Chapter 124 - The Secret is Muscle

Boom!

Cassius's fist slammed into the half-leopard man's chest like a meteor hammer, piercing through with a sickening squelch. His momentum didn't stop there, as his arm lifted and carried the leopard man's body, and slammed it into a large tree.

Thud! Crackle...

Leaves fell like raindrops, like a green shower.

The leopard man's feet left the ground, dangling midair. His arms and head drooped, and hot blood spilled relentlessly from his mouth.

The Werebeast Sect's injected blood was known for its instant combat power and tenacity. But now, the leopard man's tenacity was rendered useless. When Cassius's iron-like fist punched through him, the fist's terrifying power spread out from the collapsed chest like a shockwave.

If one were to dissect the leopard man's body, they would find his internal organs completely shattered. This injury was far more terrifying than having limbs cut off; his regenerative abilities were useless.

Squelch!

The crimson arm, clenched into a fist, retracted and the corpse fell, revealing a head-sized hole in the tree trunk behind it. Shattered wood chips poured out like water, and covered the leopard man's lifeless head.

Beast blood? Hah, that’s just witchcraft.

Cassius sneered, muttering to himself, "Only muscles! Only muscles are all-powerful! They're bigger, denser, thicker, stronger!"

"You... you..."

The remaining three werebeasts immediately stopped in their tracks. In the blink of an eye, half of their group had been decimated!

They weren't killed by some mysterious method; the man before them had used raw brutal force to rip them apart. The sheer viciousness and power displayed were far more intimidating and oppressive than any other method, overwhelming them with fear.

Without hesitation, the three pivoted and ran.

The sound of their footsteps splashing through the mud echoed in their ears, and a voice suddenly appeared behind them. "Your bodies may be strong, but paired with poor techniques, your purity is far too low."

Bang!

Like a smashed watermelon, the head of one escaping werebeast exploded, the blood spraying out in front. His headless body instinctively ran a few more steps before collapsing into the mixture of blood and mud on the road.

The other two screamed and ran with all their might. A massive shadow appeared behind them in an instant. One hand shot out and grabbed their heads. One foot kicked their backs. The horrifyingly powerful force sent them flying like they were weightless. They slid more than ten meters along the muddy ground, their necks spurting blood.

Cassius stood in place, his face stony like iron. He held two heads in his hands.

No one could stop him from regaining his strength. He would not allow anyone to stop him from completing his mission, not even Black Rain Manor!

"Damn, my pants are ripped." Cassius stood on the forest path and looked down at the fabric. There were some minor tears from the fierce fight just now.

He squeezed the heads with both hands and they popped loudly. Blood splattered all over him. He raised his hand, letting the rain wash away the blood.

As the heat of battle faded, a chill took its place, taking residence in his mind. Cassius looked around at the mess of blood and flesh. The two heads he had just crushed had sunk in the mud like flattened balls.

Something's wrong, I've been influenced! I normally wouldn't be this violent even when consumed with rage! Is it the Shadow Demons?!

He glanced sharply at the shadow behind him. In the pouring rain, Cassius's shadow overlapped with the shadow of a large tree nearby, looking as though it were hiding in the tree's shadow.

It's not the Shadow Demons... This body is Twilight's body from the time-travel era. I may have been partially influenced by the Shadow Demons, but it shouldn't be this severe in reality. So then, it must be because of Black Rain Manor! Is there something wrong with the mark?

Cassius raised his right hand, examining the shield emblem on it.

Or is it Soul Power?

He furrowed his brows tightly, deep in thought.

Twilight had never encountered such a situation before. The Werebeast Sect, Mercury Sect, Dark Sect—these supernatural paths did have some influence on the Hellsings' consciousness, but it was primarily due to their wills being altered by the power's source like beast blood, supernatural mercury, or dark creature organs.

However, Soul Power, as far as Twilight knew, was a very pure energy, with no strange external factors influencing it. At the very least, Twilight had always used it without running into any issues.

