Gun of Ashes

The Plague Doctor continued to shout. He was indeed chasing answers, but upon realizing the nature of the answer, he still felt absurd and terrified.

Summoning courage is not an easy task.

The Plague Doctor was willing to die for the truth, but he didn’t want to become such a twisted monster, even though, from the perspective of natural sciences, it was a far superior and magnificent existence compared to humanity.

But the Plague Doctor... the Plague Doctor couldn’t help but feel a trace of reluctance.

The pursuit of truth conflicted with the only humanity he had left, tangled and struggling.

If he were to easily deny everything about himself and transform into a greater existence...

The Plague Doctor pondered, his mind flashing with those yellowed notes, the ones he had entrusted to Selyu.

If he were to deny everything, then what meaning would all the efforts he had made, the knowledge he had recorded, and everything else have?

He recalled the conversation with Lawrence before they parted, that monster’s final words to him.

Whether it was the Plague Doctor or Lawrence, both had transformed into monsters for some wish. But regrettably, they could never become true monsters. On their inhuman bodies remained parts that belonged to humans, like refined metals that, regardless of purification, would still contain human impurities, reminding them of their former identities.

This was the reason the Plague Doctor became a monster; if he were to deny and abandon it all, what meaning would there be in his transformation?

Thinking about this, the Plague Doctor couldn’t help but speak.

"I’m really curious about the choices you would make in the face of this, Lawrence."

The Plague Doctor took a deep breath, then shouted loudly. At the same time, his flesh and blood stirred, sharp claws broke through the skin, taking on the form of an Evil Ghost.

"Find a way to kill him! Holmes!"

Within a few short seconds, the Plague Doctor experienced a difficult inner struggle, unleashing all his rage upon the Pioneer.

"I recommend we keep our distance from here!"

Lorenzo held a perspective opposite to the Plague Doctor’s. The scorching winds kept battering them. As the Pioneer said, he wasn’t here to kill Lorenzo and the others. Discussing these matters with them only offered them a fair chance.

"The Pioneer’s target is Edlun! The Watcher is his true enemy!"

Lorenzo felt terrible; the Pioneer was here to kill Edlun.

Thus, Edlun was indeed a competent Watcher. The Pioneer used him, drawing Edlun here. Under this suppression of the Anti-Meme, both Edlun and the Pioneer were restricted. Judging by the Pioneer’s mad actions, his Ascension level had clearly reached its extreme, allowing him to wield more power.

"This isn’t a battle we can join."

Watson’s voice rang in everyone’s ears. The Black Angel loaded the confused Froki into the weapon box, this unfortunate fellow completely clueless about the happenings.

Soon, more violent waves surfaced, shattering icy fragments smashed into the Black Angel.

The clash between both sides brought scorching heat, rapidly melting the ancient ice layer, turning it into boiling seawater.

The Black Angel collided into the stele amid the torrent. Fortunately, the Black Angel’s massive size allowed it to fit snugly here, stabilizing its stance.

The Plague Doctor and Lorenzo, however, were dislodged during the collision. Amid the torrent, they didn’t have anything to grip. Lorenzo tried to hold onto the stele. Despite names engraved on its surface, it felt incredibly smooth.

He swung the Nail Sword, but its blade couldn’t budge the stele even slightly. Just as Lorenzo was about to be swept away by the torrent, scarlet flesh enveloped him. Countless red tendrils extended from the Plague Doctor’s body, tightly wrapping around the stele and reaching out to grasp him.

That extreme sense of revulsion lingered, countless grotesque and malevolent images flashed before Lorenzo’s eyes, his heart pounded until his pupils turned into a burning storm.

Lorenzo gazed into the storm’s core, where the battle raged, with the Pioneer and Edlun in conflict.

In the presence of these two powerful sources of corruption, Lorenzo heard the sound of thunder.

The Angels had arrived.

In radiant glory, an invisible will descended upon this forsaken land, absorbing the surrounding matter, refining and converting it, thus materializing flesh bodies out of thin air.

Their bodies adorned with pristine wings, stepping out of the Thunder Group, spiral nails broke through their palms like swords of execution.

Initially, the Ascenders had laid such a trap, using a method similar to Dimension Reduction, forcing The Inexpressible into the Forbidden Alloy prison, granting it a corporeal form, thereby completely confining it within the cell.

More violent corruption unleashed, even Lorenzo started to stir under its influence, as Secret Blood entered Critical Breakthrough, his body covered in dense Iron Armor.

"What should I do?"

Lorenzo suddenly felt confused, unable to join this mad battle, yet unable to escape. All he could do was witness the continuation of the battle, observe its conclusion.

"Secret Keepers!"

Watson shouted, fiery flames erupted behind the Black Angel. Amid the chaotic currents, this was the only ability allowing movement.

"Bet on it! Lorenzo, if they’re still alive... even if barely breathing, they will definitely notice everything happening here."

The fierce firelight carried the Black Angel from the turbulent floating ice water surface. Amid the gale, the Black Angel briefly glided, then fired a grappling hook at the Plague Doctor.

The Plague Doctor understood Watson’s intentions, tendrils pulled Lorenzo over while releasing his grip on the stele, allowing the grappling hook to pierce his body, then he was pulled upward.

In this somewhat bloody manner, Watson grabbed the Plague Doctor, causing him to grimace in pain while both tightly gripped the handles welded onto the Black Angel’s armor.

Initially, Watson seemingly had a strategy, like during the two groups’ fierce fight, launching a Gap invasion to try and secretly kill the Pioneer. However, Watson steered the Black Angel in another direction, rushing toward the boiling water surface.

"Hold on tight!"

The fuel tank burned completely, instantly generating massive thrust, propelling the Black Angel like a meteor toward the water below.

Tearing through the water’s surface, the thick ice encountered collapsed effortlessly.

Lorenzo held his breath, gripping tightly onto the handle, his vision plunged into dark blue, descending all the way down.

He looked up to see arcs of light above the water surface, able to perceive the changes of the battlefield more clearly. Amid the constant rumbling, even the stele slightly swayed.

The water temperature became cold, enveloping Lorenzo completely. The fiery tail flame was the only light here, yet now it was tumbling toward deeper darkness.

Strangely, in that fleeting moment, Lorenzo understood the Pioneer’s thoughts. They worked so hard, sacrificed so much, even if they failed, they kept trying repeatedly, yet there was still no hope...

The surrounding water flow changed, Lorenzo sensed a tremendous suction from below, as if a large hole appeared out of thin air, pulling all the flow towards the gap, forming a swirling vortex.

The door opened.

Before Lorenzo had any emotional changes, the tail flame behind the Black Angel intensified slightly, pushing with all its might until captured by the vortex.

Vision plunged into darkness, Lorenzo heard the rustling of water, the encompassing seawater receded, allowing him to breathe again.

All around was darkness, just as before, with nothing visible except the light emanating from the Black Angel.

They had passed through the door, along with the endless flowing water alongside them, the Black Angel attempted to fire a grappling hook, but in the darkness, something blocked it, and after the crisp metallic sound, the hook bounced back again.

Thus they continued to fall, all the way to the deepest point.

Fallen.

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