Gun of Ashes

”This is something that can’t be helped, isn’t it? The war has never truly ended, has it?”

The Pioneer answered Lorenzo’s question.

”The erosion is memetic; it will continuously propagate until it destroys everything in its path. We can only continually excise our self to avoid touching it... The erosion you are encountering now is merely its murmurings; it has not yet reached the time of awakening.”

The heavy pressure weighed down on Watson as she pondered and asked.

”The war continues, and we are in a stalemate with each other, so... what about The Inexpressible? Although we have only heard its alias, we have recognized its existence, haven’t we? Why have we not yet faced its attack?”

This sounds like the way the Watchers operate, but upon thinking about it, both can be considered of the same kind, and Watson found nothing unusual about it.

The Pioneer looked at Watson, his flesh and machinery completely merged into something non-human, yet the Pioneer was not surprised, having witnessed many things throughout his long life.

”Do you truly understand The Inexpressible?”

He asked.

”Its form, nature, way of thinking, display of power, existence in history... you see, you cannot answer; you have no recognition of it at all... But perhaps you do know this: there is such a dangerous entity in this world.”

Watson was silent. Just as the Pioneer said, upon careful reflection, she realized she knew nothing about The Inexpressible.

”But, speaking of it, you’ve already seen it, haven’t you? That is precisely the reason Edlun pursues you. You merely glimpsed a corner of The Inexpressible, and that alone is highly likely to awaken it from its long slumber; he will not let you go.” The Pioneer continued speaking.

”Is... is that it?”

Watson could not believe it, and Lorenzo, standing nearby, also realized something; he knew it was after Watson reached the Static Holy Temple that Edlun attacked her, and in that illusory Static Holy Temple, Lorenzo had vaguely encountered it too.

”What is the result of the war? Pioneer, you did not kill it, so where did it go?”

Lorenzo felt as if he had understood that gloomy, murky history, his body trembling uncontrollably.

”Oh?”

The Pioneer looked again at Lorenzo, sensing Lorenzo’s emotions, and knew the cause and outcome of the event.

”Didn’t you already know? Holmes.”

The Pioneer asked, as if an unseen observer, coldly watching the world’s workings.

Lorenzo’s voice was somewhat trembling, and he spoke softly.

”Another Night of the Holy Arrival... you captured it and imprisoned it beneath the Well of Ascension.”

This is where the enemy lies.

”Originally, the Sanctum was our fortress; only during subsequent renovations did it become a sanctuary.

At first, we used Forbidden Alloy to construct more than one fortress, scattered across the world, but due to The Inexpressible’s expansion, most were destroyed and eternally slumber beneath the soil.

The final war originated from here at No. 6 Fortress, but ended at No. 13 Fortress; we used No. 13 Fortress as bait to lure it to attack; it entered the fortress and transformed all ordinary people into Demons. Afterward, the Ascenders arrived, fighting throughout the night. Under constant suppression, the erosion could no longer effectively affect the Ascenders, hence it fabricated a body.”

Listening to the Pioneer’s words, Lorenzo’s heart turned cold as ice. He knew very well it was a trap, a trap set for The Inexpressible.

Intent is enigmatic, without form, and difficult to touch, but when it possesses an entity, it can interfere with the present world, and the present world can interfere with its entity.

”It possessed an entity, and we locked the doors from outside, trapping it within.

The Ascenders suppressed its unrest before being assimilated, and the Forbidden Alloy blocked the possibility of Gap’s movement, turning the place into a carefully crafted cage, with the final Echo of the End cast into it. Although it did not kill it, it forced it into slumber until today.”

The Pioneer reminisced, watching Lorenzo, revealing the Truth to him.

”And you should be very familiar with this place.”

”The Static Holy Temple, Well of Ascension...” Lorenzo took a deep breath, ”Saints built the temple above the prison, radiating brilliant light and breeding the shadows of evil below.”

This is the description in the Gospel, which Lorenzo once thought was the ravings of a group of fanatical Believers, and now it seems to be a myth and distortion of long-past history.

”We utilized large-scale Anti-Meme so that most survivors forgot the existence of No. 13 Fortress, thereby severing most pathways to recognize The Inexpressible; only a few need to watch over this prison and are allowed to know about the existence of No. 13 Fortress, but as for what is contained within, even they do not know.

Then the cycle continued iteratively, recognition paths grew fewer, and that entity slumbered in oblivion, but it remained too powerful, with still-leaking power, fostering the emergence of Demons in shadows it is difficult for us to glimpse.”

”So the initial purpose of the Demon Hunting Order was to guard the prison?”

Lorenzo felt something was amiss; he believed the Pioneer told the truth, but not entirely. Listening to his description, Lorenzo couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something problematic with this ancient history, yet he found it difficult to challenge.