Endless Debt-Chapter 743 - 221 Repeated Dreams
The ether roars, raising a terrifying ether storm from the flat ground, infusing extraordinary power into the body of the Condenser. The Alchemy Matrix bursts forth with brilliance, and in the howling furious wind, the murmuring holy words of ancient seekers can be heard, their voices growing louder, praising loudly.
Lebius almost immediately entered a full state, with the Blade-Biting Wolves resting in the carriage attacking forward. He didn’t feel capable of contending with the Devil’s territory, but that wasn’t a reason for Lebius to give up resistance.
The speed of the train collision was too fast, leaving Lebius only a few seconds to act. Yet in this brief moment, the heavy locomotive had already crushed several Blade-Biting Wolves.
Facing them directly was obviously wishful thinking. The Blade-Biting Wolves attempted to attack the wheels of the Joy Park, cutting its coupling shafts. However, the cold metal was mercilessly deflected, as a layer of light rail covered the outer layer of the Joy Park.
This is the Devil’s territory, a moving palace, with a Void Realm constructed by the Devil’s Power overlayed on it, rejecting all external forces’ interference.
In front of Lebius, his companions’ ether reactions flared up one after another, igniting. An ethereal barrier rose from the ground, built by the Sixth Group, Origin School’s Condensers.
The locomotive, with rolling flames and shattering metal, crashed through the lead carriage and in a blink of an eye collided with the ether barrier. There was no pause at all; the ether barrier shattered, and amidst the overlapping explosions, Lebius could hear cries of pain.
The Joy Park train appeared out of nowhere, catching everyone by surprise. Some people, even as they were engulfed by flames, didn’t know what had happened to them.
Lebius stood at the rear of the train, having ample time to act. When all methods failed, Lebius decisively leapt from the train, and only then did he get a direct view of the entire Joy Park train.
On the extended tracks, a giant Curved Path Gate unfurled out of thin air. Ether arcs danced continuously on the gate’s edges, and the surrounding air presented a bizarre sense of distortion, as if seared by high temperatures.
From the outside, the train looked entirely ordinary, with brightly lit compartments. Through the veiling curtains, Lebius could see the projections of countless graceful figures, joyfully dancing inside the carriages. The melodious string music and laughter easily masked the explosions and flames, clearly reaching his ears.
To counter his speed, Lebius landed heavily on the ground, raising a large cloud of dust. Before he could take further action, the Joy Park train barreled through, its carriages exploding into burning fireballs, lighting up the night sky.
The Joy Park train completely traversed the train, grinding over the wreckage like shoveling away snow, flinging them toward the surrounding wilderness.
Sparks and scorching air flows clung to the Joy Park train’s periphery. Lebius exerted himself in a wild chase, trying to catch up with the speeding steel serpent. But before he could get close, another Curved Path Gate rose in front of the tracks, and the train plunged into the void, disappearing swiftly.
The women’s laughter and melodious music fell silent together.
Lebius stood dazedly on the tracks, gazing into the vast black night ahead.
The Joy Park train disappeared just like that, as if it was a momentary illusion. From its appearance to disappearance, it might not have even taken ten seconds, yet within those ten seconds, it left a scene of chaos.
Lebius took a deep breath. The more urgent the situation, the more he had to play his role as a team leader. He turned and ran toward the scattered wreckage, searching for others.
"Is everyone okay?"
Lebius’ words echoed within the Heart Core Net, and a few seconds later, a weak voice responded.
"I’m still alive."
It was Yuriel, who continued, "Others are alive too."
Maintaining the Heart Core Net, she could constantly monitor others’ survival. If there were casualties, she would be the first to know.
To make it easier for Lebius to determine their positions, others prominently released ether, indicating that no unlucky souls were killed by the train. Realizing it was impossible to move it, everyone decisively chose to jump out of the train, like in an action movie.
Yet many were still hit by the impact of the explosions, primarily the Prayer Believers and Condensers. In the Sixth Group, most members were in the First Stage and Second Stage.
The high temperatures and explosions left everyone wounded, with blood dripping non-stop. One team member was supported by another, with his lower leg twisted by the impact.
"Gold is with me, and the original object is also safe and sound."
Geoffrey’s voice sounded in Lebius’ mind, as a huge steel wreckage was moved aside from afar. Geoffrey, steaming all over, walked out from it, followed by Duwa carrying Gold on his back.
"Ha! I told you no one can take yours, no one..."
This sudden attack didn’t scare Duwa at all. Gold’s hand fell, conveniently allowing Duwa to clutch the Constant Metal in his arms.
Geoffrey gave Duwa an extra glance, gradually realizing what kind of person Duwa was. With the right incentives, this guy could be surprisingly useful.
"The original object is still here?" Lebius felt quite surprised to hear this.
"You wanted it to be taken?"
Geoffrey staggered over and said to Lebius.
"No... wasn’t her target the original object?"
Lebius was confused. Wasn’t this supposed to be a counterattack by the Zongge Orchestra, trying to retake the original object?
Just as he was about to ask Canary for details, Lebius suddenly found that Canary had vanished. Just moments ago, Canary was right beside him. From the collision to now, not even a few minutes had passed, but within those few minutes, Canary silently disappeared.
Yuriel discovered more people missing. Her voice came, "Leader, Bologue, Palmer, Aimou are not responding."
No matter how Yuriel called, inside the Heart Core Net there was no response from them, totally falling into silence.
Yas approached Lebius, with a hint of worry in his words, "I’m also missing someone here, Hart. He’s gone."
Hart’s fuzzy fur was extremely obvious; if he had fallen on the battlefield, he would’ve been discovered early on.
Duwa whispered mischievously, "Did they die?"
Geoffrey gave Duwa a fierce look, "Others might die, but Bologue won’t. He’s the Undead."
Lebius stood in place. He knew these people well, and he knew they wouldn’t die so ridiculously, yet now they were all gone.
No bloodstains, no bodies.
An ominous possibility rose in Lebius’ mind.
"Leader, Ewen and Cinderella also disappeared, together with them."
Yuriel checked the battlefield again and brought back this news, "I didn’t see their bodies."
Without the protection of Condensers, ordinary people definitely couldn’t survive such a catastrophe, yet Yuriel didn’t find their bodies, not even severed limbs.
The Joy Park train was like a storm that suddenly attacked, leaving a trail of devastation.
"Could it be that possibility?"
Yas’ voice turned low. He was well-versed in battle, having encountered strange situations many times. Like Lebius, he had thought of the same ominous possibility.
Lebius stayed silent, his gaze turned to the end of the tracks, filled with resentment and hatred.
At that moment, there stood a man in pajamas, seemingly visible only to Lebius; others ignored him. He noticed Lebius’ gaze and turned his head.
Lebius couldn’t make out the man’s features, but he knew the man was surely smiling, a contemptuous smile.
...
Bologue tiredly opened his eyes, pulling off the blanket covering him. He slowly sat up on the bed, as though he had a terrible nightmare.
His head ached as if struck by a blunt object. Bologue tried to recall his experiences in the dream, only remembering a swaying carriage and a man face-to-face with him...
"What’s happening?"
Bologue rubbed his eyes vigorously, seeing his familiar bedroom. But this familiar bedroom now gave him a feeling of unease, unrealness.
It was as if Bologue hadn’t yet woken from the dream.
