Embers of Embers

Chapter 708 Choice
"Father!"
"Father Anthony!"
A vague voice echoed in my ears, as if someone was calling for something.
Who?
who is anthony
He couldn't figure it out, he just felt that these sounds were noisy and disturbed his peaceful sleep, and now he was very tired, and he just wanted to fall asleep. As for whether he could wake up, it didn't matter to him.
Today, he does not understand the so-called "Xingxing", "Anthony", "Future" and other words, as well as the meanings they contain.
He is more like a creature with simple thoughts, soaked in a slightly viscous liquid, wrapped in warmth, with water passing over his body, like a woman's gentle touch, soothing his spirit and letting him sink in. In the depths of darkness, sleep forever.
There's nothing wrong with that, yes, there's nothing wrong with that.
Simple thinking gave rise to some complex thinking, and then the complex thinking evoked a dream-like scene.
Yes, I shouldn't wake up, I should just fall asleep like this.
Once he wakes up, he will...what will he face?He didn't know clearly, but he could feel that it was not a good thing. Faced with such heavy pressure, he wanted to escape now, just like the current situation.
Fall into a drowsy sleep and give up all thoughts, like a wild dog. The only thing that needs to worry about is eating and drinking, and nothing else matters.
That's good, that's great.
"Father! Father Anthony!"
The shouts became clearer, mixed with many screams.
He was a little irritated and just hoped that these damn sounds would disappear quickly, but they became louder and louder.
"No...no, I've had enough of this hell."
He muttered, and then the noises disappeared, and a cold mask emerged from the darkness.
"Are you going to run away? Anthony." The steel mask said to him.
"Me?" He was stunned for a moment, and then more memories came out like a tide, and his voice was frightened, "I am...Anthony."
"So, are you going to run away?"
The mask continued to ask, and Anthony looked at the mask. The originally exquisite and gorgeous surface was already covered with countless scratches and cracks. There were stains in the cracks, and blood solidified on it, leaving a dark red texture. .
"escape……"
He murmured, his body couldn't help but tremble.
People are fragile and cowardly, even demon hunters. They have been sublimated by the secret blood, but as the alchemists said, no matter what kind of sublimation and purification, from the beginning to the end, the material There are still some residues in it that are difficult to remove.
Some people say that is the essence of human beings, the essence of inferiority, which is like a mark, firmly engraved in the soul.
"Your Majesty..."
Anthony thought of all this and felt afraid of the darkness he was about to face, and felt ashamed of his desire to escape.
He choked on the blue sea water and coughed violently, almost spitting out his internal organs from his throat. The scarlet liquid melted into the sea water, and he could hear the sound of rushing water, and soon he floated upwards. , breaking through the sea.
"Ha ha……"
Anthony gasped violently and blinked. The burning night sky was right in front of him. The tide around him receded, and there were streams of scarlet blood.
"He's awake!"
Someone shouted happily.
Anthony tried to get up, but the severe pain all over his body paralyzed him in place, making it difficult to move. He could hear slight noises coming from his body, and his flesh and blood were squeezing the iron pieces cut into his body. Relying on instinct, Continue Anthony's life.
"What's wrong?"
Reluctantly turning his head, Anthony could only see a burning ruins and vague figures. There was constant noise all around, including the explosions of shelling.
He didn't die, he was still on the battlefield, in hell.
"Don't move yet!"
Someone came over. He knelt down beside Anthony and used blood-stained pliers to penetrate Anthony's wound.
"Keep secret blood."
As he spoke, he struggled to remove the deep metal fragments. Blood spurted out, and was immediately blocked by gauze.
During this period, Anthony said nothing and had no expression on his face. If he hadn't been gasping in pain, others would have even thought that Anthony was dead.
"Ah...is that so?"
Anthony vaguely remembered something at the end of that battle.
