In the mist-covered ruins, a vague figure climbs with difficulty, as small as the only survivor in this world of death.

In the thick grayness, Bologue struggles to release Ether to fend off the invasion of the Decay Plague.

Now, after a period of calm thinking, he roughly understands the actions of the Shadow King. He is not merely attempting to fake his own death and escape, sending information about the First Seat’s infiltration to the Order Bureau—he is also trying to prevent the First Seat from discovering his power.

Bologue speculates that the Alchemy Matrix he bears is likely from the Astronaut, and there’s a bigger possibility that the Astronaut received this Alchemy Matrix from King Solomon.

The King’s Secret Sword’s obsession with Xilin’s corpse is largely to harness the power of this Alchemy Matrix, to reclaim Xilin’s body and replicate this great royal power.

Once his Secret Energy is exposed, given the First Seat’s awareness, he might recognize Bologue’s power, then choose to neutralize him, contain him, and bring him back to the King’s Secret Sword.

Bologue understands the Shadow King is not concerned about his safety. His objective is simple—to ensure the First Seat does not win.

Amidst numerous conflicts, the hatred between the Shadow King and the First Seat is irreconcilable. For this hatred, he is even willing to make a pact with the Devil.

Bologue trudges heavily, avoiding the core area of the Decay Plague explosion, but the dense gas that spread is still filling this region.

Under the swirling mist, many buildings seemed distant, their blue-gray outlines blurred in the air.

Reaching out, one cannot see their fingers. Silently, no light can penetrate the thick fog as if an invisible darkness has covered every view.

This scene induces fear and loneliness. One’s existence becomes insignificant, as if compressed by immense silence. A gust of wind passes, yet the fog remains unmoved, leaving this smog-filled world devoid of any sound.

The sound of corrosion hisses. Bologue’s own Ether is rapidly consumed, and soon he will struggle to maintain this resistance.

A faint sound of water emerges, and Bologue vaguely sees the liquid flowing down from the stone slabs, the pus from human flesh completely corroded.

The corrosiveness of the Decay Plague is terrifyingly potent, eroding human skin and muscles rapidly, emitting a stench that makes one nauseous at the scent.

The fallen bodies, under the erosion of the Decay Plague, all turned into streaming pus.

Bologue also sees many corpses not yet fully decayed, and some who are not yet dead.

Bologue doesn’t know who these struggling people in the mist are. They could be members of the King’s Shield Guard or the King’s Secret Sword. The only certainty is that those surviving the first wave of the Decay Plague are undoubtedly Condensers.

Yet, due to different Tiers, the Decay Plague rapidly consumes the Ether of First Stage Condensers. They can do nothing but watch in despair as their Ether defenses, riddled with holes, collapse, followed by their own bodies.

Pale skin begins to mutate, at first covered with strange blisters, which then darken and burst. The ulceration quickly spreads to the surrounding muscle tissue.

One initially experiences numbness and pain as though pricked by needles. Then, skin and muscle tissue gradually soften, resembling overripe fruit that cracks open with a slight squeeze, emitting an unbearable scent.

In the gray world, intermittent wails echo from all around.

Bologue steps onto a rock, its solid surface already eroded into a shallow layer of powder. With slight force, the entire rock crumbles.

Occasional collapse sounds echo.

With his view obscured, Bologue moves forward with difficulty, not knowing if Palmer managed to escape... he should have escaped. The power to command the wind allows brief flight.

In such treacherous rifts, mastering the power of flight is enough to avoid most dangers. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Bologue tries to cast out a grappling hook, but before the chain extends too far, its structure is rapidly corroded and crumbles by the Decay Plague.

It seems Bologue can only climb upward step by step. Yet, under the influence of the Decay Plague, all the paths upward have been thoroughly eroded.

Rust-covered aerial walkways have completely broken down, the corridors mounted on cliffs collapse one after another, not to mention those cables and elevators.

Like a great purge, the Decay Plague seems to have stripped the Great Rift of all vitality.

"Kill... kill me..."

A painful wail arises beside him. Bologue lowers his head and sees not far away a person in blood and flesh, his lower body already rotted to bloody pus, bones and organs fully exposed, leaving only half a body struggling to survive.

The Decay Plague’s mutation isn’t limited to surface tissue; it spreads to internal organs, causing severe pain. Quickly, it rots into a mass of dark red mucus, emitting a dizzying stench.

The process of decay is very fast, taking only a few minutes for all of a person’s organs to be corroded into a pile of dark red mucus, leaving only a blackened skeleton.