Endless Debt Chapter 680 - 191 Bai Ou

This was a battle beyond human comprehension, as if it were phantoms tearing each other apart.

Their figures were barely visible to ordinary sight, only the faint gleam reflected from swinging blades could be vaguely seen. The force wrapped around it easily unleashed a powerful impact, causing the falling rain curtain to momentarily pause, all shaken away.

The intense ether reaction was like an erupting volcano, with high concentrations of ether converging here, ethereal arcs leaping at the ends of metal, piercing through water droplets along the way.

Hert laughed aloud, wildly swinging his long blade as he moved at high speed. It had been a long time since he fought so freely, his blood boiling with excitement.

He leapt and struck, the long blade slicing dozens of swift arcs in an instant, precisely sealing all of Geoffrey’s paths, transforming into a lethal cage of blades.

Geoffrey steadily moved with his Bone-breaking Knife. Compared to Hert’s ghostly quick style, Geoffrey’s movements seemed very slow, but this slowness was like it had been tempered a thousand times, with not a trace of excess.

The heavy swings carried the steadiness of a rock, slow yet not too slow, perfectly meeting every sliver of blade light before the cage could shred his body.

Then, dense sparks and the sound of metal shattering resounded continuously, as if two high-speed chainsaws were colliding.

Hert could clearly feel the immense force from the long blade. He was knocked away by Geoffrey, the long blade piercing the ground, leaving a several meters long gash, before Hert finally managed to steady himself.

"What on earth happened, Hert?"

Geoffrey stood like an iron wall, blocking Hert’s path.

Hert leaned on his long blade, swaying as he stood. He looked terrible at this moment, his face deathly pale, like a man on the verge of death.

"So much has happened... too much for me to bother explaining."

Hert wiped his damp palm, gripping the long blade even tighter, as if the blade was connected to his bones.

Relying on the power of the Zongge Orchestra, Hert had full confidence in taking down the Paradise, but when the Order Bureau appeared, the situation became complicated.

To avoid unforeseen events, Hert tried every means to lure Lebius away from Free Port, but he didn’t expect that Lebius had already fully prepared, sending Geoffrey to guard here.

The bad news was that Lebius had realized something was wrong. The good news was that now he was facing Geoffrey, not Lebius. Even with the Zongge Orchestra as his backing, Hert still wasn’t confident in defeating Lebius.

"I heard from Lebius that you are married and have children."

Geoffrey flexed his wrist, his fingertips gliding over the serrated edge of the Bone-breaking Knife, feeling its uneven roughness.

"Go back, Hert, and live well."

Compared to Lebius, Geoffrey was always the kinder one.

Hert raised his long blade again, pointing it at Geoffrey, "My good life is right behind you."

This time, Geoffrey no longer responded. He sighed helplessly, then the golden light fell upon Hert, waves of ether surging through his entire body, like a Light-forged hand pinning him down, rendering him immobile.

Secret Energy·Tiger Eye.

Geoffrey watched Hert with cold eyes, ether saturating around Hert, gradually freezing his body, as if pouring concrete and sealing it behind steel and brick.

A sharp pain surged through Hert’s mind, he cursed under his breath, not understanding why he got sick at this moment, nor why he forgot Geoffrey’s Secret Energy.

Both were of the Negative Power User tier, Geoffrey was unable to break through Hert’s Rectangular Soul Critical for the time being, but Geoffrey’s Secret Energy was like a venomous snake, step by step paralyzing Hert’s limbs until he completely turned him into a stone sculpture.

Cracks began to appear on Hert’s face, his skin resembling a dried-up riverbed, filled with fissures. Subsequently, his limbs began to disintegrate, turning into clouds of thick smoke dispersing away.

Tiger Eye lost its physical target, and the restraining force on Hert’s body kept waning. Geoffrey knew what Hert intended to do, he was etherealizing, shedding his corporeal form to transiently ascend as an ether entity.

Flesh began converting into pure ether, quickly most of Hert’s body had turned into smoke and dissipated. Meanwhile, Geoffrey was striding forward, Bone-breaking Knife cutting through the fierce wind, slicing down toward Hert.

"You’re... too slow."

Hert turned his head, the Bone-breaking Knife cleaved into his shoulder, the wound deep to the bone, yet no blood gushed from the severed part, only ether continuously rising and spreading.

Geoffrey’s gaze was sullen, and in an instant, Hert’s body completely dispersed into ethereal void, the long blade slipping from his grasp, pinning into the ground, followed by dense fog fully enveloping Geoffrey.

After ascension to a Negative Power User, the body begins etherealization, mortal flesh gradually becoming transfigured by extraordinary power, elevating into pure energy, which is ether.

