Gun of Ashes

One ironclad ship after another sank amidst the intense sound of cannon fire, the icy seawater flooding into the cabins. The soldiers, unable to escape in time, were pushed back by the rushing waters. They suffocated and drowned, becoming corpses that floated and swayed with the currents.

The ironclad ships were so colossal that even when they sank, they did so with extreme sluggishness, as if they were still standing on the sea surface, stubbornly firing and exerting the last of their heat.

The remnants of steel piled up together, entangled with the flames, turning into a burning forest of steel. Morning Glow Advance struggled to navigate through it, maintaining its movement.

Even though it gathered the highest craftsmanship and technology of Ingwig, under such intense combat, Morning Glow Advance became battered and bruised. The armor on both sides of the ship’s sides was heavily damaged, with some parts already starting to fall off, exposing the structure below and completely revealing the fixed cannons on the sides.

Thick black smoke rose, the boilers burning fervently, followed by more smoke billowing out of the chimneys.

This was a sudden naval battle, a major melee. There was no time for evasion, nor room for skirmishes, like duelists who appeared in each other’s sight at the start, and the next thing to do was to use all means to kill the opponent.

Under the Plague Doctor’s command, this battle was fought most tragically. He never expected to survive it, so Gaulunaro’s fleet attacked ferociously. Even though they themselves suffered great injuries, they did not retreat.

These warriors implanted with Secret Blood had nothing left in their minds but orders. They didn’t care about death, constantly advancing the fleet, closing the distance and unleashing more cannons.

Smoke and flames brought tonight’s situation to a more crazed level.

On the ruined docks, Lorenzo held the black blade, staring at this crazy scene before him.

No one probably expected tonight’s events to become this insane. Lorenzo guessed that the King and lords must be going mad now; they only wanted to fight for dominion over Ice Bay, yet a fleet suddenly came and plowed through the docks.

Looking at the current situation, the already limited military force of Ice Bay was destroyed by more than half, and the docks were nearly demolished. To rebuild would take months at the fastest, and at such a time, this incident was a devastating blow to the Viking nations.

No matter how greedy the King and lords were, they all realized one thing: they were a whole, the Viking nations. No matter how they desired control over Ice Bay, they would not do anything to harm overall interests.

But now the Plague Doctor had blown Ice Bay to smithereens, and from what he sensed, Lorenzo could distinctly feel the encroachment surging. He not only blasted through Ice Bay with a fleet but also released many Demons.

Lorenzo could no longer tell if the Plague Doctor was a scholar or a military strategist. Perhaps he truly knew nothing of military matters, choosing instead to cluster and concentrate all firepower, flattening everything regardless of what lay ahead.

Ice Bay was engulfed in flames, impacting the internal cycle of the entire Viking nations directly. Any way one looked at it, tonight was very suitable as the start of a world war.

This was what Lorenzo tried to prevent desperately, but it still erupted, occurring so suddenly in this unexpected situation.

The sound of waves arose in the darkness before him, something approaching. Lorenzo raised Winchester, ready to fire.

In the battle with the Plague Doctor, the runaway Authority Michael ignited everything, even affecting Lorenzo despite his efforts to control it. The wooden handle of Winchester was charred, yet luckily not entirely shattered, still usable with some effort.

Pulling the trigger, nothing happened.

That’s when Lorenzo remembered that all his ammunition had detonated in the previous blaze. He immediately raised the Black Sword, slicing through the waves and something within them. Blood and intestines splattered, swept away by the receding waves, dragged into the deep sea.

The sound of explosions continued around him; even from this distance, they sounded like the roaring of thunder. It seemed a storm was brewing on the sea surface of Ice Bay.

Lorenzo raised a hand to touch the crown on his head. It had been briefly removed while chasing the Plague Doctor. He activated Authority Gabriel, attempting to invade the Plague Doctor’s consciousness via the Gap. Though ultimately failing, Lorenzo managed to deliver a substantial blow to the Plague Doctor’s awareness. This should keep him quiet for a while; no matter how strong his body, his soul remained weak.

”Holy Silver... Pioneer...”

Lorenzo muttered, recalling something.

Suddenly, he remembered the mysterious Pioneer. That Pioneer had deliberately brought Lorenzo and the Plague Doctor together and used Apocalypse Society members to stir troubles. Lorenzo felt as if the Pioneer had some grand plan, treating everyone as pieces on his chessboard.

More importantly, Lorenzo recalled the armor of the Pioneer.

That silver-white armor, full of dents and scratches, with ages unknown. It was like Holy Silver.

Armor forged of Holy Silver.

The Pioneer, too, possessed Authority Gabriel, crafting an armor of Holy Silver for themselves... what exactly were they guarding against?

Lorenzo speculated in his heart.

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