Gun of Ashes

The high-speed Iron Serpent shot forward like a swift crossbow arrow; at the moment it crossed paths with the Demon, the firearm in Lancelot’s hand exploded instantaneously. The searing heat scattered like a fiery hammer hitting the Demon directly; amidst the god-shaking explosion, the iron chains binding Lancelot snapped one by one, and the rugged Knight leapt forward in large strides.

He moved with the speed of thunder, sharp steel slicing through the air with a piercing wail. Shortly after, his heavy body struck the ground, slowing his figure with great steadiness, leaving deep grooves in the earth.

As the dust settled, a menacing visage slowly emerged beneath it.

This was the first time Lorenzo saw the Armor of Original Sin so clearly. During the Ende Town operation, the night had shrouded everything, and he could only barely catch glimpses of that blurred figure. This time, however, Lancelot stood firm upon the earth, every inch illuminated by the fractured sunlight.

The armor was forged and refined, the plate armor intricately interlocked. Through its seams, one could see the slowly writhing flesh beneath, protected by steam conduits and machinery. Indicator lights emitted a harmonious green glow, signaling that the Armor of Original Sin was under control.

This was the perfect amalgamation of steam machinery and Demon biology, a weapon of slaughter that no ordinary person could hope to design. Even confronting such armor would be a daunting test.

After a moment of shock, Lorenzo was somewhat surprised. Lancelot’s appearance exceeded his expectations. He had imagined the Armor of Original Sin would be colossal, yet Lancelot’s armor appeared quite slender. Stripped of unnecessary plating beyond essential plate armor protection, it bore no excess.

This armor seemed to pursue the ultimate in mobility, its overall appearance extremely nimble. The grappling hook device extended to his arm, and aside from the equipped blade and firearm on the armor, there was nothing extraneous. Watching the azure blue paintwork on that armor, he was sure it moved like thunder.

Before Lorenzo could think further, the Demon leapt out from the smoke of the explosion and flames again. This time, even Lancelot was taken aback. With that engulfing heat, a hit should have, at best, left the Demon temporarily immobilized if not dead. Yet, the Demon seemed unaffected as it continued its escape.

Lorenzo followed closely behind, and the azure Knight began sprinting as well. The grappling hook on his arm shot forth and lodged into the distant rails. The miniature motor started to retract, and he drew a blade as sharp as light, dragging it across the ground, rapidly closing in with sparks flying.

His movements were fluid and effortless, devoid of the cumbersome feel of steel. For an instant, it felt as though he wasn’t an Armored Knight in action but a living being, performing a deadly dance and swinging the slender blade in his hand.

The two figures rapidly closed in, but just as Lancelot was about to reach the Demon, its figure suddenly dropped, causing his blade to miss and carve a great indentation in the ground. The force of the strike made the underground steam pipes tremble, and scalding steam began to spew out from them, scorching the armor.

Lorenzo arrived seconds later. Running on two legs was indeed slower than the grappling hooks, and he coldly observed where the Demon vanished—a steam well woven between the factories. Because massive steam emissions were necessary, an area was specifically demarcated to construct steam wells.

”Don’t tell me it went in there.”

Turbulent steam was released from the well, and a normal person would be thoroughly cooked within seconds of entering. Even the Demon would suffer severe injury here, but if its tenacious life force allowed it to survive, then given the complexity of the pipeline systems, Lorenzo held no hope of retrieving it.

Lancelot maintained his silence, but in it, he didn’t cease his actions. He took the firearm off the weapon rack on his back, its burning muzzle aimed straight into the steam well. With the horrifying Dragon Breath Power in this confined space, one shot would melt even an Armored Knight’s armor to death, not to mention the Demon.

But this strike would also bring significant consequences. This is the factory’s emission well, and no one knew what kind of chain reaction such a powerful shot would cause.

Yet the Demon Hunter didn’t give up. While holding the Winchester and still pondering, that previously tight connection abruptly vanished. In his perception, the Demon’s presence he continually pursued fell silent.

”Wait! Don’t fire!”

Lorenzo pressed down on the cold muzzle. Truth be told, the weapon felt like an iron pillar in his hand.

Clearly, Lancelot wasn’t inclined to listen to Lorenzo’s words and, at most, would take it as a suggestion. Lorenzo could hear a faint question coming, seemingly from beneath the face armor. Before long, he received feedback from Central Monitoring.

”Demon presence confirmed gone, Geiger index decreasing and returning to normal.”

The voice of Blue Jade sounded in the communication channel, bringing a halt to this sudden battle. From the gradually fading scarlet appearance, it seemed the Demon was indeed killed by the high-temperature steam. The ensuing Cleaner Squad was on their way to temporarily seal off the area, recovering the steam-cooked twisted flesh from a deep pipeline underground.

”Looks like that unlucky bastard got steamed to death.”

Lorenzo chuckled coldly. Although the Demon had finally died, he felt somewhat unsatisfied. Chasing for so long only for it not to die by his own hand felt akin to a Hunter who hadn’t had his fill.