Chapter 285 - Cassius's Sinister Side

The blood-red shadow grew larger, distorting the air and tearing through the atmosphere with a fierce screech as it crashed into Lance's line of sight. Yet, those nearby seemed completely unaware of the spectacle. They either simply continued their conversations or admired the antiques on display.

Only one person stood frozen—Lance. He stared blankly, his fingertips trembling, as though trapped in a terrifying illusion. His senses muted the noise around him, turning him into a puppet. It took over ten seconds before he let out a faint groan.

His face turned ghostly pale, and his knees buckled as he nearly collapsed. Lance wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, breathing heavily as he cast a fearful glance at the two distant figures. As a core disciple of the Soul-Breaking Sword Path, he had seen much, but the sheer force of a Qi that could ensnare him in an illusion with a mere glance was staggering.

Only seasoned combat artists who had honed their Will of the Fist could achieve such a feat so effortlessly! Lance only needed that fleeting glance to recognize Cassius. His recent reprimanding from Cassius at the Evil Eye Fist headquarters was a vivid memory.

He and Aro had attempted to challenge Cassius, only to be dismissed with two effortless moves like ants. Lance could hardly muster the will to look at him. Cassius had, after all, defeated both the Evil Eye Fist's Sect Master and Elder within mere days.

That would mean the one standing opposite him had to be at least a combat artist of the same level. Yet, even a single distracted glance from him had left Lance reeling, struck by the mere aftershocks of his Qi.

Lance let out a bitter chuckle; he couldn't even withstand the residual Qi. It was almost laughable that he'd spent days nursing his wounds, determined to break through as a combat artist to seek revenge. A wave of helplessness washed over him that was even stronger than his lingering fear. He took a deep breath.

"Lance? Hey, why aren't you moving?" Nora squeezed through a gap in the crowd behind him. When she saw Lance's ghostly expression, she quickly asked, "Are you unwell? We could take a break somewhere."

Lance silently let Nora lead him toward a quieter area of the exhibition hall. He looked utterly confused, still shocked by what he'd just experienced.

A muscular, fair young man with his arms crossed was chatting with his friends in the corridor when he noticed them and suddenly looked up.

A strange, mischievous expression crossed his face. He pointed at the dazed Lance and joked to his friends, "See that? That's what happens when you get dragged around by a woman. Love should be mutual, like it is between Olena and me. My dear brother-in-law here is just too soft-hearted. If it were me, I'd give someone I didn't like a good beating—man or woman. That way, they wouldn't keep pestering me and wasting my precious training time."

Aro's friends reacted to his so-called "words of wisdom." Some nodded in agreement while others scoffed, "Lance, soft-hearted? He's brutal when challenging Covert Martial Arts experts. There's got to be more to this..."

Meanwhile, Black Peacock and Cassius had been locked in a silent standoff for over half a minute near the entrance of Hall 5. Their invisible Qi collided to create an oppressive atmosphere around them. Nearby visitors felt an instinctive discomfort as they frowned and slowly distanced themselves.

The tension in the air grew thick as Cassius's pupils began to glow red, gradually taking on the deep color of a ruby. The Gate Fragment in his mind pulsed, whispering to him that the person before him possessed something similar.

However, the one collecting these fragments was none other than the Gate Organization! Black Peacock, a combat artist who pursued the elusive Mirror of Illusion; Reaper Amos, a new agent of Black Ops Agency tied deeply to the organization's dark history; and Blade Demon Garoro from East Sea City; they were all connected to the Gate Organization.

And now, here stood this sinister young man. According to Cassius's theory, the mysterious core members of the Gate organization all likely possessed Gate Fragments. Since there were already rumors that they were interested in the ancient relics at the Tulip Antique Exhibition, the identity of the man needed no further explanation.

They had recently wounded Blade Demon in East Sea City, so Cassius had already steeled himself for a head-on confrontation with the Gate Organization. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Fragment resonance..." The dark-haired youth broke the silence first, muttering under his breath. He grinned wickedly as he looked Cassius up and down. "There aren't many new players in Kura City, and I don't recall seeing you before."

