Endless Debt Chapter 1090 - 115: Heart-devouring Song_3

With the might of Red Dog, securing the fourth seat was a simple matter.

"It’s been ages since I’ve felt this electrifying thrill." Red Dog’s gaze locked onto Lebius. Upon discovering the truth behind the Pillar of Royal Authority, a profound emptiness washed over him.

Like falling into the void of nothingness, the realization that his entire journey, all his perseverance, was merely a manipulative game orchestrated by the Devil, extinguished any desire within Red Dog, save for one: slaughter.

Now, only the resonant clang of steel against steel could reanimate his dormant spirit, making this walking corpse feel truly alive.

"Press on!" Red Dog’s blade, a streak of lightning, tore through the air with ferocious intent, aimed directly at the Blade-Biting Wolf.

Caught in the tempestuous gale generated by the sword, the Blade-Biting Wolf trembled. Its reinforced metal exterior began to fracture irreversibly, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface, eventually detonating in a colossal blast that pulverized it entirely, leaving countless fragments to spiral through the atmosphere.

For a fleeting moment, the shrapnel rained down like a blizzard of projectiles, dancing across the heavens with a sharp, metallic tearing sound, akin to deadly yet beautiful blossoms unfurling mid-air. These fragments, varied in size and form, soared skyward or plummeted earthward.

Observing from a distance, Bologue couldn't help but express his awe at such raw power. He pondered if Red Dog was affiliated with the Transcendent School, yet the absence of the Alchemy Matrix's glow suggested it was purely the force of Ethereal Amplification. Could Ethereal Amplification truly reach such a devastating level?

Had it not been for the unique properties of the Immovable Sword, Red Dog’s full-force swing might have obliterated it alongside its target.

A disquieting possibility began to form in Bologue's mind.

Lebius whispered, his voice barely audible, "Extreme Realm..."

Red Dog shifted his weight onto the scattered metal debris, his crimson armor appearing to smolder as he grinned, "I possess quite a knack for this."

Bologue instinctively held his breath; the very power he had ceaselessly pursued was now manifest before him in Red Dog. Then, a new realization dawned upon Bologue.

He was not unique, or perhaps, everyone held a unique spark.

Just as Bologue considered himself a prodigy, others like Red Dog emerged, shattering his singular perception. His unwavering conviction in his own superiority, a pride that had become deeply ingrained, now demanded a dose of humility.

Through years of rigorous training and countless battles, Red Dog’s Ethereal Amplification had reached the pinnacle, the Extreme Realm. The sheer magnitude of power at this level necessitated the use of the Immovable Sword.

"Feeling the heat, Lebius?" Red Dog surmised that Lebius’s renewed audacity to confront him stemmed from his fully augmented Alchemy Armor and his status as a Defender.

Yet, over the intervening years, both Lebius and Red Dog had advanced considerably.

The nihilistic outlook and the perception of life as mere game did not plunge Red Dog into despair; rather, it intensified his craving for power. Only absolute dominion could grant him the satisfaction of truly savoring the game.

Red Dog advanced, the very ground groaning and cracking under his step. In an instant, his form vanished from its original position, leaving only the piercing whistle of his rapid movement reverberating in the ears of the onlookers.

Lebius strained to track Red Dog’s movements, managing only to intercept the lingering traces of Ether. As Red Dog finally decelerated, Lebius pinpointed his location, but by then, Red Dog's strike had already landed.

A deafening explosion erupted behind Lebius. Red Dog, a strategist of considerable cunning, had declared a battle to the death with Lebius primarily as a ploy. His true objective had remained singular.

"You can actually keep pace with my speed?" Red Dog regarded the battered Bologue, his sword axes crossing in a desperate parry against the relentless assault of the Immovable Sword. Under the crushing pressure of the Extreme Realm’s might, Bologue involuntarily sank to a crouch, the ground beneath him fracturing.

Bologue had not matched Red Dog's speed; his defense was a product of pure combat instinct.

"Argh..." Bologue expelled a mouthful of blood. Despite successfully blocking the blow, the sheer force emanating from the Extreme Realm had violently shaken his internal organs.

Red Dog raised the Immovable Sword, preparing for another strike, intending to cleave Bologue’s body in two.

