Embers of Embers

Chapter 167 The Wave
"So, with that weird [gap], it's possible for Dean Lawrence to invade any one of us now, right?"
In the heavily armed room, Merlin frowned. He came to this conclusion after Lorenzo's intelligence.
A conclusion that left everyone uneasy.
Lorenzo nodded at that, he said.
"That's true, but there should be some restrictions, such as certain conditions that trigger an invasion."
【Gap】Invasion needs to cause erosion to the target, so as to establish a beacon that can indicate the course.
"Is that so?"
Merlin clasped his hands together, complex thoughts swirled in his mind, and the situation became more and more bad and difficult.
"Mr. Holmes, this is an extremely dangerous incident."
The empty eyes told the horror of it all.
"An invisible and omnipresent enemy, he also possesses the power to predict the future to a certain extent..."
As those words fell, a piece of lead was pressed down on everyone's heart, and even the air seemed to freeze, making it impossible to breathe.
Like an iron curtain of despair, dark and heavy, blocking all light.
This was an almost invincible enemy, and Merlin saw no hope of victory.
Depressed emotions surged. The purification agency had never encountered such a difficult enemy. It was not clear where to start... It was even said that they had no possibility of confrontation.
At the end of the battle when Dean Lawrence appeared, terrible erosion erupted from his body. The level of erosion caused even Lorenzo to faint in an instant, let alone others.
Investing a lot of troops is just to die.
"So what do you think?"
Lorenzo said and looked to the other side of the room, Arthur also had a solemn look on his face.
This is the factory area of ​​the Mechanical Institute. Although it is said to be a factory, it only produces heavy firepower weapons. Plus, there is a vast industrial area outside. After a brief thought, Merlin decided to use this place as a temporary shelter.
Even if Dean Lawrence does arrive with an army of monsters, the damage can be minimized with the defense strength here and the open terrain of the industrial area.
This can be regarded as a temporary meeting room. There are only Merlin Arthur, Lorenzo, and Seleucid who are still sleeping. Kestrel and Yawei are taking care of them. Because it involves Dean Lawrence and the mysterious [Gap], the other high-ranking knights They were also mobilized, and after expedited maintenance of the Perpetual Pump, several Original Sin Armors were in place.
No one thought that an ancient and unknown curse would eventually cause such a wide range of troubles, and all the powers in the shadows awakened.
The war is imminent.
"An idea?"
Arthur lowered his head, his eyes complicated, making it difficult for people to peek into him.
Compared to Merlin and Lorenzo, Arthur is actually the most qualified spokesperson here. As a descendant of the Phoenix family, his intuition for war is engraved in his blood. In this kind of overall control of the battle, , he is the best commander.
He knew that the purge agency had all the power it could mobilize. Old Dunling was his battlefield, and he needed to strangle Dean Lawrence here.
In the long silence, Arthur slowly raised his head.
"I have a preliminary plan, but...I don't know what you think."
He looked at Lorenzo, because Lorenzo's witcher power would be the main force to resist Dean Lawrence, and Arthur hoped to get his consent.
"Yes, your thoughts."
He said.
"If his target is Miss Seleucid Stuart, then... he might as well use her as bait."
Arthur continued without emotion.
"As you said before, Lorenzo, when fighting that high-temperature demon, you... stepped into its [gap] and killed its consciousness, so it died, along with The body of the external demon collapsed together.”
"This is a very important discovery. Besides the heart and brain, the third fatal weakness of demons, then if Dean Lawrence descends and invades Miss Stuart's brain..."
He took a deep breath and then said.
"Then it's equivalent to us trapping Dean Lawrence, and his will exists in her [gap]."
Dean Lawrence invaded Seleu's consciousness. From another perspective, he was also trapped in Seleu's consciousness before he left.
Lorenzo seemed to have thought of something, and his cold eyes trembled slightly.
"I have two options for this plan."
Arthur raised two fingers, his expression as cold as an iron ingot.
"We are firmly protecting Seleucid Stuart, waiting for the invasion of Dean Lawrence, and you... you should also have the power to invade [the gap], right?"
