Endless Debt Chapter 678 - 189 Canary

As a scholar, seeker, and alchemist, Duwa had never been on a battlefield or involved in combat. Throughout his life, Duwa had always hidden in safe places, conducting his secret little studies.

Hot air currents and cold winds slapped his face simultaneously, and waves of pain coursed through his body as a trickle of blood oozed from his nose.

"Get up quickly!"

Someone roared in Duwa’s ear, and then that person yanked Duwa to his feet.

Duwa felt as if he could not sense his legs, yet he stood there stiffly, surrounded by fire and death, and he began to regret this journey.

He was not suited for this; he was just a pure scholar. No matter what, he could not handle these dangers. This outcome was the manifestation of his miscalculations.

Duwa felt like he was going to die, then a loud slap landed on his face, rescuing him from the chaotic thoughts. In an instant, the blurred sounds and images became clear, and Duwa saw Palmer shouting at him.

"What are you daydreaming about?"

Palmer picked up a handgun from the guard’s corpse and shoved it into Duwa’s hands. Duwa gripped the gun handle tightly. It felt warm and a bit sticky, likely stained with the guard’s blood.

Palmer pressed Duwa’s head down as dense bullet rain skimmed over them.

The consecutive explosions caused extensive casualties, destroying multiple areas too. The fires triggered alarms, and firefighting sprinklers activated, cold rain droplets pouring down, merging with the flames and turning into rapidly spreading steam.

The guards were caught off guard by the sudden attack, and before they could reorganize their defenses, the enemies were already on board, clashing head-on, with gunfire roaring constantly under the curtain of rain.

The ground began to lean slightly. The attackers, like pirates, flung grappling hooks, boarding from other areas of the Paradise, avoiding the guards’ forces, and launching indiscriminate slaughter.

Some guests were still in extreme fear, while others, like Palmer, were already looking for ways to fight back.

A banquet hall that had been filled with songs and dance not long ago had now turned into constantly firing trenches. The groans of the wounded were continuous until a stray bullet hit them, ending their suffering.

"What rotten luck..."

Palmer complained, having detected multiple Ether responses, fervent Ethereal Fluctuations occurring constantly.

This was now a full-scale melee. Palmer also wanted to join the mayhem, but he had to protect Duwa. This alchemist was now of no use, and he had to find a way to safeguard him.

"To be honest, you don’t look like an alchemist at all!"

Palmer fired outside the cover. Unlike Bologue, Palmer’s marksmanship was incredibly precise, and he could even use Secret Energy to interfere with airflow when necessary, slightly deflecting bullet trajectories.

Blood flowers burst forth, leaving conspicuous traces on the charred walls.

Duwa tightly gripped the handgun, loudly retorting, "What makes me not look like an alchemist!"

"Do you remember Teda? The alchemist who inspired you," Palmer sighed, "Hell, you didn’t see how crazy he gets. He could dismantle the whole Paradise in minutes! But what about you!"

Palmer started to miss Teda, as if he were here, he would fear no one in terms of firepower suppression.

Duwa was momentarily speechless, his face reddening as he defended, "Alchemists are also divided into Scholar Faction and Martial Arts Faction, alright!"

"So I’ve run into a completely useless Scholar Faction?"

Palmer had had enough, a storm swirling in his eyes, he cursed, "What rotten luck I have!"

A powerful hand pressed down on Palmer’s shoulder, he turned and met a pair of gilt eyes.

"Do you have a plan?"

Palmer asked Geoffrey, who had been silent since the explosions started, holding a rough and terrifying Bone-breaking Knife.

"The other side has Negative Power Users."

Geoffrey’s gaze seemed to penetrate the void. He wasn’t as keen as Lebius, but he still sensed the powerful Ether response.

"Not just one."

Surprise flashed in Palmer’s eyes, he said, "We can avoid them."

"No... they’ve already found me."

As Geoffrey spoke, the rising Ether response came from afar, taunting Geoffrey.

"Act according to the original plan. I will handle them, and you and Duwa, go deep into the Paradise," Geoffrey instructed. "Explosions of this magnitude are not enough to destroy the Void Realm. You will need his help."

"Listen to me," Palmer stopped Geoffrey, "something about this event feels off. Trust me."

Palmer was not joking; he was once part of Crow’s Nest and earned the Best New Employee of the Year Award with that identity. His intelligence-related expertise warned Palmer that this incident was too peculiar.

"Do you think I can’t sense it?"

Geoffrey laughed, then said, "Did Bologue ever tell you how he tracks enemies?"

"No... no, usually wherever he goes, I just follow," Palmer said somewhat embarrassed, "there’s no need to use my brain, you know?"

