Gun of Ashes

There was no dazzling image, only pure light and the roar that took away everyone’s hearing.

After the sacred white glow, vision slowly sharpened from the flickering blackness, with a gentle warm breeze sweeping over them.

Hebdo stood dazed in place, and Cliff behind him was completely stupefied. They gazed blankly upward, witnessing the smoke clearing away to reveal the menacing creature behind it.

They hit it, Ascalon struck the wound of the Sea Serpent, the flowing fire of iron pierced the twisted flesh, further tearing open the wound, even completely running through it, and tearing open a huge scorched bloody opening.

It was a blood hole that almost severed the torso, crimson limbs flailing wildly, pulling against each other, trying hard to heal the wound, preventing the collapse of the torso.

But the self-healing was too slow, the rolling luminous flow beneath the flesh was gradually dissipating, like vanishing souls, and the final intense heat slowly abated, no longer scorching everything.

”Did we... win?”

Cliff asked somewhat uncertainly.

He looked up at Him, never having imagined that mortals truly had the ability to harm Gods.

Thus Cliff felt a strange sensation in his heart, one he couldn’t explain, but it was like an unmovable iron rule now showing a slight crack in his eyes.

He couldn’t tell if this was good or bad, only that the words of the hunters inexplicably echoed in his ears.

Hunters never spared beasts that had eaten humans. Once, beasts feared humans, revered humans, but once they tasted humans, they realized that the once-noble humans were so fragile under their claws and fangs...

Nothing is unmovable.

Enveloped by the warm wind, Cliff shivered.

”Probably...”

Hebdo responded, also somewhat unsure.

Tons of blood were pouring from the Sea Serpent’s body, spilling onto the deck, staining a large area red, flowing into the clear seawater, turning it murky.

Perhaps they had truly won; the storm roaming above the Silent Sea began to shift, this time advancing slowly in another direction, its speed seemed slow, but one could clearly feel the iron curtain retreating.

The pressure on their hearts suddenly lessened, the dark sky also brightened up, daylight gradually reclaimed the battlefield, until light shone into every dark corner, broken ice littering the gradually tranquil sea, with the cold continent not far beyond the sea’s surface.

”Is this His true appearance?”

Hebdo gazed up above, his breathing slightly rapid, his gaze pulled as if by some magic power, rendering him incapable of not looking.

The strong light upon the serpent’s head also extinguished as Ascalon fired, allowing mortals to glimpse the true appearance beneath the radiance, the dissipating dust revealing this forgotten entity.

It was a face as intricate as a crafted artifact, existing like a jade carving atop the serpent’s head, bizarre and absurd but full of divinity.

This was a human-faced Sea Serpent.

Staring at this massive visage, Hebdo felt no pressure, rather a calm he couldn’t describe. He noticed the serpent eyes on the face were tightly closed, as if sleeping, sealing away all the flames within its pupils, but in the gaps of the eyelids, one could still glimpse flickering embers, delineating a band of light along the edge, allowing Hebdo to be fortunate enough to witness His true appearance.

Continuing to scrutinize, Hebdo suddenly realized this face was quite androgynous, he found it difficult to discern His gender from the features.

The head hung low, a serene expression but with traces of sorrow, as if showing compassion for humanity.

At the instant Ascalon fired, the Sea Serpent also launched an attack, its gigantic head suspended above the deck, should it follow its intended trajectory to strike down, it could completely sink the Morning Glow Advance, not to mention it carried that terrifying high temperature.

But all this ended with Ascalon’s firing; now He simply hung quietly above, without the slightest movement.

Hebdo didn’t believe mere Ascalon’s bombardment could thwart the Sea Serpent’s actions, not to mention He wasn’t truly killed, there was every opportunity to continue attacking, but bizarrely He did nothing now, just stood quietly above the Morning Glow Advance.

Hebdo couldn’t figure out what was going on; he only knew they had stolen a little more time from the Death God’s hands, and then he suddenly remembered something, struggling to shift his gaze from the face, and shouted fearfully.

”Bola!”

Hebdo turned and ran towards the wreckage beneath the cannon, where waves of intense heat emanated, with molten iron flowing slowly.

He struggled over numerous obstacles, and finally in the midst of the burning wreckage found the Weapon Master, almost losing his human form.

The recoil from the cannon fire directly collapsed the Armor of Original Sin, like being struck by a heavy hammer, the attacked frame could no longer withstand such damage, collapsing at the critical moment, shattered into twisted steel.

One could see the Weapon Master’s lower body pinned beneath the overturned cannon, Hebdo confronted the high temperatures to crawl beside it, the crimson flesh still maintaining some vitality, struggling to stretch, with scorching molten iron flowing past, emitting sizzling noises.

”Bola! Bola!”

Hebdo shouted repeatedly, unclear about the structure of this thing, he could only clumsily pry apart the broken steel, trying to dig Bola out from within.