Gun of Ashes

The wailing sound twisted and turned, weaving into a mournful melody in the icy cold wind.

The actions on Old Dunling's side were faster than everyone had imagined. After all, the manor was near the royal area, and those heavily armed Forbidden Guards were the most intimidating force. They were quickly dispatched under orders, but the order was not to attack the manor, but to blockade it. No one was allowed in, and no one was permitted to leave.

The red cloak formed a scarlet defensive line, with sophisticated weapons aimed at the burning manor.

The true executors of the night had arrived with the rumbling train under the cover of darkness. They avoided people's sight and waged war in the shadows. The response team of the Purification Mechanism had arrived, with the Aluminothermic Rifles fueling the raging fire.

The heavy gunfire continued, and no one could figure out where so many demons were coming from. According to the Peeping Tom System's judgment, such a large number of demons appearing in Old Dunling should have been detected immediately, rather than becoming aware only after they struck.

Even more alarming was the sheer number of demons. Although not as massive as during the Ende Town operation, from what could be observed now, a continuous stream of demons kept appearing, yet their origin remained unknown.

Most of the survivors had been protected. To say protected was merely to take refuge inside houses, closing the doors tight. The soldiers outside were still advancing slowly, while chaos continued to reign inside the manor.

Bright beams of light pierced the pitch-black night, like gigantic whale shadows swimming behind the deep clouds, gazing at the earth with their brilliant eyes.

Horner walked through the burning castle. This man, as rigid as a wooden sculpture, seemed to have gained a power called emotion at this moment. His always stiff face now twisted with a ferocious expression.

"I did quite well, didn't I, Mentor Lawrence?"

Horner said softly, but no one answered him.

He glanced around, seemingly only now remembering that Mentor Lawrence was no longer by his side. Tonight was a grand ball, and they each had their partners.

Yet it was truly regrettable. This was the most perfect and glorious moment of Horner's life; he performed his utmost on the stage, but no audience was there to see it.

His eyes showed disappointment, but with the sound of people's wails, he seemed to gain some motivation, beginning to run slowly.

This was the last one on the list. In fact, Horner didn't want to kill so many people, but these were the individuals Mentor Lawrence required. That mysterious mentor also desired something from the chaos, though the two had different goals.

Horner merely wanted to kill the one who caused the tragedy, the one responsible for Horner being a tragedy.

He was just an ordinary repairman, whose daily goal was simply to fill his stomach. Yet, some people were unwilling to leave him alone, even though he didn't even know that person.

Horner's master was the same; his master was also a repairman who took pity on the wandering Horner and eventually adopted and taught him.

According to the story, the master was a good man, but he didn't meet a good end. He died in the factory, fell into a furnace, and Horner couldn't even retrieve his body, as stopping the machines even for a minute cost a lot of money.

A metallic taste surged up Horner's throat, and he stopped to retch forcefully. His vision blurred momentarily, but he soon composed himself, forcibly suppressing all his pain.

The fiery projectiles cut through the air like nothing Horner had ever seen. The bullets burned fiercely, piercing steel and wood, eventually reducing a demon to ashes.

The soldiers of the Purification Mechanism broke through the manor's gates, skillfully advancing in scattered formations, shooting down every demon in sight.

Mentor Lawrence had told him about them. There was a peculiar force within Old Dunling, surely it was them.

During his previous acts of revenge, Horner had already encountered these people. Their eerie armor was not something he could contend with.

He chuckled silently, perhaps finding the world's complexity amusing, or maybe it was something else. He shook his head and turned to move forward.

Those things had nothing to do with him now; his target was only one person.

...

"What are you doing? Get down quickly!"

At the doorway of the manor's basement, Duke Salicardo shouted at Duke Phoenix.

This was a safe house, disguised as a basement, but the door had a layer of thick steel inside, and it contained survival supplies. Who knew what Duke Phoenix had experienced to set up such things in his own home.

Arthur looked at him with distaste, then continued loading bullets into his revolver.

Following Lorenzo's warning, he left the ball and returned to the carriage. But this wasn't a retreat; it was a counterattack. As a duke from a family with a military heritage, Arthur was far more fierce than Duke Salicardo. He first notified the Purification Mechanism, then took the revolver from the carriage and returned to the ball.

Arthur's target was Duke Salicardo. Just as Lorenzo had said, the dukes were the most valuable in this ball. Arthur didn't worry about himself; as the head of the Purification Mechanism, he was far more terrifying than anyone imagined. He returned with the gun to protect the other dukes.

But apart from Duke Salicardo, who had been scared out of his wits, Selyu was nowhere to be found. Although Arthur was also concerned about the girl of similar age to Eve, he had to protect Duke Salicardo for the moment.