This can greatly extend the lifespan of Negative Power Users and enhance their Life Force. As long as the degree of Etherization is deep enough, even being pierced through the heart or other fatal injuries won’t instantly kill a Negative Power User.

After all, the organs of flesh and blood are just another form of Ether.

Moreover, under certain Secret Energies, Negative Power Users can align their Etherization with Secret Energies, such as what Geoffrey is facing at this moment with Hert.

Secret Energy·Fog Kill.

Illusionary School Secret Power, broad and blunt tendency, its effect is to create a large area of fog, within which Hert can make certain targets completely invisible.

For a Negative Power User, this Secret Energy effect seems rather mundane, but nothing can be done about it, for the Alchemy Matrix Technology of the Tide People is at least a few generations behind compared to the Order Bureau.

Most importantly, Hert’s Secret Energy was not originally meant for solo battles. Had it not been for previous events, Hert would have become the new Navigator, defending the Tide People’s status at sea.

By using Secret Energy·Fog Kill, Hert is capable of creating fog that envelops a fleet, essentially turning it into an invisible fleet on the sea. Before they fire upon you, it’s impossible to detect their presence from the hazy sea mist.

In all these years, despite his decline, Hert has never stopped researching Etherization. Now, he can completely Etherize, turning himself into fog.

Dense fog obscures Geoffrey’s vision, the Canyin light spreads out, and Geoffrey can sense the Ether reactions swirling. But as he swung the Bone-breaking Knife, he could only slash at a dispersing mist.

The mist reformed, and Hert’s silhouette reassembled behind Geoffrey, with high concentration Ether gathering in Hert’s palm, forming a radiant longsword.

Ethereal Skill: Ether Sword and Saber.

The affinity of Negative Power Users towards Ether goes further—they can refine more Ethereal Skills, and with abundant Ether reserves, they can materialize high-density Ether, forging it into weapons in their hands.

This technique often appears in the Origin School. Hert had studied this technique in his early years due to the combination of his Secret Energy and Etherization.

The Ether Sword slashed towards Geoffrey’s neck, and the Bone-breaking Knife swiftly rose, effortlessly shattering Hert’s Ether Sword, piercing through the mist along with it.

Like an oil painting submerged in water, Hert’s lower body was constantly dispersing mist, while the upper body possessed a solid form. He smiled at Geoffrey, but when his upper body Etherized again, Hert clearly felt his Etherization speed had slowed down.

"Etherization has a fatal flaw: losing a tangible entity greatly reduces the defensive power of the Rectangular Soul Critical..."

Geoffrey raised the Bone-breaking Knife with one hand and reached for the gun holster at his waist with the other.

Hert’s Etherization slowed and eventually halted. The Bone-breaking Knife plunged into his chest; the blade collided with flesh and blood, and Hert was slammed to the ground, even denting the steel plate beneath him.

A large amount of blood flowed from Hert’s mouth. No matter how much he Etherized his body, he was ultimately a Negative Power User, still retaining many mortal aspects.

Geoffrey’s attacks followed closely, the fierce tiger breaking through the fog, the Bone-breaking Knife serving as a guillotine of judgment.

A flicker of panic flashed in Hert’s eyes. But as the Bone-breaking Knife neared, he smirked mischievously, as if some evil scheme was about to succeed.

Suddenly, the Bone-breaking Knife halted above Hert’s head, unable to slash down. The murderous Geoffrey diverted his gaze at the last moment, glaring at another figure emerging through the fog.

"As expected of a field staff of the Order Bureau..."

The light black robe fluttered in the fierce wind. Bai Ou grasped a serrated longsword, its deformed tip just a few millimeters from Geoffrey’s infuriating Tiger Eye.

Geoffrey merely smirked coldly. He had anticipated Bai Ou’s assassination and had already prepared for it.

Warm smoke rose from the barrel of the gun, Geoffrey rarely used his sidearm—his marksmanship wasn’t as bad as Bologue’s—but his bullets were very expensive, extremely expensive.

The bullet struck Bai Ou’s heart, leaving a black hole in his chest. To ensure the complete killing of the Negative Power User, a muffled explosion echoed from Bai Ou’s chest after a brief delay.

A lot of blood gushed from Bai Ou’s mouth and nose, his chest swelling violently before the entire chest burst open, charred and shredded, skeletal remains and soft flesh alike.

Bai Ou fell straight down, Geoffrey turned his attention back to Hert. But before Geoffrey could launch his next attack, a cold hand clutched his ankle.

Looking down, the supposedly dead Bai Ou grinned hatefully at him, a sinister glow flickering in his eyes, mocking him.

"Sorry about that..."

Black sutures wove through shattered flesh, re-binding them back into Bai Ou’s chest.

"I am the Undead."