Endless Debt-Chapter 850 - 4: Twin Swords

Gray coughed softly, his voice echoing through the hollow, deathly silent building, like ripples spreading over a calm water surface.

He disliked this place, dark and damp, abandoned for who knows how long, with countless particles floating in the air, dust covering the ground, and even a gentle breath felt like sticking foreign objects in the throat, making him nauseous.

Yet Gray had to come here, to complete his work, the work of the Devil.

Gray still remembered how he first arrived in Oubos, back when he was a newcomer in the King’s Secret Sword, ambitious, eager to showcase his skills in upcoming missions.

He was truly naive then, without a clear understanding of the world he was stepping into, which was not the gentle training of an academy, but real swords and blood.

"Hoo..."

Gray sighed deeply, the damp air reminding him of that nightmare-like rainy night.

The captain he trusted chose to betray the King’s Secret Sword, killed his friend with his own hands, and nearly killed him. For revenge, and to uncover the truth behind the captain’s betrayal, a desperate Gray chose to make a deal with the Tyrant.

Gray flexed his hand, vividly recalling the feeling when he killed the captain, a mix of anger and joy, his body trembling uncontrollably.

That was just a year ago, now looking back, it felt like witnessing another person’s life.

Gray didn’t reminisce for long. After achieving revenge, he didn’t return to the King’s Secret Sword, nor continued pursuing the King’s Shield Guard. After the Tyrant whispered in his ear the secret that took his soul away, he was left with endless confusion.

Like the walking dead.

He opened his palm, a Mammon Coin of Canyin rested in his hand, with Mammon’s face up, and on the flip side was a sign of mercury.

Evil Spirit.

Gray knew the legend of the sign it represented, a monster mercilessly slaughtering inside the Great Rift... Vika seemed to know who the Evil Spirit was, but never mentioned it to him.

"The Devil is really strange..."

Gray muttered to himself, using random thoughts to pass the time.

In the end of his revenge, Gray obtained the secret he wanted from the Tyrant’s mouth—the true identity of the Shadow King.

Gray thought he would lose his entire soul, but the Tyrant mercifully left him a wisp.

Everything comes with a price.

Gray didn’t turn into a Demon, but became the Tyrant’s Debtor, just like Vika, becoming his servant in the mortal world, acting on his behalf.

Footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead, interrupting his chaotic thoughts, Gray struggled to clear his head, ever since becoming a Debtor, he’d been like someone who willingly let themselves fall, seeming entirely different from his former self.

It might have been the Bulimia Nervosa triggered by the loss of his soul, it could have been the dark, filthy environment of the Great Rift, or the madness induced by that secret.

Gray’s mental state was withering day by day, chaotic thoughts fermenting in the depths of his mind.

After learning the truth, Gray couldn’t figure out the matter of revenge, as for the captain, he was already dead, Gray had killed him with his own hands.

The Devil’s words lingered in his mind.

"Fight for the Shadow King, or kill him. The choice is yours, Gray."

Like losing his aim, Gray no longer thought about future matters, not even caring about his own matters, sometimes feeling like it wouldn’t matter if he died.

Every day became unbearably painful, he started to numb himself with alcohol. Fortunately, as a fellow slave to the Devil, Vika never charged him for drinks, causing Gray to constantly give off a boozy smell.

The figures of the guests gradually became clearer in the darkness, only two people came, one tall and one short, with the faint sound of metal clashing, as if someone was wearing sturdy Iron Armor under their robes.

Gray stood up straight, shaking off his depression and the effects of alcohol, taking the Devil’s work seriously. This was one of the few moments of clarity in his day.

The guests stopped, then tossed a coin to him, which Gray caught steadily and examined. It was a coin with greed’s Mammon on both sides.

Greedy Mammon was a legend itself.

"Here’s the goods you need, batches of Mang Silver Souls."

Gray stepped aside, patting the stacked boxes, all filled with those sacred souls.

"As for these, Philosopher’s Stones from the Gray Trade Association, as per your request, all Condensed from death row inmates."

