Endless Debt

The crushed and mushy corpse lay limp on the ground, exuding the clotted scent of blood, but people seemed oblivious to this gory scene, continuing to dance. Some stepped over the woman's corpse, their feet stained with fresh blood, leaving crimson footprints on the floor.

The orchestral music around soared with joy, the melody stirring emotions deep within everyone, like wild beasts rampaging in their hearts.

Soft light cascaded from above the golden hall, through the scattered glow, Sai Zong could see the golden dust floating in the air, and behind the dust, the faintly visible orchestras.

The figures played their instruments with abandon, immersed in their self-created illusions, nothing could stop their performance, just as nothing could stop the advance of the train.

As the tune reached a crescendo, the ball became more fervent, trombones and trumpets intertwined in harmony, piano keys interspersing their notes.

A woman stood before Sai Zong, gracefully turning around, flames ignited on her body, burning away the white gauze dress, transforming into a black hem draped over her.

Sai Zong watched her with an impassive expression; she too did not avoid his gaze, slowly taking Sai Zong's hand, inviting him to dance with her.

It was an extremely dangerous move, for if Sai Zong wished, the body before him could turn into sludge. Fortunately, Sai Zong was tired of further slaughter; the woman led Sai Zong, stepping slowly, revolving repeatedly on the hall floor.

"Is this the authority of the Eyes of Eternal Fury?" the woman murmured, "Killing, destroying, annihilation... leaving only extreme silence."

Among the many Devils, the power of the Eyes of Eternal Fury was undoubtedly the most destructive. Even though a millennium ago, the Eyes of Eternal Fury chose self-imposed exile to enjoy absolute peace, Sai Zong, as his Chosen One, possessed the same terrifying power.

Sai Zong whispered, "You can try again."

A response came in the form of silver-bell laughter. The woman shook her head, refusing Sai Zong's suggestion and sighing, "What a formidable power, it's because of such power that you, this old relic, have survived countless conflicts, isn't it?"

As the current Chosen One, the woman didn't know much about Sai Zong, most of her information came from the Devil behind her.

In this conflict that had lasted for untold ages, countless Chosen Ones have fought and slaughtered for their respective Devils, until death.

After every conflict, a true winner emerges among the Devils, and the Chosen Ones also determine a victor; some die while others survive.

In the long feud, most Chosen Ones perished in the continuous iterations, becoming part of the bones that forged the Devil's throne.

It all appeared like a constantly sifting arms race. With the rise of Ether tides, new Chosen Ones were often stronger than the previous generation, engaging in internal slaughter until the strongest prevailed.

The woman was currently the Chosen One for her Devil, and before her, countless Chosen Ones served the Devil behind her.

The woman herself couldn't count which generation of Chosen One she was, but Sai Zong before her was different.

As a Chosen One, Sai Zong was undoubtedly the most unique.

In the endless conflict, Chosen Ones perished one after another, yet Sai Zong always managed to carve out a path amidst it; he might not be a winner, but he was certainly a survivor.

Sai Zong was the first and only Chosen One of the Eyes of Eternal Fury.

The woman's smile widened, facing a being as ancient as a Devil. Beneath her seemingly contemptuous attitude lay caution and pressure.

The victor does not invoke fear; true fear stems from the indestructible survivor.

"I do envy your relationship with the Devil," the woman continued to probe Sai Zong, "The Eyes of Eternal Fury are you, yet you're not the Eyes of Eternal Fury."

"Do you still want to keep wasting words?"

Sharp pain emanated from the palm of Sai Zong's hand. The woman clearly saw her skin begin to crack, but this time it was only a warning from Sai Zong; her flesh did not disintegrate and collapse instantly.

With a playful smile, the woman released her hold, and after breaking free from Sai Zong's control, her body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Sai Zong didn't like dancing, nor did he want to continue. His eyes remained cold and detached, staring directly at the woman, as if to say that if she couldn't provide Sai Zong with a satisfactory answer, he would commence a massacre here and now.

"Alright, alright."

The woman put away her smile, disliking men like Sai Zong with hearts as hard as iron.

Chosen Ones are not Devils and still retain the human essence, which means they possess an Original Sin that can be induced. Unfortunately, when facing Sai Zong, the woman's methods were ineffective.

The woman clapped her hands; with each crisp sound, the surroundings would change with the flashing light.

The golden hall, the dark dungeon, the noisy battlefield, ultimately arriving in a cozy carriage.

The twisted space returned to normal, and the two sat in seats beside large windows, taking in the outside scenery.

