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Chapter 390 - Welcome to the World of Calamity
It was a circular, pure black pattern, with two tightly connected rings forming the outer edge. Inside was the silhouette of a knight astride a horse, holding a lance.
Knight-level, the highest rank of Hellsing.
Shield-level, sword-level, badge-level, knight-level...
Cassius had encountered Black Rain Manor, a mysterious and eerie domain, during his third time-travel. Entering its shrouded area was like stepping into another world.
Daybreak Hospital, Craniotomy Clinic, Arthropod Hall, Baptism Chapel, Mission Hall, Central Clock Tower were key special structures within Black Rain Manor. Additionally, the manor contained many unopened dangerous zones. In the era Cassius had time-traveled to, Black Rain Manor was still in a recovery phase and gradually regaining its power.
Whether it was the manor itself, the Decaying Knights roaming within the Black Rain, or the number and quality of marked-ones who had signed with the manor, none had reached their peak. Cassius had been able to destroy Black Rain Manor back then due to a confluence of factors.
He had leveraged the formidable strength of the Northern Covert Martial Arts community of the Federation. Dozens of Covert Martial Arts sects had besieged Black Rain Manor, with six or seven sect leaders boldly joining the battle. This had included some renowned veteran combat artists, which had helped suppress Black Rain Manor's counterattack.
However, in this era, the late period of the Hongli Empire, Black Rain Manor was silently operating according to its own rules. It might already be at its peak now. The number and quality of its marked-ones likely far surpassed those of Twilight's era.
For instance, the knight-level Hellsing before him.
Cassius suddenly sensed a hint of danger. It was a spontaneous premonition brought by the Qi of a top-tier combat artist. This indicated that the person opposite wasn't as weak as the knight-level Hellsings of Twilight's era. If he wasn't mistaken, this masked, black-robed man was probably above a pugilist.
As for whether he had reached the level of a combat artist? That remained uncertain.
He would only find out by fighting at full strength. But once he elevated the battle to the level of a combat artist, White Aster’s body might not withstand it, suffering a significant price.
"You're a hunter from the Dark Hunter Organization? Your strength is impressive..." The black-robed man wearing a tree-patterned mask spread his fingers, letting the torn glove fabric fall away to reveal a strong, knuckled hand.
He turned to glance at Cassius. His pupils suddenly contracted.
Rumble!
A scaled giant python charged like a speeding train, pressing a deep groove into the ground. Dozens of trees were violently knocked aside.
The black-robed man instantly swung his massive scythe to block the charging serpent's head. A shockwave detonated upon impact, making the entire forest rustle loudly.
Fallen leaves and dust swirled, dancing chaotically in the forest gaps. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
A figure spun out, suddenly arching mid-air and stabbing the scythe straight into the ground. The scythe plowed through soil and severed tree roots as the black silhouette neutralized the massive impact, sliding ten meters before stopping.
Just as he steadied himself, a person emerged amid the swirling leaves.
"You gave me a strike. I'll return the favor. Courtesy demands reciprocity..." Black boots crushed fallen leaves as the figure stood firm. Though his shoulders appeared somewhat delicate, at this moment, he gave off an overbearing aura, making his entire form seem taller.
Rumble...
A massive purple python coiled around Cassius. Only its raised neck and head remained visible, like a towering wall of scales, blocking the last rays of sunlight.
The black-robed man squinted at Cassius and slowly rested the metal scythe on his shoulder. "You may call me Ghost-Man. I wonder, which Dark Gold Hunter might you be... Or perhaps, a Shadow Hunter?"
His voice was deep, with a hint of hoarseness as if it had been scorched by fire. The black-robed man calling himself Ghost-Man didn't intend to fight Cassius to the death immediately. That initial scythe swing was more of a test. Small fry had no place here.
"Hmm? A black copper badge? That's for Black Copper Hunters..." Ghost-Man squinted again. The badge representing a Dark Hunter Organization member's rank hung on Cassius's collar. The organization's Black Copper Hunters included C and D levels, corresponding to Black Rain Manor's sword-level and shield-level Hellsings. This person wore a low-level badge yet displayed strength far exceeding Black Copper.
