Endless Debt

The scarlet heart lay still within the cold, transparent quartz. The surface of the crystal shimmered with a faint light, seemingly sealing the heart away, yet even so, the vibrant color still carried with it an abundance of life force, causing the heartbeat of everyone who gazed upon it to involuntarily quicken.

Bologue felt this, as did the woman beside him.

"Could it really... be the Immortal Heart?"

The woman, shedding her previously lazy demeanor, sat upright, a mix of excitement and unease flickering in her eyes.

The others were the same; the quiet atmosphere could no longer be maintained as whispers grew more and more cacophonous until the venue was in an uproar.

"You actually know about these? Who are you?" This time, the woman finally regarded Bologue seriously.

"In an occasion like this, does that question hold any significance?"

Bologue, wearing a mask, retorted with the woman's own words.

The woman let out a cold laugh, clenching her fist. It had been a long time since she felt such irritation and anger from one individual.

The host started introducing the Immortal Heart. His introduction wasn't long, merely mentioning that it was the Holy Relic of the Scarlet Decay Sect and that it could produce the Elixir of Immortality.

"If it were implanted into the human body, just imagine what could happen."

The host spoke mysteriously, but he did not drag it out for long, soon proclaiming candidly.

"The Undying Body!"

After the proclamation, the venue fell silent again, followed by even more fervent murmurs.

Undying.

To shed the fragile mortal shell and gain an immortal, indestructible body—how many people dreamt of such power, now displayed atop the podium, sold as a commodity.

"Aren't you interested in this thing? It might help you get rid of the curse of sunlight," Bologue whispered temptingly.

"Power comes at a cost."

The woman clearly knew more; aware of the Devil's cunning, her eyes showed no fervor for the Immortal Heart, only rationale and unease.

"What about you? Aren't you concerned about immortality?"

The woman turned the question on Bologue. She wasn't concerned about the Immortal Heart because she knew the price it demanded, but what about Bologue? A mere mortal like Bologue would charge ahead knowing the cost, yet why was he unconcerned?

"Not at all, anyway, I'm not going to die."

"You do have great confidence, indeed."

The woman began to find Bologue an interesting fellow; in her long life, this was the first time she'd met such a weirdo.

She grew interested in Bologue, but regrettably, Bologue was about to die. The woman didn't dwell on this; having lived long enough, she occasionally encountered interesting individuals, so someone like Bologue wasn't rare in her eyes.

Bologue was contemplating something entirely different; with Palmer missing, he had to carry out the task alone. With so many people in the venue, even the Undead Bologue couldn't cut a wide swath through them.

For this, Bologue thought of trying to make use of the woman beside him; as a member of the Night Race, she should possess great power, possibly instigating her desire for the Immortal Heart to create chaos.

Surprisingly, the woman clearly knew something he didn't, making her completely indifferent to the lure of the Immortal Heart, giving Bologue a headache.

The atmosphere in the venue turned frenzied, everyone shouting and constantly raising their bids, and as Bologue was racking his brains on how to act, the woman's words sank him deep into an icy sea.

"Your friend, he's Serey Villeries, isn't he?"

Bologue was dumbfounded, while the woman leaned forward, tilting her head to look at him. However, unlike the previous pink-tinted atmosphere, Bologue could clearly feel the killing intent emanating from the woman.

Obviously, she and Serey were archenemies.

"After the dawn judgment, a part of the Night Race was imprisoned in the Land of Eternal Night, while another part was under my dominion... apart from the traitor Serey, I can't think of anyone else straying outside these two factions, especially with such pure bloodline."

Scarlet eyes glimmered faintly, the killing intent nearly becoming tangible, like a sharp knife slowly slicing through Bologue's nerves.

"Want to fight? Here?"

Bologue's tone held no fluctuation, the Silver Snake slithered over his wrist, transforming into a sharp short dagger; judging by his serious demeanor, he seemed truly prepared for a showdown with the woman.

When the killing intent peaked, the woman chuckled, with the hostility dissipating.

"Someday, I will personally slaughter Serey, roasting him under the sun from dawn till dusk, repeating for seven days and nights."

"As for you?"

The woman seemed aware of what would happen next. Rising to leave, she said to Bologue before departing, "You're going to die here."

"These maniacs have no idea what they're fighting over."

Looking at the heart on the podium, the woman murmured,

"Who are you?" Bologue inquired.

"A dead man doesn't deserve to know my name," the woman replied.

"Since I'm already a dead man, knowing before I die wouldn't hurt, would it?" Bologue retorted, "The dead keep secrets."

"Olivia.

Olivia Villeries."

After a moment of silence, the woman suddenly revealed her name, reaching out as her sharp nails grazed Bologue's neck, her speed swift, like a gentle breeze.

By the time Bologue felt the delayed pain, a slender line of blood had already extended; the wound wasn't deep but still bled copiously.

