Act 19: Beyond the Burning Skies, Raging to the Heavens

Foreword:

There are two true misfortunes in life: regret and illness. Without these two, there is only happiness.

Leo Tolstoy | War and Peace

[Part 1: The Distance from Death God]

Why?

Why would a gunsmith be here?

Did Mali Pero betray me?

For Pellegrini, two intense emotions were tearing him apart—

When this photograph appears on the pages of the book, it's like a small gift he gave to the gunsmith, making Jiang Xueming hesitant and worried about the safety of his wife and children, and making the nameless warrior indecisive and wavering.

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. His intense hatred for Mali Pero even overwhelmed his desire to survive.

Shame, remorse, and a host of other complex negative emotions were like a thick, stinking soup that nearly drove Pellegrini mad.

This brat! He actually dared to betray his country and send a message right under his nose! He delivered Death God to Pellegrini's doorstep in this way!

"Eye Of The"

Soul Might had only uttered half of his true name --

--A sudden, powerful punch shattered his skull!

Pellegrini Touan was sent flying backward, crashing into the knife rack in the food truck kitchen and embedding himself in the stainless steel counter, unable to speak.

At this distance, the gunsmith will kill me! I'll have no chance to fight back! I absolutely must escape.

I need to get at least twenty-one feet away! Only then will I have enough time to react and fight off the power of [Fragrant Dream]!

"Help me! Save me!" Pellegrini's face was deathly pale, and his voice was slurred, mixed with the sound of dripping blood, as he pleaded for help from his henchmen.

"Finally found you." Jiang Xueming stepped into the car, unbuckled his helmet strap to reveal his face, and said, "Let's settle this."

Several armed soldiers slowly emerged from the food truck and opened fire on the approaching enemy.

--The intense barrage of bullets collided with the steel giant cat, the bullets bounced in the narrow carriage, and several projectiles were thrown at them, all of which SD punched and kicked back!

The stun flash and fragmentation grenade exploded in bright, dazzling flashes, the blast ruffling Jiang Xueming's hair and revealing his muscular chin covered in stubble, instantly exposing the fierce, tiger-like eyes hidden beneath the disheveled hair. Sunlight from Forty District shone on his back, casting shadows on Pellegrini's childlike face as he slumped to the ground.

Right and wrong, good and evil.

It felt like being back on the front lines, which made the gunsmith radiant and his blood boil again.

The warm-up with CC has just ended; the main course is the Eagle Falcon that creates cannibals.

As the gunsmith raised his hand, Fragrant Dream, who had gone to clean up the battlefield, tossed him a gun, telling him to catch it steadily.

"You smell awful! I can smell it even from outside the car door! It makes me want to vomit!"

Pellegrini's body suddenly sank, and before the gunsmith's field of fire could cover his head, he had already dug a hole under the car, intending to use Eye of the Storm Eye to carve out a way out!

He plopped down in the mud, getting under the vehicle. Looking at the cuts in the chassis and floor, he saw sharp, smooth knife marks—the work of Storm Eye.

"You can't catch me, gunsmith!"

But Pellegrini had barely finished his harsh words when he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure squatting in front of him.

Hasben Madison, clutching the fledgling eagle, had sabotaged the fuel and electrical systems of the food truck beforehand, as instructed by his gunsmith master. He then crouched around the vehicle and greeted Pellegrini with bullets, "Thinking about me?"

"Eek!" Pellegrini's eyes widened, and he kicked at the mud, trying to crawl out from under the narrow space of the car, or at least stand up for defense.

He bent over and ran away, the wind whipping up his feathered cloak and carrying his body away, before being blasted to pieces by the young eagle's bullet, which traveled at over 400 meters per second!

Bang--

Bang--

Bang bang bang!

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Hasben shifted his body, took large strides to maintain a low, alert stance, and kept wielding his weapon without stopping!

Golden sparks burst from the food truck's battery, and guided by the [Spark Queen], they rushed into the storm, transforming into brilliant lightning that struck Pellegrini's spinal joints. Stimulated by the strong electric current, the monster almost lost control of its body.

He was shot and bleeding, his white robes turned blood red, his thighs and calves were torn open with holes, and when he encountered the might of the Lord of Cinder in Forty District and was met with the fierce sunlight, he felt that even breathing became difficult.

