Chapter 109 - Overly Cautious

On the silent highway, the sky was caught between dusk and night. A dark cloud, driven by the gale, pushed away the last remnants of light.

Cassius took stock of his situation; these intruders had come out of nowhere and had him and his car surrounded. A strange sense of familiarity washed over him as he glanced at his own shadow on the right. The black mass seemed to wriggle as if provoked.

Shadow Demons.

He realized what was happening instantly.

Under the dim light, five figures, dressed in human attire, stood on the roadside like dark statues. They looked no different from ordinary people, except their shadows wriggled like chaotic, viscous liquid under the moonlight. Their arms had mutated, with five bony fingers protruding outward that were almost twice as long and looked more like five blades than appendages.

Their combat style was likely different as well. When they attacked, they moved more like beasts. During the chase, their twisted, savage forms exhibited movements impossible for a human body. Numerous pieces of information surged through Cassius's mind.

His expression turned grim; he knew dark creatures like these were not to be trifled with. Those cloaked men he had met in the ruthless massacre, for instance, had been fearless with their bodies that regenerated at incredible speeds, and explosive strength that were comparable to pugilists. The Shadow Demons standing before him probably weren't much different. Each one was at least at the level of a pugilist, perhaps even possessing second or third-level accelerated blood flow.

Cassius understood the rules of the Shadow Demons. Every time the Shadow Demons won a battle, their physical attributes and skills would accumulate, becoming terrifying powerful entities. If Cassius lost, they would use his body to resurrect and gain all his abilities and skills.

Exhaling slowly, Cassius noticed the Shadow Demon he had just sent flying was getting up as if nothing had happened. With a few light jumps, it returned to the highway.

"This is seriously troublesome," he muttered. Although the enemy far outnumbered him, Cassius, at his second-level accelerated blood flow, was confident he could fight them. He immediately adopted the combat stance of the Wind Elephant. One foot stomped forward, while he lightly put his other foot a step back. He raised his strong arms up to either side, guarding like a boxer.

Broad shoulders spread wide, every muscle in his body were like steel springs as it pulsed powerfully outward. He inhaled fiercely, his body bending like a drawn bow, chest puffed out. His body expanded violently, ripping his clothes apart and exposing his slightly dark skin. The blue veins on his muscular upper body looked like black snakes writhing all over. A cross-shaped vein pulsed at his brow.

Cassius opened his eyes wide as they turned bloodshot. In an instant, he adjusted his state to the second stage of accelerated blood flow, unleashing his full power without any reservation. If he didn't, facing off against these formidable dark creatures would have spelled certain death for him.

"Come on! Let me see what you're made of!"

A hot, faint white breath shot out from his nose as he exhaled, and he heightened his focus to the level needed in a life-and-death battle. Any slight movement around him would trigger Cassius's most ferocious, mercurial, lethal attack.

Whoosh!

A shadow suddenly leaped toward him, charging with inhuman speed, its sharp claws gleaming coldly.

As the first Shadow Demon moved, the others charged forward a beat later. They ran and jumped, their massive claws swinging like blades reflecting in the moonlight.

Here they come!

Despite how hard Cassius's heart was pounding, he did not assume his usual aggressive offensive stance. Instead, he adopted a rare defensive posture, something he only did against powerful foes.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap...

The first Shadow Demon swung its iron claws viciously.

Use only seventy percent of your strength. Save thirty percent to deal with the others,

Cassius thought. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer and clearer his thoughts were.

When getting besieged by strong enemies, it was absolutely crucial to get a sense of the overall situation. The gain or loss in one opponent's attack or defense was practically negligible.

I'll push this Shadow Demon away first!

His right foot stomped on the ground, leaving a shallow dent in the road. His right fist shot out like a cannonball.

Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!

Boom!!!

Two meters away, a tall, inhuman Shadow Demon stood motionless. Inch by inch, its arms shattered, its blade-like fingers twisting and snapping. Blood seeped through the gaps formed by muscles, skin, and bone, and dripped slowly down.

Not only that, where there should have been a head on the Shadow Demon's neck was an empty space, blood spurting like a fountain. The head was nowhere to be seen.

Thud!

The Shadow Demon fell straight down.

How is this possible?! I only used seventy percent of my strength! I didn't even use the ultimate move, Azure Wind Flow. It was just a regular punch at the second stage of accelerated blood flow! And somehow I killed one Shadow Demon?

Cassius furrowed his brows in disbelief, his heart filled with shock. He momentarily forgot he was in the middle of a Shadow Demons attack.

Shing! Hiss-hiss-hiss-hiss...

Several claws slashed at Cassius's chest, shoulders, and back, tearing at his skin in their attempt to disembowel him, but it seemed ineffective. All they managed to do was scratch his skin; they couldn't even draw any blood. Their power was far less than that of a bullet.

Whoosh!

A shadow cut through the air, five blade-like fingers aiming quickly and accurately at Cassius's neck. But what seemed quick to an ordinary person was more like a grandma slowly lifting her arm to Cassius in his second stage of accelerated blood flow.

Snap!

Cassius countered, grabbing the claw midair. He squeezed hard, the sound of bones breaking audible. Thick red blood trickled out between his fingers.

"Why are these bodies so fragile?"

He released his grip as he frowned. The Shadow Demon's arm was crushed into a ball of a mix of flesh, bones, and muscles.

Boom!

He kicked the Shadow Demon away, sending it flying dozens of meters. It crashed and rolled on the ground, blood spurting out.

"Such useless opponents..."