The defense line of Saint-Naro Cathedral finally collapsed, and a steady stream of soul-returning zombies crawled out from the gate of heaven. And as time went by, these soul-returning zombies became more powerful, and they were not afraid of the threat of darkness. , releasing the secret blood to his heart’s content.
In the end, many strange beings appeared, like hundreds of monsters. The demon hunters resisted very hard. In the round of offensive that was completely defeated, the Saint-Naro Cathedral began to collapse, the door to heaven shattered, and the monsters They crawled out from between the broken masonry and surrounded them.
Anthony and the rest of the demon hunters survived thanks to the sacrifices of several demon hunters. They stepped into the darkness and stopped the pursuing demons before losing their minds.
Then...then there was the fight in the Seven Hills, and Anthony couldn't remember much about it after that.
In the last scene, he only saw the soul-returning corpses attacking from all directions, holding cracked and mottled nail swords in their hands.
Anthony evaded and blocked many attacks, but the successive battles finally wore down his body.
Among the countless nail swords, one passed through the layers of defense and penetrated his chest, grazing his heart and almost killing him.
Fortunately, his instinct was still fighting for survival tenaciously, and his secret blood remained hot, allowing him to save his life from serious injuries.
"Where is this?"
Anthony turned his head. There were some tents around, and there were many wounded people who had fallen down and were being cared for like Anthony.
"In the position of the Knights Templar, the demons are now attacking the outer defense line."
The witcher on the side explained to Anthony.
The good news is that all the demon hunters have not been wiped out, but the bad news is that the demons have already arrived at the city. The Templar Knights need to stop these demons from the Seven Hills and never let them get close to Feileng Cui.
Hearing this, Anthony hesitated for a moment, and then tried to get up.
"You need rest!"
People on the side stopped Anthony. His injuries were so serious that no one else thought Anthony could survive, but this guy still survived to the end.
"Do not……"
Anthony wanted to say something else, but then someone came over. He was wearing armor covered with blood, and his hair was scattered on his face, looking dirty.
"You're not dead yet, Anthony."
The other party said in a deep voice, and as he got closer, Anthony gradually saw his appearance clearly.
"Grand Captain Swino."
Anthony was not surprised by the arrival. Under the order of the new pope, the main force of the Knights Templar was stationed outside the Holy City, and the leaders of these Knights Templar were these high-status grand leaders.
They have a status similar to that of the Cardinal, and they are aware of the existence of the Demon Hunting Sect, but the relationship between Anthony and the Grand Leader in front of him is more complicated than these. At the beginning, Anthony was a member of the Templar Knights. Captain Wei Nuo was his former boss.
"What have you demon hunters done?" The voice squeezed out from between his teeth, with a murderous intent, "I thought you had learned a lesson on the night of Holy Advent."
Anthony did not respond and remained silent.
Everything is like a vicious curse, a nightmare from which one cannot wake up, and an endless reincarnation.
Anthony and Swino experienced all this many years ago, and now the Holy Night is happening again, and the darkness of the past is even more terrifying.
"What about Your Majesty?"
Swino asked again, but Anthony still remained silent. Such silence was annoying, and bursts of fighting sounds came from the distance.
"Damn it! What are you saying! Anthony! My men are dying and disaster is spreading! If this continues, everything will be destroyed!"
Swino stretched out his hand to pull Anthony up from the ground, but his hand was stuck in the air. His expression was tangled for a while, and in the end he could only curse like this.
Anthony lowered his head and still said nothing. What could he say?
In fact, Anthony was very clear about the malice emanating from the thick black mist at the end of the Saint-Naro Cathedral, but he just didn't want to believe it.
The new pope was dead, Seny Lothair was dead.
Under such erosion and surrounded by powerful enemies, no one can survive alone, not to mention that the battle has passed for so long, even Yanar will be dragged to death.
But knowing this, what can we do?
Now that the demon hunters are all injured, the only power they can rely on is the Knights Templar, composed of these mortals. Can Anthony tell them that the new pope is dead?Then everyone will be in despair.
