Embers of Embers

Chapter 153 Restless Illusion
"Lorenzo!"
Arthur was calling himself, and his vision was a little blurry, so Lorenzo couldn't see him clearly.
"I'm fine..."
He answered, stumbling in his steps.
"I just... need to calm down..."
The pain that was almost tearing was in my mind, and all kinds of broken memories kept flashing back in front of my eyes.
The pitch-black armor fell off one by one and hit the ground with a clanking sound.
……
Lorenzo couldn't remember exactly how he walked out of the dark underground. He stood under the dim and gloomy sky. The towering buildings of Old Dunling were like spears piercing the sky, like the giant trees of the ancient forest. , blocking all light.
The cold air poured into his nose, which made him feel more awake, but the dull pain in his mind was still tormenting him.
Arthur is responsible for the aftermath of the Perpetual Pump. This matter is even more serious than the appearance of Dean Lawrence. This is the first time the Perpetual Pump has been damaged to this extent since its establishment. Everyone is on alert. .
"So that damn project is going to be delayed?"
Feeling better, he looked at Merlin beside him, the eternal pump that he sent him away from. At this moment, his face didn't look good, and there was anger hidden under the calmness.
"It should be. We need to strengthen security measures and make repairs... You can enjoy a short vacation for the time being, Mr. Holmes."
Merlin said.
"And of course thank you for coming forward, without you we may have had to pay a much greater price."
Lorenzo didn't care about Merlin's thanks, his eyes were a bit hollow.
"Really...Merlin, do you understand [Gap]?"
Merlin frowned slightly after hearing Lorenzo's words.
"Why are you asking this?"
"I need information about it."
Lorenzo was panting slightly. Seeing his appearance, Merlin didn't ask any more questions and just said lightly.
"That's a good start, Mr. Holmes."
"what?"
"I mean you learned to ask others for help, which is a good sign."
Merlin looked at the gloomy sky, as if talking to himself.
"Human beings are social animals, and one person is always weak."
"It's really strange to say something like this from your mouth."
Lorenzo glanced sideways at Merlin. This strange alchemist had eyes that seemed to have no soul. It felt like everything he said would be tinged with mystery.
"We will notify you separately of the start of the project. Of course, if you have any new discoveries about demons, please let us know."
Now they are true allies, and they have no choice but to stick together in the face of the mysterious Reverend Lawrence.
"yes……"
Lorenzo coughed hard several times, and he looked very bad.
"Are you hurt?"
Looking at Lorenzo's state, Merlin asked a little worriedly.
After killing the demon, the demon hunter was uncharacteristically unwilling to stay there any longer and insisted on leaving, as if he was afraid of something.
"How can I not be injured, but I am a demon hunter. As long as the injury is not fatal, I can survive it."
I don't know whether he was self-deprecating or confident, he said.
Although he maintained his human form, Lorenzo knew very well that he was no longer human to some extent. After all, normal humans could not do this.
Merlin said nothing more when he saw this. He respected Lorenzo's thoughts.
"Goodbye then, Mr. Holmes."
He waved his hand to Lorenzo, and a train came from the end of the industrial area. It would lead Lorenzo away from this armed fortress.
The demon hunter's steps were a little slow. Watching Lorenzo leave, Merlin let out a long sigh and whispered.
"【gap】……"
But suddenly there was another voice behind him, the gate slowly opened, and a staggering figure came full of excitement.
Merlin was surprised at first, and then angry.
"Ovis what are you doing!"
No one would have thought that the sickly and thin boy in front of them would be the mysterious Lancelot. As a knight who can perfectly control the original sin armor, he has always been the trump card of the purification agency. Therefore, his identity is very secret and only a few people know it.
But now he ran out openly.
"Merlin, I can do it, I can do it!"
Owes was leaning on a cane, his face covered with sweat from the pain, but he could not hide his excitement.
"I can continue to control the Original Sin Armor!"
Merlin first supported Ovis and said angrily.
"You have almost reached the third stage! How many times do you want me to tell you!"