Bologue refused to yield passively. He channeled Ether into the ground, fully cognizant that Red Dog's formidable power and speed rendered conventional Commands ineffective.

Amidst the earth’s tremors, the ground beneath Bologue’s feet rapidly ascended. If victory was unattainable, escape would be the prudent course. Bologue was no inflexible warrior; he was adept at adapting to circumstances.

Towering stone pillars erupted from the earth, along with the Iron Coffin that Bologue was behind. Red Dog's intention was obvious: dispatching Bologue was merely a prelude to more easily securing the Iron Coffin.

Witnessing this, Red Dog unleashed another sword strike, and the colossal stone pillar fractured under its might. Bologue, invoking the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid, commanded chains to ensnare the Iron Coffin, pulling it with immense force and flinging it aside.

Red Dog prepared to strike again, but his extraordinary speed was unexpectedly hampered.

A golden radiance enveloped Red Dog.

"Hey, Geoffrey."

Red Dog turned his head, his gaze falling upon Geoffrey nearby. He observed Geoffrey's eyes aflame, clutching the blood-soaked Bone-breaking Knife, breathing heavily.

Secret Energy·Tiger Eye.

Red Dog was no stranger to this Secret Energy; it was this very technique that had decelerated him previously, leaving him vulnerable to Lebius’s assault and nearly costing him his life back then.

However, numerous years had since transpired. Although Red Dog maintained his role as a Defender, he had undergone significant transformations, and the formidable power of Tiger Eye had notably diminished compared to its past potency.

Under its influence, Red Dog felt as though he were wading through thick mud, every movement encountering intense opposition.

The Blade-Biting Wolves surged towards Red Dog, their numbers sufficient to tear him asunder. Yet, Red Dog regarded them with an air of indifference, the glow of Ether illuminating his eyes as an intricate Alchemy Matrix sprawled across his physique.

Suddenly, a subtle, shared understanding permeated the minds of all present.

Something dreadful was imminent.

Red Dog grinned, commencing a song as if in joyous celebration, his throat vibrating to release a hellish shriek.

Secret Energy·Heart-devouring Song.

The piercing wail resembled an unholy summoning from an Evil God, saturated with boundless horror and dread. The sound penetrated flesh, piercing directly into the marrow, causing the entire body to convulse uncontrollably.

Bologue was instantly overwhelmed by anguished despair from the shrieking, feeling as though trapped within a nightmarish realm of bloodshed and barbarity, each reverberation of the scream conjuring potent hallucinations.

Phantasms of faces resembling withered skeletons, grotesquely distorted beyond recognition, filled his vision – chaotic, twisted visions steeped in infinite shadows and profound darkness.

As his mind fractured, Bologue's own Ether flow became dangerously erratic.

The stone pillar, with Bologue and the Iron Coffin still clinging to it, finally collapsed, plummeting towards the earth.

The devastating effect was not limited to Bologue; Red Dog’s Secret Energy struck indiscriminately. The piercing shrieks assaulted eardrums, eliciting gasps from those who heard them, swiftly followed by agonizing surges of brain pain.

It sounded like a monstrous entity intoning a cursed melody.

Throughout the duration of the song, everyone experienced their minds being contorted and tortured, an unsettling sensation akin to countless fingers dancing ferociously within their skulls.

The sound itself seemed sentient, and as the pitch escalated, the mental anguish intensified exponentially, madness and hallucination interweaving, crafting bizarre and warped visual landscapes within their minds.

All present beheld unimaginably horrific entities manifesting before them, colossal maws lined with venomous fangs lunging forward, limbs morphing instantaneously into razor-sharp blades, brutally striking their very beings… unless they could break free from that frozen illusion and oppressive atmosphere, this unending torment and mental distortion would become their eternal damnation.

Amidst the cacophony of madness, the golden luminescence vanished. Geoffrey, clutching his ears in agony, knelt upon the ground as if awaiting execution by the headsman's axe.

Red Dog continued his song with a smile, advancing purposefully, the Immovable Sword dangling slightly, causing everyone else to fall to their knees.

Except for a single individual.

Lebius regarded Red Dog with unclouded eyes, the immense pain raging within him unable to obscure his clarity of mind.

Protection·Eternal Labor.

It was precisely to confront Red Dog that Lebius had sought this power from Belphegor in the past.

The time has come to fulfill the mission.