Gun of Ashes

At a certain moment just now, after witnessing so many deaths, Lorenzo suddenly thought about the unknown land beyond the Silent Sea and whether the Apocalypse Society also has its own understanding of it.

In the eyes of the Evangelical Church, Ingwig, and the Viking nations, it is a sacred land. If they are truly interconnected, what would the land beyond the Silent Sea look like to the Apocalypse Society?

Is it holy, or evil?

”Moreover, why do you use the symbol of the ’cross’?”

Lorenzo once again slew a nearby enemy; his chest was cut open, the sword mark running down the pitch-black cross, covering it with blood.

Looking at the blood-stained cross on his chest, amidst various questions, Lorenzo suddenly had a new thought.

The cross is a religious symbol; according to Lorenzo’s understanding, it first appeared in the Evangelical Church’s ”Gospel.” But upon this distant frozen land, the Apocalypse Society also uses these symbols.

Lorenzo initially thought this was a distorted use of the Evangelical Church’s symbols, but upon careful consideration, it might be more than that, just like Ragnar’s mention of the Pioneer.

Perhaps... truly, there are people who are immortal.

Lorenzo was well aware of this, and he knew what to do; he even said he was one of the Immortals.

Could it be that the relationship between the Evangelical Church and the Apocalypse Society is not as simple as it appears?

After a loud crash, thick dust rose up, but it was quickly shredded by the sharp Staff Sword. Lorenzo wielded the blade, leaving scar after scar on the solid giant shield. The attacks were powerful, yet he could never break through the giant’s defenses. This fellow seemed clumsy, but every time it impeccably blocked Lorenzo’s attacks.

”Valhalla!”

The giant roared; these guys seemed unable to say anything other than this crazy slogan, completely unable to communicate.

A solid, stubborn iron slammed down, but this time it did not touch the ground. Dense, pitch-black scales grew along Lorenzo’s arms, forging armguards, directly blocking this blow. Though heavy, it was still within Lorenzo’s range of resistance.

”Bola! Get further away!”

Lorenzo pushed up against the descending giant shield and shouted loudly.

His words didn’t reveal too much information. Bola just wanted to ask, but then he immediately felt the transmission of information... it was the pressure that came with the erosion.

Some loathsome thing appeared, rising from the filthy corners of the soul, spreading across Lorenzo’s skeleton.

”Go quickly!”

Bola shouted to the others. He didn’t know what Lorenzo was going to do but he was very clear on what this abnormal feeling represented.

Forbidden blood surged and ascended in his body; the Demon Hunter felt tired of this endless slaughter and wanted to overturn the whole chessboard.

A despairing, blazing white rose up in his eyes, this light mirrored in Galron’s eyes, just like the gaze of Odin.

Since the Maruri incident, Lorenzo’s understanding of the Secret Blood went a step further, just as Lawrence said at the time, a mortal’s soul and will cannot bear multiple Authorities. Now, Lorenzo was Ascended, and the Authority of Gabriel was a Credential, allowing him to embark on the path of Ascension, thus making his soul and will stronger, enabling him to bear multiple Authorities and awaken them from the forgotten bloodline.

The Secret Blood soared, the power awakened.

An invisible pressure instantly shrouded the battlefield. Lorenzo stood alone but was like an unshakable Ghost God.

To expel the Holy Silver from his body at that time, Lorenzo pierced through his arm, letting the molten metal flow out from the wound in his palm. Perhaps some Holy Silver still remained at the wound. Even the Demon Hunter’s physique couldn’t heal this wound, leaving a scar that occasionally re-opened, bleeding crimson blood.

Just like now, blood oozing from Lorenzo’s palm, sliding down the Staff Sword, turning the cold metal suddenly blood red, immediately with fierce flames adhering to the blade, the instant high temperature warped the vision slightly.

Everyone clearly felt, the invisible pressure converging into a mass, it started to warm, until solidifying.

This power was granted to Lorenzo, at this moment he bore the burning sun.

Authority of Michael.

He held the burning Fire Sword and walked forward.

The searing heat invaded the surroundings. A wind blew, but it was not the familiar Northern Territory’s cold wind, but a suffocating heatwave, followed by the solid permafrost beneath his feet. Under many years of low temperatures, it had long been as tough as iron and stone, but as Lorenzo walked forward, burning footprints were left on the ground, the soil softened, becoming pitch-black scorched earth.

Rather than saying the Authority of Michael governs the Purifying Flame of divine retribution, it would be better to say the Purifying Flame is just a manifestation of its ability, it truly rules over the extreme temperature.

Since escaping from Maruri, Lorenzo realized the limitations of his power. His existing strength, although formidable, could not resolve all situations, so in peaceful days, he had been familiarizing himself with this awakened Authority.

He used fire to light cigarettes, cook meals, and in boring days, he even performed firework acrobatics for everyone... In short, through all sorts of random experiments, Lorenzo had become quite familiar with the Authority of Michael, but those were ultimately casual amusements, not real combat.

Lorenzo had always been polishing this brand-new blade, and now he finally had the chance to experiment with this power.

The blazing flame soared along with the glow in Lorenzo’s eyes.

Divine retribution descended upon the world.

The enemies all knelt before Lorenzo; the instantaneous temperature melted their eyeballs into a viscous liquid, the scorching wind rushed into their noses and mouths, burning their internal organs to ashes.

They were already dead, their bodies collapsing, flesh carbonized into pitch-black patches, slowly twisting into a mass, embers flaring up on them.

The giant had not yet fallen, he immediately closed his eyes, held his breath, this could not spare him from the blow of the Authority of Michael, but it allowed him to hold on for a few more seconds in this desperate situation.

The giant shield in his hand lost its cold luster, the edges burned red by the high temperature, with some molten iron dripping off. His hand holding the shield had already been burnt, the skin fused with the metal, he let out a dull sound, trying to lift the giant shield once more, to slam towards Lorenzo.

Too late.

The Fire Sword lightly slashed upwards, the solid stubborn iron was as easily cut as a fire knife into ice, the cut surface red, half-melted iron sticking to it.

It was burning, along with the giant behind the shield.

This was not a slash, more like issuing a command with the Fire Sword, a ”burn” command, one that all things could not defy.

The Staff Sword cleaved open the giant’s chest, blood was evaporated before it even had a chance to flow out, the wound carbonized black, like a craftsman’s sculpture, high temperature assaulted along the wound, completely destroying his internal organs.

Almost in an instant, the giant was dead, his skeleton and charred epidermis still standing firm, molten iron casting upon it, stabilizing the body’s upright stance, while from the fractured crevices, hollow internals spewed firelight, as if an old tree ignited from within.

Everyone stood in daze, staring at all this, until the firelight hurt their eyes, forcing them to look away.

Lorenzo’s one sword not only killed the giant but also took down all the surrounding enemies with them, all were thoroughly burned to annihilation in an instant under the blazing wind. After the burning wind passed, in sight were one blackened body after another, curled up as if kneeling before Lorenzo.

The destruction ceased, the burning Fire Sword plunged into the ground, a wind blew past, stirring the dead shells, grayish-white embers scattered into the night sky.

Lorenzo watched it all with emotionless eyes, fists slightly clenched, holding the power of the Pseudo-God in his hands.