Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 298 - Die, Die, Die, Die, Die

"Roar!!!"

The Amalgamation let out a beastly roar that seemed to be composed of hundreds, if not thousands, of voices layered together. Its blood-red eyes only saw a massive black shadow expanding rapidly to almost envelope the entire pit.

Faced with this meteor that was seemingly crashing down from the heavens, the Amalgamation felt an unprecedented sense of danger. Every cell in its body screamed at it to fight back, or death would be inevitable! The effects of the condensed Berserk Serum in the Amalgamation's system was fully activated at this moment.

Thick, viscous liquid began to seep out from the gaps in its armor, covering the cracked surface of the armor in layers. In the blink of an eye, the layers transformed into a thick sheet of bone. The bone layers started to grow thicker and thicker, and the armor became increasingly heavy and powerful. Its mane whipped around as it started to grow until it covered most of the Amalgamation and transformed it into a red-furred beast.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Its chest heaved like an explosive engine. The Amalgamation raised its hands and ferociously struck at the descending steamroller, each punch carrying a devastating force.

"Too slow, too late!"

The heavy steamroller collided with the fists of the Amalgamation, creating a deafening explosion. White streams of air blasted outward, sweeping away the surrounding rubble.

Cassius rode atop the steamroller, his upper body bare. His back muscles stretched, creating exaggerated contours like stacked rocks. Each muscle was defined with clear, powerful creases. His arms spread out like a scallop shell, parallel to his body. As he raised his head slightly, his body momentarily resembled the horns of a devil symbolizing the source of strength.

Using his waist as a catapult and his spine as a spring, Cassius brought his fists down like an indestructible hammer. His lower body remained stationary, but his upper body swung down like a meteor hammer, slamming fiercely onto the top of the steamroller and driving the Amalgamation further into the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunderous sounds of the two forces clashing was almost deafening. The air around them churned violently, causing the dust-filled atmosphere to tremble with shockwaves, as though it were the most dangerous part of a stormy sea. Fierce winds howled as waves of dust surged!

One could barely make out a massive, old-fashioned steamroller suspended in midair, with red sparks erupting from its frame as it was repeatedly struck. The frame bent and twisted as the punches slamming into it deformed it even more.

Below, the armored giant, lying in the pit like a beast, struggled fiercely, swinging its fists like hammering springs. Above, Cassius's eyes blazed with a murderous intent. His iron fists rained down like a torrent, each blow powerful enough to crush a car!

His punches were so fast that they were nearly invisible to the naked eye. All that could be seen was the constant rise and fall of a dark cloud in front of his chest, stirring up visible dust whirlwinds in the air. Every time he drew back an arm to gather strength, a vortex formed along the outer edge of his arm, and when he struck out again, the violent punch winds would tear the vortex apart. From a distance, it looked like a mighty figure was sitting atop the mechanical device, with gray whirlwinds hovering on either side, giving off an inexplicably mysterious aura.

"Die!!!"

When he sensed the Amalgamation's resistance below, Cassius decided to finish it off in one go. Red flames flickered in his eyes and formed a scarlet bird of prey with flapping wings.

It started to grow larger, more tangible, and more sinister!

A moment later, the raptor leapt out of Cassius's eyes, instantly appearing behind him as though it had descended from hell through the red Qi that connected them. It had iron-like talons and barbed scales. Its wings covered the sky and blood dripped from its beak. This was the Blood Falcon, a terrifying, powerful, and predatory figment.

At this moment, Cassius's Will of the Fist had grown even stronger, more focused, and more ferocious than before the battle. His Qi had nearly reached forty-five and surged violently, pushing his battle intent and bloodlust to the peak.

The massive Blood Falcon soared freely in the crimson mist, radiating the fearsome aura of a top predator.

Cassius inhaled sharply, his chest expanding as his upper body arched like a bow. Both fists shot forward, and the Blood Falcon dove down at breakneck speed, merging its iron talons with Cassius’s fists.

"I'll crush you and this steamroller into dust!"

"Hahaha!" Cassius's Killer Persona was utterly deranged.

