Endless Debt

Facing the oncoming Bologue, Latis never expected that a lowly Condenser would have the courage to swing a sword at him. He meant to rebuke something, but as the words emerged, they turned into a series of beast-like wailing roars due to the wound in his throat.

The crimson serpent's body coiled, rampaging across the Long Bridge, and then the flesh of the serpent started to writhe, opening one crimson eye after another, closely watching Bologue's trajectory. Simultaneously, numerous tentacles extended from the flesh, reaching toward Bologue.

In reality, Latis only possessed the appearance of a snake. The great snake's body was not covered with tough scales but rather soft, mutable flesh.

In Latis's eyes, Bologue did not possess the ability to change direction in mid-air. As long as Latis attacked the landing point of the grapple, Bologue would undoubtedly die.

But halfway through the air, Bologue suddenly retracted the grapple, and then a silver-white, slender serpent swung out, transforming into an extended arm that grabbed the opposite stone pillar.

The figure quickly shifted, causing the attacking tentacles to miss their target, while countless dense iron feathers, reminiscent of a bird, extended from the armor.

This was Bologue mimicking the form of the Blade-Biting Wolf, transforming his entire armor into deadly blades. Then, he swung the Great Sword, and as Bologue swept past the great snake's body, he left behind a crimson, stretching wound.

Bologue was merely a Condenser, but with the dual amplification of Aimou and the Tyrant, although his Secret Energy couldn't extend into a sub-discipline like the Prayer Believers, his Ether intensity had already reached the level of a Prayer Believer under this blessing.

The power was only temporary, but it was enough to bring Bologue joy, as this was the strength he would master in the future.

The serpent's body squirmed quickly, sharp white bones breaking through Latis's palm. The only right hand grasped the white bone that pierced the palm and then forcefully twisted it off, turning it into a Bone Sword in his hand.

Latis, with red eyes, lunged at Bologue, the Bone Sword slicing through the air with a sharp white arc.

As a Negative Power User, unlike Nade and Yas, Latis himself was not powerful. His Secret Energy discipline was the rarely seen Contract School. It was due to this Contract School that he held the position of Crimson Bishop, and under the contract's constraint, he possessed the ability to communicate with the Crimson Queen and use this contract to draw more believers.

Normally, Latis would not directly step onto the battlefield, but this time, the Immortal Heart was snatched from him by the Gray Trade Association. No matter what, he had to personally retrieve the Holy Relic.

The Bone Sword precisely slammed into Bologue's Great Sword. As the two crossed, Bologue was forcefully slammed into the ground, sliding several meters on the Long Bridge, leaving a trail of broken stones.

Latis was very weak, but the flesh of the corrupting root still possessed formidable physical strength.

"Thank you... Mother..."

A deep voice emerged from Latis's mouth. After leaving the Beast Fighting Arena, while pursuing Jia Meng, he encountered a siege by formidable enemies. These fatal wounds on his body were left by those two.

If not for his tier as a Negative Power User and the powerful healing brought by the corrupting root, Latis would already have died at the hands of those two.

Having barely escaped, Latis felt no relief for surviving, but rather an even deeper despair.

Various factions contended for the Immortal Heart, while he was the one most powerless to reclaim it. In this chaotic battle, he lost completely.

Latis hoped his death would have more value, so he ultimately came here, to this bridge in the depths underground leading to that place of no return.

"Please... wait a moment."

A new surge of madness reignited in Latis's eyes. He didn't look at the fallen Bologue on the ground but instead looked into the endless darkness below the Long Bridge.

Originally, he intended to proliferate more flesh, then sacrifice himself by falling into the Abyss, to satisfy the hunger of that existence. But with Bologue's arrival, everything changed.

It was as if the Crimson Queen truly was watching him, and in this dire situation, Latis once again saw the Immortal Heart. More importantly, he was so close to that existence.

At this moment, there was only one thing Latis needed to do: kill Bologue, reclaim the Immortal Heart, and plunge into this deep darkness to become one with that existence.

Bologue climbed up from the rubble, coughing blood. He had somewhat underestimated Latis. Even with numerous protections and considering Latis's own decay, there was still a certain gap between them.

"Any thoughts, expert?"

Palmer threw a Flying Knife. Accompanied by gusting winds, the attacking tentacles were sliced open by the Flying Knife, raining down blood.

