Gun of Ashes

At some point, the familiar bench had reappeared in its original place. Medanzo slowly walked over and sat on it with Watson, admiring the full moon half-submerged beneath the horizon.

It was as if the world had restarted with the great power of a Creator when Lorenzo left, and everything returned to its original state.

”His consciousness still seems very muddled. More accurately, he hasn’t realized those ’abnormal’ things.”

Watson suddenly spoke, breaking the silence first.

”That’s the side effect of Authority. Of course, it’s a miracle he survived, unscathed by your corrosion.”

Medanzo replied calmly, and immediately asked Watson.

”So... are you like me? Really dead?”

”It depends on how you define ’death’. I’m a pitiful sacrifice. Those lunatics sublimated me into a Pseudo Holy Grail. Now it’s a very peculiar feeling... I’m myself, yet not the ’me’ I once was. It sounds convoluted but that’s how it is. Just like you said about Lorenzo, it’s difficult to understand me using ’human’ thoughts.”

Watson replied.

”Like a demon?”

Medanzo retorted, but before Watson could answer, he smiled with a hint of relief.

”A nearly immortal body, terrifying strength and resilient bones, a long lifespan... who wouldn’t want to become such a being?”

He said while tightening his coat, gazing at the endless icy plains as his voice echoed.

”Of course, it would be even better to maintain a sane mind.”

...

”So it indeed happened accidentally?”

Arthur’s voice came through the channel, and Merlin replied.

”Yes.”

”What’s the situation on site? Did he break through the workshop? Command the ground troops to join, don’t let him escape.”

”Rest assured, he has been successfully recovered.”

Arthur’s voice was stunned, seemingly not expecting such a dangerous frenzy to be solved easily. From Merlin’s calm words, it seemed effortless.

”The Armor of Original Sin has no offensive capabilities, and Mr. Holmes is in a coma; moreover, his state is very peculiar.”

”Peculiar?”

”Yes, very peculiar. You should know that the epitome of Alchemy is the excavation of the soul, and the feeling he gave me at that time was as if... the soul wasn’t there.”

Merlin spoke somewhat uncertainly, glancing at Lorenzo as he spoke.

At that moment, he was hurrying down the corridor, with the security team transporting Lorenzo, tying him to a metal bed and holding a gun to his head.

Merlin remained somewhat uneasy, following them from another side, vigilant against any abnormal shifts.

”Soul? Merlin, you should be aware of our code, which is to exclude mystical interference as much as possible.”

Arthur’s voice sounded.

Mystery brings ignorance; the Purification Mechanism requires absolute rationality.

”Sorry, just a habit. Then think of it as consciousness; his consciousness doesn’t appear to be within his body, as if it has infiltrated somewhere else.”

”Consciousness transfer? Is there any such phenomenon in our historical records?”

”No, but there are similar cases in Alchemy.”

Merlin replied.

”You should be aware that human history is far darker than what’s written in textbooks, excluding the demons and the greed of humanity.

Just like those lunatics obsessed with immortality, some even worship demons longing to become one of them.”

Throughout the history of battling demons, there is no shortage of traitors; some glimpsed the terrifying vitality of demons. Even the demon hunters who seize Secret Blood have gained prolonged lifespans—what if humans become demons?

Thus, many sects worshiping demons emerged throughout history. They believed immortality could be obtained from demons, but such sects usually did not last long; before the Demon Hunting Order could act, they often self-destructed due to attracting demons.

However... there are always a few lucky ones, not to mention those alchemists who are covetous.

They tried transferring their consciousness or soul into the body of a demon, only to become horrific monsters.

”Are you saying his consciousness vanished? Then where could he have gone? Devoured by demons? You should already be dead, Merlin; this demon hunter is absurdly strong.”

If Lorenzo had lost control, the Perpetual Motion Pump might have already fallen.

”I’m not sure; we alchemists do not have the luxury to experiment with demon hunters, these are unknowns to us.”

Merlin said.

”But we can’t guarantee there won’t be other possibilities. Come to the Perpetual Motion Pump, Arthur, we need to meet and have a proper discussion.”

After a brief silence, Arthur replied.

”I understand.”

Suddenly, Merlin’s voice became urgent over the channel.

”Wait!”

”What’s happening!”

Arthur instantly tensed up, despite joking they knew the gravity of the situation.

”He... seems to have awakened.”

...

Something felt like it was crawling out of his stomach, clawing at his gastric wall and coming up his throat.

Lorenzo gagged desperately, like a drowning man struggling in agony, but he soon realized his struggle was futile. Opening his eyes, his vision was blurred, seeing only the lights flickering away, and the sound in his ears echoed strangely.

”He... he’s awake, Chief Merlin!”

Merlin? What’s happening? Lorenzo remembered himself inside the Armor of Original Sin... right, that damned experiment; could he possibly have lost control and dismantled the Perpetual Motion Pump?

Lorenzo’s mind began racing, uncertain whether to be grateful for the trust of the Perpetual Motion Pump or some bizarre emotion—they hadn’t killed him at the first opportunity.

”Stay clear-headed!”

Someone said, and then a loud slap landed on Lorenzo’s face, making Merlin’s face come into clear view.

”What... happened?”

Lorenzo barely made sense of everything in his field of vision; it seemed like he was lying on a bed, surrounded by indistinct figures.

The feeling was like waking up in a hospital bed, greeted by everyone’s smiles celebrating the success of your surgery; if everyone’s brows were furrowed, perhaps they’d discovered a new illness, maybe even naming it after you.

”So what are you planning to name it? Holmes Syndrome?”

Looking at the solemn expressions around, Lorenzo couldn’t help but shout.

”Relax a bit; you now look like you’re attending my funeral!”

”Mr. Holmes, we can’t relax under these circumstances.”

A voice responded, and Lorenzo’s vision cleared completely.

At the four corners of the bed were soldiers fully armed, pointing guns at his head; judging by the caliber of the guns, he’d be lucky to leave behind an intact corpse.

Merlin was standing on the other side of the bed, the slight wobble of the hospital bed accompanied by the friction of wheels on the ground—only then did Lorenzo realize he was being transported.

”What are you up to?”

Lorenzo tried to move, but clearly, he was already tightly bound to this metal bed.

”We are selecting a suitable cell for you; if possible, I hope you can relax a bit and not be agitated.”

Merlin said.

”Actually... I’m quite calm right now.”

Lorenzo replied faintly, brushing off those mindless words. The demon hunter’s eyes flickered with inexplicable confusion.

Doubt.

Lorenzo was now filled with doubt about this world.

In fact, many thoughts occurred to Lorenzo during his gradual awakening.

Regarding the [Gap].

Obviously, this strange mental world can’t be constructed by ordinary people; it reaches the utmost connection with darkness, reaching its deepest point, related to demons.

Lorenzo’s body contained the Pseudo Holy Grail; he himself was a cage for this terrifying demon. Following Medanzo’s words, if the Static Holy Temple were also a large [Gap], then might it also be related to some demon?

A shiver ran down his spine.

The Evangelical Church was far more complex than he realized, just like no one knew how many rooms lay within Saint Nalos Cathedral.

What lay hidden in the deeper recesses?