Gun of Ashes

”He’s probably not here!”

Bola responded.

Like Hebdo, he was also unaware of the Authority of Gabriel’s existence, but he had been involved in the operation against Lawrence, and he knew well the abilities Lawrence possessed, similar to Lorenzo’s.

Hebdo was about to ask what Bola meant, but the next moment a more intense impact surged, and the Morning Glow Advance shook violently, as if it would disintegrate in minutes from the tremors.

”It’s here!”

Bola shouted.

From the deck, the changes on the sea couldn’t be fully observed, but Bola could see the shimmering lights caused by the Sea Serpent, the light descending to the edge of the ship, as if they were sailing on the Sea of Light.

Boundless light surged upward from below.

[Prepare to fire!]

Lorenzo’s voice resonated within the mind at that moment.

It was an indescribable feeling, as if invisible threads linked people’s consciousness together, with vast amounts of information being transferred, using Lorenzo as a conduit. High in the command room, Froki saw the view in the eyes of the gunners, and the gunners saw everything within Froki’s field of vision.

Lorenzo coordinated everyone, unifying their chaotic wills.

Inside the Black Angel, Lorenzo kept his eyes tightly closed, blood seeping from his mouth and nose, followed by the corners of his eyes and ears, his heart pounding fiercely, seemingly about to explode completely the next second.

[It’s coming!]

As the voice echoed, the sea surface rose and then exploded, and the dark carcass emerged abruptly.

After a burst of strong light, the towering serpent body stood beside the Morning Glow Advance, its scales rubbing against the edge of the ship, sparking and leaving marks on the hull, with oppressive fear pouring directly onto everyone.

Froki turned the wheel sharply. Since Ascalon couldn’t move the cannon barrel, he needed to adjust the ship’s direction to aim.

With full power, the waves churned into white foam and dispersed. The Morning Glow Advance tried to shift its position relative to the Sea Serpent, aiming the cannon at the wound, but the Sea Serpent was much faster than them, rising high and then crashing down.

The strong light robbed everyone’s vision, only feeling the earth-shaking tremor, the sound of metal breaking continuously, and the impact of immense force erupting beside them.

Hebdo only felt a scorching fiery wind sweep by, and he and Cliff were sent flying high, blurry amidst the chaos, grabbed by the Weapon Master, stabilizing their figures. The Weapon Master was also in a bad state, with cables snapping one after another, only a few remaining to cling to him, while the sharp Iron Feathers of the nearby Black Angel left deep gouges on the deck, steadying its figure at the edge of the hull.

As the smoke dissipated, the edge of the Morning Glow Advance collapsed at a corner; the Sea Serpent’s blow had the potential to sink the ship from mid-section, but fortunately, Froki slightly shifted the hull at the critical moment, avoiding the strike.

”The wound...the wound! Fire!”

Hebdo opened his eyes in the scorching heat; he saw the huge wound Lorenzo had mentioned, now located on one side of the ship’s hull, presenting Ascalon with a full opportunity to penetrate it.

The enormous and hideous wound danced with red threads within, with scorching flames continuously spilling out like a molten lava gate opened on the side of the hull. The high temperature turned the nearby metal red hot, soaring heat blasting against cranes, causing mechanical arms to sway violently in the fiery wind.

”Ascalon!”

Hebdo roared, but as the fiery wind faded, the cabins and metallic ruins used to support the cannon barrel began collapsing. The violent impact caused this already unstable structure to crumble, the high temperature melting the metal, turning it into flowing liquid iron.

The Vikings watched in despair; they had only one chance, and now that opportunity vanished.

The cannon barrel tilted to one side, iron chains pulled tight, swaying incessantly, unable to stabilize for aiming; even the crane lifting the cannon barrel started to shake, seemingly on the verge of collapsing as well.

In the silence, the Weapon Master swung his blade, sharply cutting the cables connected to him, sprinting wildly on the deck.

”Bola! What are you doing!”

Hebdo exclaimed, seeing Weapon Master running towards the burning ruins, seemingly heading to his death.

”Godslayer!”

Bola’s voice echoed from within.

His mental state was poor, moving forward solely on the support of Florun Potion. Frequent activation of the Armor of Original Sin was a substantial strain for anyone, but perhaps accustomed to being in a dire situation, Bola didn’t feel much worse.

Though facing the cold sea, the oncoming wind was scorching and fiery.

Bola began to understand Red Falcon’s way of thinking; if he perceived the current life as stolen from the Death God, there was no pressure at all; after all, he had already gained so much.

Weapon Master’s pace slowed. He stepped upward one step at a time, over broken ruins and through scalding molten iron.

Finally, the tilted Ascalon cannon barrel appeared before him.

The impact and high temperature caused the original support to crumble a section. The crane was still operational, and the technicians aboard it saw Bola’s actions, enduring the searing heat to make their final stand.

The winch rotated slowly, its hook pulling, laboriously lifting the heavy cannon barrel.

The technician felt as if he were in a burning chamber; he had already removed his upper garment, but sweat continued to flow, his vision growing blurry, his breathing gradually becoming difficult.

Yet even so, he held tightly onto the control lever, the sensation of burning pain transmitting from the scorching metal, fragile skin bonding with it almost instantaneously.

From his angle, he could clearly see the fiery, spewing wound, the temperature still rising, a deathly furnace. Being optimistic, the technician’s life only had a few minutes left.

”Hold it steady!”

The technician growled lowly, gripping the control lever tightly, stabilizing the cannon barrel’s sway somewhat.

Bola wanted to cheer for this technician he hadn’t met yet and probably never would. The Weapon Master rushed below the cannon barrel, shouldering it, supplementing the collapsed section with the Armor of Original Sin.

The weight forced the Weapon Master’s figure to sink, the armor itself squeezed and deformed slightly, but as Second Generation Armor, it integrated portions of Demon flesh into its construction. Its powerful resilience and recovery allowed the Weapon Master to endure such high pressure.

Vast information exchanged, and two men with little prior connection started their final defiance under Lorenzo’s assistance.

Weapon Master moved slowly, bearing the cannon barrel, turning himself into a rail, adjusting the cannon’s position with the crane’s cooperation, each step was extremely heavy, even the debris underfoot bending slightly.

”It’s useless, Holmes. What if you cause harm to It?”

The Plague Doctor’s voice echoed in his ears.

”It is so enormous, even if you were to sever it, you’d only be cutting off one of Its many tentacles; it’s merely useless toil.”

Inside the Black Angel, Lorenzo slowly opened his eyes, his pupils turning purely blood-red, his face fierce.

”Plague Doctor, there is a difference between being defeated and being killed.”

Atop the crane, the technician pressed his body against the control station before losing consciousness, fiercely keeping hold of the control lever, surrounding metal reddening while his body had long since ignited.

Scarlet flesh enveloped Bola completely, covering the Weapon Master’s shell as well, the cannon’s positioning adjusted right at the moment before the central frame collapsed, the muzzle aimed at the wound.

In Lorenzo’s scarlet eyes, a scorching white storm swirled, consciousness collided against the iron curtain-like barrier, and simultaneously, Ascalon fired.

A light spear, as brilliant as afterglow, streaked across, piercing the heavens and earth.