Gray set down a suitcase, the value of these Philosopher’s Stones far exceeded dozens of times that of the Mang Silver Souls in the boxes.

The tall figure nodded, striding over, the sound of the Iron Armor’s friction clearly reaching Gray’s ears.

Before the person took the Philosopher’s Stones, Gray suddenly asked, "Does it matter who the Philosopher’s Stones are from?"

The figure paused for a moment, not intending to answer Gray’s question, merely taking the Philosopher’s Stones. Gray said nothing either, knowing he had asked a foolish question.

What kind of people end up in the Great Rift, everyone knew very well, just filthy, hungry rats.

Gray was accustomed to the Demons fighting each other. He used to detest this and would even strike out in anger, but now Gray had become one of the rats, the fattest one at that. It truly was ironic.

"All eating rotten flesh, yet you choose the worst parts... Is it to lighten your psychological burden?"

Gray laughed as he spoke, the demands of these two guests were indeed peculiar.

After a moment of silence, another small figure rasped, "I suppose so."

He lifted his head, revealing darkness beneath his robe, "Sounds rather hypocritical, doesn’t it?"

Gray nodded, "It does sound very hypocritical."

"It’s unavoidable; in such a world, it’s inevitable to get stained by blood," he sighed deeply as though burdened with infinite sorrow, "Just treat it as a little bit of psychological comfort, pretending not to have completely fallen."

Gray restrained his smile, he hadn’t expected the other party to seriously answer his question.

The figure walked a few steps forward, then noticed the blades Gray carried on his back, two longswords lined up behind him, one appeared ordinary while the other was blood-colored.

A voice asked, "Is that your weapon?"

Gray turned slightly, concealing the two blades.

Even his parents would find it difficult to recognize the forlorn Gray at this moment, he seemed to have completely bid farewell to the past, yet some things like these two Secret Swords remained to prove his past.

"Secret Swords..."

The taller figure also noticed the two blades, his voice sounded confused as his gaze projected from beneath the dark robe.

The smaller figure asked, "Are you one of the King’s Secret Sword members? No... Is this your trophy?"

Gray said, "One is, the other is not."

He continued to ask, "Can I hear their stories?"

Beautiful memories flashed before Gray’s eyes, his dead heart beat forcefully a few times, as if transforming him back to his former self, he softly replied.

"One is from my friend, the other from my enemy."

"And then?"

"There’s no more then."

Gray’s voice turned cold, speaking this much was already unusual for him, he didn’t want to continue chatting.

The other did not probe further, he took the suitcase containing the Philosopher’s Stone from the tall figure’s hand, while the tall figure easily hefted the heavy cargo box.

Without pausing, they walked outside, and as their figures were about to vanish into the darkness, a raspy voice filtered through.

"Tell him we’ll continue to trade later."

Leaving the dark abandoned building, the two headed for their hideout, after a moment of silence, the Third Seat spoke first.

"That sword..."

"It’s Jia Meng’s Secret Sword, the Blood Transfer Sword."

Shadow King spoke, holding a deep impression of that Secret Sword, it was a Contract Object, with the rare effect of Curved Path Shuttling.

Third Seat asked, "Did he kill Jia Meng?"

After the competition for the Immortal Heart, Jia Meng didn’t return, they had all assumed Jia Meng was dead, now officially confirming his death.

"Most likely, you and I both know the importance of the Secret Sword, he would never let go unless he died."

"I’m more curious, who is he?" Shadow King paused, "One from a friend, one from an enemy..."

Shadow King speculated, "Perhaps he’s one of the King’s Secret Sword members."

"Now ended up being a Tyrant’s lapdog?"

Shadow King chuckled deeply, his curiosity about Gray’s past grew, but compared to this trivial episode, he had more pressing matters.

"Is the soul collection sufficient?"

"At our current reserves, it’s more than enough for the upcoming actions."

Shadow King approved, "That’s good."

As he spoke, Shadow King glanced toward the Pillar of Royal Authority, even in the foggy Great Rift, he could accurately pinpoint its location.

"This time, let’s see who will win."