Jade suddenly spoke up, she said.

”If I had known, I would have also written a will. This profession truly is high-risk.”

She laughed too, if she had known this, she might as well have gone to prison, with Blue Jade’s ruthlessness, she might even have become a boss inside.

”Bola, actually I was lying at the beginning.”