Gun of Ashes

It’s too forced, Hebdo’s hand quickly became a bloody mess. He tore open twisted steel, ripping off layers of flesh, but still couldn’t find Bola’s traces.

”Step aside, I’ll do it.”

A hoarse voice sounded, and a scarlet creature passed Hebdo.

The Plague Doctor reached out his hand, muscles tensed, forcibly lifting the wreckage, revealing a corner.

”Quick!”

The Plague Doctor said, after being tormented by the Sea Serpent so many times, he was now extremely weak. Pain not only came from the flesh but also churned in his mind after Lorenzo’s [Gap] invasion.

The whole person seemed to have been torn apart, extending from the body to the soul.

Hebdo didn’t care where this monster came from, he plunged in, grabbed the bloodied arm, and forcefully dragged Bola out.

”Phew, you’re still alive, that’s really strong.”

Hebdo looked at this dying guy, apart from admiring Bola’s incredible survival instinct, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

The injuries on Bola didn’t worsen too much, the Armor of Original Sin perfectly protected him, even nurtured Bola, healing his physical injuries significantly. However, correspondingly, the erosion cruelly devastated his spirit, until Bola nearly lost his self-awareness, becoming a maddened beast.

Hebdo didn’t know this, he just felt it was strange. Not long ago, he himself had carried Bola out from a pile of the Dead, and now he was repeating the act.

”You owe me two lives now, Bola.”

Hebdo said, carrying Bola away from this terrible area.

The Plague Doctor also departed after rescuing Bola, he collapsed at a corner not far away, breathing heavily, maintaining a broken humanoid form, the tendrils on his body rose and fell, unable to calm down.

Now the Plague Doctor really needed to ally with Lorenzo. After the Blood Shark was destroyed, only the Morning Glow Advance could carry him forward.

Bola slightly opened his eyes, extremely weak, seemingly wanting to say something but no sound came out when he opened his mouth.

He saw towering cranes, after consecutive battles, the steel was completely twisted, some still assaulted by high temperatures, dropping heavy molten iron, the framework began to bend, finally letting out an eerie gasp, and the cranes completely collapsed.

Bola barely lifted his hand, making a salute gesture towards the ruins of the cranes, bidding farewell to the unknown soul.

Everything seemed to be over.

”Lorenzo!”

Selyu, after waiting for a while, walked out from the cover, shouting at the silent Black Angel.

There was no response from the Black Angel. It fell silent along with the Sea Serpent, not only that, even the Horned Whale, a distance away from the Morning Glow Advance, fell silent, drifting on the sea surface without any reaction.

The Plague Doctor was different from the others, he didn’t relax much; at the bottom of the sea, he had witnessed the enormous monster firsthand.

”Don’t let your guard down, the battle is not over yet.”

The Plague Doctor shouted to the group, now they were a coalition.

”Not over yet?”

Cliff couldn’t help but shout.

All this really tests a person’s mind. In the mad nightmare, Cliff had countless times thought of giving up, fortunately he lived to see daylight but even now daylight wasn’t safe, the nightmare had not ended.

”Yes, the physical battle is over, but the battle of will has just begun. That’s the real battlefield, deciding the life and death of all of us.”

The Plague Doctor said, knocking on his skull, his snarled appearance was intimidating.

”You mean...”

Selyu thought of something, associating it with Lorenzo’s telling in everyone’s minds, reminding her of that enemy like Death.

”Authority · Gabriel, hasn’t Holmes mentioned it to you?”

The Plague Doctor revealed a frightening smile, teasing the fragile psychology of mortals, he watched Selyu’s expression grow stiff, and continued.

”Yes, it’s that power, the same power as Lawrence.”

”You mean, Lorenzo is now in the [Gap] invading... that guy?”

Selyu, unaffected by the Plague Doctor, reasoned thoughtfully, and finally arrived at such a startling conclusion.

She looked at the exquisite yet vast face, to be honest, there really was a feeling of being gazed at by God, His eyes tightly shut, yet light overflowed from the gaps. It seemed that when He opened His eyes again, it would be the end for everyone.

”Otherwise? You think shelling can really kill Him?”

The Plague Doctor chuckled somewhat sorrowfully, facing such a hopeless enemy was truly unpleasant.

”Even if the shelling was effective, He has enough time to kill us all.”

”Now Lorenzo is facing Him alone?” Selyu asked nervously.

The Plague Doctor nodded, this was the worst point, he said, ”Otherwise? Does anyone here possess the Authority · Gabriel?”

”Being killed and being defeated aren’t really any different, Holmes.”

The Plague Doctor looked at the silent Black Angel, whispered.

”Revel, indulge, do whatever you want.

Whether it’s to unleash or repent, it doesn’t matter, this is probably our last time. When Lorenzo can hold no longer, when that guy opens his eyes again, it’ll be our time to die.”

The Plague Doctor’s mood was exceptionally bleak, he couldn’t think of any way to win, even escape wasn’t possible.

Daylight was vast, sunlight dazzling, but all that awaited them was dark despair.

Selyu stared at the silent Black Angel, it stood there alone.

She didn’t understand the so-called Authority, nor the oddity the Plague Doctor spoke of, she only knew Lorenzo was facing God alone now.

”Are you... despairing? Plague Doctor.”

Selyu suddenly asked.

”You’ve done so much, waged war with us, with the Viking nations, with the God...”

Cold eyes gazed at the Plague Doctor, Selyu turned her head, observing the Plague Doctor with a blank expression.

”Are you really willing, just like this?”

The Plague Doctor and Selyu locked eyes, his wriggling twisted face showed no ripples in the azure eyes.

He laughed.

”Of course I’m not willing.”

How could he be willing? The Plague Doctor had become a monster, devoured sin, everything he did was for today, how could he give up?

The Plague Doctor raised his hand, pointing to the shattered end of Ice Sea, the glacier continent covered by snow dust.

”Then during the time Holmes buys, charge forward!”

The Plague Doctor shouted hoarsely.

”Regardless of what’s on the road, just move forward! Break through the seawater, crush the glacier! Kill the enemy!

Forward!”

Upon hearing the Plague Doctor’s words, without waiting for Selyu to react, the Morning Glow Advance moved forward, once again stirring the waves, the bow aimed at the end of Ice Sea, then the power turned on full, the melodious horn echoed like a trumpet.

The Plague Doctor was momentarily stunned, then laughed louder.

”Looks like someone thought the same as us.”

In the command room, Froki didn’t let his gaze linger on the Sea Serpent. He turned the helm, his expression fervently heading towards the north.

Lorenzo awoke from his haze, he looked around, it was the impenetrable heavy gray mist, and a huge stone wall blocked the way in front of him.

This reminded Lorenzo of a conversation he had with Arthur, where Arthur felt the post-death world would look like this.

No matter which direction he looked, what awaited Lorenzo was the gray mist extending into the depths of darkness, and the endless stone wall, looking up, it towered into the clouds, with no end in sight.

This is a dead, silent world.

Lorenzo stepped forward, then gently touched the wall, it used to be so solid, blocking others who tried to cross, but now under Lorenzo’s touch, it began to collapse.

Starting from Lorenzo’s hand, cracks continuously spread, collapsing.

A gap appeared in front of Lorenzo with the crumbling gray dust, inside it was still pitch black with no end in sight, but this time Lorenzo chose to move forward.

Step into darkness.