He was either a scheming master who liked to fish for prey or a powerhouse who had just joined the organization. In any case, such a formidable hunter suddenly appearing where the Calamity Tunnel was about to open likely meant he had the same goal—to enter the tunnel.
However, none of this mattered to Ghost-Man. His mission was simply to enter the tunnel and retrieve an item. Once it was obtained, his goal was complete. Whatever Cassius intended, as long as it didn't conflict with his purpose, it was irrelevant.
After all, the test just now showed the other was a master. Although Ghost-Man seemed to be able to handle his strength, he sensed a subtle danger from Cassius.
If that danger erupted, it would be catastrophic. Even with Ghost-Man's confidence in the strength he had honed through countless life-and-death trials, he might have to pay a heavy price. Therefore, he didn't want to become outright enemies with Cassius for the moment.
Just like now, maintaining a delicate balance of mutual vigilance was sufficient.
The sunset's reddish afterglow scattered over the forest canopy. A cool mountain breeze lifted the hems of their garments.
Moments ago, they had aggressively struck at each other. Now, the forest returned to tranquility, as if their brief clash had never occurred. Their shadows lengthened and blurred.
As the sun fully set, shadows merged with the night. The horizon held the last trace of sunlight, interplaying with the moon already high in the sky. When this light shone on the vortex patterns at the withered tree's base, something strange occurred.
The static patterns began to rotate clockwise until it blurred and formed a dark spiral vortex. A layer of hazy gray mist shrouded its surface. A passage appeared at the junction of day and night.
Cassius's eyes sharpened. The air from the tunnel smelled inexplicably familiar. It resembled the eerie, decaying aura of Black Rain Manor, and somewhat like the dark essence and essence of calamity commonly produced within dark creatures.
"Will you go first, or shall I?" Ghost-Man spoke first, pulling his scythe from the ground.
"Never mind, I'll go first." Ghost-Man stepped straight into the root vortex.
It took only moments for him to be swallowed by the tunnel's mist. Cassius remained silent, cautiously waiting a minute before stepping forward into the passage.
Gray mist spread, enveloping him in a cold chill. He felt as if he were split into two parts; almost like a new body was extracted from his torso.
Stumbling, Cassius exited the passage. His vision returned as everything around gradually brightened. He opened his eyes, cautiously surveying his surroundings.
Ruins... There were black ruins and desolation everywhere. He could see collapsed walls, crumbled tall structures, and shattered bricks and tiles.
This was a city, or more accurately, a dead city.
Cassius looked up at the sky; it looked like smeared ink, with no sun visible. Black clouds and thick fog mingled, blocking the light. This made the visibility even dimmer than on a rainy day.
Black snowflakes drifted down in wisps. Cassius caught one in his hand. It wasn't snow but ash. Ash from something burned, still carrying some residual warmth.
"Where on earth is this..." He stood atop a heavily damaged circular white stone altar on top of a small hill within the city. Some buildings had collapsed and their original appearance was unrecognizable.
Regaining his senses, Cassius first checked his body and was shocked to find he was no longer in White Aster's body but his original body from the real world! Moreover, it wasn't in flesh but a kind of spiritual body. He recalled the momentary sensation of splitting earlier and understood.
His Qi had separated from his body, reconstituted into a new form, and entered a strange domain. Cassius quickly calmed down, immediately searching for Ghost-Man, who had entered the tunnel with him, but found no trace.
Boom!
Suddenly, he heard a massive commotion break out. When he looked to the right, he saw a section of ruins experiencing a violent explosion. Soil shot skyward, falling like a curtain of rain.
Flashes of fire flickered, and gusts of wind surged.
Cassius's eyes flickered; he was about to head in that direction when he felt a burning sensation coming from his chest. It was the Rune of Wisdom!
When he looked down, the symbol of the endless coiled snake began to spin, devouring itself in an endless cycle. Its scales shimmered a blue-black metallic glint.
