Gun of Ashes

Similarly, it is not entirely holy; it also possesses the vices of humanity.

The broken blade stirred the flesh, slicing through the ribs and continuing forward until the new Pope forcefully tore it open and snapped the entire spine with force.

Without support, the angel’s upper body was dragged down by the heavy wings, and Lawrence withdrew at this moment, hiding in the shadows like Watson, silently observing how the new Pope would kill the angel.

Wait... Where is Watson?

Only now did Lawrence realize in astonishment that he had lost sight of the woman, that ghost-like figure hiding in the shadows watching all this. At this moment, a chilling and decaying malice erupted, as if some Devil had broken free from its cage.

Everyone saw it; in the air appeared a twisted pathway, as if someone had walked through it, with lingering effects pulling at the space, revealing faint black arcs of light.

Lawrence couldn’t see the woman, but he could tangibly sense her presence; she was moving swiftly, attacking...

In an instant, Lawrence was stunned. He suddenly knew what the woman was about to do next; he couldn’t help but feel terrified and insane, yet among this turmoil, there seemed to be a strange allure, tempting Lawrence to do the same as the woman.

She was invading the angel from the [Gap], actually attempting to invade that fearsome evil anomaly!

But after the madness, Lawrence calmed down. Yes, the will controls the body, so what exactly is hidden beneath that hateful shell?

The new Pope’s deadly blow had completely suppressed the angel, but the angel’s counterattack continued. This eerie existence couldn’t be treated with common sense, countless red threads extended from the flesh, pulling the broken body back together. The new Pope tried to retreat, but he was also ensnared by the red threads, unable to break free.

The wrist twisted bizarrely, thrusting down the spiral nail just as it was about to hit the new Pope. The angel suddenly halted its movements, and then, for the first time, that cold and emotionless face showed an expression called emotion.

It suddenly looked into the void, and then the woman’s appearance became increasingly clear in its eyes; she reached out, as if to stroke its cheek.

”I... refuse.”

The new Pope’s face turned pale; he couldn’t have heard wrong. The angel spoke. This was the first time the angel communicated with a human. Immediately, countless inscriptions lit up on the jade-like skin, burning and glowing beneath the flesh, forming a construct resembling an Alchemy Matrix.

Those were familiar patterns. Looking at the lit-up matrix, the new Pope felt a surge of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before...

The Well of Ascension.

Those were inscriptions engraved inside the Well of Ascension, seamlessly resting here.

The new Pope wasn’t sure what those things were for; for a while, he even thought they were merely decorative engravings, but now all this happening warned him it wasn’t that simple.

Watson stretched out her hand with all her strength, trying to touch the angel’s body. As long as she could ”erode” and interfere with the angel, she could launch an attack on the will beneath that shell, attempting to invade its [Gap].

But just a slight distance away, so close yet so far, as the burning bright matrix began to operate, Watson felt a tremendous repulsion; the angel was rejecting her, actually resisting the [Gap] invasion.

For a moment, the hollow gaze seemed to possess intelligence; some unknown existence observed Watson through the body. That rigid, indifferent face suddenly had a faint smile, such an abnormal anomaly made Watson feel a chill, and then the angel disintegrated.

The flesh disintegrating, just like when it appeared out of nowhere at that time. The ”exchange” within Alchemy was now advancing, reversing the constitution of the flesh, with the edges of the body turning to ash, scattering into dust.

It was unclear whether it didn’t want to be invaded by Watson or had given up on this pursuit. The angel’s body withered and dispersed, returning to dust.

The new Pope wore a solemn expression; this outcome was not unexpected for him. Every time he repelled the angel, it would disperse into ashes, seemingly unwilling to be captured in that shed shell.

Expressions were somewhat complex. Looking at the void ghost, the scattered ashes were distorted by its presence, outlining the shape of a woman. The new Pope felt that silhouette was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall who it was.

He had seen the angel’s earlier behavior. In this bizarre situation, he felt no fear at all; instead, he was ecstatically joyous. The new Pope understood that he was closer to what he sought.

”What’s going on?”

The new Pope asked towards the ghosts, though he wasn’t sure if these ghosts would answer him.

No response. The priest had been cut into fragmented pieces; Lawrence’s figure was long gone from that pile of decaying flesh. He didn’t know when he had left.

Watson, having stood still for a long while, turned her gaze towards the new Pope.

”I think I know you.”

Watson said.

Before she became this form, she was numbered 016, a Demon Hunter of the Raphael faction.

But before the new Pope could say anything, Watson burst into laughter; her presence continuously peeled away until disappearing, leaving only the new Pope inside the Static Holy Temple, along with those howls coming from the corners.

He could survive the angel’s erosion, but others couldn’t. Those priests working within the Static Holy Temple were transformed into Demons, roaming the holy palace, but the new Pope wasn’t in a hurry to deal with them now.

Picking up the broken Nail Sword, the bloodstains on it also dried up with the angel’s withering. He walked forward, stopping beside that pitch-black deep well, staring into the profound darkness, saying nothing.