Gun of Ashes

"Not good at all, I feel like a mole, plunged in darkness, echoes of digging everywhere, and the hum of electricity."

Lorenzo's day was indeed a bit too busy; he wanted to rest, but the environment here was hardly comfortable.

Even though the environment of Old Dunling wasn't much better, with a gloomy sky and particles of filth in the air, when Lorenzo lay alone in the room, he could hear the faint breathing from the next door, the snoring of Mrs. Van Rudd downstairs, and could see the bustling traffic near the window.

Lorenzo didn't belong to such a world, but lifting his head to see such a peaceful world always brought a slight comfort. Here, Lorenzo felt that perhaps the next second the soil above might collapse from an experiment explosion, burying everyone here alive.

"Can people really live in this godforsaken place?"

Lorenzo found it somewhat hard to accept; there was no sky to be seen, and without a pocket watch, he wouldn't even know what time it was; it could already be deep in the night or the daylight could have risen for a new day.

"Of course, not only can people live here, but in several of our contingency plans, if the surface of Old Dunling were destroyed, this would be our final sanctuary. It has abundant resources and a complete underground production chain, enough for us to live here for several years."

"It seems like during your time managing this place, you've turned it into a fortress."

Hearing what Merlin said, Lorenzo responded.

Actually, looking at it now, this place is also an unbelievable miracle. Lorenzo couldn't fathom how they dug this deep, even the Static Holy Temple beneath Saint Nalos Cathedral was expanded from that enormous underground cave.

"We have to thank industrial progress for this."

Merlin did not answer directly but praised the cold machinery instead.

"You need to stay awake for a long period; inject all these remaining ones as well."

He said as he handed over several more vials of Florun Potion, which was already taking effect in Lorenzo's body, keeping him extremely alert.

"Aren't you afraid of an overdose might kill me?"

"An ordinary person might die, but you, being a Demon Hunter, increasing the dose won't hurt."

Merlin said.

"In fact, your arrival is a pleasant surprise. Though I wanted you to participate in the experiment, you are aware of the current situation inside Old Dunling; researchers like us are somewhat under house arrest, confined here to avoid being killed or abducted by unknown forces."

Sometimes the importance of researchers is greater than that of leaders. Fortunately, Merlin has continually been reforming technology over the years, preventing a break in important technology after an alchemist's death.

The directive's voice resonated through the underground space via a loudspeaker. The machines slowly turned, hoisting heavy steel, and then set up a lifting scaffold. Countless lights descended, and the audience remained vigilant around, preparing for the upcoming experiment.

"No security forces? If I lose control, you might not survive."

Lorenzo donned a layer of clothing covered with electrodes, intertwined wires connected to the machines, which supposedly could roughly reflect Lorenzo's basic physiological status.

"Think of it this way, if you lose control, is there anything that can stop you?"

Merlin said somewhat helplessly. Just as Arthur was wary, the Purification Mechanism couldn't currently balance Lorenzo, or it could control him at a small cost, as one of the front-line forces against demons, only the Armor of Original Sin could rival it.

"So to ensure we won't be killed by you, you must exert every effort to control yourself."

Merlin warned again.

"I will...You aren't sure what exactly will happen, right?"

Although he agreed easily with words, Lorenzo also bore the same psychological pressure.

Both he and Black Angel possessed the Holy Grail Flesh; no one knew what might happen next.

"That's an unknown, and our task is to explore it, to turn the unknown into the known."

Merlin was encouraging Lorenzo.

"This counts as an honor, Lorenzo. Just as your Evangelical Church initially created the Demon Hunters, you didn't know what would happen when humans mastered the Forbidden Power, did you?

Attempting brings change, but without it, it would always remain a stagnant pool."

With Merlin's words, the machinery begins to turn and pull; the Black Angel, suspended mid-air, emits eerie sounds. With the influx of electricity, those muscle tissues instinctively constrict, Iron Feather grinding against each other, producing a piercing screech.

The experiment began, and everyone was on high alert, the indicator lights turned red, and the tension filled the underground space.

The pitch-black Evil Anomaly Egg started to deform. The outer steel, pulled by the machinery, was opened, and the tightly wrapped wings unfolded bit by bit, revealing the core inside, while more liquid oozed from the gaps, akin to blood.

Lorenzo looked up, gazing at the Evil Anomaly that had saved him, but immediately saw that the outer Scale Armor of Black Angel was slowly undulating.

"It...is it breathing?"

Lorenzo found it hard to believe.

"Yes, from another perspective, the Armor of Original Sin is nothing more than a demon fused with machinery, and it still has biological instincts. This instinct was considerably enhanced with the addition of the Holy Grail Flesh. In its initial experiments, the Black Angel even displayed certain self-instincts."

Having seen it many times, Merlin's reaction was not as pronounced as Lorenzo's.

Steam engines began preheating, a bright red blaze igniting beneath the steel, surging gases spewing from exhaust vents. One after another, the indicator lights on the Black Angel's surface lit up, and the flesh started writhing with the illumination, and unlike the memory, as the wings unfolded, a red restraint became visible under the wings, resembling multiple rivets piercing through the armor.

"That is a Restraint Device, capable of suppressing the activity of the Black Angel to some extent. It is also connected to cables and pipelines, capable of injecting electricity and suppressant liquids into the Armor of Original Sin. This is our safety device for this experiment."

Merlin explained to Lorenzo, and as he spoke, the deep-embedded rivets inside the flesh also began to rotate, the internal iron structure extending outward, the tail connected to cables, while the low-temperature gas for suppression was also ready.

Beneath the Black Angel, as the experiment began, the ground collapsed, revealing pitch darkness below; should Lorenzo lose control, he would likely be dropped straight down here.

"Are you ready, Lorenzo?"

Merlin looked at Lorenzo, hoping to read some nervous emotion on his face, but this lunatic showed nothing but excitement, completely unlike a normal person.

For Lorenzo, the prospect ahead wasn't a lair of dragons and tigers but rather a dreamlike home.

"I've been ready for a long time."

Lorenzo replied; barring any accidents, the Black Angel will assist him in reaching the Gap, though the principle of it is unclear, just like Merlin said, it's a process of turning the unknown into the known, and he will be the brave pioneer.

"Right, about the will stuff."

Lorenzo grabbed the cable, but just as he was about to ascend, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to ask.

"Merlin, if you were writing a will, what would you write? It should be about the transmission of knowledge, right? So wills, these things, are left by those with unfulfilled wishes, aren't they? You know there'll be someone to succeed you; you're not alone."

"What are you trying to say?" Merlin asked.

Lorenzo seemed to have something to say, but ended up swallowing it back, simply giving Merlin a thumbs up, then pulled tight on the cable. He rose to a height until the vicious yet calm stance of Black Angel appeared before him.

As if welcoming Lorenzo, with his arrival, the black Scale Armor, tugged by the flesh, cracked open like a mouth agape, swallowing Lorenzo whole.