"No, Merlin, my erosion has weakened, and I can continue to drive the Original Sin Armor."
Ovis's eyes were shining, as if he was trying to convince Merlin.
"You can recheck me, trust me, I can do it!"
At the end of the words, there was a bit of pleading. For Owes, this was everything to him, everything that truly belonged to him.
Looking at this somewhat crazy child, Merlin couldn't help but be startled.
"Calm down, Ovis...you need to rest."
"I can do it, Merlin, I can continue to drive the armor!"
He kept repeating the words, with a bit of madness in his eyes.
"You are still young Ovis, you will only destroy yourself."
He couldn't help but say, but Ovis still had that look in his eyes, and he didn't care at all.
The gate opened again, and the medical staff rushed out. It seemed that Owes had escaped from their hands in some way.
Before Ovis could say anything else, a tranquilizer was inserted into his body.
The medicine quickly paralyzed his nerves, but he still stared at Merlin. The unyielding hand held onto his clothes like a steel vice, refusing to let go until the doctor forcibly separated him.
"I can continue...Merlin."
Owes finally said this, like the last struggle of a drowned man.
Merlin looked at the child with some trepidation. Ovis had always been steady, but this was the first time he had been in this situation.
"what happened."
he asked the doctors who were controlling Ovis.
The doctors all wore thick masks and answered Merlin's questions.
"According to the regulations to protect Lancelot, after the alarm sounded, we entered to protect him...but he fell to the ground at that time, convulsing in pain."
The doctor talked about the scene.
"Before we could do any treatment, he got better and then escaped. It's hard to imagine that he could move to this extent."
"What about the extent of his erosion? Have you re-examined him?"
"No, he may not be able to accept the facts and may have made assumptions."
said the doctor.
"Well...I see."
Merlin said with a bit of a headache.
Ovis was dragged back to the Perpetual Pump by the doctor, but no one noticed the corners of his mouth raised slightly, as if something gave him strength and confidence, making him fanatical and persistent.
……
The whole world seems to be twisted.
For some reason, after killing Horner and leaving that strange [gap], an indescribable force seemed to have been tormenting Lorenzo.
It was a mental shock, the likes of which Lorenzo had never experienced.
He was walking on the somewhat crowded streets. Even the cold winter wind could not disperse the prosperity of Old Dunling. Amidst the bustling noise, Lorenzo just felt tired and in pain like never before.
"I... what's wrong with me?"
Leaning against the wall of the alley, Lorenzo sat down weakly, his entire field of vision becoming confused.
In that weird [gap], he killed that person there, and the alienated demon in the outside world also died.
There is a connection between the two, and Lorenzo is about to get to the truth.
But it seemed as if something was scratching itself from inside his body, crawling out little by little, compressing his throat, making Lorenzo feel the painful suffocation, and he had to open his mouth wide and gasp hard. , even too late to continue thinking.
The demon hunter didn't realize that his condition was already very bad. His cheeks were as pale as blood loss, his pupils were slightly dilated, and various degrees of hallucinations appeared, but he was not aware of the hallucination itself.
At this moment, Horner's memory was still flashing back in his mind. That broken life collided with Lorenzo's will, and then slowly merged, as if two different lives were pieced together. Together we create a new life.
"He looks terrible."
someone asked concerned.
"He'll be fine."
said another.
"really?"
"This is not the first time he has experienced something like this."
"But apparently he forgot."
"It's because of you."
"..."
It seemed that someone was talking in his ear. They were talking about him. The sound was blurry, as if it was pulled by the strong wind into a sharp sound. He could only barely identify it. Lorenzo tried his best to open his eyes wide, but he could not see anything else. Human existence is as if it is one's own delusion.
The short rest seemed to have accumulated some strength for him. He reluctantly stood up, his mind was in chaos as if he had been hit hard.
But suddenly a strangely familiar feeling came to his heart. It seemed that he had experienced something like this many years ago. Lorenzo's thoughts were also so chaotic, but he couldn't remember clearly. The smell of memories came to the tip of his nose. It was the cold sea breeze.