Am I going to die here?

No no no! No no no no no!

I don't accept it! I don't accept it!

He crawled out in a disheveled state, suffering severe gunshot wounds to his abdomen and neck. He used his spiritual power to propel his body and continued crawling out!

If he can climb out, reach Cangyue Lake, cross 120 meters, and reach the riverbank, the rushing river will carry him away!

I hate it so much! Should I just run away like this?

The will to fight awakened Pellegrini, and his ambition to kill the gunsmith once again motivated him to devise a deadly ambush!

I was a good eighteen meters away from the gunsmith; he shouldn't have been able to see me and had no idea what was actually happening under the car.

--Lawrence Madison's bastard is still reloading; those fifteen bullets are killing me!

Where is Fragrant Dream? Judging from the Nameless Ones' killing efficiency and my understanding of them, they must be waiting for me!

The moment I crawled out from under the car, Fragrant Dream would attack me!

In that instant, the gunsmith's body was completely defenseless! In that instant, I might have the power to kill him!

Pellegrini! Be brave!

This 120-meter road leads only to the underworld! To fight for a way out, you must kill this formidable enemy!

"Storm Eye of the Storm!"

The Immortals angel crawled out of the mud, leaping out of the carriage, already seeing the silhouette of Death God —at the same time, summoning the power of the soul, to deliver a fatal blow to the gunsmith in the carriage's kitchen!

The eagle-headed figure detached from the body and punched the chassis of the food truck. The powerful spiral force pierced through the vehicle, carrying away pieces of iron and steel that transformed into thousands of sharp blades, which then slashed towards the gunsmith's location!

At that moment, dust flew up from the lawns on both sides of the riverbank, and the grass blades were cut in half by the sudden shock wave!

"Teacher!" Hasben's reloading action was abruptly stopped by the enormous force. He stared incredulously at the horrifying hole in the food truck, as if it had been hit by a cannonball, and the truck bounced up!

The piercing damage from the whirlwind tore a hole in the chassis, and Pellegrini was overjoyed.

Because he saw it! He saw that figure in the riding jacket, torn to pieces by the storm!

The path to immortality is one of either progress or regression! The Storm Eye always manages to carve out a path to survival for him!

As his cycling jacket ripped apart piece by piece, Pellegrini's sneer gradually turned into a look of panic.

Beneath the jet-black uniform, glittering shards of iron armor peeked out. Fragrant Dream's figure was nimble and well-balanced. She landed back on the ground along with the bouncing vehicle, finally tearing the last piece of clothing from her body.

"Where is Soul Might? And where is the gunsmith?"

Pellegrini Touan was so nervous that he started talking to himself until a large hand grabbed his hair and pulled him in front of him.

Jiang Xueming, shirtless, stood guard with his mortal body at the exit of Pellegrini's path to survival.

"--You can't even recognize my face? Pellegrini!"

"Ho!--" The Immortals angel gasped, his decisive blow of soul power hitting empty air, needing time to recover his energy and reorganize his spiritual power.

At almost point-blank range, an uppercut landed on Pellegrini's chin, the force of over 600 pounds forcing his heavy, muscular body to its feet! Both legs were broken and bleeding profusely—a medical miracle!

His mouth was split and deformed, his soft brain was constantly hitting his skull, swaying back and forth, and his mind had left his body.

"Ah! After all, you gave your other eye to Mali Pero! It's understandable that you can't see clearly!" The gunsmith's eyes blazed with fury. "Stand up straight! Stand properly!"

A fist slammed into Pellegrini's abdomen, nearly bursting his spleen! A mournful cry echoed from the insect hive constructed of holy blood!

He hunched over, the pain jolting him awake, only to be met with another vicious uppercut from the gunsmith, leaving him staring blankly at the sky, his body stiff as a puppet, utterly powerless to fight back!

"Kang Que Johnny is better than you! You only know how to hide in the shadows and do evil deeds. Do you have no strength to fight back when you see the sunlight? You're about to die!" The gunsmith said, once again striking Pellegrini's side with a powerful thrust of his hips.

With a sharp cracking sound, Pellegrini staggered several steps to the side, still instinctively not wanting to fall. The next punch, aimed at correcting his stance, made him straighten his back, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Be patient! Be patient a little longer!

