Embers of Embers

Chapter 283 Mourner
Tonight is very strange, as if something is about to happen, the bright full moon is like an eye pupil high above the night, as if it is the eye pupil of a certain god, looking coldly at the mortal land with the stars.
Lorenzo stood blankly on the deserted street. He seemed to have not yet recovered from the shock of the sudden leap in the scene. The golden flame burned away all the nothingness, and then the world in his memory appeared in front of his eyes.
This daze did not last long, and he soon realized this, took two cautious steps forward, and then looked at this familiar city with nostalgia and palpitations.
The buildings are like towering spears, piercing the sky above the clouds. During the day, the streets here are filled with devout believers, and at night the prayers and hymns here never stop.
Yes, he did it, and returned to the depths of his memory, this city of faith and holiness, the place of the Seven Hills.
In Lorenzo's knowledge, he is a member of the demon hunters of Medanzo, guarding the Cathedral of San Naro. He is very familiar with everything in this city. Following the route in his memory, he headed towards the candle The land of fire and chant marches forward.
The singing became clearer and clearer, and Lorenzo also knew that he was about to reach the ancient building. His steps were heavy, and the sound of excitement began to overlap with another voice. The two steps overlapped together, so in the darkness The man walked past Lorenzo.
Lorenzo stared blankly at the man passing by him. He was wearing a gorgeous iron armor, and under the iron armor was a white robe with gold trim. The spiked sword was stuck at the side of his waist, and his face was hidden under the helmet.
It was a cold iron face, and there were eyes peering around in the darkness under his eyes. The iron cross on his chest collided with the armor back and forth, making a crisp sound, and he followed the crisp sound, humming. Singing a familiar hymn.
"...047."
Lorenzo murmured.
He couldn't see the man's face clearly, but perhaps it was the so-called intuition. Lorenzo was sure that the man in front of him was 047. He was named Metanzo and was the strongest shield of the Cathedral of San Naro.
047 did not see Lorenzo. To be precise, Lorenzo did not exist. This is a world of memories. Everything in front of him happened many years ago. Lorenzo is just reliving it now.
It was late at night and there was no one on the street. The Cathedral of Saint-Naro slowly emerged in front of our eyes. It was echoing with never-ending hymns and the candlelight was like a sea, surging and rippling.
The white brick staircase appears in front of you. It connects the Cathedral of Saint-Naro and the land of the Seven Hills. It is like the staircase to the sky. All believers are eager to climb this staircase and enter the beautiful kingdom of God.
At this moment, there are a few scattered people on the stairs. They are not many in number, only a dozen or so, but they are wearing the same armor as 047, with nailed swords hidden in sheaths, and the edge of the armor Glowing with sharp light.
The demon hunters of Medanzo stood on the stairs like stone statues, motionless, with suppressed murderous intent. It was not until the arrival of 047 that this frozen scene melted away.
"Is the inspection over?" 051 asked.
"It's over. Qiqiu Place is not big, and there is a curfew tonight, so the inspection will be quick." 047 said.
047 is a demon hunter named Metanzo, the leader of these Metanzo demon hunters, but he does not have the posture of a superior. Just like in the previous training, the relationship between them is like a close one. Comrades.
Lorenzo was standing not far from the stairs, and he was confused at this moment.
He looked around, but he could not find himself among these Metanzo demon hunters. It seemed that he was not here at the moment, but according to the regulations of the Metanzo demon hunters, he had to be here at this moment. This is his duty.
047 moved again, interrupting Lorenzo's thinking. He stepped up the stairs, walked to the top, and finally stopped at the top step.
This is his position. From this height, he can see everything in the square in front of the Saint-Naro Cathedral. If the enemy attacks frontally, he cannot avoid his eyes.
051 also came over. This man gave Lorenzo a very strange feeling. Although he was also a demon hunter in Metanzo, Lorenzo did not recognize this man, and he could not remember the face under the cold iron face. What does it look like, but he also has an inexplicable sense of familiarity, which is very contradictory and strange.