It was impossible to distinguish between fists and talons in the terrifying barrage of blows that followed. It tore into the steamroller with a horrifying hum. Punch after punch landed like an unstoppable tsunami!

"Die, die, die, die, die..."

Rage, madness, insanity. Cassius's Killer Persona unleashed all of his resentment, fury, and desires, allowing them to rampage wildly in this battle!

Crack, crack, crack...

Beneath him, the metal of the steamroller was starting to reach its limits. Even further below, something seemed to crack as it reached its breaking point.

"Roar!"

Boom!

The final roar from the Amalgamation was drowned out by the earth-shaking sound of the steamroller giving up all resistance and slamming into the ground.

The ground around them sank from the impact, leaving the brick-paved surface around them noticeably lower. At the center of the crater, the surrounding twenty meters of the street were completely shattered, forming a radiating pattern.

Deep cracks snaked out in all directions like black serpents. Some were as narrow as an arm, while others were wide enough to fit a person inside. A shockwave spread across the ground, creating a rapidly expanding white ring that shot outward for nearly a hundred meters.

"Hah..."

The young man shrouded in red steam slowly exhaled turbid air. His face twisted, and he delivered one final fierce punch to the steamroller. Using the recoil, he flipped backward, twisting lightly in the air before landing on his feet.

Behind him, the nearly demolished metal machine gave out, its internal components emitting cracking sounds as the frame buckled under the strain.

Crash!

The steamroller collapsed, sending metal parts and fragments scattering across half the street.

Cassius walked forward as his hands, exposed down to the bone, dripped blood onto the ground with a steady patter.

He made his way to the destroyed steamroller. He stomped on the ground, causing small parts to leap into the air, which he then casually swept aside. Then, he bent down and lifted the massive, deformed axle of the steamroller, revealing the pit beneath.

The hole beneath the steamroller was about three to four meters in diameter. The edges were jagged with broken bricks, and the cross-section exposed deep yellow soil. All that remained in the pit was crushed bones, flesh, and blood mixed together into a corpse. One could also make out the occasional tuft of mane.

A non-human monster had met another non-human monster. But one had died a miserable death.

Cassius gazed at the bloody mess that gave off a strong stench. He could sense that the Amalgamation was truly dead. Its immortality and core had been triggered by the serum, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that had then been completely consumed.

With the Amalgamation's death, all the Dead Bloods connected to it perished as well. Cassius stood still, watching the numbers in the upper-right corner of his vision flicker.

Remaining Dead Blood count: 44.

...

Remaining Dead Blood count: 3.

Some of the Dead Bloods involved in that ruthless massacre hadn't died. They were likely still at the Blood Nest base. Since Cassius had already killed the Amalgamation formed by the Blood Spirit Society's president, the remaining three targets would naturally be easy to handle once the battle concluded. With the support of Blood Vulture and intelligence from the Black Ops Agency, completely ending this lingering attachment wouldn't be difficult.

Cassius slowly let his hand fall. He had only gotten a minimal amount of life energy from Lotus. It had seemingly been burned away during the frenzied fight, fueled by the Berserk Serum. So Cassius only gained a 1.5 percent increase in progress.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 44.1% (Total Three Stages)]

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 45.6% (Total Three Stages)]

After absorbing so many dark creatures of a similar type, Cassius's resistance to Dead Blood was nearly complete. His next targets would clearly need to be in another direction.

He still remembered his deal with Amos. He hoped that the dark creatures imprisoned by the Black Ops Agency would meet his requirements. Even though it was said that the cages from the eight cities held valuable beings, they only amounted to a bit more than a county's worth. Cassius didn’t have high hopes; he just needed the total enhancement to exceed 5 percent. After all, the later stages of progress were always harder to achieve.

Cassius clenched his fist, the torn skin already healing rapidly, amidst the swirling dust. He felt the cool wind blowing through from behind the street. He took out a pendant from his pocket. Its base was a bronze metal orb, filled with a dust-like substance.

Cassius slowly pressed his thumb against it. The metal sphere twisted and shattered, spilling white dust that floated into the unknown, carried away by the cold wind like grains of sand.

"Li Wei... with this, you can rest in peace now..."

The words drifted on the wind.

