Returning to the Mysterious Era
Chapter 445 - Number Two Shadow Hunter, Cassius

Chapter 445 - Number Two Shadow Hunter, Cassius

Gururu...

It seemed as though thick liquid had rapidly surged within Cassius’s body as the enormous power he had been suppressing burst out, flowing into his limbs as though they were inflated by breath.

His entire body suddenly expanded in size, and prominent veins appeared on his arms, winding around them like dark green branches.

Boom!

The ground shook as though struck by an earthquake, and Cassius’s figure crossed five meters in an instant, slicing through the air like a sharp blade. He threw his massive palm forward like a siege hammer, unleashing a tremendous force that forced ring after ring of white air currents to form in midair. Moreover, dense scarlet Qi rolled forth, mingling with the flow of air and crashing down with terrifying force!

Louis’s pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his clothing rippled wildly from the force of that furious punch, surging like turbulent waves.

One of the highest-level illusions of the Half-Body Phantom had failed to take effect! Instead, it had enraged this beast disguised in human skin, driving him almost to the brink of madness. No, perhaps it did have some impact. It had affected White Aster, but the result was not weakening, but a terrifying amplification!

The cage holding a feral beast had been opened, and bloodshed became inevitable.

Swish!

A deep red, crescent-shaped void carved through the air as a savage fist hurtled forward and finally exploded with a resounding bang! A palm twice the size of an ordinary person’s stopped the fist’s advance.

In that instant, horrifying power erupted, forcing the air to freeze momentarily. Then it burst, sending wave after wave of air currents spinning outward, carrying sand and dust that coalesced into clouds of gray.

Louis staggered back two paces and quickly looked up. A tall, burly figure had interposed himself between him and White Aster, taking the punch in his stead. It was the Number One Shadow Hunter, the Colossus Kaiser.

He stood a solid three meters tall, with muscles as sturdy as armor and a broad back akin to a city wall. The sudden swelling of his muscles in order to take the blow had torn Kaiser’s clothes into strips, so it hung from his shoulders in tatters and flapped like a cape in the wind.

At that moment, Kaiser was displaying the physique-based arcane energy of a Colossus that had been pushed to the limit by seventy sacred marks. As the name implied, it enlarged and fortified the body, granting terrifying enhancements to mortal flesh so that muscles, skin, and even bone turned as hard and mighty as steel.

Additionally, his strength increased proportionally to the size of his physique. Kaiser’s Colossus had three stages; at present, he was in the first stage at three meters tall and gray skin. The second stage would see his physique swell to four meters. His veins would bulge as his skin turned a dark bronze. There was also a third stage, in which his entire body would take on a golden hue and he would grow to become a five-meter-tall giant whose every movement struck like a tank.

In that state, Colossus Kaiser could even stand against the Radiant Hunter, Deleshart. Even the Chief Mechanist had marveled at the boundless potential of the Number One Shadow Hunter, Colossus Kaiser, believing that he could go much further in the future.

Kaiser stepped in front, and Louis felt an odd sense of relief and security. He immediately realized that he must have been afraid when he faced Cassius’s punch, or else he would not have felt this way now.

Moreover, with Kaiser intervening, it meant Louis had already lost...

Louis’s mood sank at once, and he prepared to quell the roiling Qi within him. Suddenly, he heard a harsh screeching noise, and when he lifted his gaze, he was confronted by a startling sight.

Colossus Kaiser had planted his feet into the ground like a pile driver, spreading them wide to brace for an immense force. Even so, his gigantic form continued to be pushed back as his ankles sank into the earth.

It looked as though two iron plows had been dragged across solid ground, leaving five-meter-long trenches in their wake. Louis clearly saw the fabric around Kaiser’s calves tear apart, exposing thick, rugged muscle that were now engorged with pulsating veins.

It was obviously a state of extreme exertion. Yet he was still being mercilessly overpowered!

Louis backed away to a safer distance, only to see Colossus Kaiser suddenly let out a furious roar that echoed through the canyon. His body began to expand rapidly, and his skin gradually shifted to a darker color. Evidently, a mere clash had forced him to transition into his second stage, showing how severe the pressure truly was.

Crack, crack, crack...

