Chapter 403 - "I've Come To Protect You"

He took a deep breath, and Cassius focused all his attention internally. He sat cross-legged, steadily adjusting his condition until he felt ready, then began to channel Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist and Southern Dipper Sonic Snake Fist. Surging Qi churned within his body, overflowing through his pores.

Cassius felt as though his entire body, drenched in sweat, was being roasted by flames. Raging steam enveloped him, like a boiling cauldron. He slowly raised both arms, parallel to the ground, extending them forward. Death's Fang Force rapidly spread within his body, instantly reaching his right palm. A crimson, illusory glow flickered faintly, evoking a sense of extreme danger.

Opposite that, Cassius's left palm remained slightly open, with a deep purple airflow twisting between his fingers, like a miniature python.

The platinum sacred mark, symbolizing Blood of the Living, suddenly emitted a blazing radiance. His gaze narrowed, and he suddenly pressed both palms together in front of his chest.

Pfft!

It was as if a sharp needle had punctured a balloon, causing the airflow to surge wildly.

Between Cassius's palms, at the point where the crimson Death's Fang Force met the violet Reverberating Force, a tiny black speck, the size of a grain of rice, hovered in midair.

The surging energy from the Southern Dipper acupoint was instantly devoured by this black dot, which then began to expand slowly. In the end, it grew to the size of an eyeball, its shape irregular, reminiscent of a gaping mouth.

Even with Cassius's keen eyesight, all he could see was a smooth, profound darkness, as if all were swallowed by this mouth. That inescapable blackness evoked the image of a rift in space.

Buzz...Buzz...Buzz...

The air in the entire house suddenly began to tremble like a pot of boiling water, producing visible, heat-like distortions. Pale white waves of heat rolled outward.

Cassius's hands trembled, the black dot in his palms extremely unstable. He frowned, sweat beading on his forehead, while cracks formed across the skin of his arms.

"The energy density is too high, it can't disperse. I have to release it!" Cassius struck out with one palm, moving so fast he nearly ruptured the air.

Whoosh... Boom!!! Rumble, rumble, rumble...

The black energy shot forth wildly. Freed from control and restraint, it expanded rapidly within the room. From the size of an eyeball, it swelled into a giant black maw nearly a third of the room's width. The hunter's apartment room where Cassius resided was instantly half-destroyed. That mass of darkness continued onward, instantly shattering the public building across the way.

It then surged crazily into the pitch-black night sky, where a violent explosion resounded.

Falling rubble pelted the rooftops of many buildings, and waves of shock ripped through nearby glass, causing it to rattle. It was as though a long-brewing storm had erupted suddenly in the dead of night.

Inside the room, Cassius spat out a mouthful of blood, clearly weakened. His arms hung at his sides, skin cracked like a spider's web, and blood dripped from his wounds. It looked as though he had been wounded by the explosion itself.

"I underestimated it. The special energy formed by amplifying two first-rate ancient Covert Martial Arts is much harder to control than I imagined. I'd need at least a combat artist physique to handle it for even a short time. I'm slightly injured..." Cassius glanced at his clothing, torn to shreds, then lifted his cracked hands. "Still, this fused energy is quite formidable!"

He walked to the damaged wall and gazed across at the six-story public building, now reduced to just its bottom floor. The sky looked as though lightning and thunder were raging, fierce winds howling, hurling massive stones down to earth. Soon, many hunters rushed out of the apartment, and patrols from the Dark Hunter headquarters, holding torches, hurried over as well.

Two minutes later, the patrolmen pushed open the door and saw a badly injured figure collapsed on the carpet. They rushed over to render immediate assistance.

The next day, a piece of news spread wildly within the Hunters' Association.

The Black Copper Hunter White Aster had caught the eye of the former Shadow Hunter, Blood Axe Herb, who bestowed upon him an honorary badge and a chance to compete for the Shadow Hunter position.

Therefore, a few competitors backed by other factions wanted to eliminate him promptly. They were bold enough to attempt an assassination right in the Dark Hunter Organization's headquarters!

The explosion last night was said to be the work of one of these competitor's subordinates.

