Endless Debt

The Seeker of Glory who offers his soul and descends into becoming a Demon.

Bearing all sins and sufferings, transforming into a hated and twisted existence in this world.

This world's Calamity.

Bologue's movements became increasingly swift and skillful; the moment Aimou mentioned the Seeker of Glory, Bologue had a fleeting illusion that this might be the most challenging day of his career.

Something felt off. Bologue always had the feeling that "the most challenging day" had been mentioned many times before, but that's life for you; surprises always lie in wait.

You think that after enduring suffering, an easy path lies ahead, but perhaps it's just the beginning of another storm.

"The Order Bureau kept such a beast locked up without any word; these people are all madmen! Lunatics!"

If Palmer were here, he'd surely curse out loud in this manner.

Bologue didn't have the time to criticize anything, not that the folks from the Order Bureau could hear it anyway.

Bologue's heart rate skyrocketed, and at this point, there was no need to conserve Ether. In his hand, a swarm of snakes molded another Sharp Sword.

The folding knife and Sharp Sword weaved back and forth as Bologue moved swiftly along the rock wall, trying to get as far away as possible from the turbulent sea of blood below.

No matter what, Bologue never imagined that his first confrontation with the Seeker of Glory would happen under such circumstances.

The good news was that this guy probably couldn't be considered a Seeker of Glory, the bad news was that this guy was even trickier and more terrifying.

"How do you know all of this, Aimou?"

As Bologue moved, he didn't forget to question Aimou.

After a brief panic, Bologue roughly understood the Order Bureau's thinking. Such twisted existences should be forgotten by everyone; the Ether vacuum environment here might also be part of the Calamity's seal.

He had no right to know this information, so how did Aimou, who had always been confined in the Alchemy Workshop, find out?

"Teacher's books," Aimou said, "There was a time when the teacher was always collecting similar information. I found it in one of the books."

"Blessed and protected by Gluttony, thus gathering the disaster and chaos of the sin of Gluttony, causing hunger and eternal life to coexist."

Aimou softly recited the obscure and difficult text from the book.

Recalling all the experiences along the way, the bloody battle with the Crimson Rot Sect, the pursuit of the Corrupted Roots, and the contest for the Immortal Heart.

Aimou had little understanding of this world, but she wasn't stupid. Just like Bologue, stitching together a vague outline using those clues, she too weaved a blurry truth based on the known information.

"Teda studied this creature?" Bologue became wary upon hearing it related to Teda.

"Rather than studying it, it seems more like researching a product born of it," Aimou said tentatively, "For example..."

"The Immortal Heart."

Bologue spoke.

His own navel had a certain sense of connection whether it was for Calamity or the Immortal Heart, which inevitably led Bologue to start pondering the connection between the two.

The Immortal Heart was regarded as a Holy Relic by the Crimson Rot Sect, so what about the Calamity locked deep underground? For the Crimson Rot Sect, it should be considered a Divine Son, right?

Perhaps the Immortal Heart is part of the Calamity's body, such as... the heart?

"Is this the reason Geoffrey has a demeanor of facing death?"

Bologue muttered to himself, stabbing the Sharp Sword again. He had climbed quite high, and the sea of blood below had become blurred, leaving only a mass of crimson.

They hadn't given up on searching for Bologue. To the Calamity, it was immortal and undying, accompanied by that maddening hunger.

All these years, it was like a scavenger, devouring everything that fell into the Great Rift, and now, encountering fresh blood like Bologue, it had no reason to easily let go.

In their final battle on the Long Bridge, the Delusional realized the presence of the Calamity and knew the Calamity was at the bottom of the Great Rift. He conjured an Illusion Creation of the Calamity and deceived Geoffrey.

No wonder Geoffrey was so terrified; everyone faced with this creature had no way to escape.

"Bologue! Find cover quickly!"

Aimou suddenly realized something and shouted to Bologue.

"Cover?"

Bologue glanced around; he was clinging to the rock face, with the turbulent sea of blood below, and there was no cover in sight.

For a moment, he didn't understand why Aimou said that, but soon enough, Bologue remembered another threat and became angry at his own negligence.

The information about the Calamity was so shocking, that for a moment, Bologue had forgotten about the heatwave that struck every twenty-two minutes.

Bologue guessed that it was probably the breath of the Calamity, each inhale and exhale caused such catastrophic disaster, not knowing what kind of destruction it would cause if it was left free.

There was no time to find cover, Bologue hesitated for a second, then shouted back at Aimou.

"Don't worry! I will always wake up!"

Aimou didn't understand the meaning of Bologue's words, and in the next second, Bologue punched the rock face in front of him.

Secret Energy·Summoning Hand.

