Gun of Ashes

”Edlun... Levien?”

The light on the electronic eye flickered momentarily, and the voice of the Secret Keeper sounded somewhat confused. It took him quite a while to wake up from the torpor of a long slumber, and he asked skeptically.

”Pope? Dean?”

These are words from a bygone era, so distant that they’ve become foreign to the Secret Keeper. Now, upon hearing them again, he only feels estranged.

”Yes.”

Edlun responded, observing the flesh and steel construct before him. He had heard mere whispers of this great existence from previous Popes, so now seeing him in person, Edlun wasn’t surprised by this peculiar appearance.

His gaze roamed, admiring the majestic architecture, with cage walls densely lined with containers that were mostly empty, while cautionary red lights below glowed like crimson eyes.

The Secret Keeper remained silent; he had expected the world outside to have deteriorated completely after numerous cycles. Perhaps humans still survived, but they must have regressed to being primitive and savage, like beasts.

Fragile, backward, ignorant, tortured under the suffocating shroud of darkness, dying slowly.

Perhaps he had lived too long—so long that the Secret Keeper nearly forgot he was once a fragile human like them. Confronted by all this desolation, his heart was left numb, stubbornly adhering to a duty of meaningless perpetuation.

”Pope... does that mean Church?”

The Secret Keeper murmured, suddenly recalling the visitors from centuries ago—those mysterious individuals, much like monkeys.

He stared at Edlun, wrapped in a thick coat covered in frost and snow, yet underneath, one could see finely embroidered attire, with slender swords sheathed in his scabbard... If the Secret Keeper’s electronic eye was functioning correctly, it seemed like Forbidden Alloy.

What astonished the Secret Keeper the most were Edlun’s eyes—blazing white flames burned within, reminiscent of humanity’s enemies for countless centuries.

A buzzing noise emanated from the Secret Keeper’s chest cavity; emotions overwhelmed him, causing the mechanical pump to accelerate blood circulation.

Years must have passed.

The Secret Keeper felt ”excitement” once again.

”I adhere to the instructions of the Popes and execute God’s decree. We’ve reinforced the protection beneath the Well of Ascension again; the forged Holy Silver has sealed the cage completely, leaving only a wellhead for observation. The Eastern campaign against the Demons proceeds orderly, and the Demon Hunting Order has been dispatched entirely, led by ’Angels,’ to reclaim land from the Demons and cultivate it.

Meanwhile, we’ve reestablished contact with the Nation-Builders, using Alchemy acquired from them to enhance the weapons and equipment of Demon Hunters. We developed the Silver Binding Bolt and, according to ’Ascension’, make the new generation of Demon Hunters more controlled.

Although this undoubtedly strengthens ties with The Inexpressible, given the world’s situation, this deterioration is acceptable.”

Edlun had probably imagined his many interactions with ”God” on his journey, so these words seemed memorized in his mind. He reported everything smoothly and steadily to the Secret Keeper.

The variety of indicator lights on the Secret Keeper’s body were incessantly flashing; describing it using his own words might liken it to being wrapped in holiday lights.

Edlun waited for the Secret Keeper’s response. After quite a while, the Secret Keeper spoke slowly.

”Let me calm down first...”

The electronic eyes rotated back and forth; the Secret Keeper walked to Edlun’s side, hesitating to speak, placing a metallic hand on his shoulder. Edlun’s expression subtly changed, apparently unnerved by the contact with God.

Such awkward silence persisted for a long time, before the Secret Keeper in an awkward tone said.

”You... interested in seeing the Supercritical Fluid Cold Cutting Blade?”

The Secret Keeper said this while jutting his hips slightly.

Edlun’s expression remained as cold as iron, without any reaction. In his view, God’s actions seemed somewhat... odd, but considering God’s nature, inherently difficult to understand by common sense, best to avoid unnecessary actions and fulfill the Popes’ duties.

The Secret Keeper took a deep breath... at least he thought the loud mechanical pump counted as a deep breath for him.

”So, humans still survive outside?”

The Secret Keeper’s words appeared somewhat hurried; he was terribly flustered, like a child about to unwrap a birthday gift.

”Yes.”

”How many?”

”I am not sure; the Evangelical Church is not involved in population statistics across nations.”

”Nations?”

”Yes, many countries, mostly secretly controlled by Nation-Builders. From their discourse, they seem to bear your mandate as well.”

”What about those monsters?”

”You mean Demons? We’ve reclaimed most of the land from them; the Eastern campaign continues and will persist until they’re completely exterminated. Meanwhile, as per divine directive, we’re engaged in information suppression. We’ve burned all data related to Demons, keeping these secrets tightly within the Demon Hunting Order.”

The conversation ended.

The Secret Keeper slowly bowed his head, then staggered backward; his legs felt weak, struggled to stand. Yet, he knew well that he used metal prosthetics—capable of shattering concrete with a kick.