Endless Debt

"Aimou, you can imagine it this way."

Bologue's voice echoed beside Aimou's ear, "You are not engaging in slaughter, you are engaging in a... noble cause."

"Noble... cause?"

"Yes, a cause I call the 'axiom iron law'. Your actions are all about cutting off evil, to save more lives from undeserved death."

"But that still sounds pretty villainous."

Aimou recalled Bologue's violent actions, the only difference between Bologue and those cultists was probably that he did not worship any Evil God.

"Hmm? Actually, understanding it as something villainous is not entirely incorrect."

Bologue's voice was filled with the professionalism and rigor expected of an expert.

"I consider myself a professional, loving my craft, and since I've taken it up as a career, I strive to be the best."

"Be the best villain?" Aimou was somewhat puzzled by Bologue's thinking.

"Exactly, as long as I eliminate all villains, I'll be the greatest and strongest villain in the industry."

Aimou could tell that Bologue wasn't joking.

"Then now... we just need to act."

In the crimson tempest and rain, a scarlet figure sprinted wildly on the enormous snake's body, holding a heavy Great Sword, piercing into the flesh, hacking through layers of flesh.

Under Bologue's brutal onslaught, massive amounts of blood gushed out, dyeing the worn Long Bridge a blood-red.

Palmer pulled the hook rope, flying swiftly between the stone pillars, turned to look at Bologue, as Latis's bloated snake body twisted and convulsed.

It knocked down several stone pillars, broken stones crashing into the deep darkness below, with no echo returned.

Waves of tearing pain came from the snake body, Latis's massive snake body was intimidating, but in front of Bologue, this huge hull became a weakness instead.

Bone Spears like centipede legs sprang up, assaulting Bologue amidst the flesh, yet now his Ether surged, under its extreme amplification, Bologue's speed was like a phantom, swiftly navigating between the white bones, constantly ascending.

"Teachers should teach, doctors should treat patients, sheriffs should protect civilians... professionals should do the work matching their expertise."

Even now Bologue continued to instill his strange thinking into Aimou, not knowing how much she absorbed, but in her silence, a vast amount of Ether supported Bologue.

"I'm not a teacher, not a doctor, and definitely not a sheriff."

Bologue's voice was hoarse, filled with anger.

"I'm just a Field Staff burdened with debts, my profession is to kill these bastards!"

The dense flesh blocked every part of Bologue's sight, countless appendages mixed with Bone Spears fell like burning arrows.

Bologue had nowhere to escape.

No, not everywhere.

The gold rings in his azure pupils grew increasingly dazzling, until they scattered like melting gold paint, filling up Bologue's eyes, transforming them into a brilliant azure-gold.

The blood-stained Iron Armor seemed to melt into flowing liquid, closely wrapping over Bologue's body surface, the bloated Iron Rider was no more; now he seemed more like wearing a bright red formal suit, if not for the madness of this scene, he seemed more like a gentleman ready to attend a ball.

The power of Deceitful Snake Scale Silver greatly suited Bologue's Summoning Hand, largely because it allowed the Summoning Hand to break through the limits of controlling solid matter, driving the liquid metal of the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid.

The solid metal was replaced; the soft and adaptable liquid metal soared and danced wildly on Bologue's body, Latis summoned countless scarlet appendages, and Bologue also summoned his Silver Hand.

Countless Silver Hands.

Like a legion commanded.

"But no matter what... Aimou, you surely wouldn't want this kind of monster getting out, would you?"

Finally, Bologue asked this.

Responding to Bologue was the golden tracks appearing on the body and the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid, Bologue smiled, he didn't confront the countless scarlet appendages head-on.

The ends of the Silver Hands warped and lengthened until they transformed into sturdy Blades, instantly, countless Blades violently pierced into the flesh below.

Bologue was lifted by numerous Blades, using these sharp edges as feet, following which the Blades brutally tore through the flesh below.

With previous experience, Bologue was no longer as resistant to re-entering the flesh; Aimou still found it hard to accept, but she could only bite the bullet now.

Bologue plunged straight into the snake's body, unleashing a storm of Blades inside the flesh, while Latis's swinging appendages struck nothing, losing sight of Bologue.

Intense pain surged from within Latis, as if a worm was greedily gnawing at your flesh.

Within the flesh, a defense was also woven, scarlet sprouts covering the insides.

The decayed roots, a product originating from the Devil, cannot be regarded as conventional organisms. It's more like a monster with flesh characteristics; anything capable of proliferating in flesh will develop on it.

But this could not stop Bologue. The Deceitful Snake Scale Silver repeatedly switched between liquid and solid states, much like Jia Meng's Shadow of Illusion and Reality. When the sprouts tried to destroy the blades, they would turn into liquid, easily passing through the flesh. But in the next moment they would solidify into metal, like rapidly growing thorns, tearing everything around them.

