Gun of Ashes

This doesn’t count as resistance; it’s just a feeble pounding.

With a deep breath, Percival looked forward. Anonymous climbed up in a sorry state, firing again and igniting sparks on Roger, who casually struck out, slicing off his already twisted arm, which was then flung high and landed to the side.

Anonymous seemed dead, silent.

Absolute power suppressed everyone; this was Roger’s playground, where he held absolute dominion.

Immense despair devoured the remnants of life; Percival couldn’t think of any chance for victory, intense pain coursing through her body. She suddenly felt that falling here wasn’t so bad.

Death didn’t seem so unacceptable.

Her thoughts were interrupted.

Something far more terrifying than death played out before Percival’s eyes.

Roger casually picked up a soldier who wasn’t yet dead. The soldier resisted futilely, his remaining courage annihilated as he cried in agony.

But it was all in vain. The two locked eyes briefly, then the same fiercely white flame ignited within the soldier’s eyes, as if a burning fire rose beneath his skin.

A chilling cold spread in her heart, and Percival recalled Lorenzo’s warning to them.

The soldier’s past, his memories, his soul... everything about him laid bare before Roger, without concealment.

Squeezing, crushing it bit by bit.

Roger released the soldier, whose body still retained vitality, but his will was shattered, like garbage discarded carelessly.

His chest rose and fell slightly; he was alive, but already dead.

With difficulty, Percival stood up, sensing a crisis more fearsome than death, clenching her fists tremblingly. Roger, meanwhile, slowly lifted his head to look at her.

”Knight Commander, Percival.”

Roger uttered her name, while remembering all the memories associated with her and the soldier.

He revealed a chilling smile.

”So this is your core, isn’t it?” Roger glanced around, then looked downward to the depths of the tower, ”and underground...”

Taking a deep breath, Percival slowly backed up to stand beneath the shattered glass, with the boundless sky behind her.

She knew clearly that she absolutely could not fall into Roger’s hands. If captured by him, her mind’s memories would be fully exposed; everything about the Purification Mechanism, the visiting Jiuxia people, Death Row...

Suicide?

This could indeed block Roger’s probing, but in this situation, could she really do it?

At this close range, without effective weapons in hand, more importantly, Percival suspected she was already under Roger’s influence, his invasion was only a matter of moments.

”What... are you thinking?”

Percival asked tremblingly.

”You have the complete capability to kill me, to get everything you want, so why not do it?” Percival observed something, moving slowly, ”Why toy with your prey like this?”

”Or do you want some kind of proof from us?”

Percival paused, seemingly discovering Roger’s true intent.

”Yes, that’s it, you are eager to find what you call weakness in us, to justify your grand ideas.”

”Exactly, you mistakenly sacrificed too much. To persist in such mistakes, to never deny yourself, you blind yourself with faith, self-hypnotize, trying to find the barest evidence to prove your correctness.”

Percival mocked, slowly moving towards the control console, separated from Roger by rising flames, which disturbed the vision.

She had but one chance, only a few brief seconds.

Roger’s gaze grew dark once more, being ridiculed by mortals, while Percival continued to mock in search of an opportunity.

”No, you don’t understand, you have no idea of the price I’ve paid, you don’t know what we are facing...”

Roger muttered to himself, suddenly wanting to end it all quickly, no longer content to toy.

Supposedly, he should be cold and cruel, but seeking some sort of proving ground, he made mistake after mistake...

Roger sometimes doubted himself, he should not err, why make the same mistake over again? Or was there still a part of him deep in his soul that wanted ”fair” confrontation?

A hope... hoping for an instant chance to deny himself?

Roger dared not think further, fury flaring in his eyes, aiming his void consciousness toward Percival.

He sought to invade her mind, to get all he wanted, yet was met with resistance, being bounced back. However, even upon his powerful strike, the barrier was left cracked.

The flames cleared, Percival with the Holy Silver crown on her head.

This was left to her by Anonymous, becoming critical at this moment.

Roger attempted invasion, but simultaneously, Anonymous again crawled up painfully, signing to her the last gestures.

Anonymous aimed his index finger at Percival, clenching his fist and raising his thumb upward, then he swung his hand, waving to her, and drew a short knife from his waist to fiercely pounce at Roger.

The sharp blade plunged through the armor’s crack, a faint crimson exuding, as Roger turned to seize Anonymous by the skull, with blazing whiteness in his eyes.

Without Holy Silver’s protection, Anonymous’s brain was unguarded. Roger invaded easily, only to find emptiness.

Anonymous had been shielded by complex Anti-Meme mechanisms, protecting while also eroding their existence. Memories decayed bit by bit until the brain’s ’storage’ was entirely flooded by Anti-Memes, leaving emptiness, which was the inevitable end for all Anonymous.

His end.

His empty mind held only simple orders, nothing more, losing auditory recognition and language call under this insidious influence many years ago, leaving only soul-carved creeds.

Anonymous’s gaze was hollow, soul seemingly lost, leaving Roger unsettled by this anomaly, sharply turning toward Percival.

Anonymous fought to buy her precious time, Percival knew well what needed to be done.

She picked up the handgun from the ground, pressing the muzzle beneath her chin before Roger could destroy Holy Silver’s defense.

Pulled the trigger.

The expected death didn’t arrive, nothing happened.

Percival’s eyes opened stiffly, witnessing the scene blankly, releasing the gun with empty cartridges, fired off by its previous owner.

Mental void, Percival harbored no thoughts, only desolation, trembling to meet Roger’s approach.

One second, two seconds...

Mere seconds later, an explosion far louder than gunfire roared, breaking shattering glass, wild winds rushing in carrying cold raindrops.

Percival was caught in the blast, clashing amidst debris, until she collapsed.

Breathing heavily, feeling the chill of death, yet sensing life’s joy.

Unclear on what had occurred, seemingly there should be no unexpected changes, her blurred vision saw the familiar inside burning with fire and melting metal. Percival couldn’t find Roger’s figure.

What happened?

She was uncertain, then heard it.

Harsh whistling from dense clouds above, followed by beams of light piercing through smoke to bathe Percival, as she turned to see, the Iron Whale breaking through cloud surround, appearing beyond the tower.