Returning to the Mysterious Era

Clang!

A sharp metallic sound punctured the air, followed by the vibration of fifty metal threads slicing through.

Bam!

Cassius slammed his heel into the ground. He had been walking on the balls of his feet earlier, keeping his heel suspended just above the surface which allowed him to quickly unleash an explosive burst of power.

The square tiles beneath him cracked instantly as Cassius swiftly retreated backward. His feet barely touched the ground, skimming it like a dragonfly on water, but each step caused the tiles to sink underfoot. Using this momentum, he forcefully propelled himself backward.

Crackle!

Countless metal threads came raining down, slicing the azure sky into a grid. These threads carried immense destructive power, imbued with a sharp, cutting vibration. Like a giant net, they crashed down on the ground, instantly carving the gray road into pieces.

With Amos in the center, the road within a ten-meter diameter was sliced cleanly by the metal threads in a ninety-degree arc. The result was a fan of cracks that spanned a radius, dust and rubble flying from the impact.

Amidst this network of fractures, five to six gaps appeared from which threads of equal numbers had caught up with the rapidly retreating Cassius, but he flicked them away with a sudden burst of finger strength, preventing further damage to the ground.

Cassius, now ten meters away, glanced at the back of his hand. A map of fine cuts appeared on the back of his pale fingers in thin bloody lines.

"What terrifying cutting power. What kind of Covert Martial Arts is this?"

He narrowed his eyes at Amos. His heart thudded in his right chest. Thick blood surged through his body, and quickly reached his arm. The cuts on his fingers healed in an instant.

This was one of the things the Golem Covert Martial Arts could do: healing minor skin-level injuries in just a few seconds.

If an opponent of comparable skill tried to engage in a prolonged battle with Cassius, over time, they would undoubtedly be worn down and would soon find themselves on the losing end.

Clang!

Amos yanked back all the threads embedded in the ground. They returned, circling around him like a slowly rotating asteroid belt.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette and took another puff.

"That frail appearance of yours was quite deceptive; it managed to hide such an impressive physique. To be able to catch my Mist Threads with your fingers is something you should certainly take pride in," he commented. With him being submerged in a cloud of smoke, he seemed to be speaking to himself. "Now, let's move on to the next technique—the Vortex Discs…"

Buzz, buzz, buzz…

A buzzing sound filled the air, like a suddenly agitated swarm of bees in a hive. One by one, the metal threads began to curl and twist, coiling into vortex-like discs that floated in midair.

Amos lunged forward, and dozens of these spinning discs shot out behind him, each on a different trajectory, tracing deadly arcs through the air as they all aimed to hit every corner around Cassius. Under such an onslaught, even a rhino or elephant with thick skin would be sliced to pieces in an instant.

Cassius, sensing the impending danger, grew somber, his face turning cold and steely, his gaze deep and indifferent. He naturally slipped into his rational, cold-blooded persona, an icy aura gathering between his brows.

"Hiss! Huff!"

Cassius took a sharp breath and activated the Third Breath technique. The two hearts in his chest began to beat rapidly at different frequencies, pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout his body.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

It was as if time had sped up for Cassius. His hands moved in a blur, and his feet danced with precise agility, flawless in their execution. Each punch seamlessly followed the next, as though two punches were being thrown in the time it took for one. This was the terrifying effect of his Breathless Chain Strike state.

The metal vortex discs that flew toward him were all deflected in an instant, some even shattered out of their spinning state.

Cassius, instead of retreating, advanced. He pressed his feet to the ground, his slender frame shooting forward like a sword aimed at his distant enemy.

His hands hung low, the sleeves shredded into pieces during the earlier clash, revealing pale forearms covered in blood. With each breath, the surface wounds on his skin healed rapidly. By the time Cassius was within a step of Amos, the hands that had been slashed numerous times were fully healed.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Seven to eight metal threads, under Amos's control, shot at Cassius.

But he either flicked them away with his fingers, blocked them with the back of his hand, or dodged them entirely. Despite the tricky angles, not a single thread hit its mark. In his cold-blooded state, Cassius was extremely rational, capable of calculating the trajectory of each attack instantly, and able to respond instantly and unbelievably.

When combined with his Magic Eye Secret Technique, his abilities were even more formidable. Though both techniques were still in their infancy, their terrifying potential was evident as shown in the recent battle.

Cassius lowered his stance, channeling a surge of power from the soles of his feet up through his tailbone and spine, all the way to the joints in his arm. The wind howled as his fist cut through the air. This punch shot out with incredible force like a javelin.

Clang!

Amos seemed unfazed. A slight smile played on his lips, half of his face was obscured by gray smoke.

Threads extended from his back and waist, quickly forming a woven square metal shield made of ten vertical and ten horizontal threads, each incredibly tough, in front of his chest.

Cassius's punch didn't hit Amos directly; instead, its force was distributed among the fifty metal threads around him. Some of these threads were tethered to the ground, while others were wrapped around tree trunks or statues. The force dissipated, causing only environmental damage.

