Lawrence still remembered all that. Many years ago, on that night that was engraved in his soul, he ran away like a poor wild dog under the raging fire. But now, he came back here, just like the king returning.
Arrive at his palace.
It's such a refreshing feeling.
The Cathedral of Saint-Naro rejected the arrival of Lawrence, but no matter how it resisted, its tentacles were rolled up and broken, there would always be a new figure stepping on the fallen corpse and moving forward. "Lawrence" seemed endless, incarnating and
It's an equally evil demon.
There was no turning back. From the moment Lawrence became the Orthodox Pope, he had only the way forward.
Fortunately, Lawrence didn't care about any of this. He never looked back or regretted the choices he made.
He is a true fanatical believer, a fanatical extremist, and has been fighting for that illusory prophecy to this day.
"Everyone, have you seen it?"
Lawrence stepped on the dusty steps, walking step by step towards the Cathedral of Saint-Naro, heading towards heaven.
"I'm almost reaching the end."
He was talking to himself, not sure who he was talking to.
It might be an hallucination, or it might be that Lawrence's own consciousness is gradually losing control. Anyway, all of this is possible for him. After all, Lawrence has become an alienated existence that is indescribable to common sense.
Every death of Lawrence is a real death. The divided consciousness is killed, and the experience of death is transmitted to other consciousnesses, feeling the frightening pain, and then continuing to move forward carrying the pressure.
Lorenzo has always been in awe of the power of [Gap]. Although this power is powerful, it must also pay a price.
The [gaps] destroyed by them will not disappear completely. Just like the impurities that are difficult to remove in alchemy, the fragments of those [gaps] will also stay in their own [gaps]. No matter how they are destroyed, they will remain.
Every speck of dust.
But in the constant fighting, more and more dust will accumulate, making the [gap] in oneself bloated, making it difficult for even oneself to recognize it clearly.
Yes, that's true.
All the guys killed by Lawrence did not die, but lived beside Lawrence in another form. Lawrence could see them, listen to their voices and recall their memories at any time.
Like a group of ghosts traveling with Lawrence.
Such accumulation gradually filled Lawrence's "gaps", distorting his self into a strange appearance, just like the lives of countless people, being stitched together, extending into a deformed and crazy life.
As more and more impurities accumulate, the "gap" of the self is like the ship of Theseus, filled and replaced by other people's impurities, until it loses itself under the weight.
Stepping up the stairs, Lawrence couldn't help but recall all kinds of strange memories. There were men's and women's, with different occupations and experiences. But what he knew clearly was that these were not his memories, just some that were difficult to eliminate.
Just residue.
"What a pity."
Lawrence whispered. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten most of his memories, and only some fragments that were difficult to let go were still clearly visible.
There is nothing we can do about it. In order to fulfill this great long-cherished wish, we have to make sacrifices.
【Is it worth it?】
Another voice asked. Lawrence stopped and could vaguely see countless familiar ghosts standing beside him, whispering to him.
"The Ineffable?"
Lawrence stood in front of the gate of Saint-Naro Cathedral, his eyes were not confused, and he asked the voice in his head.
[Are you still Lawrence? You are so twisted and distorted, your life is stitched together...]
The voice was somewhat familiar, but Lawrence didn't remember who it was for a moment. He cared about him very much, like an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher guiding confused students.
【Are you still you?】
Lawrence was silent for two seconds and did not respond. Instead, he stepped over the fallen sculpture, walked through the broken and collapsed door, and walked into the burned ruins of the church.
He had forgotten a lot of things, but fortunately he still remembered the layout of the church. Although it was destroyed like this, it still had a certain degree of recognition. He followed the vague memory and searched for the location of the Gate of Heaven.
The exquisite and luxurious carpets were burned into a hard charred shell, and the traces of burning fire were outlined with gray and black on the walls. Dust and gravel were everywhere, and the huge sculptures were broken into pieces, as if they were dismembered.
