Bologue found it hard to rember what happened next. His last mory was the surge of Ether reaction, followed by an explosion-like sensation as the Immortal Heart shattered into chaotic fragnts before him.
The overwhelming fatigue eventually overpowered Bologue’s will, causing the unstoppable cold machine to fall into a brief slumber.
When Bologue regained consciousness, he remained in the bloody battlefield, but this ti, there were no longer hateful enemies; only familiar figures, each playing their role, dealing with the aftermath of the disaster.
"You’re awake?"
Geoffrey’s voice sounded beside him. Bologue turned his head and saw Geoffrey standing next to him, shirtless with scars, a cigarette resting in his mouth, soothingly inhaling.
The smoke rose and spread, obscuring his face, but Bologue could still see the golden glint of his eyes through the mist.
Bologue felt a splitting headache, "How long was I unconscious?"
"Not long, just a few minutes."
Bologue sat up awkwardly, trying to recall the void world after death, but his mory was empty.
It seed Bologue hadn’t actually died but had fainted from exhaustion; for that, he had to thank Aimou’s Ether support, otherwise Bologue would have fallen into hibernation.
With the termination of the Immortal Heart, the rampant, crazed flesh was finally restrained, and the faint sounds of collapse continued to resonate from the pallid flesh ground beneath his feet, slowly disintegrating into dust and dissipating.
Bologue struggled to stand, even though he was revived, his body was filled with fatigue and unbearable pain. His self-healing was incomplete. His hands groped clumsily, trying to find a weapon to grip.
"Don’t be tense, it’s all over."
Geoffrey reassured him, his tone relaxed and soothing, pointing his finger forward.
Bologue followed the direction, seeing fearso fellows right ahead, donned in white protective clothing, handling the remnants of the battlefield.
Scorching streams of fire were released from the flathrowers. When Red rcury burned, it emitted massive heat energy, perfectly suited to deal with twisted, growing flesh.
The coagulated flesh burned into black char, exuding a nauseating ashy scent, filling every corner of the air.
Bologue couldn’t help but cover his nose and mouth, then he saw those drifting, ash-gray fragnts, sliding down like snowflakes, embracing the Sea of Mist below with the caress of the breeze.
The Great Rift ignited with raging flas, the people clad in white protective clothing were setting fires liberally to eradicate the flesh spreading across the cliffs cleanly, and on their shoulders, Bologue saw those familiar markings.
The scepter denied by black graffiti, the emblem of the Ninth Group, Atheists.
"The Great Rift is influenced by rampant forces, making the Curved Path Breakthrough difficult for personnel transportation. Despite the Ninth Group accelerating their actions, they encountered nurous flesh creations at the battlefield’s periter, slowing them down to avoid disaster spread."
Geoffrey explained nearby. If it weren’t for the Ninth Group intercepting externally, the Immortal Heart spreading outside the Great Rift was only a matter of ti. Once these wildly growing flesh reached the city area, the entire Oath City, Opus faced the risk of falling.
"Has the Sixth Group arrived?"
Bologue saw the Sixth Group, Violence Suppression Action Group... mainly because Hart was too recognizable. That guy was at least two ters tall, broad-shouldered like a giant among the crowd.
"Given the situation with the Immortal Heart, all mobilizable action groups were dispatched," Geoffrey took a deep breath, "and these Origin School Condensers are extrely adept at containing these troubleso entities."
"Containing?"
Bologue picked up Geoffrey’s phrasing.
"The Immortal Heart is, after all, the heart of Calamity, not so easily killed, at most incapacitated."
Geoffrey patted Bologue’s shoulder, signaling him to follow.
The flesh ground beneath their feet continued to collapse and disintegrate; fortunately, it was vast enough that even a complete collapse would take ti. By the ti it completely perished, the action groups’ tasks would have long concluded.
Geoffrey led Bologue to the center of the battlefield, surrounded by the Ninth Group and Sixth Group, where Bologue also saw the leaders of the two groups, Carnegie and Yas.
The Ninth Group, the Atheists, specialized in confronting Extraordinary Disasters caused by Devils. If not for the interference of the Special Operations Group, the responsibility for the Immortal Heart’s loss of control should fall on them.
As they entered the encirclent, Bologue saw the eerie object of immortality.
The Iron-Cutting Sword was nailed into the flesh on the ground, its cold Blade piercing the blood-red heart. At this mont, the Immortal Heart had ceased to beat, its surface covered in countless cracks, beneath which was a dense web-like texture.
With the combined efforts of Bologue and Lebius, the Iron-Cutting Sword severed the Immortal Heart, but regrettably, these forces alone weren’t sufficient to completely kill the Immortal Heart.
Absolute destruction and the undead, the unkillable, equaled each other, causing the heart to lose all its power and fall into hibernation.
