Endless Debt Chapter 1096 - 117: Ring of Strife (Part 3)

A rumbling sound echoed as a crimson figure weaved through debris, his long sword flashing. Approaching the imposing earth barrier, his body suddenly surged with beast-like power, making the path of his long sword a blur.

A sharp sound sliced the quiet, and a long fissure split the earth wall before it completely disintegrated, showering the area with chunks of soil.

The whistling wind and thick dust swirled, painting a scene that was both grand and unsettling. The entire earth wall fractured and crumbled under the sword light's assault, ultimately collapsing into ruin.

Concurrently, the earth's trembling intensified. While Red Dog shattered defenses, Bologue bolstered his own, layer by layer.

The earth wall, buffeted by continuous impacts, grew thicker, transforming from a mere mound into a steep mound, and finally into a colossal fortress.

The earthquake's aftershocks persisted, emitting a prolonged, grinding roar, and standing atop it made one feel as if their very body would shatter. Abruptly, the ground beneath Bologue's feet surged upward.

The entire landscape ascended rapidly, distorting the world and sending a chilling sensation down the spine.

Yet, this did not impede Red Dog. Under the onslaught of the Extreme Realm Sword, the earth wall crumbled, sending large stones and soil fragments flying. Dust billowed ahead, obscuring vision and forcing involuntary eye closure.

Moments later, the distinct sound of footsteps approached, and the scarlet figure emerged from the dissipating dust.

With the absolute might of the Extreme Realm, each of Red Dog's strikes was potent enough to cleave mountains and shatter rocks, rendering Bologue's efforts futile against him.

Bologne bellowed, swinging his Sword Axe to meet Red Dog's Power of the Extreme Realm. Just as their weapons were about to collide, Bologue deliberately sidestepped the Immovable Sword, allowing the deadly blade to plunge into his chest.

A gush of blood erupted, cascading onto the ground. Bologue's blood instantly saturated the earth, becoming one with it.

The Heart-devouring Song in his mind intensified, and Bologue contorted his face in agony, groaning with great difficulty, unable to form coherent sounds.

Bologne whispered inwardly, "It's your turn."

The roar of an engine and the thumping of a heart abruptly drowned out the sinister melody.

Red Dog took notice.

At this instant, Bologue's mental and physical torment vanished, replaced by an unyielding fury. He felt his blood transform into molten lava, burning and surging within him.

"Got you!"

A rough voice rasped from Bologue's throat, and in a flash, the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid molded into countless chains that ensnared Red Dog. He attempted to withdraw the Immovable Sword, but just then, the Canyin light pierced through.

Lying beside Bologue was Geoffrey, burning his final reserves of Ether, forcibly immobilizing Red Dog's movements. Blood flooded Geoffrey's vision, rendering him nearly blind.

Bologne knew Red Dog would advance; he was a sage disguised as a madman, appearing to duel Lebius, while his true objective was the Iron Coffin.

Using himself as a lure to endure the initial strike, Bologue, bolstered by the fleeting power of the Vengeful Saw Axe, backhandedly plunged the Resent Bite into the wound inflicted by Lebius.

With the Resent Bite slicing through the characteristics of the Ether stream and the targeting of Secret Energy·Commanding Decree, the blade effortlessly pierced Red Dog's body. Following this, the blood-drenched Hand Axe descended with brutal force.

Simultaneously, Geoffrey strained to maintain his Secret Energy, and the Canyin light flickered and died. The Immovable Sword, ripped from Bologue's chest, acted like a barbed hook, tearing out Bologue's internal organs and mangling them into a bloody mess.

Logically, Bologue should have perished. However, his mind was consumed by rage. He recalled Aimou's words: under the Vengeful Saw Axe's dominion, the wielder, even when sustaining fatal injuries, would be sustained by sheer rage until the battle concluded.

Bologne reveled in this strength; it was a perfect complement to his Undying Body.

