Gun of Ashes

Under the pitch-black night sky, grotesque and sprawling flesh filled the entire ground, rising high and then drooping down, like a mountain range of folds that severed everything.

Except for the eerie green lights at the end of the horizon, it seemed there was no more light in the whole world, and in this quieter space, new flames began to burn from the Abyss.

The flesh, like clods of earth, emitted a shriveled burning sound, and then a faint light appeared beneath its dark gray surface. In the next moment, a sharp Nail Sword pierced out from it, and then a fierce white fire began to burn wildly along this crack, eventually burning out a human-sized hole.

Pushing through the hard flesh, Lorenzo crawled out, enveloped in steaming white smoke. He breathed heavily, then bent over and retched.

Dark red flesh was expelled, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. He seemed very exhausted, and after emptying his stomach, he sat down with his sword.

After a brief calm, he burst into laughter.

His gamble had paid off—the way to leave the dream was, indeed, through death. As long as he died, the dream would awaken. If Lorenzo hadn't done that, he would have remained under the Demon's erosion, with its grip deepening over time, until he eventually succumbed to the darkness.

"It seems they really know a lot."

Lorenzo said with a somewhat grim expression.

Everything just now was a dream constructed by the Demon. In the past, Lorenzo might not have been able to find his Venus and escape. Unfortunately, that "Dean Lawrence" had exposed a flaw. Whether it was the dream's ownership or that long-standing grudge, for Lorenzo, there was something extremely crucial.

The name Lorenzo Holmes, he only acquired it after arriving in Old Dunling.

Struggling to stand up, though reminiscing about the past felt good, Lorenzo now had more urgent matters to attend to. Clearly, Ende Town's contamination had already spread, with the twisted flesh extending all the way here.

If Lorenzo guessed correctly, he was now encountering a phenomenon known as the Nightmare Illusion, a large-scale hallucination ritual only achievable by using Demons. It would have a Dream Builder maintaining the dream, and now that Dream Builder was expanding the dream's reach through the extended flesh.

This could be why the Purification Mechanism was struggling despite fighting on home ground. Anyone stepping into this dream realm would immediately face an assault by the dream. Without a strong will or something like Venus as a psychological suggestion, it's incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to escape.

The extended flesh trapped the body, and the dream imprisoned the mind. Given enough time, those ensnared would all become members of the Demons.

An eerie green light rose at the horizon; the so-called Ende Town was close. But now the Radiant was forced to stop, and everyone on the train was plunged into the trial of this dream, leaving Lorenzo seemingly no choice but to proceed on foot.

He had to be fast, kill the Dream Builder before these unfortunate souls turned into Demons.

With this thought, Lorenzo strode towards the green light, running along the railway tracks, the degree of Secret Blood Awakening rising with the sprint, like a racing cheetah.

But at that moment, a thundering sound arose, almost happening in an instant, the flesh beside him being torn apart, a sharp blade protruding strangely from within, aiming to stab Lorenzo with a deadly intent.

Drawing his Nail Sword, the clash produced a crisp sound. The enemy moved quickly, so quickly, in fact, that Lorenzo couldn't clearly see him at first sight. Then, a whistling wind came from behind, a sharp blade light filling Lorenzo's vision.

Another soft clang, the collision of sword blades sparked bursts of fire.

The force of the sword swings gradually increased as Lorenzo managed to successfully parry the attack from behind, their shadows fleetingly intersecting before maintaining a safe distance to gaze at each other.

"I finally found you."

Said the man with a hint of fanatic emotion.

Hearing the slightly distorted voice, Lorenzo looked up and saw a man holding a sharp sword at the other end.

Lorenzo said nothing, his gaze extraordinarily cautious.

With the centuries-old experience accumulated by the Demon Hunting Order, the specialized Lorenzo was practically at the human physical limits, yet even so, in their recent exchange, one slight mistake would have left Lorenzo struck by the blade.

Demon?