Yas raised his hand, applying both Ethereal Prohibition and Ethereal Silence to the Immortal Heart, fully enveloping it in Ether vacuum, ensuring it couldn’t consu Ether to revive once more.
Carnegie brought over a containnt box and carefully placed the Immortal Heart and the Iron-Cutting Sword inside together.
The containnt box closed, as all the locks fastened one by one. A faint glow appeared on the black tal surface, then it completely turned into mundane matter without any more reactions.
"Containnt complete, transport it back to the Safety Containnt Departnt imdiately."
Carnegie handed the containnt box to his team mbers. Upon receiving the order, they carried the box back to the Order Bureau. For safety’s sake, Yas also assigned a few team mbers to escort the box.
The others stayed behind to continue dealing with the battlefield’s aftermath. From the cliff, soone poured down vast amounts of red rcury, the fiery liquid covering every surface, seeping into the rock crevices.
A few sparks fell, igniting it instantly. Blinding flas burst forth, resembling a burning waterfall. Amidst the intense blaze, the remaining flesh howled powerlessly, turning to gray-black snowflakes, leaving no trace behind.
The high temperature dispelled the winter chill, evaporating the pervasive mist.
Vision cleared, and Bologue walked towards the other side, looking around at the bodies being dug out from the rubble.
Those were the enemy’s corpses, the conspiracy of the King’s Shield Guard had been shattered, almost resulting in their total annihilation.
"Well done, Bologue." Yas noticed Bologue’s arrival and praised him.
"Where are the others?"
Bologue didn’t care about such complints; he was more concerned about how the others were doing.
"Everyone’s alive... just need to be hospitalized for a while."
Geoffrey staggered over, followed by a few staff mbers.
Unlike other field staff involved in the battle, these guys wore dical protective clothing and gas masks. They followed Geoffrey, injecting potion into his body and bandaging gauze on the wounds.
Bologue saw the marks on these people. They were doctors from the Border Sanatorium.
Thinking about it, this ti axis disruption event involved a lot, and various action groups had been mobilized. Not to ntion, other departnts too, the Logistics Departnt was cursing while handling follow-up matters, and the Border Sanatorium had also arrived to aid the injured field staff.
As Bologue pondered these matters, a doctor passing by noticed him and, without a word, gave him an injection in the neck.
"Don’t bother with him; he won’t die."
Geoffrey waved his hand, signaling the doctors not to disturb Bologue, indicating he needed more help than Bologue did at the mont.
He continued, "Give another shot."
After another injection, Geoffrey felt significantly better, the pain in his body diminished. He took deep breaths, his expression utterly exhausted.
"Being an Undead is really convenient..."
Seeing Bologue’s relaxed deanor, Geoffrey couldn’t help but sigh.
"Don’t worry, others are quite injured and have been transferred to the Border Sanatorium. If you’d woken up a minute earlier, you could have gone with them."
Hearing Geoffrey’s explanation, Bologue nodded. He still rembered the brutality of the battle, even as an Undead, he faced severe injuries, with his flesh devoured entirely. Not to ntion the others.
Bologue recalled Palr’s figure. He rarely showed such concern for his partner, unsure of that unfortunate guy’s condition, but since he’d been rescued by the Border Sanatorium, he should be fine now.
Even after receiving news about the others, Bologue couldn’t ease his mind. His gaze swept around as if searching for sothing.
Amidst the lee with the Silver Knight and the Immortal Heart, Bologue had to maintain intense ntal focus, barely having ti to think. Now that the fight had ended, thoughts surged like a tide, overwhelming Bologue’s mind.
He glanced around anxiously, and Geoffrey seed to understand what Bologue was searching for. He turned around and waved his hand at the other side, as if summoning soone.
The other party noticed Geoffrey’s wave and then saw the awakened Bologue.
Bologue continued to glance around, then heard a series of rapidly approaching footsteps. The person seed to be running toward him. Bologue turned cautiously, only to be struck by a familiar figure.
She moved swiftly, her entire body colliding into Bologue’s embrace with a flying leap, easily knocking him down.
Bologue felt like he’d been hit head-on by a motorcycle, his chest suffocating. He slid several ters on the ground before gradually coming to a stop.
His head was a bit dizzy, and upon opening his eyes, he saw the figure sitting on him. She was wrapped in a bloodstained, tattered robe... Bologue rembered it as Teda’s research robe, which he’d worn for many years and now had been picked up and inherited by her.
Against the light, Bologue couldn’t quite make out her face, but he knew who she was. Then so warm liquid splashed onto his face. Bologue thought the battle was over, so this shouldn’t be blood.
Bologue’s breathing cald as he relaxed, lying on the ground, allowing the overwhelming fatigue to overtake him, falling into long-lost peace.
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