Saint.
Lawrence blinked, and in a daze, the bright scenery came into his eyes. He saw candles burning quietly, the church was quiet and sacred, and the believers could be vaguely seen, kneeling on the ground, praying devoutly.
With.
Among the clumps of firelight, someone walked quickly towards Lawrence. He had an expression of joy on his face. Gradually, Lawrence saw his appearance clearly and couldn't help calling out.
"Lorenzo...Medici."
Lawrence didn't have many friends, but he was at least one. His eyes were slightly absent-minded, and then sharpened.
"You are dead. This is an unchangeable fact."
He said coldly.
The nail sword passed across quickly, and then the scene in front of him was frozen. Fine cracks appeared on it. Lorenzo Medici's face was shattered and withered, and everything in this prosperity collapsed together.
The world in front of him once again changed back to what it was before, gray and dilapidated. Lawrence stood there with a chopped corpse lying in front of him. The blood slowly seeped into the ground and was swallowed by the building.
【What a nice dream, right?】
The voice continued to ask.
[Isn’t this what you are pursuing? In this beautiful golden age, as long as you want it, I can promise you all this. 】
Lawrence crushed the corpse's head and grasped the nail sword in his hand.
He... They invaded this dilapidated building, which was also eroded by flesh and blood. This huge building was a huge monster, and Lawrence was striding into the trap it had set.
The walls squirmed, and the fallen sculptures seemed to come alive. They were driven by flesh and blood, raised their claws, and guarded the Cathedral of San Naro.
But this was all in vain. Under Lawrence's nailed sword, their defenses were fragile and they advanced all the way until the entire building trembled violently.
Lawrence stopped and could see straight cracks appearing on the wall, with a little blood spilling out of the cracks, and then the earth shook.
Architecture comes alive, architecture is changing.
Lawrence quickened his pace and sprinted forward, but as the building closed in, a wall crossed in front of him, and then the corridor behind him also began to change. New forks appeared, and new walls blocked the road. One after another, one should have
The dead figures were exposed, and they stood up unsteadily.
The Cathedral of Saint-Naro is changing rapidly. It has become a living maze, constantly switching paths, trapping all intruders outside the gate of heaven.
[Lawrence! Just like the ship of Theseus, are you still yourself today? 】
At this moment, the illusory voice also became louder, questioning Lawrence loudly.
[You are no longer ‘him’, so why are you bound by this long-cherished wish and moving forward? 】
It was also at this time that Lawrence turned his head slightly, looked at the illusory ghost, and responded to its endless nonsense.
"Why do you think...I am no longer me?"
Lawrence's tone was full of confusion and confusion. He stood in the center of the cross corridor, and the buildings around him were changing rapidly.
"Why can you conclude that I have lost myself?"
He also yelled loudly.
"In the final analysis, 'you' does not exist. You are illusory and the dark side of my heart. You are myself."
The answer that Anthony only knew before he died had already been seen by Lawrence. He had always been aware of it, so he never paid attention to the voice that kept ringing in his head.
Holding the nail sword tightly, blazing white fireworks rolled over Lawrence's body. He seemed to be searching for something, his eyes constantly wandering.
"Yes, a big ship sailing on the sea keeps replacing its parts, so in the end is it still itself?"
Lawrence's voice was filled with ridicule of ignorance, spurning the aloof Ineffable One.
"You want to say it's no longer yourself, don't you?
You want to say that I have been disturbed by countless sediments, my life and consciousness have been distorted by broken memories, I am no longer Lawrence, just a monster wearing the name 'Lawrence'!"
He found his target, his figure was like thunder, his nailed sword tore open the wall, dripping with blood, and penetrated layer after layer of obstacles.
"No, you made a mistake about something."
A twisted wailing sound sounded, one arm after another stretched out from both sides of the corridor, and as Lawrence advanced, the corridor began to squeeze and shrink, like a constricted intestine, and the sharp nails danced wildly,
Trying to keep Lawrence.