Latis managed to injure Bologue several times by luck, but the injuries left were unable to stop Bologue. It wouldn't take long for him to heal from his wounds.

At this moment, Latis absurdly felt he couldn't tell who was really part of the Blood-Corrupt Church.

The fusion with the eerie decayed roots granted him the nature of the Undead, yet it seemed Bologue had such power from the beginning.

Is he... an Undead?

No one responded to Latis. While he was figuring out how to counter Bologue's fierce attacks, another fellow swinging in the air was also restless.

Latis hadn't noticed earlier, but this deep underground world had been swept up in a gentle breeze, intensifying under the drive of Ether, until now, when it became a small storm that caught his attention.

Palmer landed on a stone pillar, with eyes burning hot with Ether, commanding the whirlwind to envelop the giant serpent's body, mixed with blowing sand and stones, leaving scars on the flesh, deep or shallow.

Secret Energy·Wind Source is very useful, but it lacks direct means of destruction. Moreover, Palmer had exhausted all his ammunition, and even the Flying Knife had shattered completely.

Fortunately, Bologue was proactive. Seeing Bologue charge into the serpent's body, Palmer began to feel they might really have a chance to destroy a Negative Power User.

Latis's vision was obscured by the whirlwind, suffocating his breath too, as the serpent's scarlet tail wrapped around the Long Bridge, breaking it with great force, causing the entire bridge surface to collapse.

Palmer fled quickly, avoiding the serpent's tail's fierce attack.

An endless fury surged within Latis's heart, never had he felt so stifled. First, he suffered from Nade's fire burn, then faced the deadly strike of those two. Now he was weak and being tortured by these two Condensers like bugs.

The most important thing was, panic began to spread within him; fear crept into the gaps of his will—there was a moment when Latis really thought he might die at the hands of these two.

Below, the flesh swelled and ruptured, as Bologue, covered in blood, emerged, sprouts continuously oozing from his wounds, pursuing him.

"Indeed, this guy is nothing to be afraid of."

Bologue turned mid-air and swung out Iron Spears towards Latis at the serpent's head. Some were dodged by Latis, while others nailed into the flesh below, the force so great that the entire spears were completely driven into the flesh.

Against someone like Nade, even if they were severely weakened, Bologue believed he would still have no chance against them, considering the Secret Energy's cunning nature, not to mention the Negative Power User's Secret Energy.

But Latis was different. As a member of the Contract School, Latis's reliance was solely on the Ether intensity of a Negative Power User, and the resurrection power of decayed roots. It could be understood that his own ability was only through a contract to merge with decayed roots, transforming into a flesh monster with infinite resurrection and extremely strong Ether.

But now this monster was exhausted, waiting only for the Hunter to shoot the last arrow, piercing his throat.

Latis glared at the blood-soaked Bologue, exerting his full strength as the flesh began to wriggle and deform. Jagged white bones enveloped Latis's body encasing him like armor.

The serpent's body coiled together like a raised hill, the flesh cracked open, twisting into sharp bone spears, their tails adhered by flesh tendrils, swinging towards Bologue.

"Palmer!" Bologue shouted.

"Alright!"

The whirlwind intensified, its massive pressure squeezing Bologue's body as if an invisible bowstring launched him, his speed far exceeding Latis's expectations, utilizing bone spears to counter Bologue was now impossible.

"Suicidal!"

Latis hoarsely raised his blood-stained Bone Sword, directly facing the oncoming figure.

The silver Great Sword collided with the Bone Sword; simultaneously, dense Silver Hands swung out, rooting in the surrounding flesh like tendrils, firmly fixing Bologue in place.

A tremendous force came from his arm, and Bologue felt his bones almost shattered. The Silver Hands trembled wildly; fortunately, Bologue wasn't thrown off by Latis's great force this time.

The blades held together, Bologue found himself in the clash against the scarlet twisted gaze.

"Pitiful... insect."

An eerie voice came from Latis's damaged throat, whereas Bologue sneered grimly.

In such moments, no harsh words were needed—only actions.

The silver Great Sword began to crumble, the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid scattered away, revealing the Short Sword beneath.

A massive amount of Ether was infused, causing even the Alchemy Matrix on the Short Sword to glitter with overloaded sparks. The Bright Light Blade reignited, in the blazing white flames, the Ethereal Sword cut a breach into the Bone Sword.

"Not what you expected, huh?"

Bologue taunted.

In the scarlet gaze, the flames burned fiercely like a slender Flame-shaped Sword, forcibly cleaving the Bone Sword, along with Latis's chest.

Blood spilled profusely.