Chapter 128 - Forceful Fishing with a Willing Bait

Cassius opened the letter and quickly skimmed through it. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand a single word. The pale yellow paper was scrawled in twisted black characters that seemed to crawl together. It didn't look like any known language; it was more like scribbles, similar to doctors' signatures on some prescriptions.

"What is this nonsense? Is it the language of the dark creatures?" Cassius flipped the paper back and forth with his blood-stained hands. It was indeed just an ordinary letter.

However, he didn't think it was that simple. After all, this letter was kept close to the leader of the vampire; it must contain important secrets. Since the language was evidently one that only dark creatures could understand, or rather, a language only comprehensible among the Blood Race, they were obviously trying to hide something.

The best way to decipher it was to catch another Blood Race member!

Cassius immediately looked toward the inside of the manor, his eyes glinting dangerously.

There were still four or five vampires there fighting with the Hellsings. They probably hadn't realized their leader was dead yet, making it the perfect opportunity for Cassius to strike.

He quickly stuffed the letter into his pocket and tightened the cloak around him. It was like he turned into a shadow as he rushed out of the darkness.

On the left side of the manor, Leon was fighting a Blood Race. With the support of a seasoned member of the Bolt Sect, he managed to narrowly avoid danger. Having just joined the Bolt Sect not long ago, he wasn't familiar with the various archery techniques and body movements, and would likely die quickly without someone there to assist him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Leon pulled the trigger, firing a bunch of bolts from his mechanical crossbow.

The Blood Race in the distance dodged, but one of the bolts struck him, catching him off guard. Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on Leon's delicate face. He had finally managed to inflict some damage on the enemy, and his confidence grew significantly.

"Leon! Watch out!" the veteran member yelled from the shadows

Leon snapped back to reality. That Blood Race he hit had just been an illusion. Like a ghost, the real Blood Race had already appeared before his eyes, its pale face bearing down on him. With a grotesque and ugly face like a bat, it was a terrifying sight to behold. A red hand, sharp as a blade, slashed down at him.

"An illusion! No!" Leon's face was drained of color.

Bang!

With lightning speed, a fist the size of a sandbag smashed into the Blood Race's left cheek, making an exaggerated noise. The Blood Race's flesh rippled from the force of the punch, its eyes rolling around chaotically. A puff of white mist spewed out from its mouth, and two lines of blood trickled out its nostrils. It flew backward at an incredible speed.

A huge black shadow shot at it even quicker. With a flick of its cloak, a strong arm snatched the Blood Race up, and then, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the shadows.

"!!!"

"???"

Leon stood there, his emotions shifting from terror and fear to shock and confusion. It seemed like a big black rat had just darted past, beating up a Blood Race along the way.

Instantly, the situation that had once seemed especially dire to Leon vanished. The once ferocious and menacing enemy had been whisked away to who knew where, like the perilous scene earlier had been nothing but an illusion.

"

Phew

!" Leon panted heavily. His back was drenched in sweat, outlining his thin and slender body.

He had been extremely lucky, but who was that person just now? Were they from another powerhouse watching the battle from the shadows?

Leon glanced at the ground and immediately narrowed his eyes.

There were seven to eight deep footprints on the hard stone pathway. The entire gray stone slab looked as if it had been crushed under an immense force, showcasing the person's terrifying power. Also, the footprints were huge. It must be from a strong, burly man.

Meanwhile, Cassius appeared in the shadows behind the house, wrangling a struggling vampire in his strong, tree-like arms.

Thud.

The vampire's foot kicked lightly at Cassius's side.

"Unless you have a death wish, you better stay still!" Cassius scolded furiously. He looked down to see the vampire's face turning pale, struggling for breath. Its eyes rolled into the back of its head. It seemed he had used too much force and nearly squeezed the life out of it.

Damn, what a weakling. Is this all the vitality a dark creature has? I guess the Blood Race ranks relatively low among dark creatures.

He casually tossed the vampire onto the blood-stained ground.

"

Huff, huff, huff...

" The vampire clutched its neck, wheezing and coughing. Although the Blood Race was strange compared to humans, they hadn't evolved to being totally bizarre yet. At least they still needed to breathe.

