Endless Debt-Chapter 901 - 35: Envy’s Leviathan (3)

"It’s simple, if even the collective can’t be trusted, then who can I trust?"

Nesanel looked at Bologue with envy, "This is where we’re different. Nearly all my friends have died, even when I seek opinions, I can’t find many people."

Bologue’s mood sank, he could feel the genuine emotion in those words.

"I used to frequently chat with the collective, invoke her virtual persona, and converse with her... it doesn’t require much computing power from the collective.

This life continued for quite a while, but at the end of each conversation, the collective would deliberately show its ugly body, as if emphasizing that all of this was fake."

Nesanel sighed heavily, "Until one day I completely broke down, I shouted at her, realizing that I was actually mourning, infatuated, trying to find some comfort from a twisted lump of flesh—it’s ridiculous."

"When I finally calmed down, I realized my lapse, understood my issues, but in just a few days, my longing for her prompted me to seek the collective again and again, until the virtual persona of the first director was awakened, deeming my state extremely dire. To avoid worsening conditions, they made the collective cease responding to my calls."

Every director operates as a logic of this flesh machine, the collective. In terms of permission levels, the first director seems fundamentally different from the others.

Bologue listened quietly, sipping his drink. He found the current conversation’s atmosphere peculiarly intriguing, discussing the painful war one moment and Nesanel’s love story the next.

Nesanel scoffed at himself, "Emotions can drive one mad, even the Seeker of Glory isn’t immune."

"It’s a symbol of our humanity," Bologue said, "We’re not just some cold weapons."

Nesanel didn’t answer, he just pulled out another bottle of wine from the darkness, this time drinking deeply. At this sight, Bologue found it familiar, realizing after a long while that Serey seemed to be like this too.

Bologue felt it was time to change the topic, but he didn’t know what to say.

The tranquility lasted a long time until at one moment Bologue made a decision, suddenly speaking out, "I’ll show you a skill next, don’t get nervous or resist."

"Oh?"

Nesanel was curious about what Bologue would do. Then Bologue slowly raised his hand, gently pressing onto Nesanel’s strong chest.

Sincere conversation brought them closer, giving Bologue the courage to attempt a bold step.

Just like Adelle advised him, Bologue should try to trust others.

Bologue closed his eyes, seeking that feeling when confronting the Silent Ones, that bizarre tremor coming from deep within the soul.

Desire.

Infinite desire, almost burning up and tearing oneself apart.

Bologue opened his eyes, the frenzied, grotesque power crawled in his blood, gathered at his fingertips, invading Nesanel’s body.

Nesanel’s expression became serious, clearly sensing the approach of this usurping power, like a venomous snake repeatedly biting his skin, trying to burrow inside.

A blue-green radiance lit up in the gap between the palm and chest, followed by Canyin trajectories spreading from the palm across Nesanel’s chest.

Nesanel watched the scene in astonishment.

Bologue gritted his teeth, the power he desired kept expanding, like a hungry and greedy monster, wanting to extract Ether from Nesanel’s body, but the disparity in tier between them was too great, Bologue couldn’t breach Nesanel’s Rectangular Soul Critical.

Just as Bologue was about to give up, that indestructible wall surprisingly started to collapse; Nesanel took the initiative to alleviate the defenses of the Rectangular Soul Critical, letting the snake into his body, a stream of pure Ether was slowly extracted and merged into Bologue’s body.

"Is this your power?"

At that moment, Nesanel confirmed the power used by Bologue, becoming incredibly shocked.

"Do you know what this is?" Bologue stopped the power snatching, asking if Nesanel really knew the source, "This power has always been with me. Whenever I kill a demon, it absorbs certain Soul Shards and converts them into pure Ether, but in the battle with the Silent Ones, I actively used this power for the first time."

Bologue poured out his questions, eagerly wanting its truth.

"What exactly is it?"

Nesanel stared at Bologue for a long time, many words not said, unable to say, frightening storms swept through his mind, vaguely he seemed to see that grand plan spanning decades.

"Protection, a kind of devil’s protection."

Nesanel worked hard to unearth the related knowledge in his mind.

"That devil rarely appears in history records, his whereabouts are a mystery, shrouded in secrecy, it’s said even his blood relatives don’t know much about him.

Thus his debtors, his protections rarely emerge in this world, but fortunately, the Order Bureau has recorded it, and that was during the Scorched Earth Fury."

Nesanel struggled to suppress the rising tide within, curb his intense emotions, and utter the words ahead with nearly merciless speech.

"This is his Protection·Soul Sucking and Essence Stealing."

Nesanel grabbed Bologue’s hand, almost wanting to twist Bologue’s arm, squeezing the words between his teeth.

"From him, Envy’s Leviathan."

Bologue felt a moment of confusion, learning the Astronaut’s true name in this delicate situation, then fearing the unknown curse accompanying the protection. Bologue quickly steadied his emotions, but before him, Nesanel was different.

Nesanel gripped Bologue’s hand, his eyes bloodshot, as if fighting back rage.

He remembers that day.

Absolutely unforgettable that day.

In the roaring Ether stream, Nesanel charged with the momentum of breaking an army at the already Ether-depleted Overlord Xilin.

This strike should’ve killed Xilin, but as the attack neared, a resistible pull released from Xilin’s body, the next moment Nesanel’s constructed Ether stream began to collapse, Nesanel’s internal Ether started escaping, instead flooding into Xilin’s body.

This was not that mysterious Ethereal Siphon, but rather an even more bizarre, uncanny force.

For many years after the secret war ended, Nesanel often recalled the battle with Xilin, unable to understand how Xilin achieved it, guessing how he usurped his Ether. Both were Seekers of Glory, Xilin shouldn’t have breached his Ethereum Mutual Exclusion.

Nesanel could only attribute this power to Xilin’s bizarre Power of Dominator.

Until today.

Nesanel witnessed this power again, even in Bologue’s hands it seemed so weak, but Nesanel would never forget the feeling of something precious being taken away.

He remembered all of this.

Bologue, unlike Nesanel, was in another kind of shock, having experienced so much, seeing many protections, the patterns between protections and curses.

If this was the protection given by the Astronaut, if the original sin represented by the Astronaut was envy.

Then what was the curse of this power?

"Excessive desire, wanting something," Bologue muttered, "yet never obtaining it."

The fragmented wandering lines connected together, tethering everyone’s fate as one.