Chapter 617 - Golem Sect's Master Was Hiding His Strength! (1)

Cassius had encountered these whispers before when he had first entered Black Rain Manor, traveling from the Hellsing residential sector toward the Baptism Chapel.

There had been a circular junction between them that had contained a statue. The statue was more than half ruined, with only a few blurred verses left carved into the stone. Cassius suspected the statue depicted the manor's former master.

Now that the main body of Black Rain Manor had emerged in the surface world, it seemed to have triggered some unknown and mysterious change. If things went as he expected, once he fully claimed control of the manor's main body, the many hidden causes and effects of Black Rain Manor would reveal themselves one by one. Many things that had long puzzled Cassius would finally find some answers. These were secrets even the Book of the Devil could not fathom.

Two identical Black Rain Manors faced each other in the Rainy World. They were being slowly drawn together by a gigantic hand of clouds. For a moment, one might suspect that two parallel worlds were overlapping.

Within the projection of the manor on the ground, a group of neo-humans were shivering atop the roof of a gray stone building next to the Baptism Chapel. They stared blankly up at the sky, at the gray misty hand reaching into the clouds, and the struggling main body of Black Rain Manor clutched within that hand.

A deep shadow draped over them, blocking the light and filling them with the dread that the colossal mass might crush them at any moment. The turn of events was simply too surreal.

The neo-humans had thought it strange enough merely to enter the Rainy World and witness mighty outside factions battling each other. Then they stepped into the projection of Black Rain Manor and saw Cassius recklessly destroy the manor's foundations, laying waste to an expanse of buildings and ignoring every rule.

Their curiosity and surprise had transformed into sheer shock. Yet even that paled before what was happening now. The mythic scene that was unfoldeding made their scalps tingle. Such sights lay beyond anything the neo-humans could imagine. Before such grandeur, neo-humans endowed with supernatural powers seemed no different from ordinary humans. They were equally powerless and equally afraid.

Like frogs at the bottom of a well, they had once seen only a patch of sky. It was only now that they had leaped out of the well that they realized how vast and boundless the heavens truly were. The cognitive impact was enough to drive one insane.

Had the neo-humans gathered on the roof merely to witness this terrifying scene at closer range? Of course not. The neo-humans had been forced up there because staying below meant death. Supernatural forces throughout the vast Rainy World were pouring into the manor's interior from every direction.

At such a critical moment, shapeshifters and Decaying Knights alike cared nothing for whether the neo-humans were a new batch of Hellsing. Anything that blocked their path into the manor would be slain outright.

Only minutes earlier, the neo-humans had been caught off guard and lost a full third of their elite forces. They had had no choice but to take refuge inside the building. However, the lower floors were not safe either. To be safe, they all gathered on the roof.

Naturally, the higher vantage also made it easier to observe the situation. It favored the small, fragile group of neo-humans as they strove to survive in the jaws of death. The crowd huddled together on the rooftop. Most eyes were filled with dread, fixed on the street where the Baptism Chapel stood.

The wide street had once been empty and smooth. Now it was packed with a tide of Decaying Knights. They were clad head to toe in heavy armor that reeked of corruption. Their oversized weapons were crusted over with clots of scarlet and black grime. In some places, dull silver skull emblems signifying death were branded into the metal.

The Decaying Knights were Black Rain Manor's enforcers, charged with executing any Hellsing who defied the manor's rules or missions. Their origins were exceedingly mysterious, though one possibility loomed largest. Namely, that they were the corpses of powerful Hellsing who had perished in every generation of Black Rain Manor.

Generation after generation of Hellsings had created a foundation of thousands of years. Thus, the Decaying Knights could be called Black Rain Manor's main force. Now that they had arrived, they were enough to annihilate any intruder.

At least, that would be the case under normal circumstances. However, reality proved otherwise. The neo-human leaders were currently bearing witness to an absurd and laughable scene near the Baptism Chapel.

The Decaying Knights had been forced to their knees. It was as though they were prostrating themselves in fervent worship before that domineering figure bathed in crimson light.

Cassius's body had grown indistinct as terrifying Dominator Fist Qi surged endlessly from him to sustain the giant hand. He stood at the center of the flattened chapel, his right hand pressed against the meteorite's surface.

The platinum Rune of Life on the back of his hand shone dazzlingly. Heavily armored Decaying Knights knelt under unbearable strain within a broad ring around him. They were not kneeling of their own accord but had been forcibly crushed by Cassius's dreadful Qi.

A three-meter-tall, heavily armored Decaying Knight charged in with a lance, intending to slam into Cassius. Yet the moment it reached the ring's edge, its entire suit of armor started to groan as though cracking beneath an invisible load.

The Decaying Knight's pace slowed visibly. The sprint became a walk, and the walk dwindled to a crawl. All this happened over a mere ten meters.

Creak... creak... creak...

It was as if an invisible mountain rested upon the knight's back, growing heavier with every step. It staggered and its spear clanged to the ground. A second later, its heavy knees slammed down, gouging two deep pits.

Clang.

Its iron palms hit the ground as well, propping up its body. Its once-straight spine bent little by little as its former stubbornness disappeared. One could see black steam and fluid seeping out between the armor's seams like blood. From where the neo-human leaders stood, they could only see the three-meter-tall knight kneel, facing the crimson figure in devout obedience.

Useless! The manor's methods had absolutely no effect!

This mysterious newcomer was sweeping everything aside with overwhelming dominance. He was not someone Black Rain Manor could toy with. On the contrary, it was he who was toying with the manor.

The initiative in this entire affair had fallen firmly into his hands. Black Rain Manor seemed to be sliding slowly toward an abyss.

On the manor's outskirts, factions from every side were slaughtering each other as they fought their way inside. They too wanted to know what was truly happening within the manor. It was not only their own will but the will of those backing them.

Xiadu, Moon God, True Progenitor of Blood, Totem King...

Buzzzzz...

Figures from the major factions pierced the separating membrane and entered the projection of Black Rain Manor. They quickly locked onto the spot beneath the giant mist hand in the sky, where terrifying energy was flowing without end.

The various forces rallied together and charged toward the Baptism Chapel. At the moment, Black Rain Manor teemed with dangers and a flood of Decaying Knights, so they had to carve their way in.

The Gate Organization had gathered east of the manor. An eerie voice slowly emerged from the shadow beside a gray building.

"Where's Eye Devil? Where has Eye Devil gone?"

It belonged to a vaguely twisted silhouette shaped like a man. Only the black scythe's tip protruded, with blood trickling along its edge.

It was Death Scythe, the Fourth General King, and Eye Devil's nemesis. Since he always kept tabs on Eye Devil, Death Scythe noticed the moment Eye Devil Carlos failed to appear.

"Where is he? Don't tell me some random stray delayed him on the way?

Hahaha

, has Eye Devil grown so weak without the Spiral-Eye Sword? Let's hope he hasn't actually been killed..." Death Scythe chuckled in a low, sinister tone, his words dripping with mockery.