This operation was an absolute chaos, with batches dying and new ones joining, endlessly thrown into slaughter.
Bologue had already started giving up on thinking, focusing all his effort on the present.
He still remembered the phrase Geoffrey repeatedly emphasized during his induction training at the Field Operations Department.
Bologue forced a helpless smile, adapt and improvise? Looking at the current situation, it felt like there was no relationship with improvisation anymore, it was like editing fragments from different horror movies together, then throwing characters into the story.
One climax followed another, thinking the story had reached its conclusion, yet it was just the beginning of another Chapter.
Nade exerted all his force and got engaged in battle with the Crimson Bishop Latis; the shattered platform turned into a true Hell, where massive flesh monsters clashed with roaring flames, flesh was burnt to ashes, only to regenerate again, the flames extinguished, but soon reignited.
Intense etheric currents burst in all directions, stirring up a local ether storm, everyone felt the oppression within, making Nade and Latis the main characters of this chaos, with everyone else staying far away.
Thanks to this sudden upheaval, upon witnessing their power, a part of the crowd snapped out of their greedy frenzy, trembling with fear as they looked at their blood-soaked hands.
None of this escaped Bologue’s notice, as time passed, fewer people were left in the Beast Fighting Arena.
Scorching waves mixed with the nauseating smell of charred flesh, even someone like Bologue who was accustomed to slaughter felt nauseated by the scent, unable to resist the urge to vomit.
The extreme heat enveloped around Nade, forming a circle of high-temperature barrier, where flesh would instantly turn to ashes just by getting close.
Latis also revealed his power at this moment; Bologue didn’t quite understand his Secret Energy, but thinking of him as a follower of the Crimson Queen, as a Negative Power User, he must have been under stronger protection.
The most direct point was, regardless of how the flames scorched Latis, he maintained a strong vitality, almost like he possessed an Undying Body.
Countless flesh branches coiled around Latis’s lower body, merging him with the corrupted roots, rising from the ground like an enormous tree.
It was an extremely bizarre scene, with giant vine-like flesh extending from beneath the flesh earth, ending with the roaring Latis, his silhouette resembling a crimson serpent, dancing wildly.
Nade’s high-temperature barrier was indeed powerful, but it required constant ether support, similarly, Latis’s undying state was the same.
The two entered into a war of attrition, neither able to defeat the other, but couldn’t relax either, a slight mistake and they would suffer heavy damage from the opponent.
More and more flesh draped over Latis’s crimson serpent form, more than a serpent, he resembled a worm, with uneven body surface lined with dense eyes, peering into every corner, leaving him with no blind spots.
A multitude of tendrils danced with him like seaweed, violently smashing against the surrounding walls, sending the entire space into another violent tremor.
Bologue was beginning to worry whether the Beast Fighting Arena could withstand it, unlike the small skirmishes with the Condensers, these two were actual Negative Power Users.
The powers of Negative Power Users intertwined, but others weren’t idle either, currently the two are locked in deadlock, neither able to defeat the other.
The remaining Cultists stepped into the sea of fire, attempting to collect the Immortal Heart, but before they could get close, an illusory long blade crossed the fire sea and instantly solidified, slicing a deep blade mark, blocking their path.
Looking up, several silhouettes appeared in the fire sea, the leading figure gradually becoming clear, Jia Meng strode forward holding a crimson Secret Sword.
"King’s Secret Sword..."
Bologue observed the crimson blade, alarm bells ringing in his mind.
He remembered before his operation into the Great Rift, Lebius once told him there was a King’s Secret Sword who had escaped from his surveillance and hid in the Great Rift.
Bologue had been tracing the whereabouts of this King’s Secret Sword without success, he even began to think the King’s Secret Sword had fled, but now, the two encountered each other.
He had never seen Jia Meng, but Bologue understood the characteristics of Jia Meng’s Secret Sword through Lebius’s description, only King’s Secret Sword would persistently carry such a weapon.
Bologue’s eyes turned sharp seeing the involvement of a King’s Secret Sword in this operation, old grudges mixed with new ones, he was ready to strike.
After various previous battles, the Cultists’ power was clearly inferior to Jia Meng and his men, even on the crimson ground, the consciousness of these flesh masses were all manipulated by Latis, preparing for battle against the roaring Fire Dragon.
The weaknesses of the Cultists gradually became apparent, their flesh creations were indeed terrifying, capable of triggering a local disaster, but this disaster posed no threat to a Prayer Believer like Jia Meng, cautious and careful progress was entirely possible.