Lorenzo has arrived at the [Gap] more than once. In fact, he does not have this power. To be precise, it is the power of Medanzo or Watson. Every time he takes action, he needs to call them. But if he wants to fight against Dean Lawrence, He had come to an agreement with Watson.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded, and Arthur continued.
"Then the next step is very simple. When Dean Lawrence invades, you also invade and set the battlefield in the consciousness of nothingness."
"If you succeed, you will directly kill Dean Lawrence's consciousness completely and solve this enemy. But if you fail, you will leave it to us."
"You guys, what are you doing?"
Lorenzo asked, if he failed, with the weird nature of [Gap], he would not have the ability to counter Dean Lawrence.
"It's very simple. You withdraw from the so-called [gap]. While Dean Lawrence is trying to control Seleucid Stuart, we perform a prefrontal lobotomy on him. If all the theories are correct, the closed The brain will deal with this enemy by completely imprisoning consciousness."
"Lobotomy!"
Lorenzo's voice grew louder and he roared.
"What are you thinking, Arthur!"
"Keep calm, Mr. Holmes, this is a proposal, a proposal directed at Dean Lawrence."
Arthur remained extremely rational and didn't care at all about what he just said.
"Are you going to kill Seryu together?"
Of course Lorenzo knew what that damn lobotomy was.
"No, I won't kill her. After all, this is the first time we have encountered such a strange enemy, an enemy on a spiritual level. I don't know what will happen if Miss Stuart's brain is destroyed. Maybe it will bring the Lawrence Church with us." If Chang Yi dies, it is possible that he will be released.”
Arthur spoke of the most extreme cruelty in a calm tone.
"My suggestion is to contain her. If you fail in the battle in the [Gap], we will protect Miss Stuart after the operation and observe her for a long time to determine the survival of Dean Lawrence."
If successful, Seleucid will become Dean Lawrence's prison, just like Lorenzo, except that she has no consciousness of her own because she has been sealed in the darkness.
"You have no idea how feasible this thing is!"
Lorenzo retorted.
No one knows whether this thing can really trap him, or even whether all this is useful. It is like an unknown battle, and someone needs to sacrifice to walk through the minefield, but this time the victim is Seliu.
"Arthur, what if Dean Lawrence evacuates after I evacuate?"
It is an ethereal will, and no one can judge his position.
"The operation will be quick. If it is rough, it can be done in one or two seconds."
He said indifferently.
"Insert the steel needle and stir it vigorously to destroy the white matter of the brain."
"This is the most rational inference, Mr. Holmes, stay rational to the extreme."
Arthur shook his head, he was just making his judgment from the most rational perspective.
"I don't blame you, but we did have room to turn around with Dean Lawrence at the time, but not this time."
At that time, Arthur could replace Eve and become a hostage to break the situation, but this time he couldn't. This was the most terrifying enemy and there was no chance of maneuver.
"Priest Lawrence is getting stronger and stronger. After obtaining the Holy Grail, he can even travel through the [gap]."
He sneered.
"Think about it. Although he is old, under normal conditions, his combat power is the ceiling of mankind. After Dean Lawrence activated the secret blood, the huge erosion will at least make people within a hundred meters unconscious... even as a hunter You can't resist the devil, let alone his ability to predict the future, travel through [gaps], or those powers we still don't know."
Arthur's eyes swept across Lorenzo and Merlin, and then seemed to look at the world outside the steel wall.
"Speaking of the [gap] shuttle, that is to say, before we figure out the triggering conditions and can prevent it, Dean Lawrence may be anyone in this fortress."
The voice was terrifyingly sharp.
"Perhaps he has arrived now. He has corrupted the soldiers and is walking in this fortress through the bodies of the soldiers. Or maybe he is our high-ranking knights who often deal with demons... or even Merlin. I, too have you."
Arthur pointed at the two of them, he was sensible and crazy.
"In other words, now each of us may be invaded by Dean Lawrence. Maybe I am Dean Lawrence now, but I disguise it well enough so that you can't find out."
