The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 50

The figure leapt from the fiery inferno, tossing the girl under his arm with a forceful swing. Red Falcon was knocked back by the unexpected impact, the girl's scream echoing through the chaos. Mid-air, the second-rate detective twisted his body in a nearly supernatural maneuver, the muzzle of his gun glowing with searing white light, thunder roaring as he fired.

Countless hands reached from the inferno, trying to cross the burning boundary, but heavy bullets rained down, driving them back. Lloyd, gripping his silver blade, descended like lightning, leaving a blinding white streak in his wake. Steel, flames, and demonic flesh alike were cleaved, sparking like falling stars.

"Cut the couplings!" Red Falcon pushed Eve aside and shouted at Lloyd.

But the detective seemed oblivious to the command. He slowly turned, looking at Red Falcon and asked, "Do you have any more of those incendiary weapons?"

"What... what are you planning? Cut the damn couplings!" Red Falcon was nearly apoplectic. This man was insane, planning to drag them all to their deaths.

"These demons must be eradicated. If they escape, their contamination will worsen the situation. I must eliminate them here," Lloyd stated calmly, his voice devoid of emotion. Though no longer a demon hunter by title, his ingrained instincts remained—either he or the demons would leave this encounter alive.

With a swift motion, he skewered an attacking demon, turned, and unleashed a barrage of gunfire, filling the air with blinding flashes. But this was a temporary measure; more demons surged like a tide. Lloyd retreated, and at the last moment, dove into the armored carriage, slamming the heavy door shut.

The carriage plunged into darkness, filled with heavy breathing, rapid heartbeats, and the incessant scratching of claws on steel. It was a symphony of doom, and they were the corpses within the coffin.

"Are you insane! You had the chance to cut the couplings! The train's speed would have left them behind!" Red Falcon lunged at Lloyd in the dark, grabbing his collar and shouting. Because of Lloyd, everyone in the carriage faced a dire fate. Their mission to transport weapons might fail, jeopardizing the entire mission in Endertown.

"They must die," Lloyd said, unfazed by Red Falcon's rage, his cigarette glowing in the darkness.

"You understand the nature of demons, right? I figured even Old Dunling has something akin to a demon hunting order." He spoke casually, hitting a nerve in Red Falcon. How did this detective know so much? Not only about demons but also about the demon hunting order?

Six years ago, the Seven Hills suddenly sealed off from the outside world. The grand Templar Knights guarded its perimeter, the siege lasting two years. No one entered or exited. Even after the event, security around the Seven Hills was unprecedentedly tight.

No one knew what transpired. Kingdom spies and emissaries failed to penetrate the divine barrier. Information flow was so delayed that it took six years for the cleansing mechanism to learn of the demon hunting order's dissolution.

So how did this detective know?

Before Red Falcon could ponder further, Lloyd continued, "These demons must die here. If they spread, it's like releasing a plague. Everyone here could die, but they must be exterminated. Do you understand?"

Lloyd grabbed Red Falcon's collar, exhaling smoke into his face, his expression fierce in the dim light. The demons had to die.

"Do you understand, Mr. Carmu Naredo?" Lloyd's voice carried a sinister intensity, like a demon whispering in the dark. He was deadly serious; everyone might die here, but the demons would perish first.

"But we don't have to die needlessly, right? So, do you have anything else? More incendiary weapons or heavily armed reinforcements?" Lloyd's tone suddenly shifted, the deadly serious hunter replaced by a pragmatic strategist, leaving Red Falcon bewildered. Eve nodded in the darkness, confirming the detective's erratic nature.

"So, what's your trump card? Show it now!" Lloyd shouted at the still-dazed Red Falcon.

"We... we will reach a station soon. Our main forces are there, but with the interference, we can't warn them. We need to find a way to alert them," Red Falcon said, snapping out of his shock. Without warning, reaching Brolau's station with this horde of demons would lead to massive casualties. The mission for the Sacred Coffin would fail before it even started.

"We must be close to that station," Lloyd asked calmly.

"Should be soon," came the reply.

"Bring that incendiary weapon!" Suddenly, Lloyd remembered something and grabbed Red Falcon by the arm.

"What are you planning?" Red Falcon was puzzled. Lloyd might be strong, but facing hordes of demons, he seemed powerless.

"What else? Let's light up the sky!" Lloyd's face showed confidence.

"Since we can't be sure of the distance, we'll just keep firing that weapon at intervals. With such big flames, as long as your people aren't blind, they'll see it," he explained.

"You mean using the incendiary bomb as a signal flare?" Red Falcon was taken aback. It was indeed an unconventional idea, almost like using a melting steel signal flare.

"The optimal solution. Most people survive, demons get cleared out," Lloyd said as he headed towards the gate. Outside, there were sharp sounds, as if thousands of steel needles were scraping against metal. Those were bloodthirsty demons, and Lloyd and his companions were like food in a can, desperately trying to be pried out.

Soldiers brought out more incendiary bombs, hefty firearms with lethal white phosphorus incendiaries at the forefront.

Though Red Falcon was supposed to be in charge, in this dire situation, Lloyd's sense of control utterly overshadowed their confidence. Like a last beacon of hope, someone maintaining sanity in the midst of madness was comforting.

"No, no, no, are you crazy? We can't hold on!" Red Falcon finally realized, screaming. Somehow, his thoughts were led astray by Lloyd, finding this insane plan feasible.

How many demons were outside? Hundreds? Thousands? Faced with such a massive tide, they couldn't hold out for long. Whether they could even make it out of the carriage after opening the door would be a question.

"Don't worry, you focus on firing the signal flares, I'll handle those demons," Lloyd reassured. With that, he pushed open the gate, and a rush of wind carrying the stench of death gushed in. From beginning to end, the detective didn't give Red Falcon a chance to decide. The gate was already open, and apart from following this lunatic to the end, there was no other choice.

[Secret Blood Awakening 17%, departing stable range.]

As the gate swung open, fiery flames rose from Lloyd's gray-blue pupils.

"It seems you're still unsure how to fight these monsters..." Lloyd seemed to mock as he looked at the hesitant Red Falcon. The shotgun hung from his side, and then another blade was drawn from the suitcase. Gripping both swords tightly, his voice was low.

"Between us and them, it's always been... your death or mine!"

With that, the blades roared, accompanied by splashes of blazing white flames. Under his swinging, countless demons were forced to retreat powerlessly. Standing between the carriage and the demons, it was a strength beyond mortal, holding back the tide of death alone.

He shouted, "Run!"