A succession of grinding sounds echoed as his bones expanded. Kaiser grew to four meters in height. He resembled a bronze tower, and his skin gleamed with a metallic sheen. He jerked his arms wide, sending both fists crashing forward.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The colossal sequence of impacts rumbled like a barrage of artillery shells, and the canyon echoed with the sound of roaring cannons. Amid the swirling dust, two figures—one tall, one short, one white, and one bronze—were unmistakably trading blows!

Their four arms worked like motors equipped with springs, continuously retracting and compressing, then launching strikes as powerful as cannon shots. Their fists traveled so quickly that they turned into afterimages, like fleeting dark clouds. The two dark clouds collided, inseparable from each other. Surging blasts of air erupted around them.

The airflow throughout the canyon became agitated, producing wave after wave of howling winds that cut like knives. Nearby spectators felt their clothes flap violently as they squinted, battered by what seemed like a category eight typhoon, their hair left in wild disarray.

The Radiant Hunter, Deleshart, raised his hand to hold his black, wide-brimmed hat in place. The already injured Lion King Soss staggered back unsteadily, seeming liable to topple over like a straw at any moment.

Meanwhile, Solomon, who had finally woken up, suffered an even worse fate as he was sent tumbling like a rolling trash can. He rolled a dozen times, covered in dust, before his head slammed against a rock with a thud. Only then did he cry out in pain and barely stay conscious.

Since the winds were too strong, Solomon did not attempt to stand and instead remained prone in an embarrassing posture, lifting his head with a dazed expression to peer into the distance.

At the center of the typhoon, two formidable figures clashed fist against fist, their arms locked in a fierce contest. It was as though two humanoid beasts were tearing at each other. It sounded like war drums echoing on a battlefield.

Bang! Crackle!

Since they were fighting near the cliff, their fists inevitably scraped against the rock, which normally seemed solid but now was scarred by gouges as easily as a block of tofu. In some spots, a direct hit from a fist blasted out a massive cavity that could have fit two or three people.

Fragments of rock teetered overhead, some the size of a fist, others half the height of a person. Yet the instant they touched the battleground, they were pulverized in the blink of an eye. It was as if a high-speed grinder was churning within the fray!

Shards of rock flew, piercing the gale winds like miniature bullets and pockmarking the ground with small craters. Some fragments even hurtled toward the onlookers, but they were intercepted by Shadow Hunter Jin.

Solomon, still lying on the ground, gathered a bit of strength and used his Sinful Thorns to shield his vulnerable areas. He felt the tremors beneath him, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. From that day on, Solomon no longer spoke such foolish words about competing with Cassius. Even with the help of certain forces, it was hopeless...

It was far easier to eliminate the Number Four Shadow Hunter, Aaron, than it was to defeat Cassius. Rather than trying to wrest the hunter’s position from Cassius, one might do better by eliminating another Shadow Hunter and vacating a seat that way.

Unfortunately, Solomon could no longer reach Zhu Hun and the others. It had been a full week, and he had no idea what had happened. He grumbled silently, then remembered something. Zhu Hun had apparently promised to eliminate Cassius, his biggest rival, thereby allowing Solomon to triumph. Had Zhu Hun set out a week ago to do just that? And then... and then been–?!

Solomon’s eyes suddenly widened at that dreadful possibility. He looked up at the robust, two-meter-tall figure, who was unhurriedly advancing step by step. His movements were steady and powerful, brimming with an indescribable sense of dominance. Though physically smaller by comparison, his aura was several times mightier than Kaiser’s. It seemed as though he were the four-meter giant instead.

“It can’t be true...”

At the center of the canyon, the ground seemed like it had been trampled by a herd of elephants, riddled with craters and depressions. Footprints scored the earth, each step a testament to the strength unleashed.

The more Colossus Kaiser fought Cassius, the more alarmed he became. He had already reached the second stage, which could demolish half a building with one punch, but he still could not gain the upper hand. Instead, he remained firmly suppressed and was even losing ground in their clash of strength. His opponent’s punches sent aches through his steel-like skin.

Meanwhile, every punch he landed was absorbed by his opponent like sand into the sea, vanishing without effect.

