Gun of Ashes

The prosperous world plunged into a burning Hell in an instant. Amidst wails and roars, those jagged Demons surrounded the entire manor, appearing in every shadowy corner.

The nobles had never seen such abhorrent creatures. The invasion brought about a mental erosion, spreading quickly with the Demons' arrival. Most people felt great terror the moment they saw the Demons, with some even fainting outright. A few guards tried to take up arms to resist, but when aiming, they inevitably met the glaring eyes of the Demons, causing their trembling hands to lose sight of their targets.

The Demons spread like a virus, wantonly proliferating everywhere.

Selyu hid in the shadows of a corner, her face showing not an ounce of panic amidst the chaos, as if she knew no fear.

Initially, she intended to follow Lorenzo. At that moment, Lorenzo's expression was off, as if something terrible was about to happen. As Selyu had guessed, the tide of Demons swallowed everyone in an instant.

Luckily, this was a grand ball with a certain degree of security force. Amidst the shrieks were sporadic gunshots, but the gunfire was gradually waning; it seemed the resistance wouldn't last much longer.

Selyu wasn't sure what these creatures were, but judging by the eerie oppressive aura they emitted, they certainly weren't good. She slowly backed away, gripping a candlestick in her hand. The flame was already extinguished, but its hefty feel suggested it was a decent blunt weapon.

Her inherently weak presence became advantageous at this moment. Countless Demons rampaged through the vast manor but failed to notice Selyu hidden within the shadows.

Possibly a skill learned from her early years in Gaulunaro, Selyu's survival instinct was stronger than anyone's. After all, who would have thought this noble duchess was once a stray dog lurking in alleyway trash heaps just a few years ago?

Calming her breath, Selyu moved like a dark elf, leaping through the shadows. Her target was outside the manor. Once she escaped, with the complex streets and alleys of Old Dunling, Selyu wouldn't be at a disadvantage even if racing against these creatures in a foot race. Of course, the prerequisite was to shed these damn weights.

The expensive headdresses were removed one by one, casually discarded on the ground. Wearing these ornaments felt like balancing a precious metal platter on her head, cumbersome and troublesome. Moreover, they reflected light, making it easy to reveal Selyu's position.

Next, she took a dining knife and forcefully cut at her dress. It was too cumbersome; wearing it made Selyu feel like a bloated penguin, unable to run quickly.

Without any regard for the exquisite dress, if its designer saw this, they would probably rush out to fight Selyu. But she didn't care about these things, feeling a sense of ease as her nimble body moved swiftly through the shadows.

She wasn't clear on the manor's specific layout, but Selyu remembered the route she came by, constantly planning her escape path.

To leave, she needed to pass through the courtyard and the manor's castle, and between the main entrance and her were stretches of unprotected road. Yet beyond the road were rows of carriages.

Selyu needed to find a way to reach there. Although not tall in stature, during her life in Gaulunaro, Lorenzo taught her how to ride a horse and how to escape from a dead end.

A half-dead Demon suddenly charged out from the other side of her vision. It seemed to have been attacked before, its body bearing several large bullet holes, from which blood continued to gush.

The strong have their ways of surviving, and the weak have their means to barely hang on.

The cold-hearted girl quickly became heated. She didn't wait for the half-dead Demon to launch an attack but rushed forward first. Her frail body unexpectedly knocked the Demon over in the collision. Contrary to her apparent frailty, Selyu gripped the candlestick tightly, as if clutching her destiny, and smashed it down mercilessly.

The Demon writhed and struggled, yet it was firmly suppressed by this frail form. An indescribable array of emotions welled up in Selyu's heart. Being so close to the Demon, that eerie erosion was oppressing her spirit, but it was not a reason for her to stop.

Clenching her teeth, she repeated the mechanical action over and over, venting her fury, until the Demon's head was smashed into a puddle of muck.

Selyu slowly stood up, the white dress had been thoroughly stained red, blooming into a crimson rose.

"Isn't it dead yet?"

The headless body continued to writhe slowly. Selyu had never seen a Demon and didn't know that she needed to destroy the heart; otherwise, given a Demon's vitality, it could continue moving for some time. Some powerful Demons could even sustain themselves without a head, using that frightening vitality to regenerate the head.

Realizing she couldn't completely kill the Demon, Selyu immediately started running. Even with her icy heart, she felt an indescribable terror. Countless footsteps echoed in her ears, growing clearer with time. Selyu wasn't sure if it was an illusion or reality.

If it were an illusion, she must have encountered something at some point, though she hadn't realized it yet. If it were reality, then countless Demons were approaching her at this moment.

Isolated and helpless, Selyu moved through the hellish environment, beginning to feel that she was gradually reverting to her former self. No longer Selyu of Stuart, but Selyu, the street urchin.