This news reached other nearby branches around Florence and the ears of some veteran Hunters. Immediately, many veteran Hunters began calling upon their friends and picking up their long-dormant weapons to head toward the organization's headquarters.

They didn't know who White Aster was, but they knew who Blood Axe Herb was! These veteran Hunters, neutral as they might be, were not easily bullied! One should not think that assassinating a competitor at headquarters was too arrogant or absurd. Some veteran Hunters who had stepped down from their Shadow Hunter positions had experienced firsthand the disgusting methods employed by the council and the royal family.

All just to secure a Shadow Hunter seat for their favored candidate!

A familiar sanatorium, a familiar room, a familiar bed. The cool morning air drifted in through the window, carrying the earthy smell of soil and the fresh scent of grass. Cassius half-reclined in the hospital bed, his upper body wrapped in bandages, his gaze distant as if lost in thought.

Indeed, after unintentionally causing such a huge commotion last night, Cassius had simply shifted the blame onto those three Dark Gold Hunters. In reality, he said very little. After pretending to faint and then awaken, he submitted the honorary badge given by Herb to the Hunters' Association. Rumors naturally spread from there.

As for whether the explosion's power was too exaggerated, that was none of Cassius's concern. No one would suspect him anyway—who would doubt the seriously injured victim? Even if the final investigation found something bizarre or supernatural, no one would believe Cassius had blown himself up.

On the hospital bed, Cassius casually moved his hands; the cracks on the surface had long since healed, merely concealed by the bandages.

For him, completing the Hunters' Association's missions to earn sacred spring water was no longer that important. What Cassius needed now was to become a Shadow Hunter and absorb as much sacred spring water as he needed straight from the source. With the Rune of Wisdom to filter it, he felt extremely confident.

Since he could acquire it all at once, there was no need to waste time doing missions. After all, the amount of sacred spring water Cassius required was significant. To reach his limits, he needed a corresponding, cell-saturating quantity of sacred spring water.

Cassius stood about 1.9 meters tall, with around six litres of blood in his body. When combined, forty milliliters of Soul Power and sacred spring water would yield one milliliter of Blood of the Living, a 20:1 ratio.

To fully transform all the blood in his body, he needed 2,400 units of each mysterious power. A Dark Gold Hunter's mission reward of sacred spring water was about four to five times that of a White Dazzling Hunter's, around ten to twelve units per mission. That would require two hundred to two hundred and forty missions, and at once a month, it would take roughly twenty years to collect them all.

Obviously, grinding through missions was not worthwhile. Even if Cassius could sweep through them at top efficiency, it would still take months, if not half a year. By contrast, he did not need nearly as long for Soul Power, because he was working in cooperation with someone.

Ghost-Man was a top-tier knight-level marked-one, and there were few restrictions on exchanging dark essence for Soul Power at Black Rain Manor, unlike at the Hunters' Association, where hunters of different ranks could only take on tasks of corresponding rank to gain the matching amount of sacred spring water.

Furthermore, Cassius could obtain dark essence from the World of Calamity. It was filled with dark creatures, and if you had the strength, you simply needed to slaughter them.

Thinking back on his first entry there, he immediately slew six avatars of the Lord of Ashes plus a Toxic Smoke Giant, and seven dark creatures at the combat artist level. The amount of dark essence he could obtain from that was unimaginable. Had Cassius not delayed his collaboration with Ghost-Man by a few days, he might have gathered most of what he needed in just one night.

In any case, he could now use his injury as an excuse to rest in the sanatorium, while using the Mark of the Spirit Bearer to enter and explore the World of Calamity.

He would quietly wait for the moment the real competition for the Shadow Hunter position began.

He assumed that during this tumultuous time, no faction would come to bother him. Should anyone show up, he could simply pin last night's bombing on them. Whether they did it or not, it would be blamed on them anyway.

Knock, knock, knock...

A sudden knock sounded at the door outside the room. Cassius frowned slightly and paused for a moment before saying, "Come in."