Theoretically, if the Bolt Sect's crossbow bolts pierced a vampire's lung, and it didn't recover quickly, it would die too. Regenerative ability was the core power of dark creatures.

"

Cough, cough, cough...

"

The vampire on the ground faked a cough, its eyes darting around. Suddenly, it leaped up, only to be caught by a large, waiting hand. Cassius lifted it by the neck like a chick.

"Look at who's on the ground first. Get a clear idea of the situation right now. If you really want to die, I can easily make that happen with my fists."

Hearing Cassius's words, the vampire caught sight of the bloody mess of what remained of Franz's body on the ground. It immediately stopped struggling, not daring to move anymore.

"Good, you seem to know your place," Cassius said, pulling out a letter from his pocket and slapping the vampire's face with it. "This letter was probably written in your dark creature language. Translate it for me right now."

The vampire looked from its leader's corpse on the ground then to Cassius's strong, mighty frame. It swallowed hard and nodded.

Thirty seconds later.

"What?" Incredulous, Cassius jabbed a finger at the letter. "You’re telling me this letter isn't written in the Blood Race's exclusive language, nor is it in a dark creature's language. It's written in a human language, specifically the Hongli Federation's common federal language?"

"Uh... Maybe it’s written messily..." The vampire glanced at Cassius. Filled with trepidation, it swallowed hard.

"You better not be lying to me! Otherwise..." Cassius narrowed his eyes, his right hand lashing out like an ominous black serpent, and punching a big hole into the left wall with a bang. Cement and dust exploded everywhere. Some tiny fragments hit the vampire's face. It stung painfully

"That will be your fate!"

The vampire holding the letter immediately shook its head like a rattle. "I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t dare deceive you!"

Cassius nodded slightly. "Good, then what does the letter say?"

The vampire coughed, then began to recite slowly:

"Oh! Dear Madam Frini, beautiful Madam Frini, lovely Madam Frini! You are like the moon in the sky, surrounded and adorned by stars, as you bloom radiantly.

"The crops have been harvested from the fertile land, the bubbling streams have turned cold, the lush woods have grayed.

"I still remember our sweet encounter last time. Whether it was floating in a small boat on the shimmering lake, or under the fragrant linden tree, or in the cozy smoke-filled cabin. There are traces of our love in every moment, every place. How I long to play with you once more..."

"..."

"Lastly, Madam Frini, please keep this letter safe. Don’t let your husband, Viscount Isys, see it! Otherwise, he’ll come seeking my death even from a thousand miles away!"

The vampire stopped reading and looked up at Cassius.

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "And?"

The vampire shook its head. "That's all."

"There’s no hidden message in it? Maybe there are some words that are actually codes or encoded?"

"Don't think so. It’s really just a love letter... Lord Franz seemed interested in Madam Frini five years ago."

"This really is just a love letter?!" Cassius asked.

"Yes." The vampire nodded readily.

Without warning—

Crack!

—The vampire's head was ripped off. It wouldn't be able to nod anymore.

"What a waste of my time!"

Cassius's right hand smashed through the vampire's chest like a javelin, a circle of red blood erupting against the wall behind it. Anyone who bore witness to his embarrassment—human or ghost—must die!

A few minutes later, the Bolt Sect was victorious.

They annihilated the entire clan of blood-sucking vampires and suffered fewer casualties than expected. Only three Hellsing members had died in the battle, and another four had injuries of varying degrees. This was a very low loss rate.

Under normal circumstances, Hellsings only outnumbered the Blood Race by half. Even if they managed to secure a hard-fought victory, at least half—maybe even most—of them would have been killed. Today was a rare victory.

The remaining Hellsings began to transport the bodies of the Blood Race from the darkness and into an open space in the middle of the manor. These bodies served as proof of mission completion, and they needed to extract the hearts as evidence.

"One, two, three...six, only six?" Darkblade counted them one by one, frowning. "Where are the other two? What about Franz? The strongest one?"

His face was grim. If the mission target's most crucial element was missing, the final reward would be significantly reduced.

"Here."

A low voice came from the darkness not far away. Two bodies were thrown over.