"All five of the Blood Spirit Society's Kura City outposts were obliterated last night. That must've been you, right?" Black Peacock continued casually, with an odd smirk. "Today is just the first day of the exhibition, and there are plenty of Blood Spirit Society members here. I wonder if they'd cause trouble for you if they found out."

"Heh, go right ahead and tell them, but please, don't mistake the hunter for the prey." Cassius replied coldly, hearing footsteps approaching behind him. "And by the way, you were wrong about one more thing. The Blood Spirit Society incident wasn't just my doing."

"It was ours." Two figures strode out from within Hall 5 and stood on either side of Cassius. One was in a black suit while the other was in white. All three pairs of eyes were now locked onto Black Peacock, as though they were engraving his image in their minds.

The playful smile on Black Peacock's face faltered slightly as his lips twitched. He tensed, with his guard raised to the maximum. Three seasoned combat artists... And they didn't appear to be ordinary. No wonder Blade Demon had been defeated!

Black Peacock cursed silently, swallowing the words he had planned to say. He kept his eyes fixed on Cassius and his companions as he slowly backed away. It seemed like he would unleash his full power to flee if they made even the slightest move.

"Should we strike now?" Saint Feinan, standing on Cassius's left, asked quietly.

"We can't be certain we'd kill him. Besides, the Tulip Antique Exhibition is under Cloud Dog Fist's protection. After the last incident, they would’ve stationed enough forces here, so there might be one or two combat artists standing guard. Let's keep calm; scaring him for now will suffice. We'll see things through after the fourth day." Cassius spoke decisively, seemingly making a carefully calculated decision.

In the distance, Black Peacock, who was nearly hidden among the crowd, twitched his ear, and a faint smile returned to his lips. He stepped back one more time and vanished from the vicinity of Hall 5. A few seconds later, he reappeared in a secluded corner of the antique exhibition.

Two men were speaking, their voices so low that no one nearby could overhear. "Lord Black Peacock, do you have any orders?"

"Send a few people disguised as ordinary visitors to Hall 5. Also, I'll be going into hiding temporarily after the exhibition ends. You'll handle today's tasks in my place. I'm being watched..." Black Peacock instructed quietly.

"Yes, sir." His subordinate left without drawing attention.

Black Peacock remained, furrowing his brow as he reflected on the encounter. When he had been faced with three seasoned combat artists, his first instinct had been to flee the exhibition and hide. However, Cassius's restrained attitude and calculations left Black Peacock with the impression that they wouldn't attack immediately. It seemed like a rare opportunity to observe these enemies who lurked in the shadows, so he decided to stay for the moment and assess the situation.

Elsewhere, Cassius was speaking with Saint Feinan and Feng Liusi, his words completely contradicting his earlier ones, "At noon, when the exhibition ends, let's find an opportunity to take him out. Feng Liusi, the Blood Vulture organization agents disguised as visitors are on him, right? Keep a close eye on them. If he decides to leave midway, we'll go outside with him," Cassius's eyes flashed with a cold, fierce light.

All that talk of assessing the situation, patience, and a showdown on the fourth day was a ruse meant to confuse Black Peacock. It didn't matter if he believed it or not. Cassius had decided to ambush him from the moment he had seen him. In his mind, the greatest adversary at the Tulip Antique Exhibition wasn't the Blood Spirit Society or even Cloud Dog Fist, the exhibition's hosts.

It was the Gate Organization, an organization classified as an S Class danger by the Black Ops Agency. He had only recently faced Blade Demon Garoro, a combat artist wielding three blades who could face off evenly against three combat artists. Yet, Blade Demon was only one of the Gate Organization's core members. What about the others? They were likely just as formidable.

No one could say for sure just how much the Gate organization valued the Tulip Antique Exhibition. Would they send multiple core members? Even if they were only slightly weaker than Blade Demon, two or more would be more than enough trouble.