As long as [Storm Eye Of The Storm] can...

Driven mad by pain, Pellegrini tried to retaliate, but in the instant he clenched his fist and raised his arm, the gunsmith, as if by magic, snatched the Hasben from Haspen's hand and fired!

It started almost from the fingers! Fifteen bullets traveled down the forearm and upper arm all the way to the shoulder, shattering the cartilage and joints!

Foul-smelling, sticky black blood gushed from Pellegrini's arm like a waterfall!

The gunsmith tossed aside his gun, shook his fist, and darted into the fighting area like an arrow, grabbing the puppet's strings again.

"Storm Eye of the Storm!"

The desperate struggle was about to reach its final round when Horus, with his eagle head and human body, burst forth, whipping up the mud and dust on the road and turning it into a raging wind that urged the final battle.

"Sweet Fragrant Dream!"

Before Jiang Xueming could even unleash his Soul Power, the Iron Knight, whose arm had been entangled in the fist and was now detached from his body, had already struck out a piercing note!

The jab struck Pellegrini in the chest, and was about to be intercepted by the Storm Eye, but was instead torn apart by the sharp steel claws of Fragrant Dream!

The storm had just begun, and before it could accumulate enough power to create a powerful surge of psionic energy, Fragrant Dream's right arm transformed into a gourd-shaped nozzle, and the familiar roar of a jet engine rang in Hasben Madison's ears once again!

Every time the teacher performed sandblasting and waterjet cutting, this terrifying psionic fluctuation would make him uneasy.

Sweat and blood, mixed with fine dust in the air, shimmered like rainbows under the sunlight! It cleaved the Storm Eye in two from bottom to top, and the heat released by the cutting action turned into a towering flame!

It pierced through Pellegrini's intestines, slicing upwards from his shoulder and neck, narrowly avoiding his head! It intended to leave his head behind to continue suffering on earth!

The rainbow-colored air blades traversed a 120-meter stretch of riverbank road and grass, cutting through the river surface and hurtling towards the riverbed, carving a row of gleaming, high-temperature glass through the mud!

Hasben Madison watched with trepidation!

That was the gunsmith at his peak, a fully awakened tiger, having rediscovered the unparalleled martial arts of his youth.

"Waaaaah!"

Pellegrini's soul power shattered, his Gate of Death opened, and colorful internal organs flowed out of his stomach. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and he went blind. His prosthetic eyes were squeezed out of their sockets by the fierce punches. His skull was deformed, and there were hardly any good pieces of flesh on his face.

[Part ②: Burning Quietly]

The sacred blood was gradually becoming unbalanced. The larvae of the Madness Butterfly had just wandered outside the wound when they were killed by the intense sunlight.

He clung tightly to the gunsmith's arm, refusing to fall, seemingly unwilling to admit defeat, unwilling to die just like that!

The heavy breathing sounded like a simple single-cylinder diesel engine malfunctioning, with sand getting into the fuel lines and cylinder, producing a terrifying hissing noise.

"You fucking... you... you fucking..."

Pellegrini cursed.

"Damn, you've made things like this. You've embarrassed me greatly."

The gunsmith reached out and ripped out Pellegrini's other eye, which, despite being blinded by blood loss, still sent waves of pain through his brain.

"Taste this pain! You can still hear sounds, feel pain, and stand up to talk to me!"

"But."

His eyeball was ripped out and crushed into a pulp, and Pellegrini let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"You've killed, you've harmed, you've committed atrocities on earth! These victims can no longer speak!" The gunsmith gripped Pellegrini's battered chin, his fingers reaching for his vocal cords and trachea. "Making your death slow and painful is my duty!"

"Wait... wait, gunsmith!" Pellegrini sensed the threat of death and began to plead again, "Wait! Wait! You must want to know. You must want to know!"

"The Dagda's Cauldron is real! It can grant any wish!"

"If you spare my life, I can help you find the other Immortals and this wishing cup!"

"Please... spare my life."

"No! Please! I beg you!"

Pellegrini's body went limp, and he tried to kneel down, but the gunsmith's strong arms wouldn't give him the chance.

He could only stay awake by the pain, his tall body hanging in mid-air, half-kneeling.

