The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 147

The strange alarm echoed once more within the perpetual engine, creating an atmosphere akin to a festival. People rushed around in a frenzy, their faces painted with fear and tension, making the whole scene resemble a divine celebration within the engine's confines.

Lloyd lay confined within a cage, yet the restraints held little sway over him, serving merely as a formality. His curiosity piqued, he gazed intently at the iron door, wondering what new horror had slipped through containment. Was it an ancient divine armor from the old era or perhaps an experimental demon?

Before he could ponder further, a fleeting vision flashed before his eyes—a crimson figure strolling through the shattered spaces. This visual phenomenon was hard to describe, yet Lloyd instinctively knew it was the "in-between space" the figure traversed.

Without hesitation, Lloyd's instincts screamed a warning. Dense, hardened scales enveloped him, and he effortlessly tore through the iron cage. Metal fractured, and sparks flew.

This time, the divine armor didn't fully encase Lloyd, feeling much lighter than before. He was no longer caught off guard. Familiar weapons, a Winchester rifle and a spike sword, lay in the corner of his cell, brought in with him.

Grabbing his trusted weapons, Lloyd slashed the sealed door open with ease. The corridor was bathed in blood-red light, resembling a twisted hellscape, punctuated by the incessant sound of gunfire.

Closing his eyes, Lloyd expanded his senses to their fullest extent, gradually detecting the sources of corruption amidst the chaos. When he reopened his eyes, white flames blazed beneath them. Without hesitation, Lloyd sprinted towards the detected source.

The perpetual engine had entered a lockdown state, all gates sealed tightly. Lloyd ran through the labyrinthine passages, only to find a heavy door blocking his path at every turn. He attempted to break through, but the thick steel resisted his efforts.

Just as frustration mounted, the door swung open, and a blast of hot wind and pervasive corruption hit him. Lloyd gripped his spike sword, ready for a deathly battle, only to find a group of wounded soldiers behind the door.

Recognizing their uniforms as those of the security team, most of them were injured and exhausted. Upon seeing Lloyd, they wearily raised their weapons, wary of the dangerous demon hunter.

"Relax, it's me," Lloyd said, lifting the divine armor's cover to reveal his face.

"Demon hunter?" one of the soldiers muttered, but another voice, hoarse with urgency, called out, "Holmes?"

Looking past the group, Lloyd saw a man lying on a makeshift stretcher.

"Joey?" Lloyd asked, ignoring the guns pointed at him as he walked straight to Joey, whose condition was dire, his body covered in wounds and burns, drenched in blood.

"What happened?" Lloyd asked urgently. How had things changed so drastically in such a short time?

"A demon, a powerful one, broke out of containment. We couldn't suppress it, and now it's roaming the lower levels," Joey explained, coughing up blood. "It released other demons from their cells. It's total chaos down there."

"I'll handle it," Lloyd declared, for hunting demons was his calling.

"No, wait for reinforcements. That demon... it's different. We're preparing to turn the entire lower containment area into a battlefield," Joey warned, knowing Lloyd would be walking into a death trap.

"Rest, Joey. I need to confirm something," Lloyd said, shaking his head as if driven by an unseen force—the crimson figure in his vision.

As he turned to leave, Joey's blood-stained hand grabbed him. "Here's the key... and remember to listen for updates," Joey said, pressing a strangely shaped key and a familiar communicator into Lloyd's hand. "The lower levels are isolated. Use the elevator shaft; it's the safest way down."