Endless Debt Chapter 1031 - 97: Preparations for Battle (2)

"Good news, the Order Bureau has devised a plan. We’ll deal with the King’s Shield Guard first, Morrison won’t escape."

Palmer seemed slightly more spirited, and he asked, "What about the bad news?"

"The bad news is that you’ve been assigned to the assault team. To be precise, it’s a suicide squad."

"Huh?"

At that moment, Palmer reverted to his usual self, screaming incessantly. Although it was noisy, it surprisingly gave Bologue a sense of relief.

Bologue gradually realized one thing: when he held others’ lives in his hands, he always felt deeply uneasy. But when it’s Palmer’s life, he felt no pressure at all.

He didn’t understand whether it was due to his trust in Palmer, confidence in his own abilities, or perhaps he had become desensitized to Palmer being in danger.

"I’m ready..."

Bologue murmured softly.

...

The Sea of Mist within the Great Rift is always churning, seemingly never at peace.

Within the shattered ruins of the Fog Abyss Fortress, at the Shadow King’s usual fishing spot, that glass-bottomed area had already collapsed completely under Bologue’s indiscriminate destruction. Now, deadly mist had engulfed most of the Fog Abyss Fortress, leaving little space for the King’s Shield Guard to maneuver.

However... the King’s Shield Guard no longer needed that much space.

The fearsome aspect of High Tier Condensers lies in their ability to distort reality on a large scale while simultaneously inflicting terrifying damage on Low Tier Condensers and mortals.

In the destruction led by Bologue, many mortal soldiers perished in the collapsing ruins; even some First Stage Condensers were not spared. Bologue, like a battering ram piercing the fortress, not only destroyed most of the structures but also killed much of the King’s Shield Guard’s forces.

But that was merely the lower-tier forces. In the face of the current dire situation, as long as the King’s Shield Guard’s high-tier forces remain intact, they still pose a strong threat, not to mention the Devil and the Plague of Decay aiding them.

The Shadow King sat silently atop the ruins; interlaced steel bars and rubble conveniently formed his throne.

In the dimness came sounds of people moving, along with strange cries of birds, as if a flock had made the ruins their nest, and the flapping of wings overlapped and reverberated in the narrow corridors, mixed into a frightening, eerie cacophony.

The clanging of iron-like a Sharp Sword sliced through the noise, as the Silver Knight, clad in Iron Armor, approached the Shadow King.

"They’ve already sealed the Great Rift, leaving us no way to retreat." Even faced with such a predicament, the voice of the Third Seat tried to maintain restraint.

Choosing to hide within the Great Rift was a high-risk move. Inside the Order Bureau’s domain, they need not worry about attacks from the King’s Secret Sword, but the price is that when the Order Bureau resolves to cut off the festering sore, the shelter of the Great Rift would turn into their dead end.

Surrounded by the Order Bureau’s seal, below lies the terrifying Abandoned Land. Even if they defeat the Fourth Group guarding it, the existence of the Serenity Defense Line can still choke the life out of everyone.

This is land permeated with the power of the Devil. Even the paths cannot be smoothly unfolded here, so the King’s Shield Guard, even using the paths to escape, will find their means declared a failure.

Fighting to the death seems to be their only outcome left.

"No way to retreat?" The Shadow King’s voice was deep. "Do you think the King’s Secret Sword will join the hunt?"

The Third Seat remained silent.

The Shadow King did not wait for his answer, but instead said to himself, "They will undoubtedly join the hunt. Compared to the Order Bureau, they... the First Seat hates me more."

Like self-mockery, he said, "Traitors are always more hated than enemies, aren’t they?"

"We can protect you as you break through," the Third Seat said.

"And then what? Continue living this way, eking out an existence?"

As he spoke, the Shadow King removed the broken Silver Mask, only slightly repaired after Bologue’s axe swung through it. This Silver Mask had witnessed his times of despair, perhaps it would also witness the Shadow King’s death.

"Look at me, my old friend, look at what I’ve become."

The Shadow King struggled to stand, then shed his black robe, revealing his grotesque form entirely in the Third Seat’s view.

The Second Seat’s face was like a dried corpse, with loose, sagging skin stiff as leather, eye sockets hollowed with only murky darkness, time eroded his flesh, giving him a face that only nightmares would conjure.

Extending his arms, the Second Seat’s withered, slender limbs were like tree trunks, resilient yet lifeless, with many unhealed scars leaving exposed thin flesh and yellowed bones.

"Such wounds would have killed anyone long before now; I should have died a long time ago. It’s the Devil’s power that has kept me alive until now."

The Second Seat’s voice was low and hoarse, like the trembling of dry wood, delivering indistinguishable words, like the chill felt in a corner blown by the sea breeze.

"But, my old friend, how much longer can such blessings last?"

He strode towards the Third Seat, his steps light as if leaves blown by the wind, eyes darkened swirling with the scent of death, seemingly ready to turn into dust at any moment.

The Second Seat came before the Third Seat; it was the first time in many years the Third Seat had observed him so closely and carefully.