Gun of Ashes

But the deadly blade failed to fall, and out of the sea of fire shot several identical Nail Swords, positioned in front of him, fending off Lorenzo’s sword strike.

That wasn’t all.

More Nail Swords pierced through the sea of fire, stabbing into Lorenzo’s joints, into his back, some nearly piercing his heart.

Like a knight on his last stand, he was pierced by several swords.

The Demon Hunter Medanzo succeeded, holding Lorenzo back, giving the other Demon Hunters a chance to catch their breath.

To enhance his agility, Lorenzo hadn’t covered himself fully with armor but instead grew armor at vital spots. The Demon Hunters were aware of this; in previous battles they had discovered Lorenzo’s mastery over authority. As long as he had time to anticipate, he could preemptively arrange armor at injury points.

But this attack was launched from different angles at different moments, and coupled with Lorenzo being engrossed in the melee with Medanzo, it granted them an opportunity.

Lorenzo’s expression froze; even the raging flames paused. But then he started to laugh, perhaps because a Nail Sword had pierced his windpipe, his laughter sounded bizarre, an indescribable sound.

Lorenzo was dead, or so the Demon Hunters thought as they tightened their grip on the Nail Swords, ready to slash and turn this damn detective into fragments.

The Demon Hunters seized Lorenzo, but Lorenzo also seized them.

”This is the true Demon Hunter...”

Fierce white flames accompanied Lorenzo’s whisper, seeping out from the gaps in his armor.

Serpentine entities entwined themselves around Lorenzo’s surface, merging together with the Nail Swords inserted into his body, as the Demon Hunters tried to pull them out only to find them firmly lodged in the armor, and they were unable to grip the sword hilts anymore.

In fact, Lorenzo himself noticed this. After his revival, his body became infused with the flesh of the Holy Grail, or perhaps... the flesh of the Silencer, a strange and powerful force that had long lurked within him, oblivious until now.

But now Lorenzo had become aware of it all. He was a Demon Hunter, but stronger than a Demon Hunter, just as Lawrence had once imparted a sense of despair upon him. Unknowingly, Lorenzo had reached Lawrence’s level, a morbid and terrifying power.

Lorenzo moved, and the Nail Swords embedded in his body moved with him. This strength beyond ordinary Demon Hunters made it impossible for them to hold onto the sword hilts or restrain Lorenzo’s actions; simultaneously, they all sensed a peculiar feeling.

It felt as if something was squeezing their hearts, as though a cold, large hand was stretching along their throats and breaking through.

Every Demon Hunter’s movements paused, unable to help themselves from retching.

Corrosion, a bizarre corrosion momentarily engulfed their wills.

Critical Breakthrough.

Just as Lawrence had done to himself back then, Lawrence too had grafted the flesh of the Silencer, directly strengthening his body layer, just as it was now strengthening Lorenzo.

Lorenzo broke free of the constraints, red daylight rolling in his pupils as the re-lifted Nail Sword came crashing down again, striking the dent made earlier.

Medanzo the Demon Hunter had no time to defend; for a moment, he tried to attempt a Critical Breakthrough, stepping into that bizarre demonization, but he couldn’t do it. Whether it was fear or the interference of corrosion, his mind went blank for a moment, and it was this hesitation that determined his time of death.

The Nail Sword slashed down, completely shattering the face armor yet to disintegrate, countless fragments slicing under the skull, leaving a shallow scar across where the blade passed.

Authority·Medanzo.

Pain brought him back to consciousness, the serpents greedily gnawed at his head, continuously reconstructing and reinforcing the face armor, while the fallen blade did not rise again.

No... this wasn’t the end.

Using the residual force of the slash, Lorenzo leaped up with his heavy armor, spinning around to swing the weapon in his other hand at Medanzo the Demon Hunter’s head.

With a low explosion, under the impact’s synergy, the Armor-Piercing Hammer shattered his face armor along with the skull, and this was not an end either, like a monster’s advance. It brutally tore apart its prey, manipulating the pitiful corpse into a ridiculous form like a puppet.

Skull, upper jaw, lower jaw, sternoclavicular joint...

The descent of the Nail Hammer, the dense sound burst together, in the burning hell, they clearly echoed into every Demon Hunter’s ears, their bodies began to tremble, their hearts to fear.

Ribs, scapula, spine… all that supports the human body burst under the blows of the Nail Hammer, under keen hearing, the Demon Hunters no longer discerned whether it was the sound of Iron Armor breaking or the wailing of shattered bones.

Until finally, the sharp nailhead pierced the heart, smashing the entire chest into a mass of foul blood, until the headless corpse clad in heavy armor slowly kneeled down.

Stepping forcefully on the shoulder, pulling out the embedded arm, fresh blood flowed and dripped over the rugged armor, some evaporating into a blood-colored mist.

The Demon Hunters halted; they had prepared many tactics, but at this moment, they lacked even the courage to wield their swords.