An autonomous Demon, once again.

Slowly lifting the two Nail Swords, Lorenzo assumed a posture akin to a hunting tiger, intensely fixated on the enemy.

"How wonderful..."

The man opened his chest as if to embrace the world, eyes filled with unprecedented excitement. From the moment Lorenzo laid eyes on him, the man had not ceased being exhilarated.

It was unclear whether it was joy or some other emotion; it made Lorenzo feel a bit strange.

He had seen angered hearts, those filled with hatred, and those wielding swords for desire, but few could find joy in slaughter. Such individuals were typically madmen in layman's terms.

"I'm Ed, what's your name?"

Ed spoke excitedly, and as he spoke, he made no effort to hide his intentions, swinging his sword directly at Lorenzo.

Honestly, Lorenzo really didn't want to engage with such a lunatic.

Silently confronting, the flashing sword light, ringing like a metallic symphony, sparked fervently.

Despite being enemies and meeting for the first time, they maintained a strange synergy. After several seconds of combat, they would retreat in harmony before clashing again.

They were appraising each other during the pauses, offering the slightly numbed hands a brief rest.

"Why won't you speak?"

Ed exaggeratedly embodied a madman's demeanor, his style even more relentless than Lorenzo's, foregoing any structured technique, attacking entirely on instinct.

Yet despite this, Lorenzo maintained the upper hand. He began to gradually suppress Ed. Either cornering this lunatic or discovering a slight flaw, Lorenzo was confident he could execute a lethal strike.

"Are you mute?"

Once more, the lunatic rambling echoed beside his ears, a fierce blow descending obliquely from above. Ed's assault was grand and forceful, leaving no room for holding back.

In Lorenzo's eyes, an illusory scene unfolded; he was predicting his attack, visualizing himself wielding a sharp sword in retaliation from various angles, cutting in different ways. Some strikes proved ineffective, others exchanged wound for wound, and a few were countered by Ed.

Only one attack succeeded. Lorenzo met the descending blade with a thrust, one sword guard blocking the attack while the other pierced his chest.

Without hesitation, Lorenzo directly chose such an attack, the upcoming guard lowering the blade, the twin swords erupting violently towards Ed's chest.

However, at the moment of decision, Ed's pupils resembled a beast's.

The descending blade accelerated instantly; at such a speed, Lorenzo wouldn't be able to pierce Ed's chest before being struck.

In the instant of thought, Lorenzo's heart skipped a beat; this Ed wasn't just a mere lunatic but a rational one. From the initiation of their exchange, he had been gauging Lorenzo's techniques while intentionally slowing his own attack speed to mislead Lorenzo.

Thus, like a film in fast forward, the intricate swordplay concluded in an instant.

The sharp blade hadn't yet reached Ed, but Lorenzo had already been struck by the descending sword. Though he had another Nail Sword raised to guard against it, Lorenzo's single-handed strength couldn't hold off such an assault.

A booming crash echoed, seeming as if steel were tearing apart. The guarding Nail Sword shattered upon contact, and the descending blade left a deep gash on Lorenzo's shoulder. Being struck prematurely, Lorenzo's grip shifted slightly, the blade piercing Ed but not fully embedding itself.

Evidently, this bout ended with Lorenzo at a significant disadvantage, but true to his nature, Lorenzo wouldn't easily concede. Thus, the Demon Hunter's extraordinary physique shone in this moment.

Releasing the impaled Nail Sword, anchoring his pivot foot, Lorenzo fiercely lifted his other leg, kicking the sword hilt lodged in Ed's body deeper, like hammering a nail, while simultaneously using the kick's momentum to fall back, clutching his wound and quickly retreating.

He didn't even have time to check on Ed's condition, releasing the broken sword, raising the Winchester voluntarily, the Demon Hunter's blood surged into the gap, Lorenzo pulled the trigger, a blazing white flame bullet roared forth.

No surprise, it struck Ed directly, igniting into a fierce white fire.