That's a scary possibility.
"No one can be trusted these days, Mr. Holmes."
Arthur warned.
"So you're going to use Seleu?"
"Mr. Holmes, don't you realize it yet? Everything we do is meaningless."
Arthur replied.
"This is no longer an ordinary commission. Not to mention sacrificing a future duke, even if the sacrifice is more to kill the potential threat of Dean Lawrence, I will not hesitate to carry it out."
"Priest Lawrence is so powerful. In fact, on the frontal battlefield, we are no match for him. As long as he releases erosion, everyone close to him will lose consciousness, or even be eroded to the third stage and degenerate into a hateful monster. "
"Sacrificing Miss Stuart is only a possibility to defeat Dean Lawrence, but just one possibility is worth a try, isn't it?"
"Director Lawrence is so powerful now. If we let him continue to develop, then we will have no possibility of counterattack."
He continued.
"Keep your wits about you and choose the lesser of two evils, that's what you said."
Lorenzo's anger froze for a moment. He looked at Arthur blankly, not knowing what to say.
Yes, it would be more appropriate to use a girl's everything in exchange for the death of Dean Lawrence. Even if Dean Lawrence cannot be killed, it is still a good result to be able to imprison him for a long time.
Just sacrifice a girl.
Then there was a sharp chill.
Yes, as long as you kill one person, just sacrifice one person, just like you didn't care about Eve's life at that time, what's the difference between Seleu and her?
He is a ruthless demon hunter, and he will do anything to eradicate the demon Lorenzo. This price is simply cheap for him.
But why do I feel angry and hesitant at this moment?
Or... I became more and more like a person.
A terrible person.
Departing from the will of the weapon, fresh flesh and blood grew again on the cold steel. Lorenzo's humanity was hindering him, making him emotional, wavering, and hesitant.
Take a deep breath and just think, the chaotic thoughts will tear your brain to pieces.
Yes, Lorenzo never thought about this at all. He had been obscured by hatred and anger for too long.
He is not ruthless enough to sacrifice everyone, he still has weaknesses, like a ridiculous clown.
"This is your fault, Mr. Holmes."
Arthur seemed to understand what Lorenzo was suffering from, and he had suffered from it too.
"Emotions can affect our judgment, so I always hope that Eve can stay far away from me, and it is best not to see her again. She is my only weakness."
"You should also know this, right? You are also trying to maintain absolute sanity, but sometimes life will tease you like this... Even if you have been with a dog for a long time, you will still have feelings. "
The image of Seleu suddenly came to mind. Lorenzo had tried to stay away from this child countless times. He knew very well the consequences of deepening the relationship with the witcher. This was his mistake. Without those so-called feelings, Lorenzo Zuo can make a very rational judgment at this moment.
It's worth sacrificing just one girl in exchange for a small chance of winning.
"Actually, you have already lost, Mr. Holmes."
He keenly noticed the change in Lorenzo's demeanor and smiled.
"But congratulations, you are not a cold weapon, you can still empathize. Although it is disgusting, at least you are still a human being."
"All the above are only based on the situation that you lose the battle. In other words, as long as you can kill Dean Lawrence in the [gap], those cruel behaviors will not happen, but your first reaction is I can’t bear the violence..."
"So, you don't think you can win against Dean Lawrence, right?"
The atmosphere was cold, as if falling into the deep sea.
"It feels very powerless, right? In fact, this is the normal state of our fight with demons, rather than the side push of demon hunters mowing the grass all the way."
Arthur continued.
"We are all mortals, powerless and humble mortals, struggling to sail on the dark sea. Sometimes we will break through the turbulent waves, so we are happy and arrogant, thinking that we have conquered the sea."
"In fact, no, Mr. Holmes, we have never conquered that sea of ​​fear. It is only brewing power, preparing to wave the big wave of despair and catch us all in one fell swoop."
Look at the eyes that gradually lose emotion and become like a sea of ​​ice.
"Now, the tide is coming."
(End of this chapter)