Gun of Ashes

Thick steam slowly rose from the other end of the horizon, and beneath the intense residual heat, engines were awakening one after another.

The battleship, once considered a museum piece, sounded its loud whistle again today. Perhaps its equipment was outdated, but with secret modifications by the Iron Law Bureau, it still possessed the power for one final battle.

The officer left on the battleship looked at all this with a face of bewilderment; he hadn’t given any orders to start the battleship, yet everything seemed to be waking up as if influenced by some mysterious force.

”Are you crazy! What are you doing!”

The officer rushed into the command room, angrily shouting at the soldiers operating the battleship.

According to the original plan, these battleships docked at the port would pretend to be museums until the right moment to strike as a surprise force. But now, without any orders, the soldiers had unilaterally started it.

”Speak up! Stop it now!”

The officer continued to shout, clearly furious, but the soldiers acted as if they couldn’t hear him, ignoring his existence. He rushed forward, trying to push the soldiers away, only to be pushed to the ground himself.

His head struck the cold floor hard. Amidst the pain, a sliver of the officer’s anger faded, replaced by a deep-seated fear of the unknown.

He realized every soldier was staring at him, their expressions blank, their gazes equally indifferent.

It was as if their souls had been drained in an instant, replaced by a thick, writhing darkness.

”You... you’ll start a war, you know...”

The officer said tremblingly, his rank not high enough to understand the conspiracies and darkness stirring within Gaulunaro. He only knew that as a defeated nation, if Gaulunaro openly disclosed and activated these weapons into the White Tide Strait, the global tensions would escalate further.

”The war has already begun, sir.”

The soldiers replied in unison, carrying an eerie aura about them. The officer couldn’t accurately describe it but felt a primal fear as if facing a beast in the jungle.

This was far beyond Corey’s expectations. With the Choir’s operations, the power of Secret Blood had infiltrated every inch of Gaulunaro. Just as Lawrence had said, he wanted to grasp all power in his hands, with all force obeying a single will.

Lawrence didn’t look at the officer; instead, he turned his gaze towards the darkness outside the port. He reached out and placed his hand on the lever, slowly using force to push it to the limit.

”Then Lorenzo, prove yourself to me.”

Under the blazing night sky, the sea boiled and surged. Before people could recover from the successive explosions, they saw giants advancing on the ocean surface one by one. Due to the urgency of the deployment, the battleships weren’t carrying much ammunition, but they didn’t need it.

These colossal bodies were like city walls, slowly sealing off the sea, trapping Lorenzo within the port.

”What do we do!”

Heracles screamed, seeing the encircling ships from Silverfish’s position. He doubted such a small vessel could break through Lawrence’s encirclement.

”More than that, what about Lorenzo and the others?”

Bola asked. The encirclement hadn’t fully formed yet; they still had time to escape.

”I... I don’t know, Lorenzo just told me to listen to his voice, and I heard him, he told us to escape quickly.”

Just after Heracles spoke, Polo added.

”They’re coming!”

”Polo spoke again!” Heracles screamed once more.

Pointing at Polo, he clutched Bola tightly, asking urgently.

”Did you hear that? This rat is talking!”

”What’s wrong with you? How could a rat talk!” Bola pushed Heracles away forcefully, puzzled why anyone associated with Lorenzo seemed to have mental issues.

”Yeah, Heracles, how could a rat possibly talk, you’re so dumb!” Polo agreed with Bola’s words.

”So... is it my problem after all?”

For some unknown reason, perhaps because of the sea or something else, Heracles, who had been thinking swiftly, now seemed slow-witted like a fool, but soon he said again.

”It doesn’t matter! Polo says they’re coming!”

Heracles said as he looked towards the port; amidst the flames, he saw it.

...

”Help! I’m losing strength!”

Red Falcon yelled while running and panting heavily, burdened by injuries and blood loss, coupled with exhaustion. Every step felt like moving closer to Hell.

”Hang in there!”

Hebdo grabbed the nearly stumbling Red Falcon. He and Erin hadn’t encountered much battle, and Hebdo himself wasn’t terribly injured, so he was in relatively good shape.

Feeling this sudden assistance, Red Falcon nearly wept with gratitude.

”Oh, oh, oh! Run on!”

Red Falcon bit his teeth, persevering through meaningless chatter, which might actually be his last silly words.

Gradually, Hebdo sensed Red Falcon’s body growing heavier, almost becoming a burden he was dragging along. Shifting his gaze, he realized Red Falcon had fallen into a daze, his gaze wandering.

”Hey! Wake up! Red Falcon!”

Hebdo called out anxiously, but Red Falcon’s response was weary, saying slowly.