Gun of Ashes

The Black Angel quickened his pace, progressing faster than Watson had anticipated, with many supplies still remaining.

”This is both a sanctuary and a cage; they cannot leave the World’s End even half a step, or else the Watchers will lock onto them and kill them.”

Lorenzo looked ahead and sighed.

A greater amount of breeze came sweeping through, stirring up drifting snow and causing a burst of agitated sounds.

In an instant, the silent world shattered, yet Lorenzo did not feel bad about it. The oppressive weight in his heart lightened with the sound, as if he had stepped out of a dead world and returned to mortal life.

The Silent Sea had kept everyone suppressed for too long; at this moment, Lorenzo unexpectedly missed the life in Old Dunling, along with those awful restaurants with unpalatable food.

”Attention, everyone, the journey ahead will only be more dangerous.”

Lorenzo relaxed for only a few seconds before becoming serious again. He picked up the rope previously hanging on his armor and walked towards the Plague Doctor, tying himself together with him.

”What are you doing?”

The Plague Doctor was somewhat puzzled; he could sense that they had truly entered a new area. With Froki’s words, they had already crossed through the Central zone of the Silent Sea and reached the Inner Ring.

The intensity of erosion weakened slightly but still persisted, which was a good sign, yet Lorenzo was more tense than before.

”Do you think that something capable of resisting erosive influence would be ordinary, Plague Doctor?”

Lorenzo’s expression appeared somewhat tense; he knew very well what might be here.

”To fight against monsters, only another monster could do it. You must know that the seabed holds that terrifying Leviathan, but over so many years, it still hasn’t managed to conquer this place.”

After saying so, Lorenzo walked towards Froki, using the rope to connect themselves together, then proceeded to distribute the Florun Potions.

”What is here?”

The Plague Doctor felt the pressure in Lorenzo’s words and asked.

”I guess it’s the Anti-Meme, a nature completely opposite to erosion. If erosion is an unstoppable flood, then the Anti-Meme is an entirely dead silent black box.”

Lorenzo pondered, but due to the nature of the Anti-Meme, even though he had some understanding, he completely forgot everything and could only explain with difficulty.

”Put simply, it causes forgetting, making everyone forget its existence.

I guess the Secret Keeper is protected by this kind of power, so those who have been to the World’s End would find it hard to recount a complete journey experience, and few can bring back knowledge from within. For these reasons, the Watchers are barred from entering by the Anti-Meme; their ploy to invade with erosion has no chance.”

Lorenzo summarized, and it was only then that he realized the nearly perfect offense and defense between the two.

The Anti-Meme halted the spread of erosion, extinguishing the Watchers’ attack from a [Gap] level, while this vast snowy plain was also suffused with this force. If the Watchers wanted to rely on forceful interference, most would lose themselves on this land.

Unable to forcefully attack, the Watchers devised a countermove, turning this sanctuary into a cage, thus cutting off any potential link between the outside and the inside.

This is an almost perfect fortress; if it hadn’t been for the few of Lorenzo’s group having sheer luck, they would indeed have found it difficult to reach here.

Thinking of this, a silver figure flashed in Lorenzo’s mind.

[Pioneer].

To this day, Lorenzo still does not know the Pioneer’s identity, nor does he know his purposes. But it can be known that without the Pioneer’s assistance, the Morning Glow Advance would have long sunk under Leviathan’s attack.

It can be said that Lorenzo and his companions reached here all thanks to the Pioneer’s manipulation; Lorenzo doesn’t understand what the Pioneer ultimately aims to do. He merely feels that beneath that silver armor lays a visage that fills him with dread.

”If you feel something is off, immediately inject the Florun Potion.

When all is said and done, I feel the Anti-Meme is also a form of erosion; it’s just that we find its influence hard to perceive.”

Just like the Demon Hunter and the Demon, originating from the same source, yet expressed in entirely opposite forms: a contradiction.

Lorenzo halted his wild thoughts, pulling the rope to prevent anyone from losing their self to the Anti-Meme’s influence and consequently wandering off.

The group moved forward; the most challenging part had just begun.