Gun of Ashes

”Looks like you’re getting better?”

Selyu pushed open the door, her small face dirty, as if she had just crawled out of some mine.

The miner is fully equipped, with a folding knife and dagger hanging from her waist, holding quick-satisfying jerky in her hand. Her voice was a bit muffled, looking as if she had come while eating along the way, with an aluminothermic rifle slung on her back, and a bandolier wrapped around her shoulder.

”Wait a minute, something seems not quite right here!”

Lorenzo rubbed his eyes vigorously, finding it hard to believe the scene before him.

The dignified Duke Stuart looked just like someone stranded on a deserted island, every part of her body exuding a strong will to survive. No... Rather than surviving on a deserted island, she looked more like a war veteran.

Selyu’s trench killer gear truly frightened Lorenzo. Lorenzo guessed that if it weren’t for her physical strength and build limitations, she might have even donned armor.

”What... happened? Is everyone dead, and you have to personally go to the battlefield?”

Lorenzo’s words trembled, as per the ship doctor’s words, he hadn’t been unconscious for long. What on earth had happened during this time?

”What’s wrong? We’re now being pursued by the enemy’s ironclad ship. Although we have a speed advantage, the hull has multiple damages, and accelerating too fast might worsen the damage, hence the firefight continues.” Selyu said to Lorenzo.

Another cannon sound rang out, followed by a faint tremor, reminding Lorenzo of the continuation of the battle.

Selyu seemed accustomed to this, her mindset was incredibly good, easily accepting this terrible situation, much better than the still confused Hebdo, who wailed towards the direction of Ice Bay after escaping danger.

Well, you can’t blame him. If anyone’s important hometown port got raided, they’d most likely be like him.

”Demons attacked the Morning Glow Advance, and the residual erosion affects observation and communication. No one is sure whether the demons will climb up again because of this. Bola ordered each of us to wear our gear.” Selyu’s voice was somewhat helpless. ”This place is like an isolated island, not knowing where a demon might pop up, and with the existing forces, we can’t provide timely aid, so we just have to strengthen the defenses.”

Selyu thoroughly opened the cabin door, fully letting the light behind her pour in.

”So... how much longer are you going to sleep?”

...

”Are you ready?”

Selyu stood in the corridor and called out in boredom. After a while, a response came from inside the cabin.

”Almost, hang on!”

Shaking her head, Selyu didn’t continue to ask, standing obediently in place, humming a strange tune that reverberated in the quiet corridor.

The situation of the Morning Glow Advance wasn’t good. Although it was the most advanced ironclad ship of Ingwig, after going through so many battles, it never had the opportunity to receive thorough maintenance, continuing to fight on with a full load of scars.

According to Notar, considering the number of sinkings by the Morning Glow Advance now, to achieve such a record in just a few days, it can already be considered a legendary ironclad ship. Of course, much of this is due to technological superiority, its sturdy armor, the terrifying Ascalon, the fire of burning lacquered antimony...

But no matter how powerful a warship is, it needs maintenance, and the crew needs rest. In the wake of the demon attack, residual erosion disrupts equipment and minds, making everyone a bit uneasy, not to mention they still have to head to even more unknown territories.

It was like a wounded swordsman, passing through battlefield after battlefield, marching towards the final battleground.

”All done.”

The cabin door was pushed open, and out walked a porcupine bristling with sword blades.

Lorenzo had changed into a new set of clothes; no one knew exactly how many identical outfits he owned. A large coat hung behind him, with a black bag slung over his back. Several sword hilts were exposed, dangling behind him.

Winchester was inserted at his waist, a bandolier hung on his body, and from the open coat, one could see that his chest was full of flying knives and folding blades.

Lorenzo was fully prepared, looking like he was about to create a bloodbath.

He walked alongside the fully armed Selyu, their styles matching perfectly. According to Lorenzo’s words, they were like a pair of bandits, one responsible for killing and arson, the other for lookout and ambush.

Unfortunately, they were on a ship, and could not knock another ironclad ship unconscious with mere trickery.

”Well then, first let’s solve this problem.”

Lorenzo said as he headed towards the deck, he wanted to see Bola.

”What problem?” Selyu asked.

”The pursuers, we need to find a way to get rid of them, even a temporary retreat would work. As long as we lose their tail, with the speed of the Morning Glow Advance, we can easily shake them off.” Lorenzo explained.

Bursting cold winds hit, stopping Lorenzo in his tracks as he looked to the other side.

Man-high wounds appeared at the end of the corridor, the armor here had completely fallen off, with burn marks still lingering around. The crew had plastered warning signs here, but due to lack of manpower and repair priority, only simple fixes were made, and two soldiers were stationed here to prevent any odd things from crawling into the ship from this place.

This was a naval battle, different from the land battles Lorenzo was familiar with. In this unpredictable sea, even a demon hunter was constrained by the environment.

Perhaps he could rely on boarding actions to destroy the enemy, but Lorenzo was just one person; he wasn’t an army. The Black Angel, no matter how powerful, was temporary; it was hard to fight an entire legion, not to mention this legion was related to the Plague Doctor.