Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Furthermore, since this is gang territory, they eventually fall into a state of joy at the boss's death, and no one cares which three righteous people got rid of the boss for them.

The three did not linger and prepared to leave immediately to prevent others from coming up and seeing them, which could lead to an even greater disaster.

Just as they stepped out of the door that Ash had kicked open, all three of them saw a man in a black suit examining a body lying at the elevator entrance.

At the same time, the man in the black suit saw the three men who came out. He quickly pulled at his collar, using his clothes to cover his head and torso, and took out a pistol from his holster and fired at the three men.

Ash and the other two also dodged and hid behind the door, firing at the other side.

The two sides exchanged fire instantly, firing dozens of bullets, and then immediately ceased fire to search for each other's whereabouts.

Ash recognized the figure that had suddenly appeared to the side and tentatively asked, "John, is that you?"

Seeing no reaction from the other side, Ash continued, "John, I'm Ash. We met at the Firelink Shrine a few days ago. Helen even gave me some cookies, which were delicious."

Slowly, half a gun barrel emerged from the corner of the elevator, followed by half a head flashing by.

Ash put down her gun, walked out the door, and headed towards the elevator.

After walking a short distance, Ash stopped, turned off the safety on his pistol, and put it back in its holster.

After Ash finished putting away her gun, John pointed his pistol at Ash and slowly stood up from behind the cover.

"John, I'm sorry, are you here on a mission?"

"Private matter."

"Well, sorry, I killed your friend."

"I'm not familiar with him."

Upon hearing John's words, Ash suddenly remembered that in the movie, John, without saying a word, went straight from the bottom of the gang to killing Vigo's son, and finally killed Vigo to avenge Marcus.

In the first movie, John only let one person go: a big fat man smoking by the back door.

John might consider letting those he has some connection with go, but those he has truly offended will all be executed.

The fact that Vigo, unable to explain himself to John, sends an assassin to John's house to kill him in the movie shows that the two did not have a good relationship.

The only connection might be what Vigo said: John laid the foundation for their gang's deterrent power.

Thinking about this, Ash couldn't help but consider other possibilities: if he hadn't intervened, Hatch would have burned the money, Wolf's office wouldn't have been bombed, John would have come to Vigo to take on a mission, and Vigo would have eventually become a mob boss.

But all of this was disrupted by Ash.

"John, is there anything else? Shall we leave together?"

"It's all over now."

John glanced at Ash helplessly, then turned and went downstairs.

As they got off the elevator, Ash saw that the 'lucky guy' was still sleeping behind the flower bed. Without disturbing him, the three of them quickly left.

They drove back to Wolf's small warehouse, put the equipment back in its place, and gathered in front of the warehouse door to say goodbye.

Ash pulled a notebook from Wolf's pocket, quickly wrote down a phone number, and handed it to Wolf.

"This is a fat man's phone number. Call him and he'll arrange a place for you to stay."

Wolf took the notebook and found that the IOU that Ash was supposed to sign was gone. Wolf said nothing, said goodbye, and left.

Only Ash and Rither remained at the scene. Rither held the gun in his hand, hesitating about something.

"Riser, do you think I'm the one who should die?" Ash spoke for Reiser.

“Ash, I’ve been following you all day, killing a lot of people along the way. Usually, I just smash their knees.”

Risser took the pistol out of its holster, turned off the safety, and held it in his hand.

"Riser, do you know how much money that is?"

Ash pulled out a tattered document. Although the document was almost completely destroyed in the explosion, some numbers could still be made out of the remaining parts.

"Three billion six hundred and thirty-six million three hundred and sixty-six US dollars, that's the amount. And this money will be the compensation for twelve thousand fallen soldiers."

Two years ago at the Imperial Cemetery, so many soldiers died without receiving compensation, only burial expenses. Sheffield even considered waging a global war to seek justice for them.

This money has temporarily calmed Sheffield and can provide a little help to those more than ten thousand families.

Ash's explanation made Rither put down his gun. Rither, a former Air Force special forces member, understood the Pentagon's reason for not issuing compensation.

“Riser, I’ve been with you the whole time about this, just so you can understand it.”

Reese grew melancholy. He didn't quite understand Ash's meaning. Ash could summon a security team at any time and have someone cover for him. Why would someone with such power like Ash play along with such a charade?

"Confused, yearning for redemption, yet fearing the harm you might cause to others, all you can think about is constantly cooperating with Finch in the rescue, and then one day dying on the road."

Ash spoke without hesitation about Riser's pain and desires, psychologically shattering Riser's fragile armor.

“Riser, salvation is right beside you. Let go of yourself, forgive yourself. Tears are shed for the living.”

Ash spoke softly to Rither and took out the Yorshka Chime. With a gentle shake, a warm power surged from Rither's heart. Then, a flame appeared within Rither's heart.

[Tears of Farewell: A miracle taught by Moen, the apostle of Archbishop Kalim. A one-time chance to escape death when health reaches zero. This miracle was created to give the dying time to say goodbye. Tears are shed for the living, far more so than for the dead.]

Rither was already in tears, wiping them from his face with his sleeve. At that moment, Rither seemed to have been reborn.

Ash left at some point, probably because she didn't want to see Rither's tearful and ugly face.