Geoffrey’s expression froze for a moment, then he said, "Bologue told me, when you can’t find clues, going to the most chaotic place is never wrong. Now we are in such a place, maybe there are countless connections between everything here."

Geoffrey left, relying on the power of the Negative Power User, the dense gunfire couldn’t affect him. Palmer sensed the ether reaction that was continuously moving away and turned to look at the panicked Duwa.

Palmer smiled, "Looks like we need to collaborate."

Duwa swallowed, but remembering his original artifact, he nodded resolutely. Palmer couldn’t help but sigh, these Seekers are indeed unstoppable in their pursuit of knowledge.

"So first... clear the obstacles!"

Palmer charged out from the cover as if facing death, confronting the enemy’s gunfire directly.

Palmer wasn’t the only one who chose to fight back; he saw a woman overturn a broken long table, using it as cover.

She tore open the long skirt beneath her, revealing her fair and shapely legs, picked up a rifle from one of the guards’ corpses, and accurately shot down the enemies one by one.

She maneuvered between the covers, stepping on high-heeled shoes several centimeters tall with ease. When any enemy got close to her, she thrust the dinner knife into their throat.

Just as the woman was preparing for her next attack, a burst of applause suddenly sounded. She turned her head only to see Palmer cheering towards her.

Palmer liked such women; it reminded him of the equally fierce Vasilina.

"Hide!"

Palmer shouted at the woman. She initially wanted to ignore Palmer but sensed the rising ether reaction on him, she wisely chose to hide behind the cover immediately.

A cold feeling crawled along Duwa’s spine, causing him to shiver. Something seemed about to happen, and then he heard the sound of rushing wind, as if a storm was hastening its pace, engulfing the Paradise.

Secret Energy·Furious Wind Pardon

Almost simultaneously, a terrifying wind pressure burst into the banquet hall, tossing debris from the ground like sharp blades mixed within. The enemies faced the wind, instantly getting cut by the debris into countless wounds from which blood gushed.

They tried to open fire in retaliation, but couldn’t even open their eyes. The cutting auditory sharpness filled the hall, crowded with invisible transparent blades forged by the wind, smashing through all flesh in their path like a school of racing fish.

The enemies wailed as their bodies were sliced into shreds by the Wind Blades, turning into clouds of blood mist. The airflow, like a tide of invasion, swept them out of the banquet hall, scattering corpses into the air. Some fell onto the dock, while others plunged directly into the sea.

The banquet hall grew silent. Palmer grabbed Duwa, excitedly speaking to him.

"It’s your turn to shine."

Duwa was stunned for a few seconds, then layers of gear-like light circles appeared in his eyes, analyzing the Void Realm structure of the Paradise.

"This way!"

Duwa pointed the way, leading Palmer.

The two hadn’t run far when light footsteps followed closely behind them. Palmer suddenly turned his head, pointing the gun behind him, only to see the woman’s figure emerging from the dark.

"Lady, aren’t you running in the wrong direction?"

The woman was panting, barefoot; those high heels were too cumbersome. She glances at the dark gun barrel without any fear, walks up to them, and looks at Duwa.

"Can you break through the Void Realm?"

"Theoretically, yes."

Duwa couldn’t figure out the current situation, but he knew his role as a toolman, pulled out some screwdriver-like devices from his pocket and held them in his hand.

"Good, try to break through here."

The woman squatted down, pressing her palm on the ground, Palmer’s gun barrel pointed at the back of her head as he shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! Who are you!"

Duwa took a look; the ground beneath them was covered by the Void Realm, conventional explosions had no effect on it.

"I need a while to break through..."

The woman said, "All you need to do is affect it a little, like diminishing its power."

"Well, I’ll try."

"Hey, you two!"

Palmer yelled again. He admired the woman but he couldn’t tolerate her excessive behavior. There were potential enemies everywhere here, who knew what this woman was up to.

Just as Palmer prepared to pull the trigger, Duwa successfully interfered with the operation of the Void Realm, causing an ether disruption. At the same time, an ether reaction erupted from the woman far beyond expectations.

In an instant, an invisible force acted on the ground, making the area under the three collapse into a neat circular shape and then completely caving into the next layer with a metallic wail.

Palmer was a bit dazed. Even with his dullness, he realized the woman had just broke through a layer of the Void Realm in a very crude manner, gradually allowing them to step into the core area of the Paradise.

The woman stood straight, pulled off the rest of her torn gown completely, her figure was curvy, like she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit.

She gently shook Palmer’s hand with a cold tone.

"Unfettered Poetry Society, Canary."