Those forgotten pictures are gradually recovered, like puzzle pieces, fitting together one after another.
He thought of the long voyage from the distant Feilengcui.
He was like this at that time... It seemed like this. Perhaps because it was too long ago, Lorenzo was a little unsure of the memory of the past.
It was then that he arrived in Old Dunlin and began his new life as Lorenzo Holmes.
Suddenly there were drops of scarlet blood, falling on the cold ground, corroding the ground like strong acid, and rising up with a faint white air.
Blood stained his hands, and Lorenzo covered his nose, but he still couldn't stop the blood from flowing out.
"He's...just like you."
"That indescribable form of existence."
In the silence, there were whispers among the crowd.
Their figures were blurred by the fog into an unrecognizable gray mass, out of reach.
"Yes, in fact, many times, the body is a kind of constraint."
"When there is a body, the ethereal will has a sustenance, so the illusory concept also has a substance."
They discussed.
"Things that do not exist can be observed and killed if they have entities."
who is it?
Lorenzo endured his headache and tried to find the direction of the sound.
Like an ancient and obscure whisper, a group of people looked at themselves from above.
This is really unpleasant.
who are you?
The ghostly shadows became aware of Lorenzo's prying eyes, and fell silent.
"Shh..."
As if fearing to disturb some kind of sleeping existence, the sound disappeared. At this moment, the whole world in his mind seemed to be silent. No matter the wind or noise, it was as if Lorenzo had lost his hearing at that moment.
Then the entire street began to twist and deform, the century-old stone bricks began to crack, the cold soil dug out of the surface, the mottled pipes were torn apart by unknown forces, and steam and wastewater were discharged randomly.
All of this is like a magnificent painting. A big hand tore the painting apart, and the world in the painting was also destroyed. After the vast white tide, Lorenzo saw him, that distant scarlet shadow.
"Lawrence."
He tried to hold the nail sword tightly, but he couldn't touch it.
Dean Lawrence seemed to notice something unusual in his vision. He slowly turned his head, but just when he was about to see Lorenzo, Lorenzo was about to find him, but the scarlet shadow disappeared in the next second.
Among the broken memories, a dusty section was rekindled and pierced into Lorenzo's body.
As if he was in free fall, Lorenzo hit the ground heavily under the endless fall. This may be an illusion, but the pain is extremely real.
In front of him was the deep black well... Lorenzo remembered this place, the sublimation well where secret blood was extracted.
So...could it be said...
He raised his head sharply, and the familiar dome came into view. This was the Temple of Stasis, the Temple of Stasis that had long since collapsed, but now it was still solemn, as if it had never experienced the chaos of the Holy Advent Night.
Perhaps... the Night of Holy Advent has not yet begun.
He fell into a strange memory, just like he was trapped in a nightmare.
"It's time for us to get started. Medanzo has already led the demon hunters to guard outside the Cathedral of Saint-Naro. I'll leave the guarding here to you."
Someone came and said to Lorenzo, this was the familiar figure, and anger and coldness surged together.
It was Dean Lawrence.
Lorenzo's first reaction was to swing the nail sword, but he found that he couldn't do anything... He couldn't control himself. This was the past that had already happened, the memory buried deep in his heart.
But a new question arises in the pain, whose memory is this?Why do I think of it at this time, and what happened to all this?
No one answered Lorenzo, everything was so powerless until he remembered the forbidden name.
"Watson..."
He called the devil's name, and the illusion ended.
The whole world returned to normal, or Lorenzo's weird fantasy was over.
The [gap] that was about to build a bridge was interrupted, and the deeply dug memories were buried again.
Those lost sounds sounded again, and in the silence it was like a torrent hitting the eardrums, releasing the accumulated music together.
The shrouding dome disappeared, and the gloomy sky of Old Dunling once again dominated the sky.
In the blur, Lorenzo saw someone walking towards him. There were clattering footsteps and the person was running very fast.
Then the nail sword he was holding shattered, and he could no longer maintain his body shape and fell down.
(End of this chapter)