Gun of Ashes

Lorenzo had encountered all sorts of demons and devils on his journey, yet now facing the Pioneer, he felt an indescribable sensation, as if a clot of blood was stuck in his chest, unable to expel it no matter what.

The feelings of the others were similar to Lorenzo’s. At this grim moment, the Pioneer, who had been accompanying them all along and occasionally offering aid, suddenly revealed himself. From his demeanor and words, he seemed to be the Secret Keeper they had been desperately seeking.

”This...”

Lorenzo almost spoke but eventually swallowed his words, trying hard to calm his emotions.

This guy, who held the truth of the world, just casually walked over, sat by the campfire, and waited for their questions.

”You... are the Secret Keeper?”

”Hmm, to be precise, I once was,” the Pioneer replied.

”Once? What do you mean?”

Lorenzo continued to press on. Judging from the Pioneer’s attitude, he didn’t intend to hide anything, seemingly ready to answer all of Lorenzo’s questions.

”Our philosophies diverged, they chose to remain forgotten in the sanctuary, while I chose to leave and wander among the dusty world.”

The Pioneer made no unnecessary movements. Since sitting down, he did nothing apart from answering questions. The campfire reflected a golden hue on his silvery armor, but it was difficult to illuminate the darkness beneath the helmet.

The Pioneer remained silent. He rarely spoke on his own, only answering whatever Lorenzo asked, maintaining silence the rest of the time.

This was a somewhat strange individual. He seemed to be orchestrating everything, bringing Lorenzo to meet the Plague Doctor, leading to battles, yet saving them during crises, halting Leviathan’s attacks, and now explaining everything here.

The Pioneer’s series of actions made it hard to decipher his intentions, and Lorenzo couldn’t judge his stance, but based on what Lorenzo knew, this ultimate leader of the Apocalypse Society, who was an ancient monster of sorts, his actions were somewhat within expectations.

After all, living so long, having some mental issues was all too normal.

The conversation fell into a lull for a time, Lorenzo’s mind churned with too many questions, all jumbled together, and he didn’t know where to begin.

”Is the Secret Keeper still alive?”

Lorenzo asked, although the Pioneer ”once” was the Secret Keeper, Lorenzo remained wary about the identity related to the Apocalypse Society.

Due to philosophical divergence, did they create the Apocalypse Society? A society pursuing absolute death? This held severe contradictions with the essence of the Secret Keepers’ existence, who aimed for continuation, while the Pioneer aimed for an ending.

”Maybe, I haven’t returned in a long time.”

The Pioneer pondered, his vast memories had become cumbersome to recall the past.

”I remember the people from the Victoria family came by, it was decades ago. Even then, the Secret Keepers were not in good condition... maybe they’re all dead, or a few might still be alive.”

Strange yet familiar memories surged forth, the Pioneer had been away for too long, everything felt like a bygone era.

”Who knows? I’ve been away too long.”

”So they’re all dead...”

Upon hearing this, Lorenzo felt a bit of disappointment, glancing at these silent monuments.

The Pioneer noticed Lorenzo’s gaze and continued speaking.

”They are not here, these are just monuments, commemorating those who died in wars, and also serving as arrays to enhance the influence range of the Anti-Meme, encompassing the entire area.”

Listening to the Pioneer’s words, Lorenzo was momentarily stunned, then gasped in realization.

”They’re not here!”

Looking around, this was already the destination, where else could the Secret Keepers be?

”Do you think a sanctuary preserving the fire of human civilization would be easily established over a crater?”

The Pioneer seemed to smile, perhaps he didn’t, maybe it was an illusion, Lorenzo wasn’t sure either.

Listening to the Pioneer’s words, Lorenzo’s gaze unconsciously looked down at the ground, beneath layers of thick ice, into the unreachable darkness.

”It was a massive artificial structure completely cast from Forbidden Alloy... what you call Holy Silver, with multiple layers of protective shielding. When the enemies triggered the war here, it lasted for months on the surface, but eventually, we ended the war using the Echo of the End.

Anyone within the Echo of the End’s range was directly erased from existence, and the terrain drastically changed due to subsequent explosions. However, the sanctuary deeply buried underground remained unaffected. In fact, we used the remnants of the Echo of the End to establish the current Anti-Meme protection perimeter.”

The Pioneer picked up a spear, gently tapped the solid ice surface.

”They’re just below, according to the usual cycles, they should have come out to greet you, but now it seems they must all be dead.”

The Pioneer sighed and continued speaking.

”But there’s no helping it. The Secret Keepers are different from us. We set out on the path of Ascension, enjoying a fleeting eternity, while those guys adhere to the ’purity’ of humanity, their lifespans merely a moment in the blink of an eye.”

The Pioneer hadn’t spoken of these things to anyone in many years, and without needing Lorenzo to prompt, he continued to share stories of the past.

”Our initial philosophical divergence partly stemmed from this. The Secret Keepers believed the path of Ascension was a sharp double-edged sword. We would sooner or later bring disaster, just like the Root Source that triggered everything back then, so we couldn’t remain in the sanctuary.