Immediately, a tall and alluring figure entered. She had refined features, fair skin, and a naturally beguiling charm between her brows. Faintly, the air seemed to echo with a soft, seductive melody, like the sirens of myth luring sailors to their doom.

Cassius took one look at the newcomer and frowned even more deeply. This type of mental ability reminded him of the sisters, Silver Rose and Golden Rose.

"White Aster, correct?" the woman spoke suddenly, her gaze sweeping over Cassius's bandaged torso. "Hello, this is our first meeting. My name is Claire. By order of the Chief Mechanist, I have come to protect you for a while..."

Cassius remained silent for a moment. He knew that the woman before him was a formidable contender for the Shadow Hunter position, Siren Claire. She was a top-tier powerhouse among Dark Gold Hunters, as well as dangerously beautiful.

However, at the moment, Cassius only wanted to be alone. Additionally, rumor had it that Claire was the Chief Mechanist's niece. Her sudden assignment here—was it to monitor him? Or had the Dark Hunter Organization's Chief Mechanist already taken note of his changes?

Seeing Cassius's silence, Claire narrowed her eyes slightly. Her first impression was actually quite favorable. This hunter named White Aster seemed to possess willpower far beyond the norm, able to resist the siren's allure, even if it was merely at the lowest, passive level. That alone earned Claire's respect, prompting her to kindly offer an explanation.

"Don't be nervous. We're actually on the same side. The veteran Hunters represented by Blood Axe Herb have always supported my uncle..." Claire casually found a chair on the side and sat down slowly.

"I am indeed a candidate in this competition for the Shadow Hunter position, but I never considered you an opponent." As she spoke, she realized her words might sound hurtful, so she explained, "What I mean is, my adversaries are only Solomon and Soss. I won't target you..."

The more Claire tried to explain, the worse it sounded, so she quickly stopped and changed the subject, her expression turning serious. "Last night's assassination and explosion were very likely carried out by the royal family. I know Soss—although he appears to be a bold Lion King, he is actually quite vicious and steeped in royal schemes. On the other hand, Solomon, though always looking gloomy, has never truly engaged in any conspiracies..."

"This time, my uncle sent me to protect you largely as a precaution against the royal side's forces. Although they didn't succeed last night, they might attempt a further assassination on you." Claire continued, "Be extremely careful during this period. The royal family not only has royal guardians trained from childhood, but can also command assassin organizations in Florence. Once they have you in their sights, the pursuit never ends..."

"Therefore, from now on, I will do my best to protect you. Until the Shadow Hunter competition is decided, the royal family's attention toward you will naturally diminish. Rest assured, as long as you stay within twenty meters of me, I can ensure that any assassination attempts against you will fail..." Claire rarely smiled, and at that moment, her smile felt like a gentle spring breeze.

Cassius shook his head, looking straight ahead. "So it's the royal family?"

At the same time, in Florence's District Five, at the headquarters of the assassin organization, Shadow Thorn, hidden among residential areas.

A bloody massacre had begun at midnight and continued until dawn.

As a top-notch assassin organization, Shadow Thorn naturally boasted many powerful assassins, some even comparable to Dark Gold Hunters. For instance, the elite assassins sent previously—Bonecrusher, Shadow Wolf, and Blood Hand—were among the organization's finest. Shadow Thorn had more than ten such elite assassins in total, which explained why they could establish headquarters in Florence. But today, this renowned organization met its end.

In the early hours, a masked figure in a heavy black cloak entered like a phantom. Armed with a huge scythe like the Grim Reaper, each swing decapitated multiple heads at once. Blood soaked the floor, the air filled with its stench.

All the elite assassins stationed there rushed forth, but they were powerless against this reaper. They couldn't last even five minutes. All the elite assassins were killed, their bodies cleaved in half by the scythe. Some tried to plead for mercy, only to be met with merciless steel.

Despair, fear, weeping—none received the slightest compassion.

Until now, in the morning, the last survivor of Shadow Thorn had both arms severed, dragged to a corner, and tortured for hours. Only then did Ghost-Man finally obtain the answer he sought, and promptly sent that individual to their death.

"The imperial royal family, is it? Lion King Soss,

heh heh heh

..."