"It doesn't matter how many parts the ship has been replaced, because it is a 'ship' and its mission is 'course', not some other messy things. So as long as it can continue to fulfill its mission, what kind of ship is it?"
, is it still important?
A big ship, a small ship, or even just a broken piece of wood, as long as it can still 'sail', isn't it enough!"
The bursting fireworks turned the corridor into a blazing hell. Countless arms were waving like seaweed, turning into charred bodies in the high temperature. As the nailed swords swung, they were broken into pieces like snow.
crumbs.
Lawrence broke out of the restraints, and a large amount of plasma fell on his body, which was then evaporated by the high temperature, leaving a fishy smell lingering in the air.
"Yes, Lawrence is indeed dead."
He was talking to himself.
"He has turned into another devil, hateful and evil, and can never regain the nobility of being a human being."
Hot breath was exhaled from his throat, and Lawrence's chest seemed to be filled with flames, which continued to heat up with the beating of his heart.
"But he still has the name 'Lawrence' and his mission has not changed."
Pulling out another nail sword again, he held the two swords. At the same time, more tearing sounds were heard, and then the surrounding walls cracked. Among the blood and minced meat, one after another Lawrence appeared here, fighting through thorns and thorns.
.
He didn't need to walk through the maze, he just had to slash all the way through it. Since the monster was so huge, it was much easier for Lawrence to vent his anger. He just had to slash the surrounding buildings crazily.
"I don't know if you will feel any pain."
Lawrence was curious and waved the storm of the sword.
The building is trembling, the building is wailing, the building is trying to fight back.
One after another, the demons "melted" out of the wall, their scarlet tentacles following them closely. However, facing the hordes of Lawrence, this resistance still seemed too weak, and in the blink of an eye it became one-sided.
of massacre.
Lawrence was perfectly prepared and nothing could stop him.
The strong erosion suppressed his mind through layers of obstacles. That was the core of the storm, and he could faintly feel the existence of the [gap].
All the hateful adjectives stacked together are unable to describe that power, which is the source of all disasters and the open door to hell.
But just like the last delicacy, Lawrence is not in a hurry to taste it. Before the death battle begins, he has to make enough trials and errors to bring his fanaticism to an end.
At this moment, another piercing and sharp hissing sounded. Lawrence looked forward, and a group... a group of things that he didn't know how to describe appeared in front of him.
It was like a huge piece of meat, with a steady stream of plasma precipitating from its surface. There were many uneven lumps on the piece of meat, and strands of slender hair were entangled between the lumps. They were densely adhered to the minced meat.
Together, there were large chunks of dirty blood solidified on it.
After a brief squirming, one arm after another stretched out from it, struggling crazily, as if trying to escape from the shackles of the flesh, scratching wounds with sharp nails, and underneath the wounds were exposed white bones, and then
Along with this hair-raising struggle, the miserable wailing sounds continued to sound, the sound was as sharp as a sharp sword, trying to slit the throat.
It was like a polymer stacked up with countless corpses. Lawrence had seen enough of this kind of scenery and had been in hell for long enough. He had already become accustomed to it.
There was no difference between the twisted piece of meat and the monster he had killed before, it was just another lamb to be slaughtered.
He picked up the nail sword and strode away, but a sudden shock interrupted his movement.
The building was wailing and trembling.
Lawrence was a little confused at first, but then he also felt the erosion that was coming quickly. In this cruel hell, new gladiators joined the battlefield.
He seemed to have guessed who it was.
In an instant, the dome made of flesh and blood began to dent and crack, and the billowing firelight shone through the flesh and blood. At a critical moment, it completely collapsed, scattering endless gray-white snow.
It was as if a sword of sanction dropped from the sky, smashing through all obstacles until it reached the end of the deep darkness.
In the brilliant moment, Lawrence saw the figure in the firelight. It spread its sharp wings, like an angel about to fly high.