"What exactly do you want to do, Sai Zong?"

The woman leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, finally appearing serious for the first time.

"The Eyes of Eternal Fury grew tired of the conflict a hundred years ago, chose self-imposed exile, and entrusted almost all its power to you. And indeed, you are a loyal servant, even when the Eyes of Eternal Fury fell into deep slumber, you continued to fight in countless battles for it."

The woman squinted her eyes, like a cunning fox.

"But in this endless conflict, you've also grown weary, or else you wouldn't have spent all these years hiding inside the Undying Club, witnessing the Dawn War, the Wrath of Scorched Earth, and even the Fall of the Holy City."

Since modern times, Sai Zong has only been an observer in the conflicts among the Devils, never truly engaging in them.

"Wrath... such a perfect original sin."

The woman envied and lamented.

"You don't need to manage your power in the mortal world, nor do you need to truly participate in the conflicts. Whenever war erupts, the wrath of the dead will demand endless power from you, and you will harvest a vast number of souls."

The woman couldn't understand Sai Zong's visit. "You could clearly sit back and quietly profit from it all, so why leave the Undying Club, why come to me, and ask me about my stance?"

"What exactly do you want to do, Sai Zong?"

Before Sai Zong could answer, the woman quickly added, "Could it be, you're losing control?"

She covered her mouth in surprise. Hundreds of years ago, that mocking expression was enough to ignite Sai Zong's fury, turning this place into a burning ruin.

But now, Sai Zong just gazed out the window, indifferent to the woman's various reactions.

"Stance."

Sai Zong calmly stated it, like an approaching storm, with silence containing immense power.

The smile on the woman's face vanished. She said, "I want to win, Sai Zong, this time I must win."

"Alright, I understand."

Sai Zong nodded, stood up, and was about to leave.

"Don't you want to know, the means I have to win?"

The woman continued, disappointed by Sai Zong's overly calm reaction.

"Do you mean the matter of you splitting the Unfettered Poetry Society?" Sai Zong turned his head and asked back.

"It looks like you're not completely hiding away either," the woman said, "like an observer, lurking in the shadows spying on the world... How disgusting."

Sai Zong said, "You might as well think about how to deal with the observer's revenge."

"Revenge? We all know his character; he has watched too many conflicts, do you think he would strike back at me for revenge?"

The woman knew the observer's attitude well, just as Sai Zong struggled to suppress his fury due to his original sin, the observer also found it hard to make effective interventions in the mortal world due to his burden.

Sai Zong warned, "I don't know, but what is certain is that the observer still cares about the Unfettered Poetry Society. He has always anticipated the birth of the Endless Poems, and you have corrupted it all... The things he cares about are just these; by comparison, he doesn't even care about the outcome of the conflicts."

"Do you think the Order Bureau will act?"

"You've always been on the Order Bureau's list, every devil has."

The woman laughed, scrutinizing Sai Zong, her words attacking like daggers.

"And what about you?" the woman asked, "Claiming to crave peace, yet secretly hiding in Oubos, don't think I don't know what you're plotting."

"Are you, like the Tyrant, searching for the 'Red Dragon'?"

After saying that, the woman immediately realized something, "You found the 'Red Dragon,' which is why you chose to join the conflict?"

Sai Zong remained silent. He had been silent for so many years that he wasn't very adept at speaking.

But also, as the Chosen One of the Eyes of Eternal Fury, in past years, Sai Zong never needed to converse; all he needed to do was spread destruction.

"No... you didn't find the 'Red Dragon,'" the woman paused, then contradicted her own statement, "If you had the 'Red Dragon,' I should already be dead."

"Even without the 'Red Dragon,' I should be able to kill you," Sai Zong wasn't joking, "Want to try?"

The woman's eyes sparkled with brilliant colors, orange-red and gold, bright red mixed within, like a Fire Opal embedded in her eye sockets.

The atmosphere between them was tense, until Sai Zong noticed something unusual about the woman, he retracted his murderous intent, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"You are like me."

"You just realized?" The woman twirled the end of her hair, "But I am the reverse."

The woman's pupils ignited, another oppressive and terrifying power surged within her body, yet at the moment it was about to reach its peak, it extinguished once again.

"Are you descending into the mortal world using the body of the Chosen One, interfering with the world?" Sai Zong murmured, "You really want to win, even employing such means."

Sai Zong stared intently at the woman, realizing he had been misled, that the one conversing with him wasn't a Chosen One at all, but a Devil walking the mortal world using the body of a Chosen One.

The Joyful Witch.