Suddenly, a vague guidance emerged in Cassius's mind. A location was resonating with the Rune of Wisdom. It was on his left, not too far away.
"Aoyin?" He uttered the ancient syllables, pressing his right hand on his chest. Taking a deep breath, he headed left.
A figure swiftly darted through the city's ruins like the wind. Cassius's strength had returned; the Qi of a top-tier combat artist had left White Aster's weak body, forming his own. Without limitations, his combat strength instantly recovered.
This was the only fortunate aspect of his bizarre predicament. Since his strength had been restored, his confidence returned. He could be much more composed when facing potential dangers.
Tap, tap, tap... tap, tap, tap...
A series of footsteps raced over the damaged avenue, and suddenly halted at a corner. Cassius paused slightly. His black boots blurred, and the ground exploded into a crater.
Scarlet mist surged from his body, transforming into a blood-colored figure. Arms spread like two straight blades, he charged at the mummies wrapped in dark red bandages.
Cassius had never seen these dark creatures before. Though they resembled mummies, there were serrated mouths and sinister eyes between the bandages. Black, spike-like tongues around eight meters long protruded from their mouths, shooting out with bullet-like speed.
The eyes were also eerie; places they gazed upon would show tiny red dots, like infrared beams. Once multiple dots appeared on his body, Cassius's movements would slow and numb. His skin would also itch as if eyes were about to grow.
Though these dark creatures had novel abilities, they posed little threat to Cassius, whose strength had returned. He spent thirty seconds testing the unfamiliar abilities of over twenty mummies on the avenue, and then ten seconds slicing them into pieces.
These dark creatures, temporarily called mummies, also had undead traits, but Death's Fang Force was specifically able to deal with these kinds of things! The mummies sliced by Cassius's hand knife couldn't heal their wounds. Instead, they eroded and collapsed from the special force.
Interestingly, his Qi-formed body was identical to his real one. All of the Southern Dipper fist technique's twenty-plus acupoints were opened, and even the physical Golem transformation was synchronized.
Therefore, Cassius could use Death's Fang Force and Reverberating Force, absorb these mummies' life vibration energy, and store it in his Qi body. Unfortunately, he couldn't utilize the life vibration energy now. Perhaps he could only return to normal by returning through the tunnel.
After dispatching the mummies, Cassius proceeded toward the direction of the resonance. In just five minutes, he encountered seven or eight types of dark creatures he'd never seen before. They all had strange abilities and were numerous in number. Though he didn't meet any individuals comparable to combat artists, they were dangerous enough to pose a challenge to Cassius if he had been forced to only use illusions.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of explosions rapidly advanced through the passage. Reverberating Force vibrated in waves. Occasionally, a roaring sonic lance would pierce forward, its explosive blast covering a ten-meter radius.
Countless filthy insects were blasted apart as green fluids splattered the walls. These caterpillars, magnified tenfold, were fearless, bodies bending on the ground before springing toward the charging figure, one after another.
Whoosh!
Cassius broke through the encirclement and disappeared down the passage.
Minutes later, he finally reached the destination that had resonated with the Rune of Wisdom. It was a tall tower; its upper half was entirely collapsed. Circular metal patterns adorned its surface, but it was unclear whether they had specific supernatural functions or were merely decorative.
Cassius took a deep breath, shaking off the filth on his body. He walked straight into the entrance of the tower's first-floor passage.
It was a two-person-high metal door, with angel wing-like patterns on its surface. It was quite exquisite but a layer of gray grime had accumulated over time, making it look rather blurred. One could only discern a disc-shaped emblem in the center, with a pentagram inside.
Each point of the pentagram corresponded to a symbol.
Among them, at the bottom, was the Rune of Wisdom: ∞.
Cassius placed his hand upon it, and instantly, the door's symbol resonated with the Rune of Wisdom on his chest.
The iron door opened and a gust of turbid air rushed toward him
He hesitated slightly, then stepped inside. The iron door slammed shut behind him, and a voice sounded.
"Welcome to the flip side of reality—the World of Calamity..."