"Aren't you nervous?" 051 asked suddenly.
"There's nothing to be nervous about." 047 said easily, and then continued to hum the nameless hymn.
Normally everyone just pretends. After all, this is the Cathedral of Saint-Naro, this is the place of the Seven Hills. If there is a place of glory in this world, it must be this place. It is so radiant that demons will die if they come here. .
Although there had been several demon attacks before, they were all perfectly resolved by the demon hunters. With Metanzo's strong armor, the demons could not even step onto the last step.
They are so strong and confident.
051 shook his head uneasily. He could feel the difference tonight. It seemed like something was about to happen. The sudden curfew brought a cold depression to the whole city. The surroundings were extremely quiet. The singing from the church behind him, It seemed to be the only sound in the silence.
This is a very strange feeling, as if the Saint-Naro Cathedral has become the only island at night, with evil surging in the darkness around it, ready to ride the wind and extinguish all fires.
047 seemed to know something, but he said nothing and just continued to hum the nameless hymn.
He obviously did not have a beautiful singing voice, and his singing voice seemed a bit hoarse. Fortunately, the singing in the church overshadowed his voice, and only 051 who was close to him could faintly hear it.
After a while, 047 suddenly stopped and spoke slowly.
"Don't worry, there's nothing to be uneasy about. If a demon really appears, just draw your sword and kill it, just like we did before. It's very simple."
As he spoke, he fiddled with the nailed sword on his waist. The bright moonlight fell on it, giving off a slight chill.
051 sighed helplessly, should he be said to be a demon hunter worthy of the name Metanzo? 047 is always so stable, like an indestructible iron mountain. As long as he is still there, the situation is still under control.
Maybe...maybe it's because of this that he is Metanzo.
"It's just that you look really relaxed and humming." 051 said.
"This is just to enhance memory. It has no name, no score, just a melody passed down by word of mouth. If you forget it, you will really forget it," 047 said with a smile, "This is a song I heard by chance. From a respected old man.”
As he spoke, he recalled a long-ago escort mission in which he protected an old man named Lorenzo Medici on his way to his hermitage, and the old man hummed this song along the way.
The old man said that this is an ancient hymn. Except for this oral melody, everything about it has disappeared in the long river of history. Even he himself learned that this song originated from a general. Dead ascetics.
The old man in his late years was particularly charitable, which seemed to be due to his age, which was completely different from the viciousness in the rumors.
"Perhaps this melody has been misinterpreted by us a long time ago?" the old man suddenly said at that time.
I don’t know how long this ancient hymn has been passed down. It is spread only by human memory, but human memory is so fragile. Maybe some of its fragments have long been forgotten, or maybe they were forgotten in the long hum. Tampered with the melody.
Then the old man stopped talking and just hummed stubbornly. At this time, 047 realized that the old man was already very old, so old that even his memory was unreliable. He could only repeat it stubbornly, making this melody Engraved in the depths of memory.
At that time, 047 did not have that deep understanding, but now that he feels it, he has some novel ideas.
Lorenzo was standing not far away. He couldn't help but hum the ancient hymn. It was so similar to the song of memory. During the ritual of implanting the secret blood, the old man also hummed stubbornly. it.
"051What are you going to do next?"
As if to comfort the restless child, 047 suddenly asked.
"After? After what?" 051 asked.
"Retirement. After retirement, I plan to go to Old Dunling with two friends. We are going to open a detective agency together. It will be a great time." 047 chatted and turned his eyes to the Iron Mask beside him. Down.
He tried to find a pair of bright eyes in the darkness, but 051 looked away for some reason.
"I don't know. I've only become a witcher not long ago. I didn't expect it to be that far."
"Oh, then you have to make plans early. After all, this is also a life plan." 047 said.