The Vengeful Saw Axe bit deep into Red Dog's abdomen. Beneath the staining blood, its serrated edge ground and crisscrossed, like a thousand tiny blades gnawing at Red Dog's Armor, shredding the metal and even reaching the flesh.

It was akin to a chainsaw carving into flesh, accompanied by the engine's roar, spewing blood and gore, inflicting unimaginable pain.

This time, the usually composed Red Dog exhibited a flicker of alarm; he had been trapped by Bologue. Despite the Immovable Sword having already rent Bologue's chest, it failed to quell his fury.

As the Immovable Sword prepared for another downward strike, Lebius, gripping the Bone-breaking Knife, burst from the dust behind Red Dog.

Though Red Dog appeared to be toying with his life, a sliver of rationality remained. Even with Lebius consumed by hatred, he did not object to transforming a one-on-one duel into a ruthless hunt.

Lebius harbored no illusion of honor in this deadly confrontation; such pedantic notions were beneath him.

This was simply revenge.

Much like the pursuit of power, Lebius cared not for the methods as long as his objective could be achieved.

While Bologue might falter in slaying Red Dog, Red Dog himself could not directly withstand Lebius's onslaught; a critical decision had to be made.

An overlapping cacophony of Wolf Spirits erupted, their hoarse howls assaulting the ears.

Red Dog's chest, filled with Ether, expanded, and from his body, a chilling ripple spread outwards, momentarily halting all movement.

This wave, tinged with bronze, seemed to freeze everything in its path, including Bologue's fury, the frenetic dance of chains, and even the scattering fragments of flesh and blood, transforming them into motionless sculptures.

Bologue felt a suffocating compression seize his entire being, constricting every cell and making each breath an arduous struggle. The very air grew thick, and his vision began to blur.

Within this distortion of time and space, the domain was utterly immobilized. Even the motes of dust suspended in the air became vividly clear as the wave propagated.

Red Dog's eyes blazed scarlet, emanating power from a bracelet on his wrist, the source of this temporal anomaly.

Contract Object: Time Ring.

As the bronze ripple continued its expansion, the world became imprisoned in the currents of time, rendered agonizingly slow, as if observed through the unblinking gaze of a predator.

The power of stagnation imposed an invisible, suffocating barrier, rendering movement and breath impossible.

Bologue's roar was choked off, Lebius's strike hung suspended, and a single minute stretched into an eternity, as if a colossal hand was dragging time itself.

A wave of dizziness washed over Red Dog, a direct consequence of the Time Ring's activation. His own time felt pilfered, his skin visibly aging and withering, strands of white hair cascading down.

Though the exact duration stolen by the Time Ring remained unknown, the immense power unleashed provided Red Dog with a crucial respite, a window for retaliation.

Suddenly, the Immovable Sword retracted. Just as Red Dog prepared to re-engage Lebius, the chains, which should have been frozen, were violently yanked, activating the cursed bites at their tips.

These embedded blades within Red Dog's wounds dug in like rivets, their pulling force disrupting his precious opportunity to wield his sword.

From the periphery of his vision, Red Dog perceived the truth.

Aimou had disengaged from Bologue, unaffected by the Time Ring's influence. Snatching hold of the chain, she deliberately impeded Red Dog's movement.

At this precise moment, a sound akin to shattering glass began, rapidly escalating and converging into a deafening crescendo.

The Time Ring's hold shattered. The accumulated assaults rained down, a tempest of clashing blades intertwined with surges of Ether. Following a thunderous roar, a crimson figure was violently flung across the battlefield.

After a considerable interval, Red Dog managed to push himself upright. His armor lay in ruins, his body riddled with wounds, and the Heart-devouring Song abruptly ceased its lament.

The tide of battle had irrevocably turned in favor of the Order Bureau.

Lebius declared, "Red Dog, you have lost."

A faint smile touched Red Dog's lips as he replied, "Is that so?"

Before his words fully materialized, a hazy silhouette emerged from the dissipating mist. Bologue strained his eyes, able to discern only the indistinct outline of an enormous scythe.