Gun of Ashes

This was a reunion that was neither bad nor good; the two people who were once familiar with each other had become unrecognizable, shedding their mortal forms and turning into those detestable shapes.

Sainy Lotar was like a corpse emerging from the flames, with a nightmare-like form. He smiled at Watson, his voice emerging from that damaged throat, like a dusty gramophone, carrying a raspy friction.

”Your Excellency...”

Watson addressed stiffly, feeling an unprecedented fear, unable to comprehend what she was truly facing.

A monster?

The Sainy Lotar before her could not be considered human; life and death simultaneously appeared on his body, flesh withered and shriveled, yet deeper within strong muscles slowly writhed, the two locked in battle, with no victory declared yet.

And humans?

Watson hesitated, if he hadn’t lied, since that Night of the Holy Arrival, Sainy Lotar had been sustaining himself with a nearly monstrous willpower, maintaining a human will against the erosion of Demons, until today.

What a feat, Watson could hardly believe it.

”Welcome home, 016.”

Sainy Lotar opened his arms as if to embrace Watson, but he didn’t hug her, just stood there.

”How much do you know?”

Watson was on full alert against Sainy Lotar; she didn’t know what Sainy Lotar had been through, but his current strange posture was enough to terrify anyone.

Not to mention that terrifying will, within this shriveled body lurked monstrous strength beyond her own resistance, what was even weirder was that her invasion of the Gap had no effect on him. Combined with Sainy Lotar’s previous reactions, Watson had an uneasy prediction.

What exactly are Demons?

What is the Truth of this world?

Everyone’s goals are different, but interestingly, they all somewhat overlap with this ultimate question.

Lorenzo de’ Medici wishes to usher in that golden age, to eradicate all sins, he also thirsts to know the entire Truth, along with Shermans’ research, Lawrence’s envisioned future, and the mysterious Sainy Lotar before us.

Unknowingly, everyone had walked the same path, converged together, questioning towards that final mystery.

Even Watson and Lorenzo... everyone is like this.

However, everyone’s information is incomplete, Watson came hoping to gain more intelligence, but judging by the current situation, she realized Sainy Lotar knew far more than she expected, perhaps he is currently the closest to the Truth.

”How much? This is a secret with a hefty price tag.”

Sainy Lotar was supremely composed, just as he said, he was absolutely powerful, he didn’t care what kind of strangeness and schemes Watson had, all of it was no threat in his eyes.

”We can cooperate.”

Watson said, although he was bizarre, he was also the only ally Watson could currently unite with who held value.

”Cooperate? That’s indeed tempting...”

From that twisted face, Watson couldn’t discern any emotion, unknown thoughts rose in Sainy Lotar’s mind, combined with the intelligence he gathered before, he seemed to understand the story behind the curtain.

”So, the Night of the Holy Arrival was merely your conspiracy?”

His voice was icy cold, Sainy Lotar could guess that Watson was a major reason, as he had also participated in that Ascension ritual, if anyone survived that tragedy, he could only think of the Ascended 016.

”Not quite, just a decision made in response to circumstances.”

Watson replied, if not for the greed of the Cardinals, Lorenzo de’ Medici would not have gone this far, their goals conflicted with his ideals, all he could do was destroy them.

Ruthlessly, effortlessly destroyed so many people, he never regretted it until his death, even felt joyous to dedicate himself to his ideals.

”Do you seek revenge, Your Excellency?”

Watson gripped the mottled blade tighter; she no longer had the confidence to defeat Sainy Lotar; this guy was overwhelmingly strong, not to mention that Gap invasion was useless against him.

Sainy Lotar said nothing, scarlet eyes rotated in sunken sockets, as if pondering something, after who knows how long, he sighed with some helplessness.

”I do want revenge, 016, I want vengeance for my dead comrades, to demand an explanation for their deaths, but now most of those involved are nearly all dead, or they have become like me, in this neither human nor ghostly form.”

The desiccated muscles twitched forcefully, revealing a chilling smile.

”There’s no need anymore, just feeling a bit dazed, who would have thought I would come to know the truth of the Night of the Holy Arrival so effortlessly? Though not entirely, your appearance has confirmed too many of my conjectures, I imagined this moment, that I might be very excited, very angry...

Yet when it really came, there was such calmness, no different from usual.”

Just as Sainy Lotar said, this time it was too calm, eerily so; within this Static Holy Temple, it seemed only the two of them existed, surrounded by silence and an undispellable chill.