Since he had Black Peacock alone, Cassius wasn't about to let this chance slip. He couldn't strike inside the exhibition without provoking Cloud Dog Fist's hostility. Outside, though, they could act decisively.

Near the window of Hall 5, Feng Liusi nodded, then shook his head with a chuckle, "You're a sinister one, Cassius, and not a bad actor... For a second, I thought you actually meant to wait until the fourth day."

"Wait till the fourth day? We’d lose our chance by then. Even if we don't kill this core member today, we should at least injure him severely!" Cassius rubbed his chin, his gaze still cold.

"I wonder how many core members the Gate Organization can afford to lose in Kura City." With these words, Cassius suddenly thought of the Black Ops Agency, and started to consider whether he should seek a collaboration to trap the Gate Organization in a coordinated strike.

"Heartless and ruthless. I like it!" Saint Feinan patted Cassius's shoulder, showing his approval. Ever since Cassius had infused him with life-vibration energy, Saint Feinan hadn't opposed any of Cassius's ideas. After all, Cassius was like his parent.

The antique exhibition continued as the graceful sound of classical music filled the air. As noon slowly approached, a young lord, dressed in black boots, a fine vest, and a decorative black cape, glanced around curiously in Hall 1. Having rarely traveled far, even dull antiques seemed interesting on his first exhibition visit.

As You An wandered through Hall 1 to the soothing melody, he found himself enjoying the free, quiet atmosphere more than he'd realized. In hindsight, it probably started after that day in East Sea City.

It wasn't long ago—just yesterday, in fact—when he had a nightmare. There were mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and red mist everywhere. He ran alone, trembling atop a heap of bodies, chased by three monstrous creatures within the mist.

The next morning, he'd shamefully wet his bed and suffered a round of teasing from his sister and a severe blow to his pride. That morning, he'd sworn never to let his curiosity get the better of him and drag him into danger again. He would never again act recklessly nor wet his bed ever again!

Now, what should we have for lunch?

The morning excitement faded away when You An's stomach started to rumble in protest. He left Hall 1, intent on finding the butler to discuss lunch. As soon as he stepped out, he noticed a melancholic young man leaning against the window. He wore a trench coat and had tousled purple hair. Though he had an aura that should've radiated sharpness, his expression was inexplicably dejected, giving off a "do not approach" vibe.

You An eyed him curiously but, unlike his usual self, refrained from approaching. He still remembered the vow he'd made that morning—no acting on curiosity about strangers.

What was wrong with being an ordinary, unremarkable superhuman? He had no interest in learning any more about dangerous matters.

Clap.

A middle-aged man suddenly walked over from the entrance. He announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Tulip Antique Exhibition will remain open until 11 a.m. for the morning session. You're welcome to make your own dining arrangements, or you can enjoy the food provided in the exhibition's back hall. The exhibition will reopen at 1 p.m. and close at 6 p.m. Have a pleasant visit!"

Immediately, the bustling crowd began to make its way toward the entrance. A dazed Lance drifted along with them. You An, having found his sister and their butler, remained alongside them, whispering about lunch plans.

Once they left the exhibition hall and crossed through security, they found themselves in a spacious plaza. A figure subtly moved to the right of the crowd, blending in quietly with the others. Once outside the plaza, the figure picked up speed, almost disappearing from sight. Three other figures suddenly burst forward at an unrestrained supernatural speed. Each step they took vibrated like thunder.

They charged forward together, like three spears striking out in unison. The shadowy figure ahead seemed startled and took off at a rapid pace, immediately creating a chase scene.

The commotion caught You An's attention, who was now looking up. The shadowy figure ahead punched the central white stone statue in the plaza, sending the five-meter-tall sculpture flying toward the three pursuers in an attempt to slow their advance. However, the three did not dodge. Instead, they abruptly increased their speed.

They barreled forward like a swinging iron hammer, shattering the enormous statue in mid-air with a loud crash. Shards and dust rained down like a gentle shower over half the plaza. The four figures accelerated even faster amidst the chorus of astonished cries, crashing through walls as they continued their relentless chase.