Olivia took out a small bottle, collecting the blood that dripped from her nails.

Throughout the entire process, Bologue stood there in a daze. It wasn't that he didn't want to resist, but he simply couldn't move. An invisible ether bound his body, heavy shackles tightened his limbs.

It wasn't until Olivia sealed the blood away that this suppression vanished. Cold sweat soaked through Bologue's collar, this woman was far more powerful than he had imagined.

If she's like this, then what about Serey?

Bologue truly found it hard to connect that muscular man dancing on the steel pipe with the ancient and mysterious Night Race strongman.

This world is so absurd.

"What's your name, freak?"

Olivia pocketed the small vial containing the blood and smiled at the disheveled Bologue.

"Does a dead man's name matter?"

Bologue replied with a hint of amusement in his tone. Perhaps he couldn't beat Olivia, but in verbal exchanges, she was clearly lacking.

Olivia looked at the odd creature before her, he was truly peculiar. Even in such circumstances, he displayed no fear.

To think someone like this would be involved with Serey…

Recalling Serey's image in her memory, Olivia felt it wasn't impossible. Men with such strange personalities surprisingly appealed to someone like Serey.

"Then, does anyone else want to bid?"

The auctioneer called out from the high platform. The bidding for the Immortal Heart was coming to an end, the platform was filled with blood and bodies.

In the end, many began sacrificing their worth, some cutting off limbs, some offering freedom, everyone competing, bringing increasingly painful costs upon themselves.

Blood pooled beneath the auctioneer's feet, amidst the pervading despair, he continued to shout.

This time, no one responded. Everyone had been emptied of their worth. The auctioneer looked at the silent venue, feeling a bit disappointed. He had thought the scene would become even crazier.

"Well… it belongs to you then."

The auctioneer proclaimed the final winner.

The man had lost an eye, an arm, and both legs. He could only crawl desperately in the pool of blood, and he had lost fifty years of time. His body was aged beyond recognition, his movements painfully slow.

But it was all worth it, for as long as he got hold of that heart, everything he sacrificed would be restored.

With the last ounce of strength, the man raised his hand, but just as he was about to touch the heart, his arm fell lifelessly, blood fleeing from his aged body, turning into a bloodless corpse.

"Hmm… looks like this buyer has died. Is there anyone else who wants to bid for a chance to snatch it?"

The auctioneer became excited again, the remaining few on the platform had their eyes light up, preparing to fight once more.

At this moment, an eerie, oppressive murmuring sound arose, coming from all directions.

Instantly, a sense of extreme frenzy descended upon the place, everyone sharply sensed something bizarre and insane arriving, even the auctioneer curbed his smile.

Ether surged up in a moment. Even with the suppression of the Void Realm, the golden halo in Bologue's eyes became dazzling. The other people in the venue were the same, all entering battle preparation.

Olivia clearly understood what was going on; she looked at Bologue, regretting that Bologue was about to die. Otherwise, taking this guy back would have been quite interesting.

"Here's a final lesson for you: never speak to a lady with such eyes."

Olivia didn't care about what was going to happen next. She had full ability to escape.

"Why?"

Bologue also sensed that eerie power, but his expression remained calm.

"Because you look at me as if I'm a monkey in a zoo." Olivia said, "The way you look at me makes me doubt my own charm."

Her figure began to blur, then dissolved like ink into the air.

Bologue tried to locate Olivia's trace, but she had disappeared, just as she had come.

The sense of tension in his heart became increasingly clear. Bologue guessed that the anomaly happening now was what Olivia referred to as death.

A thunderous explosion sounded in an instant, and the entire venue shook violently.

The agitation in Bologue's heart was significantly eased, presumably because Palmer had detonated the bomb. Although still out of contact, his partner proved reliable in such deadly times.

The signal generator had been sealed by Bologue into the wall long ago. Unclear of the source of this eerie feeling, but the venue had already descended into chaos. All he had to do was cooperate with Palmer to completely destroy this place.

The explosion kicked up dust, rampaging through the corridors and extending into the venue.

Dense Iron Armor formed beneath his collar, Bologue was ready to engage, eagerly looking at the dust, waiting for Palmer's grand entrance.

But the anticipated boisterous laughter of raiders was absent, replaced by an even clearer sense of frenzy and an overwhelming scent of blood.

After the dust settled, knights clad in Iron Armor appeared before the corridor, silent, sealing all the exits of the venue.

The sound of flesh tearing resounded, and Bologue followed the sound to see that the auctioneer had become a headless corpse, the head rolled off the high platform, landing at the foot of the man dressed in a blood-red robe.

"Ah… we have come to welcome you."

Latis paid no attention to the head by his feet, looking fervently at the heart sealed within quartz.

After the fervor, he turned coldly to everyone in the venue, and ordered coldly.

"Offer them to Mother."

The silent knights all leapt up, wielding their heavy long swords as they came down with a chopping attack.