Gun of Ashes

Among the attacking ironclad ships, three of them had significantly slowed down. They gradually separated from the pursuing fleet, maintaining a relatively safe position while suppressing the enemy with their firepower.

This was Zeus’s strategy. He was well aware that the Black Angel had aerial mobility, and although the weather was normal now, with no storms to aid the Angel, he still chose to keep a certain distance to avoid a sudden attack by the Black Angel.

As for the ironclad ships attacked by the Black Angel, when the white flames rose, Zeus knew very well that there was no chance of survival for them anymore. Against such a powerful solo combatant, everyone on the ironclad ships was nothing but lambs to the slaughter, and sinking was just a matter of time.

The bloody carnage continued, with blood and guts spraying as thousands of blades swung. This brutal scene was akin to a hellish painting, yet no one felt fear. The warriors advanced emotionlessly, doing their best to inflict damage on the Black Angel.

The other ironclad ships, not yet affected by the Black Angel, pursued the Morning Glow Advance. They knew full well that they would soon be eluded by the Morning Glow Advance, so the barrage intensified, determined to inflict greater damage before it vanished from sight.

”Are they all taken care of?!”

Bola shouted. He had cleared all the Demons off the deck, thanks to the Black Angel’s suppression of the ironclad ships, which gave them a brief respite to take care of the trouble on the deck.

”A few more inside the cabin. Just took them out.”

Hebdo gasped as he crawled out from behind the cabin door, covered in filthy blood, his aluminothermic rifle out of ammunition.

The sound of bodies hitting the water echoed as soldiers pushed the heavy corpses through the broken gaps on the side of the ship, throwing them into the sea. One grotesque body after another fell into the sea, and the deck flowed with crimson blood. Bola hoped for a downpour to wash it all away.

”What about Lorenzo? Are we leaving him there alone?”

Hebdo glanced at the sea of flames behind him, where a grim shadow danced atop.

He had already destroyed an ironclad ship, in a manner far more brutal than before. Lorenzo, as if unafraid of injury, crazily demolished the deck beneath him, allowing the raging fire to seep throughout the ship until it ignited the ammunition depot. The series of blasts triggered a chain reaction in the boiler room, delivering a fatal blow.

The Black Angel was also caught in the explosion, but quickly shot out a grappling hook, dragging itself from the inferno. Its figure leapt high, spreading its wings. This time, perhaps due to excessive growth of its flesh, its wingspan was considerably wider than before. The enormous wings resembled some malevolent monster stepping out from a story, descending upon this cruel reality.

The Morning Glow Advance watched from afar, all aboard stunned by this madness.

”Lorenzo Holmes... he is quite an awful person, but sometimes there are things about him that you might grudgingly call charming.”

The Weapon Master stood by, though momentarily out of danger, both sides had not stopped their bombardment. Splash after splash erupted on the sea, with some shells narrowly missing their armor. Bola remained vigilant, not straying from the Weapon Master.

”Like what?” Hebdo tossed aside the aluminothermic rifle, sitting down, utterly exhausted from the relentless combat.

”Like now, no matter how dire the situation, as long as Lorenzo is alive, you always feel there’s a chance for a comeback,” Bola mused, continuing, ”like some embodiment of hope, akin to a goddess of victory or something?”

In his mind’s eye, he conjured a holy female statue, sword raised, shield in hand, yet bearing Lorenzo’s visage. The image struck Bola as bizarre.

”Funny enough, he really does resemble that,”

Hebdo reflected on his experiences with Lorenzo. As it turned out, he once thought he would die in Maruri, yet not only had he survived, he had managed to make it thus far, unscathed.

Thinking back, every time he found himself in a dead-end, Lorenzo was involved one way or another, yet each time, Lorenzo managed to lead them out alive. He couldn’t say whether it was luck or misfortune.

”So sometimes I wonder, what if one day, Lorenzo dies?”

Bola suddenly voiced his thoughts.

His words left Hebdo momentarily stunned. He was taken aback, unsure why Bola would say such a thing.

The appearance of the Black Angel had been like a shot of adrenaline, not only restoring morale but also inflicting severe damage on the enemy, so why the somber words now?

”What if one day, this embodiment of hope dies?” Bola seemed troubled. ”No one is immortal, not even Lorenzo, who has come back from the dead once. Miracles don’t happen every time...”

”Bola...” Hebdo wanted to say something.

”Pay it no mind. Just something that crossed my mind... It’s approaching.”

Bola said as he saw the flames rise from above the sea.

After destroying the ironclad ship, the Black Angel leapt high into the air with the help of the grappling hook and the impact of the explosion, spreading its colossal wings, it raided another nearby ironclad ship. It charged through the gun ports on the side, its grotesque and massive form clawing wildly at its surroundings, forcefully squeezing its huge body inside.

It was like a maggot burrowing into a corpse, consuming the enemy from within. Flames surged within the cabins, rendering the warriors powerless against the Black Angel in such confined spaces. As they raised their guns, all they could see was a mass of metal friction rolling forward, along with razor-sharp wings slicing through steel.

It destroyed the cabins and structures, killed everyone, and spread the flames to every corner until it rebirthed through the ironclad’s deck like a newborn, crawling out covered in blood.

At this moment, the Black Angel was entirely twisted and mutated. It no longer resembled a knight with iron feathers, instead, more like a monster riddled with shredded plumage. It panted hungrily for blood, then spread its wings once more.

The enemy was not yet fully eradicated, yet the Black Angel had no time to continue fighting. On this calm sea without a storm to borrow force from, if the fight dragged on, and with the limited fuel it carried, it would be hard-pressed to catch up to the Morning Glow Advance.

Once submerged, the Black Angel itself had no means of self-rescue; it had to leave now.

Ascending into the sky, burning with blazing white flames, it looked like a falling meteor. It crossed a great distance, arriving above the Morning Glow Advance, then shot out a grappling hook, landing steadily on the devastated deck.

Several people eagerly gathered around, but upon seeing the Black Angel’s form clearly, their steps suddenly halted, and they did not advance further.

Previously, due to the distance, their observations were not clear. Now with the Black Angel in front of them, its terrifying form was fully revealed.

The Demon’s flesh on the armor was growing uncontrollably. At this moment, it looked like a twisted amalgamation of flesh and metal. At the face armor, one could see scarlet eyeballs scanning all around, like a Demon clad in armor.

”Lo... Lorenzo.”

Selyu stopped not far away, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The Geiger Counter’s alarm kept blaring, as the Black Angel emitted horrifying corrosion, but soon the scarlet eyes shut and withered, the overgrown flesh began to shrink, the intensity of corrosion plummeting, as a voice resounded.

”Wait for me at that cliff.”

The voice echoed, leaving everyone a bit dazed, inexplicably feeling as though the voice originated not from beneath the armor, but straight in their minds.

The Black Angel pointed towards the other side of the sea, to the cliff beyond Ice Bay. Unbeknownst to them, amidst the continuous pursuit, they had traversed this far.

However, the others clearly didn’t understand Lorenzo’s intentions. He was right there, so why go there to wait for him?

The Black Angel gave no answer. Its engines shut down as if the soul inhabiting this shell had vanished. It stood lifeless, head hung low, like a statue.

”Did it lose consciousness?”

Bola had witnessed similar scenes before. He too had experienced such things, although he couldn’t comprehend how Lorenzo could lose consciousness, the Weapon Master approached quickly.

The armor on the Black Angel’s back was lifted under the pull of the flesh, from the cracked opening rose scorching white vapor and the stench of blood. The Weapon Master peered into the darkness within, yet found the armor empty.

A chilling eeriness brushed against Bola’s heart.