051 was silent at first, and then asked hesitantly.
"Can you take me with you?"
"what?"
"Old Dunling, I think it would be a good idea to go there."
051 said, with his head lowered and his iron face hanging to the ground.
047 was startled, but then he sighed helplessly and cruelly refused.
"This is not okay, 051."
"Why?" 051 was a little confused.
"Because you and I are not demon hunters at the same time, you may still be serving when I retire?" 047 suddenly pretended to be relaxed and said.
051 was a little confused. For a moment, he didn't know whether this was rejection or something else.
Demon hunters are divided into batches. 051 is the new Metanzo demon hunter, while 047 has been fighting demons for many years and even received the honorary name of Metanzo.
"However, I can wait for you in Old Dunling, 051. Of course, the premise is that you must live until then." 047 said.
The life of a demon hunter is to fight monsters. The so-called retirement is just a wish for happiness. No one knows who will survive to the end.
051 nodded slightly, suddenly feeling that tonight was not so depressing.
But suddenly the bell rang, loud and distant, in such a silent night.
Lorenzo, who was watching from the side, was stunned for a moment, then more bells rang, and the sounds came from all directions, like soldiers holding swords and armor, washing the earth with the torrent of sounds.
They sounded repeatedly, completely shattering the silence, and the pervasive hymn was completely covered, leaving only the sound of the evening bell brought by the hammering.
Like an all-night party, this is the beginning of it.
047 seemed to understand what happened, his eyes were stern, and then he pulled out the nail sword, the pale sword light shone like stars under the moonlit night.
"Everyone! Stay alert!"
047 roared, the rest of the demon hunters didn't know what was going on at all, but out of trust in 047, they still pulled out their nailed swords, and they moved in unison. Long cry.
Lorenzo looked at all this, and then he realized something. His expression gradually became frightened and desperate, and he roared loudly.
"Run away!"
For a moment, Lorenzo couldn't tell whether it was a memory or reality, he just yelled in vain, and rushed to 047's side in embarrassment, pulling him hard, trying to pull him away from here.
047 was motionless. Lorenzo felt great pain for a moment. He beat him hard, but in the end he knelt down unbearably.
Lorenzo breathed hard, and after realizing his powerlessness, he growled angrily, as if venting all his pain.
All this is just in vain, here are memories, everything that Lorenzo sees at this moment has happened before, and he can't change everything that has already happened...
Lorenzo's movements stiffened, and then he raised his head and looked at the cold iron surface of 047, which was like an artist's sculpture, an angel who pitied the world.
...This is not the memory of what he experienced, this is the memory of 047, this is everything he has experienced.
"Run away...you will die..."
Lorenzo roared feebly, like a wanton and willful child, doing everything ridiculous...but nothing could change it. This night had happened many years ago, and what he saw now These people had already died that night.
He was like a mourner who traveled through time. He could do nothing but stand here silently, watching in despair as these people went forward to die.
These people were dying, pierced by swords and claws, killed, eaten, destroyed, limbs and entrails scattered haphazardly, and no one knew about it.
They were about to die, disappearing quietly in this cruel night, as if they had never existed.
Lorenzo's eyes were dull, looking at the ferocious and twisted church, and murmuring softly.
"Tonight, the great holiness descends here."
The erosion like a tidal wave overflowed from under the ground and from the glorious and sacred church, as if it were an escaped devil, echoing with faint laughter. They wanted to ignite this sacred city to celebrate their freedom.
It's like an inverted vortex. The roaring and rolling erosion is like thousands of rapid torrents. They are released from the source in the center. In the blink of an eye, the invisible tide covers the entire Seven Hills. The terrifying pressure destroys every waking person. The will of a person, it pulls at the mind, as if it wants to tear the whole world apart.
"Witchers! Prepare for battle!"
In the depression of despair, 047's eyes flashed with light like daylight, he raised the nail sword high and roared angrily.
(End of this chapter)