Even someone as overwhelmingly strong as a Condenser like Bologue can kill effortlessly within, after repeated selections, those who remain in the Beast Fighting Arena all possess the power to deal with the corrupt roots.
A phantom figure loomed indistinctly behind Jia Meng, as if a deity was standing behind him, shielding him.
The long knife rose and fell, cultists were defeated without a fight, and even if someone came to block him, they were intercepted by Jia Meng’s other teammates, engaging in another round of slaughter.
Bologue advanced silently like a thief, while Aimou focused all her spirit, providing him with Ethereal Concealment.
His gaze locked onto Jia Meng and his other teammates, after a brief observation, Bologue found that only Jia Meng held a Secret Sword, and he was the only Prayer Believer, while the Ether strength of the others was at the Condenser stage.
Based on Bologue’s limited experience with the King’s Secret Sword, he made Jia Meng his primary target, as for Latis and Nade?
Bologue was an expert, but some things were beyond an expert’s capability, like the Negative Power User.
If Bologue were a Prayer Believer, he might try to oppose a Negative Power User, but now he was only a Condenser.
Jia Meng looked at the quartz encased in flesh, no matter how much Latis roared, he couldn’t slow his pace. He opened the iron box in his hand, which was a specially made container to house the Immortal Heart.
Next, he just needed to load it in and take it back to the Fog Abyss Fortress.
With it, the Shadow King would be reborn, and then...
Jia Meng vaguely thought of that maddening future, with just a simple fantasy, all the blood in his body boiled incessantly, and his body heated up as if it would burn.
The phantom long knife sliced through, whether flesh or bone, it was all severed completely. Jia Meng’s heart stirred, and he didn’t even notice his emotions becoming extremely fervent, as if a voice was constantly tempting him at the bottom of his heart, expanding that insane greed.
The poison of greed permeated everyone’s nerves, fully exposing the ugly side.
In Jia Meng’s eyes, only the Immortal Heart remained, he didn’t notice the silent approaching figure.
Humans are very fragile, and a sharp metal blade passing through the right place can easily kill a human, in fact, the same goes for Condensers too, despite possessing Extraordinary Power, Condensers still cannot escape their mortal shells.
In the unnoticed corner, Bologue stepped forward quickly, with Ethereal Concealment, he moved like a specter, encountering no resistance, as the cold blade sliced through the throat of a Condenser from behind.
The victim tried to utter a warning cry, but everyone’s faces were filled with greedy ecstasy. Before a sound could be made, his entire head was completely chopped off by Bologue.
The body fell, there was no need for Bologue to deal with it, the rampant flesh hungrily devoured it, making it disappear.
Everyone who died here were like that, becoming nourishment for the corrupt roots, merging with this crimson land, entering a cycle, turning into crimson flesh, continuing the endless slaughter.
Bologue continued forward, nerves tense, and Aimou was also fully prepared, she controlled the Ether meticulously, concealing all of the Ether fluctuations and auras, until Bologue swung his next blade.
The blade pierced like a chisel, boring a bloody hole in another Condenser’s back, without allowing any counterattack, the blade shattered into dense iron branches, piercing the Condenser’s chest cavity, rampaging through his body, instantly mangling his internal organs into a bloody mess.
The spine, heart, and brain, all smashed into a viscous mixture.
Jia Meng was oblivious to this, he wielded the sword to peel layers of flesh, recalling the Third Seat’s warning in his mind, he didn’t directly touch the quartz, instead, he pried it with the Secret Sword, slowly pushing the quartz into the container.
Overhead, fireworks splattered, Latis noticed what was happening here, he continued to roar, but nothing could be changed, he could only watch as it all unfolded.
No surprises, Jia Meng completely stored the quartz in the container, sealing the valve tightly to close it entirely.
For a moment, Jia Meng felt a bit dazed; everything seemed a bit too smooth.
He turned back, just about to excitedly inform the others of this situation, only to find his teammates who came with him had all disappeared, leaving only a field of blood.
In an instant, violent Ether erupted from behind, the phantom figure solidified at once, Jia Meng turned and swung a massive long knife towards behind him.
The scarlet Iron Knight approached in strides, its round shield blocked the heavy slash, while its other hand clutched a dazzling Light Blade, fiercely stabbing towards Jia Meng’s chest.
This weapon was rarely used by Bologue, only during a fatal strike would he pull it out.
Continuous Ether poured into the Bright Light Blade in his hand, the Ethereal Sword pierced through all obstructions, aiming directly at Jia Meng’s heart.