"That blade."

Bologue looked up at the pitch-black blade embedded in Latis' chest. It was strange; Bologue felt a sense of familiarity with the blade, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Find a way to strike again!" Bologue shouted.

The armor emitted a low hum as Bologue rose again, sprinting towards the rising giant serpent's body. His steps were heavy at first, but soon became light.

The Constant Motion Core was operating at full force, an immense amount of Ether was violently injected into Bologue's Alchemy Matrix, causing intense physical pain from the excess Ether.

A breeze swirled around Bologue, and then the wind grew stronger, transforming into a fierce air shield that enveloped him.

Bologue swung his Great Sword again, just as Latis entered a new phase of mutation.

A crack appeared along the front of the serpent's body, as if a blade had split it open, revealing a colossal crimson maw intertwined with flesh. From either side of the maw, countless white bone claws extended, dancing wildly like the hundred legs of a centipede.

Blood gushed from the maw, flooding the ground, while fine branches of flesh and blood grew and extended within, transforming into myriad scarlet threads that blocked out the sky.

"Forward!"

Palmer shouted at Bologue's figure. Several Flying Knives whirled around Bologue, slicing through countless branches.

Yet Palmer's Flying Knives were mere mortal metal, not powerful Alchemy Armaments, and after successive impacts, they quickly shattered into clusters of dense iron fragments.

Palmer raised his hand, his pupils radiating incandescent light, until Bologue moved beyond the range of his Secret Energy, at which point the fierce wind slowly dispersed.

Thanks to Palmer's assistance, Bologue advanced swiftly, his vision filled with countless threads of blood. Even though the Flying Knives cut through a large portion of the blood threads, their severed ends split, sprouting more threads, as resilient as wild weeds.

"We'll be held back!" Aimou warned Bologue.

The dense blood threads wrapped them tightly within. Even Bologue couldn't launch his grappling hook, but he was not concerned.

As the Ether surged, Bologue's figure began to accelerate and spin, dense Iron Feathers adorned his armor, and he swung the Great Sword forcefully.

Bologue's figure gradually blurred, transforming into a silvery Iron Feather storm. The Ethereal Amplification reached its peak, and in the maelstrom, all nearby flesh and blood shattered instantly.

Outside the dense blood threads, Palmer was unaware of what was happening within. As Bologue was completely enveloped by the threads, he began his own action. The grappling hook swung, aided by the gale from Secret Energy·Wind Source, his figure darting through the air like an apparition.

Palmer did not go to rescue Bologue; instead, taking advantage of Bologue distracting the attacks, he rushed towards Latis on the serpent's head.

Rescue his partner? Don't be ridiculous; he's an Undead, after all.

Latis also noticed Palmer closing in, and the numerous white bones alongside his maw sprang up swiftly, like longs spears, and each aimed at the airborne Palmer.

Latis clearly hadn't realized the deceitfulness of Palmer's Secret Energy. He thought that by attacking the landing point of the grappling hook, he could capture Palmer. Palmer, relying on the gale, changed direction multiple times in mid-air, weaving between the standing stone columns, teasing Latis like a flying bird.

Palmer grew closer to Latis, close enough that the icy Bone Sword in his hand was clearly visible.

Sweat dripped down Palmer's forehead, and he muttered bizarre phrases like "Long live the Crimson Queen" and "Boss, save me" under his breath.

These utterances did not escape Latis' ears. His expression towards Palmer was momentarily complicated, unable to understand why Palmer was praising his mother, as he didn't seem to be a member of the Crimson Sect?

Latis made a huge mistake. He shouldn't have tried to comprehend the foolishness. Just as he raised the Bone Sword, ready to slice Palmer's body in one blow, Palmer suddenly paused in mid-stride, made a grotesque face at Latis like a madman, then turned to throw the grappling hook, accelerating away, as if he had come all this way just to disgust Latis.

Fueled by humiliation, Latis was about to give chase, but the subsequent mutation revealed what Palmer was truly up to.

The sharp buzzing became clear; countless blades sliced through the entangled heavy blood threads. Using the time Palmer had bought, Bologue had nearly severed all the blood threads.

At this moment, Bologue was covered in blood, bearing thousands of blades on his back, spinning into a storm, unleashing a crimson downpour on the serpent's body.