How could Soul Power have no problems? There

must

be something wrong! Maybe Twilight exchanged for too little of it, while I've exchanged for a lot, and it's just been collecting and building up to the point that there's some kind of effect.

Cassius nodded slightly at this plausible explanation. He turned and returned to the spot where he initially was. There was a black cloak, a heavy red wooden box, and a steam-powered silver mechanical crossbow lying on the ground.

Cassius stepped forward and quickly donned the specially made cloak. He still preferred wearing this kind of loose black fabric. This way, he wouldn't have to rip his clothes off during a fight; he could just fling off the cloak and, after killing his enemies, put it back on.

He bent down and picked up the box; it felt slightly heavy. Cassius then picked up the mechanical crossbow, slinging the black strap over his neck, as if he were hanging a small water bottle. He hadn't forgotten that he was still a member of the Bolt Sect.

Several hours later, at Black Rain Manor, in a dimly lit, silent private room in the Baptism Chapel.

"

Huff, huff, huff...

"

The rough, heavy breathing of a bull echoed in the space, with a faint white mist emitting out of Cassius's mouth and nose.

His strong body was flushed red, each muscle contracting and expanding with an elastic spring, and his tendons pulsed like steel bars. The sweat on his skin continuously evaporated due to the immense heat radiating out from his body. Cassius's back released a faint white steam.

Just now, he had exchanged four units of Soul Power to enhance his Covert Martial Arts.

As for his previous speculation that a large amount of Soul Power would make someone more violent and bloodthirsty, Cassius temporarily put that in the back of his mind. Right now, the most important thing was to restore his strength. If the cost for rapid strength enhancement was a bit of violence and murderousness, then he was willing to pay that price!

A pair of eyes slowly opened in the private room.

[Elephant Soul Incomplete: Bug Bite 15.1% (Total Three Stages)]

He had surpassed human limits: the pugilist, the first-level accelerated blood flow! Cassius's recovery speed was astonishing. In just over four months, he had returned to the pugilist level.

This was the effect of Soul Power on Covert Martial Arts. It had taken Cassius several years to reach the pugilist level the first time around and he had to use a lot of precious pills and ointments. But he had bypassed all of that thanks to Soul Power.

It seemed to be a pure energy that aided any skills training, but Cassius felt that it was especially beneficial for Covert Martial Arts. Perhaps the two were originally complementary?

He didn't know why that thought had come up. Maybe it was intuition.

Cassius swiftly got to his feet, dressed, and opened his umbrella. He left the Baptism Chapel and headed toward the Mission Hall. He wasn't satisfied with just restoring his first-level accelerated blood flow. To fully recover, he needed to reach the second-level accelerated blood flow.

Cassius's original physique level was:

[Elephant Soul Incomplete: Bug Bite 43.2% (Total Three Stages)]

As long as he reached 33.3% of the Bug Bite level, he could open the second node, and get the circulation going between his heart and navel which would restore most of Cassius's combat power.

He was still about 18% short. He wasn't too far off but it wasn't going to be easy either. The initial stay was supposed to be seven months, but now that four months had passed, it left him less than three months. Cassius should still have enough time to recover his strength. And once he did, he could carry out his initial plans.

The time had come for extra tasks to be posted at the Mission Hall again.

The wall frames in the area where the shield-level gathered were still blank. Although it wasn't time yet and the notices hadn't been refreshed, there was already a crowd blocking the path. All of them wanted to grab a good mission as soon as it was posted.

"Move! Move!"

A man in a black leather jacket shoved his way through the throng of Hellsings. Exuding an air of dominance, he stood about six feet tall, with a silver "V" shaped metal embedded in his shirt under the leather jacket. There were imprints of sharp fangs in his mouth.

"That's Gaius from the Werebeast Sect. They say he's already as strong as a sword-level, but since it's not time for the annual promotion yet, he has to wait. He can only keep taking shield-level missions..." people in the crowd informed their companions.

"Let's give him some space."

"He's really strong. Don't provoke him..."

"

Hmph

." Hearing the murmurs around him, a sneer curled Gaius's mouth. Considering he had sword-level strength, mingling with these shield-level people made him feel like a crane among chickens. If it hadn't been for the timing, he would have...