On the broken street, a towering figure walked against the wind, heading off into the distance.

***

Clang!

A blue arc of light pierced straight through half a house as it chased a figure soaring through the air like a bird of prey.

Clang!

The blade was deflected by iron claws that could penetrate stone and metal, scattering golden-red sparks into the air.

"Such a pity... such a pity..."

Feng Liusi gently shook his legs as he spoke. His body trailed a red tail of flame as he leapt from the first floor onto the second-floor balcony.

He gazed down at the figure wielding a blade amidst the ruins. "Your Slash Blade and Pierce Blade are intact, but your Shock Blade is broken. I had hoped to personally experience your Rainbow World today, to see if your Triple-Blade Style was stronger, or if my Blood Vulture's Beak secret move was superior. But now it seems we'll never know..."

Feng Liusi revealed his muscular physique, his hands hanging slightly. Two deep red auras enveloped his hands like gloves, radiating a deadly energy that was palpable at just a glance.

"Ha ha ha, talk to me again after you look at the wounds on your body..."

Several dozen meters away, Blade Demon Garoro stood in the ruins with his blue Pierce Blade lightly touching the ground. He wasn’t exerting any force, but just the weight of the blade allowed the sharp tip to effortlessly sink into the ground. His body bore several fist marks; he had been clearly injured in the previous fight. Feng Liusi also had two slashing wounds that were freely bleeding.

"Even with the Dual-Blade Style, I can still beat you!!!"

Blade Demon Garoro's eyes glinted with fierce determination. A combat artist could never afford to lose confidence in themselves. Once they faltered in their will, once fear or retreat crept into their heart, they were not far from defeat. One must never back down in the clash of momentum. When two opponents meet, only the brave prevail.

Clang!

A sharp metallic hum rang out amidst the ruins. Garoro's purple Slash Blade emitted a long hum as it disappeared into the air. When it reappeared, it was already slashing down on the second-floor balcony. The purple arc sliced through the air with a roar.

The entire crescent-shaped balcony was cleanly severed in one stroke. The cut surface was smooth as a mirror, yet Feng Liusi had vanished.

Shriek!

A sudden screech came from behind Garoro, like a bird of prey diving down with wings spread wide. In reality, it was the sound of a fast punch tearing through the air. The strange whistle simply signaled danger, like an alarm.

Ding!

Garoro quickly turned, transforming his Slash Blade into Pierce Blade. He growled as a blue metallic arc shot out, the blade seemingly wrapped in a thin layer of white light. His counterattack was fast and fierce!

Sss... Sss... Sss...

Golden sparks flew from the blade as blood-red hands pressed down on it. The two forces collided with high-frequency vibrations, intensifying the friction between metal and fingertips.

Abruptly, Garoro withdrew, transforming his stab into a slash. A line of purple light cascaded down like a waterfall from the sky. The dazzling flash turned purple into blue, leaving afterimages of the two colors flickering in the air like torches swinging in the dark. It was beautiful, but deadly.

In that moment, the two old masters of blade and fist techniques displayed the terrifying abilities they had honed for decades. Every collision was perilous, yet carried a certain elegance. There was an eerie, gut-wrenching contrast.

The sound of the blades clashing echoed through half the block.

Both landed, each bearing fresh wounds. Garoro took three steps back but immediately charged again, his aura surging to its peak. His presence was sharp and imposing.

"Dual-Blade Style! Scale Fire!"

The ruins erupted in a brilliant display as blue and purple blade light intertwined. The fragmented blade energy exploded like a school of flesh-eating fish, while flashes of color flickered with every swing of the blade.

Where the blade light pointed, the Scale Fire roared!

On the other side, Feng Liusi stood with one foot on the wall, his face showing a hint of reminiscence.

"I've already figured out your limits. Everything, including the grudge from ten years ago, ends today. I'll use the Blood Vulture's Beak to finish you once and for all..."

Shriek!

A raptor descended from the sky, its wings darkening the sky, and rested its iron claws on Feng Liusi's shoulders. Its blood-red eyes mirrored Feng Liusi’s own—cold, elegant, and deathly.

"After today, the world will no longer know the Blade Demon..."