Chapter 206 - Obsession (I)

"It seems your injuries have healed up quite nicely, enough for you to have the guts to face the two of us alone once again." Wolf, gripping his spear in his right hand, took a few steps forward, twirling the spear's tip. "You were lucky to escape last time, but not this time!"

There was barely any emotion on Cassius's face. "Given the current situation, don't you think

you

should be the one running away?"

"

Heh...

Then come at us."

With two swift movements, the ground shook slightly. Wolf and Owl sprinted forward at lightning speed, tracing blue and red arcs in the shadows. Instead of converging, the two shamans separated to flank Cassius. One, to divide his attention and two, to strike swiftly and simultaneously.

"Azure Wind Flow..." Cassius murmured, activating the technique that had accompanied him for so long. A faint white aura enveloped his hands, leaving a white arc in the air with each swing.

Cassius bent his knees slightly, lowering his center of gravity. His arms did not assume the typical defensive stance of the Wind Elephant Combat Arts where his hands would be at his sides for stability. Instead, he adopted an offensive posture, with one hand clenched into a fist and the other forming a claw. Compared to the standard stance, this was far more aggressive.

Whoosh!

A blue shadow suddenly appeared on his left side. A sharp spearhead cut through the air, faster than a blink of an eye, thrusting forward at a nearly invisible speed. A white line slashed down, striking the glowing blue spear at the same speed.

Cassius's arm trembled slightly as he noticed a red light quickly approaching from the corner of his eye. He quickly stepped forward with his left foot, forcibly twisting his body, and swinging his arm like a meteor hammer.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed through the street as a red shadow staggered back. Each step left an imprint on the ground. Owl managed to stop after stumbling back seven to eight steps. Shaking his shield-bearing left hand, he charged again. The black and blue shadows were already fighting there.

Clang!

Cassius twisted to evade, but he still felt a sharp pain spark in his shoulder as a spray of blood soared through the air.

He stared at Wolf, expression grave. This man's combat style was exactly like what Li Wei remembered. Under normal circumstances, his speed was manageable, but the moment he struck with his spear, his hands moved incredibly fast, stabbing at vital points with blinding speed.

Li Wei had been stabbed in the abdomen by this very spear when Wolf used a sudden burst of power to pierce him extremely quickly. Even with Li Wei's forbidden techniques fully activated, the strike was too fast to be caught. Cassius knew he had to be cautious. That or preemptively strike Wolf before he could attack.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Whoosh

...

His fist, wrapped in a gust of wind, broke through the air, striking the side of the spear at an angle. Wolf's hands trembled slightly, a little numb.

Seizing his opportunity, Cassius stepped forward, preparing to launch a powerful punch. But just as he advanced, Owl rushed in with his heavy shield, forcing Cassius to pivot and brace himself.

Both sides were briefly stunned, and then Wolf's spear lunged forward again. Cassius tilted his head; another cut appeared on his face.

If it had been a one-on-one battle with Wolf, while troublesome, he would've at least stood a chance against him. Owl, however, was a shaman with a defensive style that perfectly complemented Wolf's swift offensive capabilities. Together, they covered each other's weaknesses well.

Whoosh!

The spear, engulfed in a blue light, struck the wall with a clang. Wolf yanked it back to retrieve it, the spear slicing through the wall as if it were cutting tofu, leaving a curve behind.

Boom!

Owl forcefully slammed his shield into a car door, the impact warping the metal.

Cassius somersaulted into the air, landing firmly on the car roof before leaping forward, his thick right leg raised high like a battle axe descending ferociously. Owl threw up his shield but was thrown back so fast he could have been riding a cloud, leaving a black streak on the ground.

"Your injuries seem to have healed quite well; you've even become a bit stronger. How did you manage to do that? I'm curious." Wolf thrust the Holy Fetters Spear forward again, only to be deflected by Cassius's swinging right hand, embedding itself two-thirds deep into a car. Wolf tugged it out once more.

Cassius immediately charged. "Those marked for death don't need to ask questions nor need to know anything."

Wolf swung his spear, his feet springing forward as he charged as well. His braid had come undone, strands of hair blowing wildly in the wind and partially obscuring his eyes. Blue light gleamed through the strands of hair covering his forehead.

"Don't be so arrogant. You're nearly at your limit now! This spear will leave the ninth wound on your body!"

A gust of wind blew, revealing Wolf's fierce eyes that stared at Cassius's chest as if they were aiming straight for his heart. Wolf took a step forward and the tattoo on his back began to light up little by little until it spread rapidly down his right arm.

The end of his spear, the Holy Fetters Spear, was inlaid with a special metal, which now melted like liquid and coated the shaft in a silvery sheen. The original glowing blue spear transformed into a metal spear.

Boom!

From the right side of the street at a ninety-degree angle, Owl, who had been sent flying, raced back into the fight with his shield raised like a wall. Lava-like flames spewed from the cracks in his tortoiseshell-like shield.

The two shamans entered their Totem Explosion States simultaneously, just like how Li Wei used his Phoenix Totem to activate his back muscles.

It's a pity Li Wei never trained in hardening Qigong. Otherwise, I wouldn't need to use the Phoenix Totem again.

Cassius squinted. He had no choice but to use forbidden techniques once more. He would deal with the side effects later after he finished off these two shamans.

"Boiling Phoenix Blood!" Cassius's back muscles suddenly expanded.

Twisting crimson lines spread across the sharply defined contours of his muscles, forming a luminous phoenix pattern. His entire back glowed red, emitting an intense heat. Thin strands of white steam seeped out from the surface of his skin.

His already powerful muscles tensed up quickly, as if invigorated, becoming even more strong. The muscle fibers rippled, tightly intertwining in between the bulging tendons. A massive surge of strength swept from Cassius's back to his fists.

With the second-level accelerated blood flow, the power that Cassius felt surging inside him intensified.

This sensation is truly addictive...

"Wind Elephant Fist, Wind Elephant Torrent! Elephant's Roar!" He unleashed a double strike—a powerful swinging punch and a lightning-fast straight punch. Cassius's explosive power split in two.

Boom!!!

The blast of air rolled like waves, bringing dust and debris along, and sweeping across half the street. Fragments of rubble flew from the impact's epicenter.

The car's frame shuddered, emitting a high-pitched creaking noise. There was a huge dent in the middle section from where Cassius had slammed into it. Various small parts and shards of glass clattered to the ground.

"

Cough, cough...

" Cassius coughed, bracing himself on the metal surface with his hands. He planted his boots firmly on the ground, crunching glass underfoot.

He had sustained some severe injuries. His left fist was torn and bleeding, the entire arm charred. A massive wound slashed diagonally across his torso, exposing mangled flesh. Even his back had started to tear at the muscular seams, blood dripping down.

Cassius was heavily wounded, but his enemies were even worse off.

A figure lay several meters away on the ground, struggling to rise. His left hand, along with the shield he held, had been shattered by the collision, its tremendous force taking half of his shoulder with it. Blood poured out, forming a pool on the ground beneath him.

A few meters away, another figure, holding a spear, knelt on the ground, blood oozing from his mouth and chest. Wolf stared at Cassius with bloodshot eyes, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something. But in the next second, he collapsed, his body falling face-first onto the ground with a thud.