Endless Debt-Chapter 969 - 62: Baffling (Part 2)

Church realized he couldn’t remain a cold spectator, nor could he just walk away.

Even if he took the intelligence back to the Order Bureau, what use would that be? Whatever the King’s Shield Guard intended to do, this brief time was enough for them to execute their sinister plan... not to mention Church had already guessed what they planned to do.

The Decay Plague was certainly terrifying, yet with the Order Bureau’s capabilities, it was unlikely to inflict any major damage on them. But for the entire city, Oath City · Opus, it was a completely different story.

Church had already seen the soldiers’ horrific deaths. A mere wisp of gas could prove lethal to an ordinary person within seconds of exposure; not to mention the massive stockpile here. Once leaked, it would be a massacre.

"Quick thinking."

Church muttered to himself. This term was not unfamiliar to field staff; every new hire was taught this during training.

An exceptional field staff member had to make the right decisions based on the changing situation, even if this contradicted their original mission.

In Church’s memory, this should be the second time he had to "adapt."

Yes, the second time.

Church was always a bit rigid, but he couldn’t help it, given the nature of his Secret Energy, he had to be "rigid" in certain beliefs.

Breaking free from "rigidity" felt very good, Church found himself excited like never before, as if dancing with wolves.

This reminded him of the first time he broke free from "rigidity" and adapted.

It was a battle that changed the fate of Church and Palmer, merely a Condenser, Church defied the Bolton family code, choosing not to use Secret Energy, watching Palmer die, then silently leaving.

That time, Church stepped up, releasing his Secret Energy as much as possible, like a specter, assassinating one frenzied believer after another.

That battle allowed Palmer to accept the Blessing, becoming a Debtor burdened with debt, and turned Church into a true Bolton family Infiltrator.

In that battle, Church went too deep in Deep Stealth, and after the fight ended, Palmer almost forgot Church.

Church still remembered the scene. Palmer lay on the sickbed looking at him, wanting to say his name, but thinking of nothing, Palmer knew he was his partner, yet remembered nothing of him, Palmer was frustrated, thinking it was his fault.

This wasn’t his fault, it was Church’s own mistake.

Church disliked being forgotten, even more detested witnessing a friend’s death, just like everything happening here and now. Once the Decay Plague spread, ordinary citizens would be the first to suffer.

Church didn’t like this city, but there were people he liked in this city, and that was enough.

The Decay Plague couldn’t leave Fog Abyss Fortress; it had to be destroyed here.

Thinking like this, amid Morrison’s roaring, Church swung his Dagger again, piercing another sealed gas canister.

Morrison was a Negative Power User, Church wasn’t sure if a single strike could kill him, so he had to choose the safest approach.

The deathly fog quickly spread, sweeping across more than half the area in the blink of an eye. The gas rapidly corroded the metal surface, sharp gas hissing, one after another, arising from the canisters, causing chain explosions.

As an intelligence officer, Church never liked heroism, but now he had to act, to stop an Extraordinary Disaster at its source.

"Come on!"

Church roared towards Morrison, excess Ether piled up on the surface of his body, colliding with the Decay Plague, arcs leaping and flickering incessantly.

On the other side of the deathly fog, Morrison conjured vast Ether flows, the Negative Power User’s strength erupting furiously.

...

Church was well aware of the limitations of his abilities, hence from the start, he was a ghost dedicated to intelligence gathering, not a warrior for head-on combat.

He always did his best to avoid fights, but now Church couldn’t avoid it.

As Morrison’s roar and Ether’s rampant spread, Church fully deployed his Secret Energy. Even if he couldn’t completely hide, as long as he could partially mask his tracks.

In Morrison’s eyes, Church’s figure began to writhe and fade, yet vaguely Morrison could still see a humanoid, ghost-like outline.

"Bastard!"

Morrison strode forward, brutally cleaving the Decay Plague with his thick Ether flow; the Ether collided with the gas, rapidly consuming these toxic fumes. Meanwhile, more Ether gathered in Morrison’s hands, sculpting a blade akin to one forged by lightning.

Ethereal Blade.

Morrison raised the Ethereal Blade to hack apart the raging Decay Plague again. For a sneaky thief like Church, Morrison didn’t even deem him worthy of drawing the Secret Sword.

While exerting pressure on Church, Morrison continued to command, "Recover the Decay Plague!"

Church’s action was still late; the vast majority of the Decay Plague had already been contained and relocated, and only a few remained stored here.

Moreover, Morrison’s Ether further diluted the Decay Plague; the soldiers snapped out of their fear, returning to the fog, relying on their Protective Clothing, they endured the burning sensation on their bodies, dragging the remaining sealed canisters to safety.