Thud! Thud!

The group looked down and saw a vampire dressed in ancient noble attire. His entire body was a bloody sight: his head was smashed flat, and his chest pierced with dozens of large steel bolts.

The other body was also a member of the Blood Race. It had a large hole in its chest and its head had been twisted off. Fortunately, there were still some heart tissues and bits of the heart in the cavity, though it was barely enough for the mission.

Thump, thump, thump...

Heavy footsteps approached.

They turned their heads and saw a tall, cloaked figure carrying a bloody mechanical crossbow. The menacing glint of its sharp curve added to its terrifying presence.

***

Five days later, on a remote mountain path deep in the Anta Mountains.

Cassius appeared once again, wearing a cloak, and carrying a suitcase. He lifted a bell to summon a carriage. In no time, Cassius re-entered the Rainy World. The black carriage raced along the road, its destination still Black Rain Manor.

Sitting in the spacious carriage, he glanced up at the time bar next to the ring icon in the top right corner. There were about fifty days left in the time-travel period. It had initially been seven months, and now five months and ten days had passed. Cassius didn't have much time left. The original owner's lingering attachment in this time-travel journey was quite unusual.

He had only one goal in mind: deal with Black Rain Manor!

Any other actions would not earn extra time to stay. So, if Cassius wanted to continue his stay, he had to do something about Black Rain Manor! Obviously, Twilight’s lingering attachment would not ask him to deal with Black Rain Manor from the start. There had to be a process; any moves made to weaken the manor should also suffice.

For instance, purposefully not completing the periodic three-month task. Luring the Decaying Knights on a wild goose chase before taking them down! Or destroying the buildings and layouts within Black Rain Manor, thus disrupting its normal operation.

Or Cassius's current experiment: fishing!

When the carriage entered the Rainy World, there were all sorts of strange and eerie scenes on the way to Black Rain Manor.

Cassius had every reason to suspect that these bizarre events and humanoid creatures were related to the manor. They were either influenced by its power, or they were simply part of the fabric of its existence.

It seemed like a reasonable and feasible guess that eliminating these things would be tantamount to taking down part of the manor. And now that he had recovered his strength, he could give it a go.

Though the carriage rumbled forward, it felt very stable sitting inside the carriage. Cassius looked out through the window screen on his side. The scene was different from before. The Rainy World was constantly changing.

The rain outside was heavier than expected; it wasn't a drizzle but a heavy downpour. Visibility was low, and it was very dim, with forests on both sides of the road. Tree trunks and branches flashed by continuously. No one knew what lurked in the rainy forest; there could be rabbits, brown bears, perhaps even strange monsters.

The black carriage sped steadily along the path.

Suddenly, the gauzy material on the right side billowed out as a strong arm reached out from within. It exposed itself to the air, swaying back and forth like a hook.

If it was meant to be, they would bite.

An alluring aura drifted by, unimpeded by the rain. Something seemed to stir in the rain.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

In the forest, a shadow darted closer, alongside the road.

A massive python, as thick as a barrel, slithered speedily across the ground as if it were chasing the carriage. It was at least ten meters long, its mottled scales exuding a chilling aura.

The python quickly approached. Rearing its upper body, its serpentine eyes shining with an eerie light, it opened its jaws wide and lunged!

Whoosh!

A strong gust of wind blew past.

"It's here!"

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The arm swiftly retracted. The python snapped at nothing but air.

In practically the next second, two massive arms, as thick as concrete pillars, stretched out the window. The veins on them bulged like tree branches, and the muscles were knotted like steel cables. A large hand latched onto the python's head.

There was an overwhelming burst of power as the hands dragged it into the carriage. The ten-meter-long python was instantly yanked out of the air, like a wide cloth being frantically pulled!

Inside the carriage, Cassius looked delighted. He braced his feet against the carriage floor, exerting inhuman, brutal strength with both hands, forcibly dragging a gigantic snakehead inside.

"

Buzz

!"

A high-speed spinning white aura enveloped Cassius's entire arm as he unleashed the Azure Wind Flow to its full potential, the accelerated blood flow's immense power surging into his arm muscles.

"Die! Severing Flow!!!"