Endless Debt-Chapter 978 - 67: Crimson Armor_3
Bologue held his breath. He could feel the stares around him, the Silent Ones, the Third Seat... He was facing not only the mysterious Seeker of Glory, Shadow King, but also two Defenders standing guard nearby.
As expected, letting Palmer leave first was the right choice. If he stayed, the violent forces here would tear him apart. Meanwhile, Bologue could rely on his Undying Body to find an opportunity. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Are we continuing?"
A hoarse voice echoed from the front. Shadow King seemed to be unable to endure any longer, his straight body slightly slumped, his face once again covered by shadows.
A withered hand held up a blade, the sword completely wrapped in a black scabbard, like it hadn’t revealed its edge for many years, with faint rust on the metallic surface. It was more like a cane than a weapon.
Bologue took a deep breath, sensing the delicate situation. The Silent Ones and the Third Seat had stopped their attacks, surrounding him and watching his moves closely.
He was sure that any slight movement on his part would be mercilessly struck by the Ethereal Blade.
Bologue asked in confusion, "What’s this supposed to be? Negotiations?"
The ground began to wriggle, making the Silent Ones and the Third Seat tense up. Ether surged, producing a current-like sound, but no attack came this time. Bologue leaned back, and a stone throne rose from the ground, catching him steadily.
His tired body relaxed in the seat, and Bologue casually placed the Resentful Bite aside, looking expressionlessly at the Shadow King.
With a simple contact, Bologue sensed the state of the Shadow King. He was similar to Lebius, with Soul Scars, but unlike Lebius, the Shadow King’s Soul Scars were much more severe, visible from his decaying appearance. These layered wounds almost drained a Seeker of Glory.
Therefore, although the Shadow King’s power as a Seeker of Glory was terrifying, it could only last for a fleeting moment. The shattered Alchemy Matrix could not support prolonged fights. In contrast, without the Silent Ones and the Third Seat guarding, Bologue might really have a chance to assassinate the Shadow King.
The Shadow King slowly said, "Negotiations? No, we have nothing to negotiate."
Bologue raised his hand, and the ground behind the Shadow King began to wriggle. Another throne rose from the ground. The Shadow King did not hesitate and, without even looking back, sat down defenselessly.
The two were like kings opposing each other on a chessboard, separated on the two ends of the Stone Hall, with bloody corpses lying between them.
"You... Second Seat," Bologue pondered, "if you’re not planning to negotiate, then what do you want to do? Surely you’re not just looking to chat with me?"
Bologue had turned the Fog Abyss Fortress into a mess, and he didn’t think the Shadow King would let him off easily.
"I just wanted to see you in person, Bologue Lazarus," the Shadow King’s voice was soft, without any emotion. "I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time."
"That sounds really terrifying."
Bologue felt that there should be no entanglement between himself and the Shadow King.
Just as Bologue was harboring this thought, a sizzle sounded, and the dark umbilical cord clearly manifested into a solid form, connecting Bologue and the Shadow King, hanging in the pile of corpses like intestines poured from a belly.
Bologue asked, "What exactly is this?"
"The entanglement of fate."
"You and me? This is our first meeting."
"But even before you and I met, we were already entangled... through the Devil’s means."
The Shadow King paused, deeply aware of the Devil’s terror. The predetermined script was something he could not alter, but the Shadow King also couldn’t just give up resisting, allowing the Devil to toy with him.
He wanted revenge on the Devil... using the method the Devil was best at.
The Shadow King directly said, "Do not believe Leviathan."
Bologue was stunned.
This was the Temporary Action Group’s first mission, and to others, it seemed like a simple infiltration mission. But once Bologue executed it, everything turned out differently.
First came the sudden attack of the Silver Knight, then the separation among group members. Bologue fought bloodily with the Silent Ones until he came face to face with the Shadow King.
Bologue had prepared himself mentally, but he never expected the Shadow King to say such things to him.
The Shadow King knew Leviathan, even saying he knew Bologue was Leviathan’s Debtor... Chosen One.
Looking again at the dark, tar-dripping umbilical cord, the Shadow King’s Alchemy Matrix full of Soul Scars, the power of Protection·Soul Sucking and Essence Stealing... A terrifying thought rose in Bologue’s mind.
"It’s you..." Bologue murmured, "You killed those demons... the other Evil Spirit."
"I need souls to sustain my existence," the Shadow King said unwillingly, "just like those demons."
"No, how can this be?"
Bologue couldn’t believe it. This was no longer a mere coincidence but a convoluted, overlapping conspiracy.
"Do I need to prove it to you?"
In the shadows, Bologue could feel the Shadow King’s gaze, an eerie power slowly wriggling in the darkness, silently budding.
Bologue saw countless faint blue specks rising slowly from the corpses. They were like flying fireflies, gathering into a faint light that illuminated the dim Stone Hall.
The Silent Ones and the Third Seat remained unmoved, as if they couldn’t see these faint lights. This was a peculiar sight exclusive to Bologue and the Shadow King.
The Shadow King reached out and caught a wisp of the faint light; the glow merged into his body, soothing the pain of the soul.
Bologue’s face turned ashen. This scene was all too familiar to him. The Shadow King was actively seizing the pure Ethereal Power from these corpses, an ability that belonged to Protection·Soul Sucking and Essence Stealing.
Just as Bologue had once suspected, the Astronaut never said Bologue was exclusively his, and now Bologue was seeing another person associated with him, and that person was the Shadow King.
What exactly does the Astronaut want to do?
"Bologue, I won’t kill you, nor imprison you," the Shadow King’s voice was hoarse, "I know I can’t."
Bologue was the Astronaut’s Chosen One, the protagonist of this grand epic. Any direct interference with the script would incur Leviathan’s retaliation. The Shadow King temporarily needed his power to help reclaim Xilin’s body.
The Shadow King wouldn’t directly interfere with Bologue but would use the method devils were best at.
—Gently push Bologue.
"Bologue, Leviathan is not to be trusted. Neither you nor I are anything more than part of his plot, insignificant pawns."
The Shadow King’s voice resounded.
"I know he’s not trustworthy... but are you?"
Bologue remained calm. He had long harbored suspicions about the Astronaut. Though he seemed to chastise the Shadow King, Bologue knew the Shadow King had succeeded. When the Shadow King displayed the same Protection, Bologue’s wariness of the Astronaut intensified by several times.
"No one is trustworthy."
Bologue whispered. He realized he was trapped in a bizarre chain of suspicion, and in this loop like a dead knot, Bologue could only trust himself.
"Bologue, haven’t you ever been curious? Don’t you think your life is so coincidental, as if someone is manipulating it from the shadows?"
The Shadow King’s voice softened, "I witnessed Xilin’s growth firsthand."
The Second Seat sharply said, "I also witnessed you taking everything from him."
A chill crept up Bologue’s spine, and the Second Seat laughed to himself.
"You can fool everyone, but not me. I’ve seen this power before."
Without any warning, feeling a sense of crisis, Bologue instinctively summoned his power. The Alchemy Matrix spread and grew over his body, shining brightly.
Looking at the familiar glow, the Second Seat reminisced.
"Power from Xilin."
Crossing time and space, the Second Seat once again saw this beautiful radiance...
From Bologue.
