Endless Debt Chapter 1617 - 114: The Arrogant Morning Star (Part 2)

Through the triple strangulation of the Bloodthirsty Dagger, Death Metal, and Silver, Bologue checked carefully and confirmed that Nansen had been completely annihilated by the two.

Serey stood beside Bologue, noticing his pale complexion, "Are you okay, Bologue?"

"No worries, it’s just that destroying the Immortal Armor consumed quite a bit of my mental energy."

Bologue leaned wearily against the side, eyes closed, trying to soothe the fatigue and pain in his mind.

Now, after the specialization of Infinite Sharpness, Bologue indeed could forcibly command the Immortal Armor and dismantle its Alchemy Matrix on a microscopic level. However, this process was not easy; instead, it greatly consumed Bologue’s mental strength.

Serey stood nearby, quietly waiting for Bologue to adjust himself. After a period of silence, Serey spoke up.

"Earlier, Nesanel said that my father had become this world’s Calamity. Honestly, I don’t believe that information," Serey shrugged, "I know his cowardice too well; he wouldn’t have the courage to become this world’s Calamity."

Serey’s gaze fell on the broken, withered remains of Nansen, "But... but if said, my father, Night King, also suffered from Bloodthirsty Syndrome over the long years?"

Bologue questioned, "Are you saying..."

"It’s as you think, Night King too found his mind tending towards shattering under the long torment, becoming a Heartless," Serey thought for a moment, "The real situation might be worse; for instance, before a total collapse, he might choose to bow to the Devil, only to keep life going, further degenerating into this world’s Calamity."

"Actively degenerate? Become this world’s Calamity?"

Bologue’s expression turned solemn; he knew well what becoming this world’s Calamity meant—giving away the entire soul, all of one’s self, everything, wholeheartedly subjugating to the Devil’s command, becoming a puppet at his disposal.

"It’s something the Night King could do," Serey put away the dagger, crossing his arms, "His devotion to immortality exceeds your and my imagination."

Serey coldly evaluated, "Even if only a wisp of consciousness, a small shred of cells remain, to him, it would represent the continuation of self-immortality."

"Why did it turn out this way?"

Palmer, who had been silent, spoke. He couldn’t imagine a person could be so obsessed with immortality to such an extent... At that level, was Night King still considered alive?

Similar examples, Palmer and others had seen in the Undying Club—eternally standing statues, infinitely aging bodies... They all maintained an undead posture, but what difference was there between that posture and being dead?

"Perhaps this is what is meant by obsession."

Serey glanced at Palmer and asked, "As a Debtor, you should be quite familiar with the weight of this so-called obsession, right?"

Palmer hesitated for a moment but still acknowledged it with a nod.

The Devils represent different Original Sins, their actions bound by the sins, like a constant forward inertia, and no matter how they struggle, they cannot reverse it.

The most significant manifestation of this is the Devils’ Protections, where gaining mighty power simultaneously comes with the curse of protection—that inertia from Original Sin.

The more you desire, the less you obtain.

"Everyone lives for something, stubborn in their views, unrestrained," Serey coldly commented, "Even the Devils are like this."

"But correspondingly, we can also predict the actions of the Devils through this inertia of Original Sins."

Bologue recalled his various negotiations with the Devils previously, adding, "Not only the Devils, but also the movements of Debtors, and even the Protections given by the Devils."

After understanding the rules that bind the Devils, everything became traceable.

With this thought, Bologue suddenly turned to Serey, speaking of past events, "I faced the Regent King before, then I was just a Negative Power User, unable to confront him head-on, but he wanted a fair duel with me..."

"And then?"

"Then I won, and he left voluntarily," Bologue said, feeling perplexed, "Isn’t that unreasonable? He clearly had the chance to eliminate me, but instead clung to some fairness banner."

"It’s incredibly unreasonable, also defying conventional wisdom, unless... unless it’s tied to his obsession from being burdened by Original Sin."

Bologue stared intensely at Serey, finally realizing that Serey still harbored many secrets he hadn’t uncovered.

"Do you have any opinions on this, Serey?"

Serey’s smile remained as he moved past Bologue, guiding them through the labyrinthine Royal City sewers like a guide.

Footsteps echoed through the pipes, reverberations pounding on the eardrums repeatedly, like waves.

"The source of Night Race’s power is the Sin of Pride, from a Devil known as Morning Star," Serey murmured, "Arrogant Morning Star."

"Similarly, just like the various Protected Ones you encountered, the Morning Star gave protections to mortals related to its Original Sin, and this power is known as Protection·Proud Barrier."

Bologue watched Serey’s back, a series of curse-like words surfaced in his mind.

The Gourmand eternally hungers, the Greedy never satisfied, the Slothful ceaselessly runs, the Lustful numbly exists, the Wrathful never at peace, the Envious never gets what they seek, the Proud...

"Unlike the other known protections, the protection of Pride reflects upon us constantly."

Serey’s words interrupted Bologue’s thoughts, "The Protection sets out a series of rules, binding us, making us maintain pride. By adhering to these rules, we gain power beyond ourselves."

He glanced back at Bologue, "Given this, the rule set by the Regent King should be a fair duel then."

Recalling the Regent King’s Secret Energy, coupled with the constraint of one-on-one duels, it becomes apparent that the Regent King’s myriad abilities formed a perfect closed loop. If not for Bologue possessing special capabilities and being Undead, few would survive walking out from a Mirror Realm duel.

Bologue shouted, "Then what kind of rules did you set for yourself, Serey?"

Standing at a fork, Serey paused as if deep in thought, before excitedly pointing towards the left path.

"This way!"

He raised an eyebrow at Bologue.

...

Within the dim corridors, Olivia continued as usual, her form twisted into a pitch-black shadow, leaping among shadows. So far, Olivia’s actions had been smooth; although encountering occasional patrols, they hadn’t discovered Olivia’s presence.

Olivia’s Secret Energy was very adept at Stealth, although it lacked strong offensive capability, in terms of survival ability, it allowed her to adapt to various harsh environments.

Advancing along familiar paths from memory, Olivia knew she wasn’t far from the Origin Tower—a good news. But the bad news was that as she approached the Origin Tower, the defenses she faced would become increasingly severe, possibly encountering the existence of a Seeker of Glory.

Unclear whether her Secret Energy could evade the monitoring of the Seeker of Glory, Olivia had reached this point, there was no turning back.

Fear, anxiety, panic... A multitude of complex emotions brewed in Olivia’s heart, she tried to empty her thoughts, transforming into a cold weapon, preserving only a singular obsession.

Upwards, upwards...

Not far behind Olivia, Church continued as usual, covertly following her footprints, but this time, after shadowing her for a distance, Church decisively halted his steps, while Olivia moved farther under Church’s gaze.

Church tightened his grip on the Gun of Destiny, a conflicted expression surfacing on his indifferent face, contemplating whether to aid Olivia. Yet, once he helped Olivia, he would inevitably be exposed.

While Church pondered, urgent footsteps echoed from behind him, several Heartless armored with Immortal Armor swept past beside him, unaware of Church’s existence, yet they had already caught the faint scent of blood wafting within the shadows.

Church knew, there was no more time.