Anthony can't do this, even if it's deception. He wants to deceive these people here and hold on here to the death, even if he pays a painful death.
But...what happens after this?
Anthony's eyes were dull and bloodshot, and large drops of sweat mixed with the blood on his body dripped from the tip of his nose.
Sure enough, I should die. As long as I die, I won't have to face so many problems. As long as I choose to escape, all of this will cease to exist.
Yes, so what if you deceive these people?Mortals cannot stop these monsters. These lines of defense are destined to be breached. Everything they do is in vain, and they are sending themselves to death.
An unprecedented weight oppressed Anthony's heart. This was a topic far heavier than death.
He is the priest of the Demon Hunting Sect. He is responsible for all demon hunters. He has been appointed by the new Pope. He needs to be responsible for this battlefield and this war. He is a demon hunter and a human being. Take responsibility for the dark fate that is coming.
responsibility.
This simple word seems so heavy at this moment.
"Don't you want to say anything? Anthony."
Swino had a gloomy face, and he was thinking about something, maybe some harsh words to try to hurt Anthony, but in the end, Swino just sighed helplessly.
"I originally wanted to give you a sword to relieve your anger, but think about it, maintaining the status quo will be the greatest torture for you."
Swino turned around and was about to leave. He stayed for a while and said to Anthony.
"I will continue to hold on for a while with the other grand captains, but I can't guarantee that I can hold on here. If we are really defeated, I will order my men to retreat. Rather than die at the hands of monsters, I hope they can die at home. Beside people.”
Swino left, and neat fires ignited on the distant position, followed by dense artillery shells slamming into the city gate, smashing the demons trying to climb out of the Holy City to pieces.
Relying on modern industrial weapons and the huge number of Knights Templar, the current situation is still barely under control, but with the spread of erosion and the fear in people's hearts, no one knows how long this can last.
They need a torch, a hope, and someone who can turn the tide.
Anthony knew very well that the man had died in the Stasis Temple, and he himself did not have the ability to do all this.
He tried to get up, but the severe pain all over his body caused him to fall down again as soon as he got up. Some of the wounds that had barely healed were torn again due to this movement, and blood spilled out.
"Stop, you need a rest!"
Others said, picking up gauze and bandages to stop Anthony's bleeding. Anthony lay on the ground, motionless, as if he was dead. But what no one noticed was that he raised his head slightly, revealing his bloodshot eyes, staring intently. Ahead, where the fireworks are boiling.
Thanks to the time bought by the new pope and the demon hunters, the Knights Templar were able to establish a strong enough defense outside the Holy City. Artillery fire and guns were fired, and the torrent of steel repeatedly hit the city gate, destroying any All movable living creatures must be killed.
The corpses were piled up as high as a hill, oozing with blood and flowing down like a stream, past people's feet.
Under the smoke of gunpowder, even if they haven't come into close contact with the demon yet, some Templars are already feeling uncomfortable. This mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood is a severe challenge to everyone's soul.
In the end, the battle became numb, with mechanical loading and firing, and arms numb from the shock of the firearms. Everyone seemed to have lost their self-awareness and turned into a mere tool.
This numbness did not last long. Some people could not bear the scene and vomited, while others fled to the rear in panic, throwing away their armor.
I don't know how long it took, but the sound of gunfire became much weaker. Anthony seemed to have gathered his strength and climbed up from the ground little by little. With the help of the others, he stood up.
"You all please leave, I need some peace and quiet."
Anthony said expressionlessly, and the other demon hunters said nothing more, supported him, and sent him into the tent.
Reluctantly lying down on the mat, there was only a flimsy layer of fabric between him and the outside world, but Anthony felt that they were two different worlds.
His eyes were tightly closed, and his hands were clasped together on his chest, as if he was lying in a coffin. This kind of calm lasted for a long, long time, until at a certain moment he opened his eyes again, with a little whiteness rising from his eyes, and he whispered.
"Your Majesty, I know what to do."
(End of this chapter)