Bologue drained the last remaining ether, causing the rocky terrain to cave in, layer by layer forming a narrow cave, just big enough to shelter him and Aimou.

He first tossed Aimou inside, while simultaneously, the rumbling of thunder echoed from the darkness ahead, and Bologue could perceive the star fire being flung high up, forming a hazy column of light in the dark, which then suddenly dispersed, melting into the scorching heatwave.

Before the roaring heat reached them, Bologue struggled to crawl in; the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid shaped into a round shield, blocking the cave's entrance. Seconds later, the intense heat swept across the metal, causing the cold steel to glow faintly red.

In the deep crevice, the burning wind blew layers of ash, sweeping over the wildly dancing flesh, producing a continuous hoarse burning sound, akin to the wailing of flesh.

Most of them turned into black charred shells, and then were extinguished into a sky filled with ash, yet soon new flesh resurrected, repeating the cycle.

Underneath layers of ashes, one could see flesh and flame entangled with each other, the speed of the flame's burning matching the flesh's resurrection, continuously wearing each other down, causing the ashes to gradually fill the crevice.

In the narrow darkness, Bologue curled up to the side, gasping painfully. The exhaustion of ether felt awful, like all the strength was being drained from his body, followed immediately by the effects of Bulimia Nervosa, his head aching fiercely.

Aimou could only spectate from the side, Bologue's pain stemming from the loss of his soul left her powerless to help.

His consciousness swayed between lucidity and fainting, soon Bologue was completely unconscious, as if dead.

Aimou stared vacantly at all this; after a long time, the faint light of ether extended back to the shell. Aimou attempted to move, but the damage to her body made her movements extremely slow, and a fair amount of ash had permeated the mechanical structure, further wearing the metal down.

"What are you going to do now?"

Alice appeared beside her like a specter, her voice laden with mirth, "But whatever you intend to do, starting now seems a bit too late, doesn't it?"

"When you saw that book, you knew what would happen, didn't you?" Alice sneered, "Teda only had concern for his poor daughter, not a spot for you. For all this, he was even willing to seize the Immortal Heart."

"Oh? Should I be grateful that he achieved so much for a dead person?" Alice murmured.

Aimou glanced at her, her mechanical pupil devoid of emotion.

She approached Bologue hesitantly, and then Alice pounced, placing her hands on Aimou's shoulders, whispering into her ear.

"Whatever you planned, this is the perfect opportunity, isn't it?"

As if under a spell, Aimou felt a semblance of human perception, able to sense the warm breath from the neck, just like Alice, who was no longer a spectral ghost but a living being.

Ordinary cognition began to twist, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, making distinction difficult.

"This guy is extremely wary, but you succeeded Aimou, you made him let down his guard," Alice's voice continued to echo, "He truly believes you two share some sort of life-and-death bond; this is the perfect chance."

Aimou lifted her trembling hands, placing them on Bologue.

"Yes, that's it, you've realized it too, this guy is incredibly perceptive, anything related to the Devil cannot escape his attention.

If you hope your fantasies become reality, eliminating Bologue Lazarus is imperative."

Alice tempted Aimou, yet Aimou's motions halted, like a statue, rigidly frozen.

"What are you waiting for?"

Alice asked puzzled, then her tone turned stern.

"You attempted before, didn't you? Gray used every piece of Alchemy Armament yet still couldn't kill him, nor slow him down… only here, only in this ether vacuum, he will truly perish."

Aimou grasped Bologue's shoulders, laboriously dragging him.

"Yes, that's right, throw him down, let Calamity consume him; even if he revives one day, by then our goal will be accomplished."

Alice reassured Aimou, whispering softly, "You haven't killed him, he is inherently immortal, you simply allowed him… a brief slumber."

Aimou was about to drag Bologue to the cave's edge, but suddenly she stopped, out of control, she fell backwards, leaning against the wall and sat down.

"What do you ultimately intend to do?"

Seeing this, Alice grew furious, loudly questioning Aimou, yet Aimou did not respond, merely hugged her knees, head down like a scolded child.

"Do you want to again leave the choice to others? Aimou."

Aimou did not reply. Alice paused for a moment, she herself lowered down, embracing Aimou, whispering near her ear.

"Remember, Aimou, apart from me, no one else will unwaveringly choose you."

Aimou lifted her head, with a hint of hope in her words.

"No, there will be others."

Alice hadn't anticipated Aimou would oppose her one day; instead of anger, she smiled.

"Was it him? Or him?"

Alice said cryptically, holding Aimou's face, her pupils seemed to writhe with something, generating subtle sinister waves.

"Since you believe in all this so strongly...

How about a wager, Aimou?"