Gun of Ashes

These new Demon Hunters are nothing but inferior imitations; they’ve never witnessed that cruel era, nor truly experienced those nightmare battles. They possess power but don’t know how to wield it.

”Courage in the face of death, the strength to sever steel, the skill to slay demons, and the cunning to use any means necessary...”

That is a Demon Hunter; the strength has never been in the Secret Blood, but in the will to harness it.

Lorenzo placed the short-barreled shotgun back into the briefcase and picked up the Nail Sword embedded in Iron Serpent. He turned his back to the torrential rain, his cold gaze reflecting this chaotic world. It was at this moment that pairs of equally fiery eyes lit up behind the rain.

The surprise attack ended here; what followed would be an intense head-on battle. Lorenzo slowly spread his arms, raising the blade high to forge a bizarre cross in front of his chest, like a shield.

He prayed softly.

”Therefore, I shall fear nothing...”

This time, it wasn’t for that elusive God, but for Lorenzo Holmes himself.

The next moment, several Nail Swords pierced through the rain to catch up with the speeding Iron Serpent. The Demon Hunters’ Secret Blood was all burning and boiling, fiery flames surging with their strength, igniting a blazing inferno upon them, like angels descending upon the world with burning fiery wings.

Authority·Michael.

The intense heat reached its limit instantly. With the layers of authority stacked, the smoke-wreathed Iron Serpent burned once again, its metal glowing red, the heavy rain evaporating upon contact, emanating thick steam, but the steam was immediately torn by the burning Evil Ghosts who arrived with divine retribution.

Lorenzo felt no fear, instead gripping the Nail Sword tightly, as dark serpents crawled over him, entwining around his body, climbing up his neck, the snake swarm tangled, biting into his flesh and then solidified, shrouding Lorenzo in pitch-black armor.

Authority·Medanzo.

Compared to Authority·Michael, it possesses no direct offensive capability. Unlike Authority·Shangdafeng, it cannot boast of any devious tricks. It is an uninteresting authority, its singular purpose being to arm the Demon Hunter with armor.

Amidst the descending flames, Lorenzo was completely consumed by the falling celestial fire; amidst the blaze came explosive sounds, as though struck directly by a cannonball, making the Iron Serpent sag slightly, fiercely grinding against the tracks, leaving a flaming trail as it proceeded forward.

The screeching whistle sounded incessantly, scorching steam scattering in all directions. The Demon Hunters continued to burn and attack, the fires growing more ferocious, as if intending to incinerate all the sins before them.

But at that moment, a red-hot Nail Sword penetrated the burning body, like a demon emerging from hell. A black knight emerged from the flames, with the same fire burning on the armor.

This was a battlefield of slaughter against demons and abominations, where the sharpness of the blade never decided the course of battle; instead, it was about how long a warrior could endure in this nightmare.

Authority·Medanzo was born for this: the jet-black armor resisting the flames, the blades, and death. Lorenzo thrust his blade, completely penetrating the Demon Hunter before him.

He could hardly believe it; at this extreme temperature, even steel would melt. To him, iron was no threat, but Lorenzo still sent the weapon into it.

This was the true purpose of the Nail Sword. In the previous battle, Lorenzo realized the troublesome nature of Authority·Michael. Thus, he commissioned Oscar to craft these special Nail Swords, which, at such temperatures, could not yet be melted.

With a powerful pull, Lorenzo slashed wildly at other Demon Hunters. It was as if he were dancing amid the flames. These Michael Demon Hunters assumed their authority could burn everything, yet never imagined Lorenzo could move under such flames.

The sturdy armor had become heat-fused, with Lorenzo’s flesh sticking to it. Amid the burning agony, the Nail Sword slashed sharply, fresh blood evaporating like rain before it dripped.

Silent, killing enemy, until even the Iron Serpent could no longer withstand the searing heat, shattering, the black silhouette breaking through the sea of fire, falling towards the rain curtain below.

On the ground, Lorenzo rolled swiftly a few times, then jabbed the Nail Sword into the ground to steady himself.

Cold rain washed over the heated armor, and as steam surrounded him, Lorenzo’s armor began to crack and fall, hitting the puddles below, still clinging to pieces of flesh. From the damaged parts of the armor, glimpses of skinned flesh were visible, but soon, roaming serpents passed over, forming new armor.

The tracks extended beneath his feet, disappearing into the burning sight. The flames from the Michael Demon Hunters weakened considerably, not only due to Lorenzo’s desperate attack just now but also due to the adverse weather, which ironically worked to Lorenzo’s advantage.

Behind that burning figure, more sounds of swords being drawn could be heard, with Demon Hunters in pursuit.

Lorenzo slowly stood up, glanced at the Nail Sword in his hand, then thrust it into the ground. These Nail Swords were tailored for combat against Michael Demon Hunters; after extreme heat and rain cooling, it was like the tempering process done by craftsmen.

These changes rendered both Nail Swords inadequate for further combat, compelling Lorenzo to open the briefcase, which had been handled carefully, wrapped externally in fireproof cloth and internally with compartments to prevent its contents from being ruined by Michael’s heat.

Fortunately, not much time had been spent entangled with them, so the weapons inside remained mostly intact. Lorenzo retrieved a Nail Sword and a shotgun and armed himself once again.

Beyond the rain curtain, more Demon Hunters approached, encircling Lorenzo completely.

”Where is Moriarty...”

Lorenzo’s gaze swept over the Demon Hunters lingering at the edges. The heavy rain obscured his vision, and to Lorenzo, they were merely one blue silhouette after another with scorching eyes tightly fixed on him above the unknowns.

Truly, the only one capable of posing a threat was Moriarty, though Lorenzo still couldn’t figure out how he fell into his illusions. Lorenzo thought he had been sufficiently cautious.

However, it appeared they didn’t intend to grant Lorenzo any more time to ponder, closing in with their blades, and at the same instant, Lorenzo lifted his shotgun.

Pulling the trigger, fiery flames erupted from the muzzle, the burning trajectory slicing across Lorenzo’s front, temporarily dividing the battlefield.

In a blink, the scorching Dragon Breath Bullets filled the entire view. The next moment, sharp Nail Swords cleaved through flames and rain, allowing Lorenzo to sprint along this burning path, swinging his sword.

Crossing blades, the screech of swords clashing echoed as Lorenzo’s attack was blocked by Demon Hunters. Meanwhile, Michael Demon Hunters advanced towards Lorenzo, as if heralding daylight with every step, causing the ground’s water accumulation to boil and evaporate.

This time, they did not rush to attack, seemingly intent on blocking Lorenzo’s escape route. Heavy footsteps rang out, slicing winds following in swift sword slashes, without giving Lorenzo time to observe.

Amidst the clamorous iron sound, Lorenzo raised his arm, using the arm’s armor to block the strike, while searing heat scorched his body. Along with the passing thunder, an equally sinister metallic shadow appeared before him.

Authority·Medanzo.

The rain washed over the pitch-black armor, flames of pure white flickering from the crevices of the steel. The armored knight slowly lifted his sword, once again slashing towards Lorenzo.