Gun of Ashes

Now Roger has extinguished his anger, and all that awaits him is death.

The more disturbing sneers echoed, and Roger savored the despair emanating from Left Garrison, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction.

This condescension, this disdain, this crushing of honor and dignity...

That’s right, Roger has been pursuing such an answer, these human vices, the more despicable they are, the more they prove Roger’s correctness.

Ascend! Keep ascending! Abandon all vices and cowardice, ascend to a greater existence.

The decline of mortals only makes him more resolute, and this steadfastness is precisely what Roger needs.

Yet just as Roger was satisfied, a hoarse voice rang out.

”So you’re waiting for my wails? Watching mortal pride be crushed, dignity trampled into the ground, thrown into the mire,” Left Garrison smiled, his teeth stained with blood, like a beast, ”How pathetic, Roger, to have such power yet be so laughable.”

Roger looked at the miserable Left Garrison, low growls resonating from deep in his throat.

He’d been toyed with by his prey, and this immense shame felt more intense than pain. He wanted to kill Left Garrison, tear him to pieces, end his life in the most brutal way.

But Left Garrison was faster.

His silence was merely resting, his drooping arms were simply relaxing tired muscles; he hadn’t given up, he was just too old, needing a few breaths to gather more strength, and then wield the blade again, an even faster blade.

The sharp screeching resonated, breaking the Bone Spear, nudging his body aside, a strike severed the Bone Spike piercing his chest, his expression fierce.

”Come on, you thought you could easily kill me?”

Left Garrison taunted.

The Folding Blade repeatedly rose and fell, the sharp edge beginning to dull, developing nicks, nearly breaking.

Left Garrison’s attacks were meaningless, just a beast’s pounce, yet it was this pouncing that continuously humiliated Roger.

”Try it, oh great existence.”

Roger grew angrier, the scorching heat erupted with no turn of events, just as expected, Left Garrison paused, then was blown back by the heat wave, heavily crashing onto the ground.

He let out a painful howl, rolling on the ground, the burns turning him grotesque, resembling a monster, only after quite a while, did he struggle to crawl back up.

”In our Jiuxia, there is a saying.”

Left Garrison’s voice was like a broken blower, carrying a sharp hoarseness.

”To know what cannot be done and do it.”

The Folding Blade stuck to his skin, each swing brought pain, but there was already so much pain, it turned into numbness.

”Many argue about this, whether it’s stupidity or stubbornness, courage or sorrow.

Honestly, I can’t say for sure, after all, it’s quite dumb, knowingly facing death, yet continuing. Ultimately, the so-called courage is just glorifying this foolish act.

Everyone is smart, smart people know what to do.”

He gasped painfully, every breath seemed like a knife twisting his heart and lungs.

”But perhaps I am truly a fool, a hopeless fool.”

Left Garrison staggered, looked at Roger with a helpless smile.

”Forget it, after all, you wouldn’t understand these words.”

”How foolish.”

Roger said coldly, this time with no anger or disdain, only a chilling coldness.

”But it’s fools like me that have pushed you this far, isn’t it? It’s fools like us, who almost wiped you out.”

Left Garrison tried to step forward, with stubborn fierceness, like a beast that won’t die nor rest, even if dying, it had to bite off a piece of meat.

”Look, you’re bleeding, oh great existence.”

Left Garrison laughed loudly in mockery.

The Bone Spear attacked, interrupting Left Garrison’s words, his dodges were clumsy, his movements no longer as swift, the Folding Blade resisted barely, repeatedly bounced away, ultimately cruelly cut down.

The shriveled right arm was severed, yet even so, it still tightly gripped the Folding Blade.

This strike seemed to completely defeat Left Garrison, yet not entirely, as he leaned back, resting against the wall.

The battle was over.

”Do you still feel that way now?” Roger slowly approached.

Left Garrison paused for a few seconds, then nodded, he let go of the Folding Blade, peeled off chunks of charred skin, painstakingly grasped the severed right arm, dragging it along with the Folding Blade.

”What are you doing?”

Roger looked at Left Garrison in confusion as he laboriously pried open the clenched right hand to retrieve the Folding Blade.

”Keep cutting, I’m not dead yet.”

Left Garrison stubbornly said.

”I will die, but I won’t lose.”

With a crisp ring, the crown atop his head crumbled, unable to sustain.

”Rarely win, but occasionally victory.”

Left Garrison raised his head, looking confidently at Roger.

”What if? What if I did win?”

The atmosphere sank into silence, but soon, silence was shattered by Roger’s rampant laughter, he looked at Left Garrison, almost laughing to tears.

He was like an actor overperforming, the disturbing laughter persisted for a long time before gradually subsiding, at last, he looked calmly at Left Garrison.

”What’s this? Beautiful words before death?”

”No, no, no, these are not beautiful words, these are the truth, I truly think I can still win.”

Left Garrison maintained his stubbornness.

His face gradually twisted, as if another face was layered over, another who seemed to ridicule Roger before his eyes and committed suicide.

”I’ve rested enough, let’s continue.”

Left Garrison struggled to stand, grabbed two Folding Blades with one hand.

His consciousness was beginning to blur, but in the deepest thoughts, lay a blade, a blade ready to strike.

Left Garrison wasn’t sure if this was true or not, but if...if his memory was truly washed by an Anti-Meme, if he too was one of the plan’s participants, if he was the planner of his own death...

Then...

Left Garrison believed himself, he knew what he would do.

It was a good opportunity, though dying abroad, it was on the battlefield, rather than retired in some remote mountain forest, becoming part of the bones.

It seemed appropriate to say something tough, to make oneself appear imposing.

Yes, like this.

Left Garrison took a deep breath, refilling his chest with strength, shouted resonantly.

”Though a million!”

His voice was robust, like a tiger’s roar, regrettably, he couldn’t shout the latter half because Left Garrison bit into the Folding Blade, raising his left arm, the bright blade reflected a radiant glow.

This was a strike to split the heavens, the power so great, muscles pressed against each other, spraying blood.

Clearly a strike from a mortal, yet seeming to shatter the soul.

Even Roger faced with this seemingly powerless strike, he was briefly dazed, paused in place.

Perhaps...Left Garrison could indeed win, as long as this strike could fall...

Roger stared at Left Garrison, eyes swirling with a fiery white storm, the heaven-splitting strike suspended above his head, unable to fall.

No matter how powerful a mortal is, ultimately they are mortal, crush his Gap, then they can be easily slain.

Following that, in the shattered Gap, amid Left Garrison’s chaotic memories, a voice of dialogue emerged.

”How can we protect our memories from theft?”

”Let us become the weapon itself.”

Roger saw it.

A lake like gold, and beside the lake stood an old man, picking up a sharp sword, slashing towards him.

In his daze, Roger heard Left Garrison’s voice.

”I still won, huh.”

In reality, Left Garrison’s corpse fell, with the heart’s standstill, his life ended, and another blade also unsheathed at this end.

Pull the trigger, ignite Wangchuan.

Left Garrison knew what kind of scheme he’d set, he also knew what needed to be done, all the sacrifices, all the mockery, were for this moment, for Roger to infiltrate him unguarded.

The Abyss gazed at the mortal, and the mortal found the Abyss’s position as well.

The Anti-Meme expanded, with its expansion, those fallen Mr. Cai’s also rippled with the same vibrations, as if preset, as Left Garrison’s trigger was pulled, the other carriers entered a chain reaction.

Self-contained information continued devouring, the entire underground world began collapsing at this moment, the circular hatch beneath shattered completely, leaving only a pitch-black gate, swallowing all evil, plunged into the profound darkness.