Smack.

A hand slapped down on Gaius's back.

"Move," said someone with a deep voice behind him.

Gaius instinctively glanced at the hand, which had a shield-level mark and a small crossbow tattoo around it.

A Bolt Sect member?! Are you fucking with me?

Gaius's eyebrows shot up in rage. He spun around and was instantly met with a pair of indifferent, cold eyes.

Gaius froze, his body trembling. The man behind him was half a head taller, and, even through the cloak, he could tell he was extremely muscular. It was like he was a wall.

Is this guy really from the Bolt Sect?! Isn't the Bolt Sect known for their slim builds regardless of gender? How can someone this muscular practice their techniques?

Gaius glanced at the strong arm peeking out from underneath the cloak, the muscles looking like gnarly tree roots.

"I..." he began to introduce himself.

An indomitable force struck him, and the large hand flung Gaius backward like trash.

He stumbled and when he looked up, he found that he had been thrown to the outermost edge of the crowd. At that moment, the wall frames refreshed, and the Hellsing members began selecting their tasks.

By the time Gaius squeezed back in, all the tasks had been taken. He turned to search for the cloaked figure but found that they had already left.

"Damn it!"

***

Very soon, a month and a half had gone by.

It was January 12, the 107th year of the Hongli Federation. Winter had arrived, bringing bitingly cold weather.

Nington City's streets were covered in a light layer of frost in the morning. The occasional horse-drawn carriages and cars trudged by. Pedestrians on the sidewalks wore thick coats and scarves, hands stuffed in their pockets, necks hunched, and white smoke puffing out from their mouths as they breathed. The ornamental trees lining the roads were completely bare, their branches stark against the sky. A row of black birds flew overhead.

A slender boy with delicate features walked briskly down the street. He was about five and a half feet tall, and wearing a very warm overcoat that made his already small frame appear smaller.

His nickname was Lynx, his real name Leon, and he was a shield-level member. As a new member of the Bolt Sect, he had the perfect build for their agile combat style.

Today, Leon had a task to do. A few days ago, the Bolt Sect took on a group mission for shield-level members, targeting a location in the suburbs of Nington City. Group missions were more difficult and dangerous than solo missions, but the rewards were also very generous.

The Bolt Sect immediately started summoning their shield-level members. Being a small sect, they didn't have as many people compared to the larger ones. After gathering everyone, they found that even with the new members, their numbers were still insufficient. Many members had already embarked on their regular missions and were nowhere near the Black Rain Manor.

With great reluctance, the Bolt Sect's team had to make their way toward Nington City, summoning other members along the way. Though more members meant less rewards per person, it was ultimately safer. A smaller reward was a fair trade-off for safety.

The target for this group mission was the Vampire Clan. If they didn't have enough people, it would be impossible to handle them hence why Leon was sent to find more members.

Bolt Sect members usually left information about their temporary residences at the outposts for easy contact and handling of belongings in case of an unexpected death. It was optional to do so, of course.

A cold wind brushed Leon's cheek, making him shiver. He wrapped his coat tighter around himself and pulled out a note from his pocket where there was a line of black text: Twilight, shield-level, Nington City, Garden Street No. 29.

Below the note was a photo of a slender young man with a gentle smile. There was an indescribable scholarly weakness about him. His appearance fit the typical image of a Bolt Sect member.

Leon studied the photo carefully, memorized the face, and quickly walked on, his steps light and agile. Soon, he stood in front of a two-story house. He took out the photo again, then knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock... Knock, knock, knock...

Soon, he heard someone coming down the stairs inside, the heavy footsteps swiftly heading for the door.

"Who is it?" a deep voice called from inside.

Leon was taken aback. Twilight's voice was incongruous to his appearance. He shook his head and said, "Is this Mr. Twilight? I'm from the Black Rain Manor Archery Club."

"I am. Come in."

The door creaked open.

Leon looked up and froze as a thick black wall slowly moved toward him.