Boom!

Kaiser exchanged another punch with Cassius and stumbled three steps back. He jerked his head up and locked eyes again with Cassius’s now tranquil blue gaze. Kaiser saw neither anger nor a gathering of utmost effort, only a detached curiosity.

It was as though an undefeated gladiator sparring casually had unexpectedly encountered a newcomer with decent talent. Since his interest had been piqued, he was pressing his opponent to see if he might reveal more unexpected abilities. This was precisely the mindset he and Deleshart had shown earlier, letting Aaron and Louis step forward in hopes of forcing Cassius to display more techniques in battle. Now, the situation had shifted onto him instead!

Colossus Kaiser felt an inexplicable anger stirring. His fearsome fists tightened so hard that faint gold glowed around his knuckles. That golden hue spread across his entire hand in half a breath’s time. Just as Kaiser prepared to lunge with an elephant-like swing of his fist, a figure suddenly appeared beside them.

“That’s enough. We’ll end it here for today.” The Radiant Hunter, Deleshart, emerged from within the swirling dust. He let his eyes rest intently on Cassius for a moment, then shifted to Kaiser as he spoke.

“But...” Kaiser began to speak but fell silent under Deleshart’s gaze.

He took a deep breath, and the gold spreading across his forearm quickly faded. Then, the dark bronze covering his entire body lightened into grayish-white before returning to normal skin. His stature also shrank swiftly back down from over four meters to a still imposing two-meter-tall figure. Since his transformation had been so abrupt, all that remained on Kaiser was a specially made undergarment.

Deleshart turned slightly to glance at Cassius, who still wore the same clothes as before. They were largely intact except that the sleeves around his forearms had been torn apart by the impact, exposing skin as pale as stone. He stood calmly, neither panting nor showing any sign of a racing heartbeat, like a cold machine. At one meter ninety, he stood tall like an iron tower.

“Louis lost. You won.” Deleshart spoke, “White Aster, you are indeed formidable. You are no longer the new Number Five Shadow Hunter, but the Number Two Shadow Hunter...”

He abruptly turned to Louis, who was now walking over. “Toss me the insignia.”

Louis took a slight breath. But he was not one to be a sore loser. Without hesitation, he pulled out a Shadow Hunter insignia from his pocket and threw it over.

Deleshart caught it and reached for Cassius’s emblem, exchanging them. By the time Cassius had pinned the Number Two Shadow Hunter emblem with the demon motif to his chest, Deleshart said, “Congratulations. You have now become the Number Two Shadow Hunter of the Hunters’ Association. Welcome aboard.”

Cassius looked at Deleshart and smiled slightly. He found this chairman of the Hunters’ Association rather intriguing and felt it worthwhile to show him some extra courtesy.

He spoke up, “Thank you. I was wondering when I might visit the sacred spring. Also, it seems each Shadow Hunter has certain duties...”

“As for the sacred spring, it will happen soon. I’ll take you to meet the Chief Mechanist in a bit, and tomorrow morning, I’ll bring you to the sacred spring. Also, your duties aren’t up to me. The Chief decides. You’ll soon find out which departments you’ll be overseeing...” Deleshart explained, briefly summarizing the rights and obligations of a Shadow Hunter.

Cassius had already learned much about these matters from chatting with the veteran hunters. Additionally, if all went according to the plan by the veteran hunters, he was likely to become the head of the Treatment Ward.

The Treatment Ward was a highly influential institution within the Hunters’ Association, with branches in every county and many elite hunters among its ranks. It had been established specifically to address certain internal threats within the Association.

If Cassius became head of the Treatment Ward, he would have far more freedom in his operations and was no longer bound to remain in Florence. He could then find time to retrieve the Book of the Devil and acquire the fake-death pill.

He might even travel to the southeastern seas to completely resolve his primary goal for this time-travel. Of course, the most pressing matter at hand was to reach the sacred spring and fully amplify his platinum sacred marks to their limit.

Cassius intended to see just how far a complete set of platinum sacred marks could advance his Southern Dipper Force. If he fully combined his Southern Dipper Forces, would his combat strength ascend yet another level? Perhaps becoming an extreme combat artist was not beyond reach...