Gun of Ashes

It truly makes one increasingly curious.

The ground still held traces of blood from Joey’s passage, and after a few minutes of travel, Lorenzo found the so-called elevator shaft.

The Nail Sword pried open the closed elevator doors, revealing not an idle elevator but an empty shaft. Peering into the darkness below, Lorenzo could barely make out the remains of metal.

To ensure demons couldn’t invade from this direction, Joey and the others had severed the cables upon exiting, with the wreckage blocking the exit below.

Lorenzo jumped in directly, encased in his sturdy armor, and forcefully plunged the Nail Sword into the wall, descending with dazzling sparks.

All the way down until he reached the bottom.

Kicking away the damaged wreckage, Lorenzo dragged himself out with difficulty, and it was only then that he perceived how dire the situation below was.

Demon corruption echoed within this space, with Neutralizing Liquid incessantly falling overhead, flooding the entire passageway with water.

Soon after, a splashing sound arose.

Lorenzo swiftly turned, swinging his sword. A demon burst apart before him, the sharp Nail Sword easily slicing through its flesh, and the scorching Purifying Flame surged from the wound like a fleeting firework, dissipating into nothingness.

The half-burned corpse crashed onto the watery ground; the demon didn’t seem strong at all. Judging by its demonic size, it even appeared somewhat malnourished.

Metal pins were embedded in its joints, severely hindering its movements, making its actions cumbersome and slow.

Such a demon caused the containment area to lose control? What a joke?

Yet suddenly, more splashing sounds erupted, as countless demons rushed from the other end of the passage, their bodies shimmering with a metallic sheen. Like the demon Lorenzo had just killed, they too had metal pins in their bodies, making their running clumsy, with some even tripping over.

The Winchester slowly rose, its sight aimed at the demons at the end. But just as Lorenzo was about to pull the trigger, a heavier sound echoed. Like a massive creature, those demons wailed... they seemed not to be attacking but fleeing.

Then Lorenzo saw it, a grotesque arm grabbed a demon around the corner. The demon screamed; the creature, once humanity’s nightmare, now met its own nightmare. Though it had no intelligence to speak of, primal fear devoured it.

It was dragged around the corner, followed by horrifying cracking sounds reverberating as if steely jaws chewed and savored the taste of fresh blood.

Bones were crushed, muscles torn apart.

Even hearing the teeth-gritting sound, Lorenzo could imagine what was happening beyond the corner; under a bizarre pressure, he pulled the trigger. Scattered bullets ignited bright white flames, reflecting off the puddled ground, pushing forward, illuminating the dark end.

The demons along the path were completely penetrated, as if struck by flowing magma, their flesh burnt away, leaving only resilient bones behind. And beyond that was the gradually revealing grandeur; as it emerged, the ground’s pooling water began to boil, a faint mist rising.

It was a demon Lorenzo had never seen before.

It seemed to carry the heat of a blazing sun, the boiling temperature evaporating the pooled water into mist.

Lorenzo suddenly understood why the Neutralizing Liquid couldn’t stop overflowing—this wasn’t just suppressing demonic corruption; it was also reducing the temperature.

It seemed to notice Lorenzo, its eyes glowing with white light fixed steadfastly on him, emitting a distant low hum, with a slight tremor, almost like laughter.

”Hello there.”

An almost maddening voice echoed.

Lorenzo, for some reason, found his breathing uncontrollably heavy, as if oppressed by something, like the air here turned into lead blocks; he was a drowning victim, this was his final struggle.

The combat began almost at the instant their gazes met, the figure shrouded in mist stepping onto the metal ground, bringing high temperatures with it.

Lorenzo didn’t attack recklessly. The Demon Hunter frowned, reason still fighting back against corruption, stepping backward cautiously, yet his shotgun continuously fired, linking the two in a bright, flowing light.

The burning bullets hit the demon underneath the mist, the impact’s energy dissipating some of the mist, unveiling its form just enough for Lorenzo to barely make out its appearance.

It seemed to have swallowed a burning sun, its flesh beneath exuding a faint red light, the cruel mouth filled with flowing fire.

Lorenzo remained unpanicked, steadily retreating, continuously firing to learn more of the demon’s traits.

”Holy Silver is effective... strong regeneration, high surface temperature.”

His cold gaze focused on the effects of each shot; Holy Silver bullets deeply embedded in the flesh clearly pained the demon, causing it to emit distorted roars, prompted by it hastening its steps, attempting to quickly kill Lorenzo.

”That hurts!”

The voice shrieked sharp as a child’s scream, quickly overlapping, like those damned nurseries echoing with wailing kids.

Lorenzo now almost wished he were accompanying a group of unruly kids rather than this monster with childish screams.

”What the hell is this thing!”

Lorenzo cursed as he dodged into the swirling corner, causing the demon to crash headfirst into the wall. The sturdy metallic wall dented clearly. The force was frightening enough to make Lorenzo’s heart skip.

He began to understand why Joey said it was somewhat different; at such close quarters, Lorenzo could better observe it, identifying a bizarre human face approximately on its neck, squeezed together amidst layers of flesh, possibly what this demon originally looked like.

Lifting the Nail Sword directly, his body armor covering him entirely, cast him as an indestructible knight.

From bottom to top, the demon’s colossal size compared to the narrow passage meant it couldn’t dodge swiftly. The Nail Sword effortlessly sliced through its flesh, the tissue touched by Holy Silver reacting as if covered by potent acid, sparking scorching pain.

Lorenzo’s strength was undeniable; enhanced by Secret Blood, he was practically a humanoid demon, extremely dangerous. The slash not only cut flesh but severed bone and tendon, the excessive force causing the sword to cut into the iron wall, leaving a ferocious scar.

The strike almost severed the entire leg, the demon’s massive body swayed slightly before collapsing towards Lorenzo, blood dripping, producing chaotic bubbly explosions.

The Nail Sword in his hand was hotter than ever before, a heat Lorenzo nearly couldn’t grip, as ahead, the demon emitted light.

That was blood glowing with light, dripping onto the puddled ground, bringing forth a boiling wave.

Twisted eyes focused on Lorenzo, an odd confusion apparent in their bright light, as if not understanding why Lorenzo attacked it.

A massive hand braced on the wall, blood trailing down, the heat scorching the metal red, steam swirling upwards.

”I’m so hungry...”

It said, reaching out its hand.

Another frigid sword light flashed, cleaving the large hand in two from the middle. Bone and flesh drooped powerlessly, revealing the Demon Hunter behind it, while the demon appeared delayed, dumbfoundedly staring at the severed hand before screaming like a child.

Amid overwhelming pressure of corruption, ear-slicing shrieks, and soaring temperatures, the place seemed like a scarlet hell, leaving only Lorenzo and the demon.

This time, Lorenzo didn’t step back to test further, instead striding forward, his armor protecting him, becoming the strongest shield.

”It’s really similar...”

He muttered to himself.

At this moment, the Demon Hunter had a strange idea, if not profane. The demon’s scorching heat was remarkably similar to the ultimate temperature of Michael, the Demon Hunter.

From that dreadful wound flowed high-temperature blood, dropping to the ground, melting hole after hole.