Lorenzo sat on the chair, his hands cuffed behind him. Eve was seated with her back to him, and surrounding them were soldiers holding aluminothermic rifles, the igniters at the muzzles burning softly, indicating that these lethal weapons were ready to fire.
Although Lorenzo was seated in the dark station, the tall walls obstructing his view, the sound of machines roaring in operation echoed through the night, a heavy and distant noise that made Lorenzo aware of the machine's imnse size just by its sound.
Indeed, sothing significant was bound to happen tonight.
"So, this is your true identity, isn't it?"
Looking at Bola in front of him, Lorenzo recognized his voice the mont he spoke. The detective's sharpness in so areas was truly remarkable.
"Don't speak yet, let guess."
Lorenzo said theatrically, contemplating as fragnts of Bola's past pieced together in his mind, finally revealing his true form.
"A mber of the Demon Organization, the master of the Lower City District, the secretaries of the nobles..."
His thoughts raced, and he was a step away from the truth.
Blue Jade, feeling uneasy, drew the iron rod from her waist, and with a flick, a blade sprung out from the steel gap—it's actually a slightly elongated folding blade.
"There's no need, he'll figure it out eventually. All we need to do now is make the secret exchange. You have to understand, this detective is worth a lot."
The mont Lorenzo saw himself, Bola knew that many secrets would beco clear to Lorenzo, like everything under sunlight, casting no shadow.
"So what did the queen call you?"
Suddenly, Lorenzo lifted his head, his eyes seemingly piercing through everything, aware of the entire truth.
"These military weapons aren't sothing a mob boss could produce. Whether it's the raw materials or the craftsmanship, even the developnt, it requires a very strong foundation...only a machine known as the state could achieve that."
Seemingly coming to an understanding, Lorenzo had an epiphany.
"So, your true identity, Bola, is it? You are not the secretaries of nobles; you are the queen's secretary. The evidence of those nobles' cris in the Lower City District are in your hands. Whenever the queen needs it, it would be the iron hand that strangles them."
"Lorenzo, the wise tend to die quickly."
Lorenzo could figure that these were within Bola's expectations, or rather, if Lorenzo couldn't figure these out, it would be unusual.
"So I have enough leverage to gain trust."
"Our trust? You are an uncontrollable outsider. Your words are truly unreliable."
"At least we now share the sa goal."
"What?"
"The Holy Coffin."
That is the nightmare within the depths of a nightmare, the center of this chaotic illusion, the source of everything.
Bola's pupils shrank slightly. He didn't know how Lorenzo learned of its existence; after all, he never told him. At that ti, Lorenzo seed to be rely a capable detective, not soone intertwined with the Demon Hunting Order.
"Don't just stand there; didn't you commission to investigate the case? So, finding so key information is quite normal, isn't it?"
"So this is your price?"
"Yes, so why don't we exchange our current information and work together?"
Lorenzo seed completely unaware of being at gunpoint. The aluminothermic rifles could lt him in an instant, yet he acted oblivious, swaying on the chair as he spoke.
"Moreover, Bola, you need ; those people don't want you to obtain the Holy Coffin, as evidenced by the demons on that train."
In his short career as a Demon Hunter, he had slain many demons, and his professional experience far exceeded that of everyone present.
"To this day, we also don't know where demons co from, but we are well aware of how humans mutate into demons."
Lorenzo began his analysis.
"On the train, I initially thought it was a group of demons disguised as humans who infiltrated the carriage, but upon calming down, I realized it wasn't the case. So many demons converging to take a train didn't make sense; the only conclusion was that the process of mutating into demons occurred on the train."
These words seed to touch on sothing, and Bola stared intently at this detective before him. Knowing him for almost six years, Bola suddenly realized he had never truly understood this mysterious detective.
"You were there that night in the Underground Palace, weren't you?"
Lorenzo observed Bola's expression. You could learn a lot from a person's expression, and although Bola didn't speak, Lorenzo already knew the answer.
"They possess the technology to rear demons, even highly toxic substances, capable of making soone mutate into a demon in a short ti."
Lorenzo, like a salesman, finally revealed his true intentions.
"So, Bola, you need , a professional."
"..pared to this, I still think it would be better to either kill you or detain you directly."
What Lorenzo ntioned, Bola was also aware of. As Ingwig surged and expanded, the Purification chanism rapidly expanded too. It was no longer the organization hiding in the shadows; after the dissolution of the Demon Hunting Order, it was the only beacon left.
"Wait... are you... Eve?"
Amid the conversation, Blue Jade, who had been circling, directed her gaze to the girl behind Lorenzo. Her face was grubby yet sowhat familiar. Only when Blue Jade got closer did she realize it was Eve.
"Do you... know ?"
Eve lifted her head. This woman wore a round iron helt, dressed in tight armor. Eve couldn't recall this person in her mory.
At this point, Bola also approached. Truth be told, this na was even more troubleso than Lorenzo's. Looking at the girl, Bola felt his head was about to explode.
"What are you doing here?"
"She's been entangled by a demon."
Lorenzo didn't wait for Eve to speak and said first.
"Her connection to the darkness is deepening... I suppose you are all familiar with this concept, right? Battling demons is like fighting in a swamp; the harder you struggle, the more you sink into that swamp called darkness."
"The demons discovered her, so she commissioned to protect her."
"By protection, you an bringing her on this damned train?"
Turning back, Bola spoke with anger.
"She ca to find ."
The two exchanged glances, eyes filled with unspeakable aning, like lions roaring at each other, eting on a narrow path.
Eve sat behind Lorenzo, completely unaware of what was happening. Although there were so many ard n, she wasn't afraid at all. Compared to demons, these humans were far more amiable.
"I need to consult my superiors."
"Then I suggest you hurry, as you seem to be in quite a rush."
Bola took a long, asured glance at Lorenzo before disappearing into the darkness. Blue Jade gripped the folding blade tightly, the blade pressed against Lorenzo's throat. No amount of vigilance was too much for this detective.
About five minutes later, Bola returned from the end of the darkness, looking rather unhappy, even a bit sternly somber.
"It seems we're going to have a brief collaboration."
"Oh, then let us reacquaint ourselves, shall we?"
With that, Lorenzo stood up; the chains shackling him had sohow already fallen off, and he extended a hand full of goodwill.
"Forr Demon Hunting Order Demon Hunter, Lorenzo Hols."
Bola's body and mind were slightly shaken; this detective had already freed himself from the restraints. So what was that conversation for, a gesture of goodwill?
"Purification chanism, Upper-Rank Knight, Shrike."
Their hands clasped together. The last ti they did this was when Lorenzo first arrived at Old Dunling, and after that handshake, Lorenzo began his new life.
Suddenly, Lorenzo forcefully pulled Bola closer, and to Blue Jade, it appeared to be a gesture of trust, but during the close proximity, Lorenzo whispered into Bola's ear.
"You... it's because of Eve that your superiors changed their minds, isn't it? Yet she doesn't recognize you... you must know what's happening inside her body, right?"
The Secret Blood that had been dormant inside Eve's body for who knows how long could only have contact with the Purification chanism fighting demons in the shadows of Ingwig. But what caused this girl to establish a connection with it?
Bola didn't intend to answer this question; instead, he responded with one of his own.
"New life ans abandoning the past, so what is this, Lorenzo?"
Lorenzo showed a hearty smile.
"Everything has a premise, much like principles... demons must be hunted to extinction."
Thus spoke the Demon Hunter.
User Comments
0 comments from readers