Gun of Ashes

”You should go back.”

The man said.

The rage was extinguished in an instant, even the new Pope was stunned. Although he could not see, he could sense it, a sensitivity to these evil anomalies like a torch in the night.

Lorenzo slowly turned his head, but before he could see everything clearly, the long-maintained connection was interrupted. The line extending from Old Dunling to the Static Holy Temple was severed, the journey across a thousand miles reverted, the phantom silhouette collapsed in an instant, vanishing into the air, as if Lorenzo had never been there.

The calm only lasted a short while, the new Pope slowly raised his sword, vigilantly watching the emptiness before him, the flames in his eyes burning like embedded daylight.

”Sainy Loter... is that your new name? Not bad.”

The man’s voice echoed directly in his mind, his mastery of the [gap] far surpassing Lorenzo’s.

”Who are you?”

Does this person know him? At least who he used to be.

The new Pope calmly asked, having clearly noticed how different today’s visitors were, unlike those things that wanted to kill him. Instead, they seemed like rabbits that had wandered into a cave, although these rabbits were extremely lethal.

The man did not answer but spoke of something else.

”Those unclean gatekeepers are still around, be careful. After all, as the Pope, you are their primary target.”

He said with a gentle smile. After speaking, the phantom shadow also dissipated into the air in an instant like Lorenzo, the swirling petals returned to stillness, falling into a long slumber.

...

Consciousness almost passed out, in unbearable pain Lorenzo heard a faint voice.

”Lorenzo! Lorenzo!”

It seemed that someone was calling him, the voice sounded extremely faint, everything was so tiring, this feeling reminded him of Cork Street 121A.

A little nest where Lorenzo could temporarily rest, sometimes he would sleep for an entire day, Mrs. Van Rudd would pound on the door while calling for him, it was like a sleepy drowsiness until the voice grew louder and in the twisted flesh and slime, Lorenzo slowly opened his eyes.

”Lorenzo!”

Merlin shouted loudly.

He was lying on a ladder, wielding a hammer in one hand, while calling out he was pounding on the plate armor on the chest of the Black Angel.

No one would have thought that such a skinny man could wield something so heavy, the old man’s expression was extremely sorrowful, as if he had lost a loved one.

Others were also helping, everyone was fervently lifting the mechanical arm, trying to hoist it up, sparks were still shining above.

”Mer... lin.”

A somewhat weak voice sounded, causing the descending hammer to freeze, Merlin looked at the twisted and evil armor before him, then shouted to the person inside the armor.

”Are you awake?”

Merlin asked. Lorenzo hadn’t been unconscious for long, but during that short period, Merlin had already gone through several mental struggles. Although he had a pathological obsession with the Truth, Lorenzo had fallen unconscious before even reaching the gates of Truth, which indeed drove him crazy, but fortunately, he had awakened in the end.

”I...”

A burst of pain surged in his mind, every time it was like this, seemingly a side effect of traversing the [gap], and considering how during traversal of the [gap], one’s body was not under control, just like Lawrence.

But suddenly the noise of metal friction sounded, the scarlet flesh like silk threads snapped one by one, simultaneously the recoiling iron feather slowly unfolded.

In reality, those were not wings, they were iron blades extending along Black Angel’s arm, only appearing like wings when unfolded.

They densely grew on that flesh, extending all the way to the armpit, then turning towards the shoulders, making the iron feathers expand even further.

The sharp edges easily severed the fixed flesh and machinery, Merlin hadn’t even had time to climb down from the ladder when the Black Angel lost all restraints, falling from mid-air.

The relieved heart once again hung in suspense, Merlin waved his hand wildly, finally clutching onto a dangling chain before the free fall, swinging to a nearby mechanical arm.

Although a researcher, according to Merlin himself, his physical skills were actually quite adequate, after all, in the past, Alchemists would vie for the Truth, and instead of catching up with competitors in research, directly cutting him down with a sword was much faster.

Let’s not judge these Alchemists with brain problems, weapons were ready, researchers retreated into the shelter, the perimeter was filled with security teams prepared to die heroically, Lorenzo’s crisis had just ended, and for them, the crisis had just begun.

From their perspective, the Black Angel had just entered a bizarre state, the erosion range was difficult to estimate, and soon after the comatose Lorenzo woke up, so at that moment, was he friend or foe?

The dust cleared, under the pitch-black iron feather, Black Angel kneeling on one knee like an injured warrior, while a slightly pained voice sounded.

”So... so painful... what did you do?”

The pain in the mind and the physical pain all emerged, Lorenzo was not someone who easily cried out in pain, but at that moment, he almost fainted again.

”Awakening procedure, after all, according to our data, after becoming unconscious inside the Armor of Original Sin, you would be devoured by the demon’s flesh. If you woke up, you might become something neither human nor ghost; if you didn’t, you might take control of the Black Angel and cut through the Perpetual Motion Pump.”

Merlin stood on the mechanical arm high above, his back to the spotlight, looking down from above.