Gun of Ashes

He has to do this, no matter how many times he fails, because he is the Pope, and also the Dean, this is the meaning of his existence, even if this ’meaning’ is meaningless, he still persistently and blindly adheres to it, just like me...”

Roger stepped in front of Lorenzo, extended a finger, and pressed it against his forehead, the corroding force expanding, almost bursting Lorenzo’s [Gap].

”Just like you, Lorenzo Holmes.”

Roger’s voice was soft, as if lulling a child to sleep.

”We are both walking corpses, constantly moving forward for our respective goals, even if our bodies have rotted, our consciousness blurred, and even we no longer recognize ourselves.”

The ice began to collapse, the sea boiled and wailed, and the stars lost their original brilliance, sinking into deep darkness.

Roger’s face began to crumble, the cold visage cracked like a broken mask, but what was hidden beneath was not scarlet flesh, but deep darkness, in that deep darkness, the scarlet hundred eyes opened, gazing at Lorenzo.

”How pathetic, Roger, you have long been dead,” Lorenzo shook his head as he gazed at the scarlet hundred eyes, ”But I’m different from you, Roger Cruz.”

Facing death, Lorenzo showed no fear, even as towering waves surged around him, he calmly sat on the bench, glaring at Roger.

”I am human, a fragile laughable human, I haven’t lived as long as you, nor will I live as long as you.”

I know what I must do, and I have never forgotten.

I will always hold onto it.

Until you are utterly annihilated, or I am consumed by flames.”

Lorenzo laughed wildly, staring at the scarlet hundred eyes, shouting boldly.

”Enemy, I am here to kill you.”

It was a ridiculous threat, but soon Roger felt, another force surging upward, a force he had never felt before, it was so... vast.

A multitude of bells tolled, prayers uninterrupted, in an instant the collapse of the [Gap] halted, Lorenzo reached out, grasping a beam of starlight piercing through the darkness.

The Anti-Meme is an information, a self-contained segment of information, its carrier can be any recognizable thing, like a bullet, a black cube, or... an unyielding will.

In reality, Lorenzo knelt in the shadows, and the black cube in his hand unknowingly disintegrated, transforming into countless black fragments scattered on the ground.

Carrying the erosive force of the Anti-Meme began to expand, it was like a train ablaze, at any moment it could collapse, but what is certain is, before death arrives, it will be loaded with gunpowder, rushing towards the target.

Lorenzo reassured himself, don’t panic, he has planned this many times.

Using the [Echo of the End], he became its carrier, [Gap] invasion, constantly leaping among the crowd...

Lorenzo calculated, his speed was swift, with only a dozen limit-range [Gap] invasions, he could reach the Saint Nalos Cathedral, the Static Holy Temple, the Well of Ascension.

Roger immediately realized Lorenzo’s intent, temporarily repelling him with high-intensity Anti-Meme.

”I will stop you! You cannot have a smooth path!”

Roger shouted, each of Lorenzo’s jumps required careful calculation, any slight error and he would be pursued by Roger, moreover, Roger believed Lorenzo would be impeded within the Static Holy Temple.

The demon hunters long knew the cause of all this, they would not let anyone approach the Well of Ascension, where Lorenzo had no leaping carrier.

”Do you think... all this was spur of the moment?”

Lorenzo mocked.

”No, this was long plotted.”

In that distant Static Holy Temple, the new Pope already knelt beside the Well of Ascension, unexpectedly removing the silver-white Thorn Crown, placing it along with the telegram from Old Dunling.

Sainy Loter did not know if this was correct, he even thought he was crazy for believing such nonsense, yet he appeared here in the end.

Gazing into the darkness below the well, behind him stood demon hunters armed with Nail Swords, their faces expressionless, crowned heads.