There must be some kind of misunderstanding. These Shadow Demons were merely at the professional level. Where were the six breakthrough pugilist-level Shadow Demons he had been expecting?

"

Roar

!"

A Shadow Demon came at him from behind. Cassius turned swiftly, his hands striking like pythons.

Crack! Rip!

The Shadow Demon was torn in half, blood spewing into the air. As a shower of blood came down on him, Cassius turned his head.

He looked at the remaining three Shadow Demons, his eyes burning with anger from being deceived. Where were his formidable enemies? Were these all just a bunch of weaklings? How infuriating!

Thud!

He stomped on the road, and a pit appeared from the impact. He charged, his fist punching through a Shadow Demon, blood and flesh spraying out in a wide arc. Cassius flung the Shadow Demon aside.

"A bunch of useless bodies that haven't even reached the human limit!" He turned to the remaining two Shadow Demons. "How do you plan to block my punch?"

One after the other, the two Shadow Demons, sensing danger, turned on their heels to flee. They ran fast under the moonlight.

The one at the back suddenly fell. A tall figure leaped over it. The other remaining Shadow Demon's heart pounded as it saw the ground ahead, where a large, twisted shadow was approaching, swallowing its own shadow. It ran a few more steps before everything went black.

At 7:30 p.m., on the edge of the city, at Cassius's new home.

A black car, battered and worn, drove out of a secluded alley and puttered into the yard. Moments later, a man came out to close the iron gate, scanning around as if afraid of being followed.

Cassius shut the gate and locked it. He walked along the stone path to the black car in the yard.

Under the moonlight, he glanced at his torn clothes, then went inside to change. His earlier burst of power had shredded his shirt. With only the collar remaining, he looked like he was wearing a black choker.

Black lamp posts stood on either side of the yard, each resembling a street lamp. The soft yellow light at the top emitted a gentle glow.

Cassius glanced at the car he had just acquired yesterday. The black paint on its body was now battered, with visible claw marks carved all over. Three windows on either side were shattered, the jagged edges of glass still clinging to the frames.

"For fuck's sake," he couldn't help but curse.

If his attackers had been a group of superhuman monsters, it might have made sense. But the group had turned out to only have just one beginner-level Shadow Demon and five mid-tier professional lackeys. For someone at Cassius's second-level accelerated blood flow stage, anyone below a pugilist was no real challenge.

The only notable opponent had been the single Shadow Demon he had initially punched through the window. The one with a faint red glow in its eyes.

Cassius realized he had been overly cautious.

His knowledge of dark creatures was limited, and the precedent set by the cloaked men, along with the misdirection from the red-eyed Shadow Demon, had led him to believe it had been a life-or-death battle. He had unleashed his full power right from the start, resulting in a fight that barely constituted as a fight where he dispatched his enemies with ease.

Tonight's encounter didn't even match the intensity of the Duststorm's assassination attempt a few days ago, where the dozen gunmen had posed a more significant threat.

Feeling pitiful, he traced his fingers along the scratches on the car. Cassius opened the rear door and dragged out two adult males.

He slung one over each shoulder and walked steadily toward the basement of his house.

Out of the six Shadow Demons, Cassius had killed four in his anger and surprise, leaving two alive for interrogation. He had initially planned to load the dead bodies into his car and dispose of the evidence in the canola field on the outskirts of Baichuan City. However, the four dead had started to melt before he could move them, eventually dissolving into black liquid and then into black ash that dissipated into the air.

Cassius squatted down beside them and scrutinized them, noting the differences between the cloaked men and the Shadow Demons. Both were eerie and terrifying, invoking a terror from deep within his heart.

Despite his second-level accelerated blood flow state, he still felt a trace of fear when facing these relatively weak Shadow Demons. He wasn't used to this feeling, but perhaps it was a human instinct to fear dark creatures.

In the spacious basement, specially remodeled by the renovation company to include a small training area as per Cassius's request, he dropped the two Shadow Demons onto the floor with a thud.

Using sturdy nylon ropes, he bound them to the butterfly machine and the standing punching bag. With these heavy pieces of equipment bolted to the floor, not even a pugilist could escape once restrained.

Satisfied with his work, Cassius glanced at the ropes. Those might not be strong enough to hold so he decided to buy a chain tomorrow to ensure the Shadow Demons were tightly bound.

Closing the basement door with a bang, Cassius turned on the light by the door and walked over, his muscular frame moving with purpose.

The interrogation began.

"

Grr... Argh...

"

"

Ouch, ouch, ouch!

"

"

Ugh!

"

Screams and roars filled the basement, but Cassius remained unmoved. After a ruthless session of torture, he washed the blood off his hands in the bathroom.

The Shadow Demons could communicate, though not as Cassius had expected. The regular Shadow Demon had the intelligence of a four or five-year-old child, while the red-eyed Shadow Demon had an adult's intellect.

The regular Shadow Demon offered no useful information, but the red-eyed one provided some insights. Cassius understood why the red-eyed Shadow Demon had been silent during the fight. It was a natural disdain for humans, much like how humans don't converse with their livestock.

A predator hunting its prey only needed to do two things—killing and consuming. For the Shadow Demons, humans were nothing but food.

When Cassius asked if Shadow Demons killed humans for their flesh, the response was negative. He tried to probe further, but the Shadow Demon couldn't answer. It seemed any crucial information about the Shadow Demons couldn't be disclosed, and only superficial details could be shared.

Halfway through the interrogation, Cassius shifted his focus from the Shadow Demons to his old adversaries, the cloaked men.

This time, the red-eyed Shadow Demon spoke freely, and Cassius learned valuable information about the cloaked men.