Gun of Ashes

Left Garrison smiled, recalling the same vibrant golden hue in his mind.

”Honestly, I miss that place too, really wish I could go back just once more.”

Left Garrison sighed.

”This is truly not a good time for nostalgia, wouldn’t you agree, Zhao Lun?”

Next, Left Garrison handed over something; it was his beloved gun, the weapon named Fallen Star.

”Hmm?”

Zhao Lun did not understand his intention. This was Left Garrison’s beloved gun, and this elderly man seldom showed affection for any object except this Fallen Star.

”Roger is coming, I need you to do something.”

Left Garrison looked at him and spoke in a solemn tone.

Zhao Lun’s gaze seemed somewhat distracted. He gripped the Fallen Star, looked at Left Garrison again, and then asked,

”Will our deaths have any meaning?”

”I don’t know, who does with such things,” Left Garrison said. ”We are like crossing a river, a rapid stream where one corpse after another is thrown meaninglessly... But I suppose, someday, the corpses will block this cursed river, someone will tread over our bodies and reach the other side.”

”Are you not afraid of death, Left Garrison?” Zhao Lun counter-questioned.

”No.”

He patted Zhao Lun’s shoulder as the vibrations from above drew closer.

”I feel that death is merely terrifying to mortals, for those insane monsters, perhaps death is the release they desire.”

Left Garrison displayed that signature smile, devoid of any emotion, akin to a phony mask.

...

Blazing fires and explosions, death overlaps with death, as if eternally unending.

The Demons broke the path ahead, advancing with flesh and blood, destroying all the defenses the Purification Mechanism prepared, bodies littered the ground, until even words to describe it became pathetically feeble.

Yet, mortals’ deaths were not meaningless; the crimson molten iron surged and gradually solidified, sealing off most passages, the poured firepower also devastated the Demons’ flesh, leaving almost nothing of the Demons’ legion.

Roger could utilize erosion to transform others into Demons, but here the ongoing fires have turned it into a zone of life separation, leaving only monotonous silence.

”This world is a gigantic Heroic Spirit Hall, resurrected and then dead, continuing this endless cycle.”

Roger murmured, as the hot flames surged upon him, easily melting the iron, paving the way downwards.

Alone, he walked toward the depths of darkness, reminding him of events long ago, when he too aimed toward the deep underground, attempting to reach the pit of Ascension.

In that deep, lightless darkness...

The subtle cracking sounds incessantly occurred in the silence, and Roger appeared like a porcelain doll close to breaking, with every step forward getting closer to shattering.

A sudden explosion echoed, layer upon layer of release reverberated in the underground.

The surface line of defense was breached, yet the underground wasn’t, frustratingly these counterattacks didn’t have much effect, most infiltrated Demons spread out, even the explosive impacts couldn’t change the situation, couldn’t even delay it.

The hindered path was dissolved by high temperatures, red molten iron dripped down, Roger continued downward.

Zhao Lun tilted his head up, he could already see the red light in the dimness above, his gaze shifted toward others, he raised his hand, signaling.

Most of Mr. Cai’s people had deficiencies, under the influence of the Anti-Meme, many lost part of their cognitive abilities; some couldn’t speak, some couldn’t hear, and so on...

At Zhao Lun’s indication, some hid away, others stood atop the gate, poised for the final resistance.

They would first be exposed to Roger’s sight, fear they wouldn’t even have the chance to fire, killed within moments, doomed to sacrifice, yet expressionless.

At this moment, there was no longer any trace of Left Garrison, no one knew where he had gone.

Zhao Lun couldn’t be bothered to think about these matters, he began retreating into the shadows until completely covered by darkness, he set up the Fallen Star, and took out that specially made bullet.

This was a very unique bullet, according to Left Garrison’s cognition, the only thing known about it being the existence of Wangchuan.

Indeed, Left Garrison was actually unclear about what Wangchuan’s carrier was, but he realized he forgot something, forgot information related to Death Row.

As the leader of the Anonymous, Left Garrison was aware of what this meant, and he exerted his experience towards achieving that goal.

Zhao Lun took a deep breath, with a silver-white crown on his head, gripped the Fallen Star, continually thinning his existence. Under the protection of Anti-Meme, Zhao Lun seemed almost non-existent.

Then... then Roger arrived.

Scorching molten iron slid from above, followed by a barrage of gunfire, Mr. Cai’s people unleashed their firepower at the target above, and in that simultaneous moment of firing, a massive erosion instantly expanded.

A sickening twisting sensation extended from the depths of the soul, the silver-white crown splintered into countless cracks, and then completely shattered.

That was Mr. Cai’s lifeline, now it was severed.

Huge amounts of erosion bombarded his consciousness, eyes crimson red, blood oozing from the nose, bones beginning to deform and mutate.

In the middle of the mad nightmare, they maintained the last glimmer of sanity, scattered gunshots sounded, Mr. Cai fired upon others, killing those overwhelmed before themselves mutated into Demons.

It became a one-sided massacre, shortly after, only one Mr. Cai remained standing in the blood puddle, he watched Roger’s approach, and then ended his own life with a shot.

With the last Mr. Cai’s fall, Roger stepped into the blood pool, looked around, finding it somewhat boring.

This was the last line of defense of the Purification Mechanism, but the defense was so fragile... Understandably, all the way here, the Purification Mechanism had exhausted all their might, it was the last futile rebellion of dying men, powerless pounding.

”Finally, it’s almost over.”

Roger’s tone seemed slightly relaxed, as if to unload some heavy burden.

He extended his hand, and the scorching high temperature was about to erupt, melting the steel before him.

The forces Roger manipulated surged high; then suddenly, they halted and collapsed.

He was somewhat puzzled, looking down, saw the bloody hole in his chest and the bullet embedded within.

”I... I did it, Left Garrison.”

Zhao Lun looked at Roger, whom he had hit, a calm and uninteresting heart finally conjured some different emotions, akin to that golden lake of ecstatic joy.

He wished to get up and celebrate, as well as keep pulling the trigger, pouring fury at Roger.

But Zhao Lun couldn’t, at the moment the bullet hit, at the moment Roger was injured, at the moment Zhao Lun knew he succeeded.

Roger discovered him, found the concealed assassin in the dark who sacrificed so many lives of Mr. Cai, all to ensure a hit with this one shot.

The silver-white crown shattered, Zhao Lun’s smile froze and then completely broke into countless pieces of flesh.

Also shattered was the detonated Wangchuan.

The Anti-Meme surged like a tide, its power so strong, devouring the erosion incessantly, as if thousands of worms were biting at Roger’s will, akin to the ferocious strike he once encountered while infiltrating Lorenzo.

The sounds of cracking echoed endlessly, with ever more cracks emerging on Roger’s body, the skin hardened like ceramic constantly falling off, exposing the deep darkness underneath.

He howled, his voice tinged with eerie overlaps, as if thousands were lamenting with Roger, Roger Cruz’s will was collapsing, after destruction, only a pure beast remained.

As the Anti-Meme spread and raged, shadows shattered, the assassin lurking within leaped high.

Sacrifice and gunfire, all meant to draw Roger’s attention, allowing approach to this monster, and to deliver a fatal blow.

”Well done, Zhao Lun.”

Left Garrison spoke softly, swiftly swinging the Folding Blade.

The blade wind was fierce, swift as a gale.

It stabbed along Roger’s neck, pierced the spine, shredded the heart, the other Folding Blade was swiftly pulled out, as Lorenzo once stated, decapitating the head.

Shell shattered in deadlock, blood soaring in all directions.