As Rither drove back to his car, he felt his steps becoming lighter and lighter, the burden in his heart lifted, and he felt completely relaxed.

"Finch, who's next?"

Reese pressed his earpiece in the car, asking who the next person needed protection.

Finch also saw Rither's transformation on the surveillance footage, and as Rither's only friend, he was happy for Rither's change.

“Mr. Risser, next…”

At that moment, Ash stood by the roadside and gave a thumbs-up to the passing vehicles, hoping that one of them would give him a ride.

'Damn, I'm never pretending to be cool again.'

Ash, who couldn't drive, inwardly groaned.

Chapter 37: My Wife is Gone?

After a busy day, Master Ai returned home ready to rest and enjoy the warm embrace of the fire-fighting woman.

However, someone beat Ash to it.

"What are you doing?!"

Ash, who had just opened the door, expected to be greeted with a warm greeting from the Fire Keeper, just like he had been at Firelink Shrine.

But what appeared before her was the Fire Keeper sitting on the sofa, holding Ares, who was crying in her arms.

A bad thought flashed through her mind for a moment, but Ash quickly banished it.

When Ares saw Ash enter, he stopped crying, left the Fire Keeper's embrace, and went to the bathroom to fix his makeup.

What happened while I was away?

"I comforted a wandering soul, Lord Ash."

According to the Fire Keeper, Ares's soul is lonely, constantly wandering, and always searching for something to cling to, much like the time when she lost her sight.

But Ash knew that the Fire Keeper had lost more than just her eyes; she had lost the belief that fire was no longer a part of the world.

'Even in the faintest light, the horrific betrayal will be revealed.'

These were the words the Fire Keeper had said to Ash, and Ash remembered them well. Ash was willing to stand by the Fire Keeper even after she betrayed the flames.

After Ares finished tidying up and returned to the living room, he resumed his cool demeanor.

"The mission is complete. You may leave now."

Upon hearing Ash's words, Ares instinctively looked at the Fire Keeper. In less than a day, she had found her soul's anchor. But now she was leaving.

Ares's movements were somewhat heavy and slow; she was prolonging every second of contact with the Fire Keeper.

"Lord Ash, as the Fire Keeper of the Firelink Shrine, I need a handmaid."

The handmaid at Firelink Shrine was originally one of the high priests of Lothric City, similar to the high priestess Emma before the Oath Basin. But for some reason, she ended up at Firelink Shrine and now has a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Ludos.

Upon hearing that the Fire Keeper needed a handmaid, Ares's eyes lit up, and he quickly began gesturing to Ash and the Fire Keeper.

Ash understood what the Fire Keeper meant: sending Ares back to her old life would be pushing her back into the abyss.

“I can do it, I will serve the Fire Keeper.”

This was Ares's sign language; after gesturing, he waited for Ash and the Fire Keeper to make their decision.

Ash took out a short sword that shimmered with a faint blue light and handed it to Ares, saying, "Take this and show your resolve."

Holding the short sword, Ares was at a loss. She didn't know what kind of determination Ash wanted her to show. Looking at the short sword in her hand, she prepared to stab herself.

Just as Ares had this idea, a blue crystalline blade extended from the short sword, and a bright blue crystalline lightsaber appeared in her hand.

[Sapphire Bead Short Sword: A short sword inlaid with sapphire crystals. Possibly a gift received before embarking on a journey, the blade is engraved with ancient text wishing for a safe journey. Weapon Art: Crystal Blade: Can release the magic hidden within the sapphire, temporarily creating a blue crystal blade. The blade is long enough to be wielded as a straight sword.]

Because the Sapphire Dagger contains magic and has been enhanced by Ash's blessing, anyone who meets the usage requirements can use it continuously as long as they have the will to do so.

Holding the short sword, staring blankly at the crystal blade, Ares suddenly realized that this was the true meaning of his determination.

The Fire Keeper covered her mouth and chuckled, then pulled the still-standing Ares aside to whisper something. From that moment on, there was one more person in the house.

'I was showing off earlier, and now I can't get a ride. Now I'm showing off again, and my wife has run off with me?'

Ash's date with the Fire Keeper was interrupted by Riser, and now there's another person in his house vying for the Fire Keeper's attention. Ash is truly suffering in silence.

Fortunately, she had managed to snag a bottle of liquor worth six thousand pounds from a nightclub, which offered some consolation to Ash's broken heart. But after glancing at the empty liquor shelf, Ash put the bottle back in her backpack.

'It's no big deal if there's not a single bottle on the entire wine rack; I'll just grab some from Kassel later.'

Having made up his mind, Ash silently gave himself a thumbs up, praising himself for being a man who knew how to manage a household.

The only advantage of having another permanent resident is that someone will drive you when you go out.

But after Ares moved in, Ash was stared at with disdain by this girl at the same time every day.

"Fire Keeper, can you please explain to her that we don't need to eat?! She looks at me like that every mealtime, what terrible thing have I done?!"

Ash and the Fire Keeper sat at a table that had never been used before, enjoying the food brought by Ares.

The Fire Keeper gracefully cut a piece of food from the plate in front of her, put it in her mouth, chewed slowly, and then swallowed.