Gun of Ashes

Joey Joshua, Upper-Rank Knight of the Purification Mechanism, codename Mystic Phoenix.

In the previous battle at Black Mountain Hospital, due to severe injuries coupled with the taint of erosion, Joey should have died there. He might have died from excessive blood loss or been transformed into a Demon due to erosion.

Both outcomes sounded quite decent. At the time, the Cleaners had already begun taking over the battlefield. Even if he had turned into a Demon, it shouldn’t have posed a significant threat.

Before collapsing, Joey did something terrible, which he only wanted to forget about and get a good sleep.

Joey felt his life had been worth it. He had a fairly decent childhood, some not-so-earnest friends, and a brief vitality. He had also made sufficient contributions to this world. His life had reached its end, and now all that was left was the final ending.

To end it all, to gain eternal peace.

Unfortunately, reality never meets expectations, not even in death.

Joey did not die. After a prolonged nightmare, he awoke in this Land of Sorrow with a new identity.

He became one of the Cleaners, wearing a gas mask and a heavy coat, bidding farewell to everything he once was, transforming into the dark side of the Purification Mechanism, a "Returnee."

"Returnee... you even make use of the ’Dead’? Truly efficient."

At that time, lying on the hospital bed, Joey asked the man in black before him.

"If you had carefully read the various agreements you signed, you would know that one of them stipulates that the Purification Mechanism has the right to handle your ’body’ under special circumstances."

The man in black let out a malevolent laugh, resembling a merciless boss exploiting his employees.

"Moreover, do you really wish to die this way? Or would you rather stand up and fall on a grander battlefield?"

Joey did not respond. He was very weak, feeling pain all over his body as if all his bones had been shattered and then pieced back together. The sound of machines filled his ears, like an unending drone.

He tried to get up but couldn’t; his muscles screamed, feeling as if they were being cut by blades. Joey could not even see what had happened to his body. He was like a real corpse, breathing sustained by machines.

"How did you save me?"

His voice was hoarse, like a tattered blower, stirring dust and remnants of warmth.

"Some extremely risky surgical procedures... Anyway, you were almost dead, so it was worth a try, consider it a sacrifice for science."

The man in black approached Joey, faint light illuminating the shadow under the hood, revealing a scarred face that made Joey’s breathing quicken involuntarily.

"The damage to your internal organs was severe. We implanted a small amount of Demon flesh to repair them, then cut it away to ensure your body wouldn’t die. Mentally, during the surgery, we continuously injected you with the Florun Potion. We thought you would wake up, but you slept deeply, as if you were actually dead."

The man in black made an unfunny joke, but Joey had no intention to laugh. What he said was too horrifying: using Demon flesh for medical treatment, which seemed to be common practice among the Cleaners.

Joey recalled his memories concerning the Cleaners.

This was the most special department within the Purification Mechanism, and even today, Joey didn’t know its head. They seemed unaffected by the control of the Broken Dome, operating independently from the Purification Mechanism. Any further recollection was just a blank.

Most terrifying was that on close thought, Joey realized he had never known what the Cleaners department was actually called.

Indeed, he didn’t know, and surely familiar people, even Arthur, were also unaware.

Everyone only knew these silent, battlefield-managing guys were called Cleaners, and over time, the department itself became known as the Cleaners Department, with nothing more known.

"The regretful part is that these measures can’t guarantee your mental survival. After all, you had already suffered too much corrosion even before the surgery, let alone during it. So, I will apply an Anti-Meme to you. This power can effectively curb erosion, even more so than the Florun Potion, but it has huge side effects; it might even make you forget something."

The man in black continued speaking.

"If you’re lucky, you’ll just forget some trivial hours. If unlucky, you might forget how to breathe and suffocate to death."

The Anti-Meme, powerful yet uncontrollable.

"I presume you went through this. What did you forget to survive, Galahad?"

Joey flashed an awkward smile, asking.

Galahad, one of the Knight Commanders, had completely disappeared in an Armor of Original Sin outburst. Theories about his fate varied; some said Galahad died in the Armor, while others said he turned mad, lying in some corner of the Black Mountain Hospital.

Never did Joey expect to encounter Galahad here, remembering his fate and his own, Joey recalled more people whose names could not be found in the cemetery; perhaps this was their ultimate destination.

Breathing, gasping, heartbeat...

Joey gazed at the bright lights above, his exhausted will struggling to think clearly, like rusted gears grinding against each other, producing a teeth-gritting sound.

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