Gun of Ashes

But this is just a category, there is no distinction between the strength and weakness of individual demons. Some demons are extremely ordinary and can be easily killed, while others are very powerful and difficult to defeat.

They once attempted to distinguish based on the demon’s size and strength, but I believe it should be classified by the intensity of erosion.

Yes, the intensity of erosion. After all, this invisible mental contamination is the most terrifying essence of demons. Sometimes I even think their monstrous bodies are just shells, and the truly terrifying part is that insane will.”

Whether it was sweat or rain, a crystalline liquid slid down Lorenzo’s forehead. He wiped it away. Despite the cold and gloomy weather, he felt unbearably hot.

Lorenzo looked around in panic, and only after realizing he was alone did he feel slightly relieved. But then he noticed his ridiculous behavior just now.

What was he afraid of?

Lorenzo looked down at the notebook. There was no sense of erosion; the book hadn’t been contaminated. Yet, much like the known recognition hazard, the more Lorenzo read, the more uneasy he felt, a discomfort borne out of intuition, a primal instinct warning him.

What on earth is happening?

Unconsciously, Lorenzo summoned the Secret Blood, and the violent power surged through his veins.

Summoning the Secret Blood for a Demon Hunter requires a time process. When the Secret Blood is not awakened, the Demon Hunter is only slightly stronger than an ordinary person. But as the Secret Blood continues to awaken, that forbidden power is bestowed upon the body, surpassing a critical value and advancing towards demonization.

This is a very dangerous process, so each Demon Hunter awakens the Secret Blood according to the enemy’s strength, rather than pushing it to the limit at the start of battle.

”Stranger still, the demons we’ve encountered over the years have all been transformed from humans, yes, that’s right.

So far... at least to my knowledge, we have not encountered pure demons, the Primordial Demon. So, does that mean that Primordial Demons born naturally do not exist?

From this angle, the struggle against demons over the centuries has actually been human mutual massacre. A peculiar power transforms humans into demons, and then these demons convert more humans into demons; thus, we draw our swords against each other.

Rather than being a term for a creature or an unknown entity, it might be more accurate to understand demons as some kind of... plague?

Just like the Black Death that ravaged Ingwig in the past. On a particular day in history, a plague named demons broke out. It spread and swept across the entire world. We hid in the darkness, resisting helplessly, for all information concerning it was forgotten due to erosion. In the end, we even forgot what demons originally looked like, becoming accustomed to this world of monstrous existence.”

Shermans’s handwriting turned into scrawls towards the end, and Lorenzo barely recognized the words. But then, he suddenly realized that the countless scribbles formed a bizarre and intricate picture on the whole page.

Lorenzo didn’t believe Sherman could leisurely draw while writing these notes. Instead, it seemed as if something influenced him during the writing process.

During his career as a Demon Hunter, Lorenzo had encountered such situations— a group of people, eroded and seeing mad visions, who thought they were blessed by God.

”But... is this theory truly correct? If the Primordial Demon doesn’t exist, then what is the Holy Grail, the root source of the concept of demons that we once captured? Moreover, what made them think the Holy Grail was the root of all demons at that time?”

The subsequent words had lost their basic logic. Lorenzo could now vaguely feel Shermans’s madness at the time, as if he struggled to maintain his last bit of sanity. The words he wrote were fragmented, noted as he thought.

”If this really is a plague, then who is the zero patient that triggered all of this? The Primordial Demon? Or the so-called Holy Grail...

No, something’s not right. With the spread capability of demon erosion, even if the current Demon Hunters were expanded tenfold, it would be difficult to curb the tide of demons... something is limiting the number of demons...

Everything should have an initial root source, but I can’t find it. I can’t find the root source, I can’t find the root source of the story...”

Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed, his heart pounding violently. He finished reading the last scribble, slowly closed the notebook, and carefully placed it in his coat.

He let go of the Nail Sword and wiped the cold sweat from his palm before gripping it tightly again.

In such a short time, Lorenzo felt as if he had experienced a terrifying storm; his understanding of the world and demons was torn apart and then pieced back together again.

This world is far from as simple as it appears on the surface.

”So then... will I die from some bizarre accident next? Or will some damn demon appear out of nowhere and bite me to death?”

The Secret Blood surged, and Lorenzo kicked open the car door. The cargo was dragged by the gale and flung backward, and the cold rain poured into the compartment, with the howling wind constantly ringing in his ears.

Lorenzo still remembered Shermans’s death intent at the time, just as he wrote in the last passage of the notebook.