Chapter 271 - Shared Chord Body
Chapter 271 of "Endless Debt" opens introducing the plot: "P...probably.""For example?""For example, the first time she met me, she suddenly rushed over and touched... Continue exploring!
"P...probably."
"For example?"
"For example, the first time she met me, she suddenly rushed over and touched me all over. At that time, I thought thatâs how humans expressed friendliness." Aimou slowly recounted the past.
Upon hearing this, the gloom on Bologueâs face deepened. This wasnât an expression of friendliness but rather Belliâs twisted curiosity about Aimouâs structure.
"Then, as soon as the teacher left, she dragged me into the lab... I almost got disassembled."
Aimouâs voice started trembling, her memories of Belli were even worse than Bologueâs.
"Oh..."
Bologue found himself lost for words; it wasnât a prank, it was attempted murder! It seems Belli is even more sinister than what he presumed.
"Alright, Iâm coming in."
Aimou suddenly said.
Before Bologue could prepare, he felt warmth enveloping his back, like a heater penetrating his clothing, gently blowing over his body.
Aimouâs hands turned ethereal, entering Bologueâs body, then she slowly opened her hands until their arms merged together.
It was like overlapping images, stepping forward, Aimouâs body turned into an ethereal shadow with golden trails, hands, feet, torso, head... aligning one by one, flesh bathed in radiant golden light.
During the merging, Aimou found her senses continually enhanced, her vision sharpened, her hearing acute, able to sense the flow of blood, and the heartbeat within.
Hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, pleasure...
All of Bologueâs sensations were mirrored in Aimouâs perception, using Bologueâs body as a link, she reached sensations never felt before.
For a moment, Aimou stood frozen, unable to speak, wholly immersed in experiencing the strange sensations.
As their figures completely overlapped, Aimou vanished, while golden threads appeared on Bologueâs body, the green pupils adorned with golden halos.
Unlike Aimou gaining new perceptions, Bologue felt a vast ether infusing his body, ceaselessly drawn in by the Constant Motion Core.
They complemented each other, Bologue granting Aimou human perception and body, while Aimou bestowing Bologue with the strength of an Alchemy Puppet, her world.
The indistinct ether flow began to clear in Bologueâs eyes, his sensitivity to ether heightened, Bologue even felt as though he mastered Ether Perception momentarily.
The ether calmed, turned silent, and the golden traces on Bologueâs body dimmed, the light in his eyes weakening, leaving only golden rings merging within the green pupils.
"What is this?" Bologue asked.
"According to Condensers, this is Ether Concealment, you wouldnât want to be a searchlight, right?" Aimouâs voice resonated directly in his mind.
"You can directly adjust ether?"
"Isnât that an Alchemistâs specialty?"
Bologue remained silent, ignoring Aimouâs presence, contemplating his current form.
After applying Shared Chord Body, thereâs a constant ether replenishment. Though the Constant Motion Core cannot extract large amounts of ether swiftly, this supply extended Bologueâs combat endurance several times.
Apart from that, after empathizing with Aimou, Bologue became extremely sensitive to ether, vaguely mastering Ether Perception, while Aimou could release similar Extreme Techniques.
"Aimou... ever thought of working with me?"
Bologue suddenly asked abruptly.
"Huh? Working?"
"Yes, youâve seen âNight Hunterâ, right? My job is somewhat similar, going out at night to fight evil."
"Oh, oh, oh!"
Upon hearing her favorite story, Aimou exclaimed excitedly.
"Wait... Why do I feel a bit of a dark thought?" Aimou said suspiciously, her voice questioning Bologue, "Are you thinking of something bad?"
"You can sense my thoughts?"
Bologue indeed imagined dark things earlier, such as smashing enemiesâ heads under the Shared Chord Body enhancement.
This is fantastic. With support from the Constant Motion Core, he no longer needed to conserve ether.
"I can only feel a vague outline, like joy, anger, sorrow." Aimou said.
Having his thoughts detected made Bologue uncomfortable, even if Aimou could only grasp a vague silhouette, it still gave him a dreadful feeling of having his dark inner thoughts uncovered.
"Can I actively expel you?" Bologue asked.
"Yes, ether is mutually exclusive. If you reject me, I will be kicked out... you wonât do that, right?"
Aimou exclaimed loudly, her voice resonating directly in his brain, echoing painfully in Bologueâs mind.
Turning around, Aimou had already folded and packed clothes into the suitcase. If he expelled her, chaos would ensue again. Bologue simply assured.
"I wonât."
Sitting back at the dining table, it finally returned to the scene of eating birthday cake, yet Bologue felt uneasy, rather than at ease.
This reminded him of horror movies he had watched, where ghosts would attach themselves to human bodies, driving them to fulfill wishes from their past lives.
Now Aimou was like an intangible ghost occupying his body, wanting... to eat a piece of birthday cake.
Too bizarre.
Laughter echoed in his mind, Bologue asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Iâm laughing at âwhat are you laughing atâ." Aimou said.
"Ah?"
"We are empathetic, I feel your joy, and follow suit, whatâs wrong."
Bologue fell silent, he started doubting his mental state, such strange occurrences, he found amusing? Even affecting Aimou along with him.
Picking up the fork, Aimou became tense, she shared the vision with Bologue, staring intently at the birthday cake on the plate.
Bologue considered Aimouâs position indeed peculiar. Now she could be seen as an Alchemy Armament, attached to his Alchemy Matrix, enhancing his sensitivity to ether and providing vast ether support...
If thereâs a chance, Bologue must find a way to bring Aimou into the Special Operations Group, sheâs much more useful than the unfortunate Palmer, he even considered applying with Lebius to switch partners.
"Eat quickly! Eat quickly!"
Aimou urged in his mind, she lacked the initiative to control the body, mostly an internal fixture.
Under her eager gaze, Bologue took a bite of cake, the sweet cream and soft cake filled his mouth.
There wasnât Aimouâs shrill cheer, nor any lengthy reflections, nothing at all, everything seemed particularly calm.
Bologue chewed and swallowed.
He felt something trickle down his face, reaching to touch, his hand dampened.