Gun of Ashes

The pitch-black armor enveloped Lorenzo, with blazing white flames slowly rising from the gaps in the armor.

After the brutal massacre, Lorenzo regained the upper hand amidst the blood.

The remaining three invaders looked at the demon hunter before them with extreme fear. They had never encountered anything like this; they were completely unaware of this shadowy side of the world. To them, this was a creature that only exists in myths.

”I... I...”

One of them spoke in panic.

They had seen fully armed soldiers and witnessed creations of steel, but had never seen anything as terrifying as Lorenzo.

Yet at this moment, another roar echoed.

”The time for loyalty has come!”

With a roar, a shadow burst through the door, randomly pointing a shotgun in hand, his expression angry and impassioned, determined to die heroically.

”Yawei?”

Lorenzo looked at the person who rushed in, his eyes bloodshot, tightly gripping the shotgun. Perhaps due to being overly excited, his hands were slightly trembling, seemingly about to fire inadvertently. Sweating profusely, it wasn’t clear what he had gone through.

”Must have been a tormenting nightmare.”

Lorenzo tried asking.

Nightmare Illusion had descended upon the estate, Lorenzo guessed Yawei had just woken from the dream.

The old butler was still somewhat stunned. He glanced at the bloodied hall and the harmless-looking three invaders, all his rage and fear cooled off. He swallowed, calmed his emotions, and slowly spoke.

”Yes, it truly was a nightmare.”

Yawei sat powerlessly by the stairs. At such an old age, thankfully he didn’t have heart disease.

Seeing Selyu standing on the other side, Yawei became anxious again, pulled the girl over, trying to not let her witness the gruesome scene... Although Selyu had already seen it all before.

”So... who are you?”

After this brief interlude, Lorenzo looked at the three invaders again. Judging by their preparations, their target was clear, and the organization was tight, using Nightmare Illusion to incapacitate personnel, and then they finished the job.

All of this was quite adept, but unfortunately for them, they met Lorenzo.

”Don’t make me ask again, okay?”

Lorenzo threatened.

But still, no one answered him. They were enduring immense fear, and amidst that fear, they resisted Lorenzo’s power with the last bit of will.

Lorenzo wasn’t in a rush. He looked at the invaders, casually running the sword through their thighs.

Making them witness the cruel torture firsthand was the greatest torment for them - the agony and blood, Lorenzo quickly transformed into a proficient interrogator, extracting those secrets.

Just like he told Bola long ago, having audited classes at the Royal Medical College, Lorenzo knew how to avoid lethal damage.

Strike after strike, the blood kept flowing.

The invaders suppressed their screams, but under repression, their painful whimpers became even more terrifying.

Yawei had already covered Selyu’s eyes on the other side. The sound of metal piercing flesh was exceptionally clear, making him think the demon hunter was a complete psychopath. But in reality, none guessed Lorenzo’s true thoughts.

He was observing, observing the surroundings.

This was an attack on the Stuart heir, and from Lorenzo’s experience, these invaders were simply mercenaries for money, knowing nothing. The one who truly knew was the mysterious Dream Builder.

Lorenzo was uncertain of its location, and given the plethora of buildings in the Inner City District, he was unsure if he could succeed in capturing it if he acted rashly.

He was observing amidst the torment, the demon hunter’s senses continuously spreading, trying to capture the source of the corruption.

”Let... let me go!”

Suddenly, as Lorenzo sensed his surroundings, one of the invaders screamed, unable to endure the horrific torture, succumbing amidst agony.

”What are you doing?”

The other two glared at him angrily, branding him a traitor.

But evidently, this person was past the point of thinking about such matters, face wet with tears and filthy blood, voice whimpering, expression twisted.

Reason was completely crushed under Lorenzo’s abuse... After all, he was just an ordinary person.

”I am...”

The person trembled as he spoke, but midway, his voice suddenly stopped.

The invaders looked at Lorenzo... to be precise, the three invaders simultaneously stared at Lorenzo. Though they were different people, at this moment their expressions were identical, as if different bodies housed the same soul.

It was as if some unknown entity had overtaken their will, observing Lorenzo through their shells.

Three pairs of eyes fixed on Lorenzo, the emotions of fear and anger vanishing instantly, leaving only a mechanical coldness.

Lorenzo stepped back, uncertain of what was happening but instinctively sensed danger.

”Hello.”

They spoke simultaneously, voices overlapping as one.

This eerie scene reminded Lorenzo of something, but before he could ponder, the three forced themselves into action.

Seeming impervious to the pain and fear the wounds should have induced, the three men forced themselves upright, initiating an attack on Lorenzo, bones bizarrely twisting and deforming to make them stand and swing their arms.

This level of attack had no effect on Lorenzo, though he remained vigilant. Yet after a brief flurry, their actions slowed again, with one collapsing onto Lorenzo, his hands strangling Lorenzo’s head fiercely, uncaring of the sharp armor’s cuts.

”Hello.”

His voice carried an extreme madness, absurd sounds echoing in Lorenzo’s mind, followed swiftly by pain.

Lorenzo instinctively swung the Knight’s Sword, piercing the crazed body, blood and organs gushing forth, and with this strike, the remaining two lost mobility.

”What... thing?”

Lorenzo lowered the blade and rubbed his forehead.

Again, pain from the mind.

Seeing the two unconscious individuals, his expression turned complex.

Lorenzo had realized something. He was sensing the vicinity, with the corruption retreating, no intense fluctuations. It seemed as if the Dream Builder never existed.

Or perhaps, it never did.

”Direct attack from the mind...”

Lorenzo analyzed the status quo, more complicated and challenging than anything he’d faced.

He gazed at the girl beside him, seeing Selyu gradually recovering, sitting on the stairs with Yawei, breathing steadily, her pale face slowly regaining color.

A new conclusion gradually emerged in his conjecture, accompanied by a chilling truth.

No Dream Builder.

This was not Nightmare Illusion. If Lorenzo’s guess was correct, it was an attack from the Gap, someone bypassing reality and directly targeting Lorenzo and others in that mysterious spiritual realm.

That enigmatic Gap.

Just like Medanzo had shown him, that dim starry sky transferring from one Gap to another.

The armor fell away, Lorenzo gazing at his reflection in the pool of blood, perhaps he should find Medanzo for a good chat.

”There’s no curse, Selyu.”

Lorenzo suddenly said.

”What are you saying?”

Yawei interjected, somewhat confused.

”Yes, these ominous things are like that.”

Lorenzo tied up the two unconscious individuals.

”If you don’t believe, it doesn’t exist, but once you waver, the Devils seize the opportunity.”

He looked at Selyu, his gaze cold.

”That’s the nature of demons; once they open a gap in your dam of will, they flood it with endless fear.”

Selyu gradually caught her breath, clutching her painfully pounding chest, still confused.

”Then why did the demons target me...”

Before she finished, realization dawned - that eerie connection, Lorenzo linking her to the darkness.

Perhaps some self-blame or similar reason made Lorenzo appear somewhat dejected, as he continued.

”You were his target from the start.”

From the start, Lorenzo should have guessed.

”Who?”

Selyu asked, wanting to know who wanted her dead.

Lorenzo answered with caution and unease.

”Lawrence... Dean Lawrence.”