"I regret it! I was just sick! I was controlled by the Vita Imprint and the Holy Blood; I was harmed by these poisons! I'm a victim too!"

"I... I cough cough cough cough cough cough cough!"

More and more blood gushed from his throat.

Pellegrini cried out in despair.

"I just want to live."

Under the sunlight, Pellegrini's hair began to turn white.

The gunsmith remained motionless.

A very long time passed, until the roar of a motorcycle engine came from the end of the road.

The gunsmith suddenly spoke up, "There are two true misfortunes in life: regret and illness."

Pellegrini kept nodding, each nod only adding to his pain.

The gunsmith turned aside, revealing the chaotic mess of the food truck.

Without these two, all that remains is happiness.

The cold storage door of the train compartment was ravaged by the power of the Storm Eye, revealing human flesh inside the freezer. Those were Mali Pero's parents and a half-grown child, Mrs. Clare's biological offspring.

In addition, to provide enough human flesh for the various mercenaries, there were also all sorts of corpses of unknown origin.

Pellegrini didn't understand; he wanted to live, he just wanted to live.

Mrs. Clare got off the motorcycle, embraced her beloved son's frozen body, and, in the sunlight, went mad with grief and anger, scratching several bloody marks on his neck.

Until the sound of a speedboat echoed from the riverbed—

--This long period of suffering is finally coming to an end.

Mali Pero stepped onto the green grass, leaving A Hao and Daniel behind.

He saw Mrs. Clare's back was cracked and her skin was red. He heard her screams and cries. Clare almost turned into a butterfly on the spot. The person who brought her here was none other than the General of Tears.

Bu Liuxing punched the poor woman unconscious, then looked at the mysterious young man Mali.

"Gunsmith Teacher"

Mali Pero stretched out her hands, revealing her eyes and mouth.

"Who are you waiting for? Like before, are you waiting for us victims to kill this monster?"

"I don't understand why you're helping me." Jiang Xueming grabbed Pellegrini with one hand, while the other remained on Hasben's waist, ready to draw his gun and shoot Mali boy. "I don't understand you, and I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to understand you, kid."

As for how to deal with Pellegrini, we'll probably have to wait until Professor Victor arrives to decide how to execute this monster. He must have very important information in his head. At least we'll have to wait until Ms. Duran arrives at the scene and uses her [Timeline] superpowers to find out everything.

Instead of running away, Mali Pero went to the gunsmith.

This caught the gunsmith off guard and made him feel extremely uneasy.

This child must want to take revenge himself; he probably wishes he could skin Pellegrini alive, chop him up, and feed him to the dogs right now.

But the next second, facing the gun of the unknown man, Mali Pero made a humble and strange request.

"I want to kill him, Gunsmith Teacher."

Jiang Xueming: "I'm afraid that's not possible now."

Mali Pero: "I can't wait any longer! I want to settle this score quickly. Letting him live even a second longer is disrespectful to Yukiko and Groba! If you don't agree, then let's have a duel!"

Jiang Xueming was shocked--

"--Why?"

Mali Pero said with absolute certainty.

"If I win, I will kill him with my own hands, immediately, without waiting a second!"

He took out a gun, I don't know where he got it from.

"If I lose, I'll probably die here. Just like you used to do, teacher, something you did every day, as simple and natural as breathing, sending bullets into the monster's head, letting dust return to dust."

Sunlight casts its rays on the lake's surface, shattering Mali Pero's reflection into countless fragments.

"In this world, are there more strong people or weak people? Gunsmith Master"

Jiang Xueming: "Of course, there are more weak people."

Mali Pero pulled the slide and braced himself for fire.

"Helping the weak and oppressed, punishing the wicked and eliminating evil—this is only right and proper, isn't it?"

Jiang Xueming tossed aside Pellegrini's mangled body, tossed it into Meteor's hands, retrieved the fledgling eagle, and examined the bullets.

"That's true."

Mali Pero stood on the low slope of the riverbank, gazing up at the gunsmith by the roadside. There are two true misfortunes in life: regret and illness. Without these, there is only happiness. But— Pellegrini Touan brought regret and illness to this child, a Universal Elixir could not cure.

"It would be my dream to have a knightly duel with you."

"Now it's about to come true, the dream has come true."