Bang, bang, bang!

Cassius's attack had no effect, but in his cold-blooded state, he wasn't deterred at all.

In an instant, he closed in and went on the offensive once more. His fists moved so swiftly it looked like Amos was entirely enveloped in a barrage of punches. Cassius continued to use the Wind Elephant Fist technique, but with an unparalleled smoothness in his movements. Hook punches, straight punches, swinging punches, and hand blades—the four fundamental moves combined seamlessly, his assault flowing like mercury across a surface.

This relentless, bewilderingly smooth bombardment of strikes pushed Amos back continuously. With every step back, more threads wove into small square shields.

Almost the entire surface of the shields was covered with thick, viscous blood. Amos kept retreating, his eyes fixed on Cassius's hands. Does this man feel no pain?

Swish!

Another punch, wrapped in a crimson stream of air, was thrown. This was the Bloodthirsty Ripple of the Azure Wind Flow.

Clang!

The fist collided with a shield.

Hiss…

The Bloodthirsty Ripple transmitted through the metal threads, crackling as it traveled several meters back to Amos.

"Damn it!"

The serene expression on Amos's face had vanished. His teeth clenched so hard that the cigarette in his mouth almost snapped. His face visibly paled, and a few beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

With a swift motion, Amos clasped his hands together, entwining dozens of metal wires into a whip which he lashed upward. A ten-meter-long fissure tore open the ground, forcing Cassius to retreat. He stood to the side, his hands dripping with blood.

"It seems you fear pain. In that case, you're no match for me."

Cassius, having reverted to his primary personality, glanced at his hands, then at Amos. Regardless of which personality was dominant, Cassius was not afraid of pain. The Elephant Soul Covert Martial Arts he practiced had been honed by enduring pain. His cold, detached personality heightened this trait even further during combat, completely blocking out any sense of pain.

"Shut up!"

Amos took a deep breath, as if recalling some dark memories from his past. He spat the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it with his shoe. Then, he spread his hands wide. More metal wires sprang from the surface of his gloves, joining those already in play. In a matter of seconds, the number of wires doubled, reaching a hundred, and continued to increase.

At the same time, Amos began to transform. His appearance shifted from that of an adorable thirteen- to fourteen-year-old boy to a more mature, sharper form. His face became more angular, his eyes bursting with a powerful aura.

"Violent Storm's Three Limits: the first limit, Mist, enables the manipulation of a single metal wire, and is infused with cutting power. The second limit, Steel, can control over a hundred wires, and is charged with both cutting and piercing forces. The third limit, Ultimate, grants mastery over a thousand wires which are imbued with cutting, piercing, and annihilating forces. It took me fifteen years to reach Steel."

Amos took a step forward, now appearing as a young man in his twenties. His clothes stretched tightly across his muscular frame, accentuating his powerful build. His long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and tied with a metal wire. From his coat pocket, Amos pulled out a pack of cigarettes. With a flick of his finger, one cigarette twirled up and landed in his mouth.

"But I only need half a minute to take you down!"

By the fallen fountain statue, Cassius slowly raised his hands. His skin had regained its smooth, pale appearance. Suddenly, a deep thudding noise echoed from his body. Again and again. Two distinct heartbeats thumped, each following a different rhythm; one pounded like a drum.

Cassius locked eyes with Amos, who stared back. His face remained cold and emotionless. "Thought you were the only one with a trump card now, did you?"

Though the sentence was short and succinct, it was spoken in three different voices. As if there were three distinct personalities blended together: one of steadfastness, another cold and indifferent, and one that bursted with a bloodthirsty madness.

Amos seemed to see three different faces superimposed on Cassius's. One moment, it was manic; the next, calm and bloodthirsty; then haughty and indifferent. One after another, these conflicting personas shifted rapidly, creating an unsettling and swift transformation. They exuded two auras that were so strong they rustled the leaves around them.

Amos squinted, sensing the threatening energy emanating from Cassius. "What technique is this?"

"It's just a prototype of a self-created fist technique…" Cassius switched to his cold, indifferent stance and rushed forward. In the next second, he transitioned into his bloodthirsty persona, grinning madly. "Hahaha, but it's enough to kill you!"

"You've lost it!" Amos whipped all the wires and charged straight toward Cassius as well.

Both of them became dark blurs, the distance rapidly closing between them.

The youthful Amos spotted light reflecting off Cassius's shoulder and noticed there was no insignia. Core members of the Gate Organization bore a Devil's Eye mark on their right shoulder, created using a special power. Once branded with the Devil's Eye, it could never be removed. Even if the flesh wwas scraped away, the mark would reappear on the underlying muscle, down to the bone.

The Devil's Eye was the absolute proof of a core member's identity. Only those with this mark on their shoulder could be considered core members and can gain access to the true inner workings of the organization.

Core and peripheral members of Gate were of two different worlds. The core members were highly disciplined and organized, while the peripheral members were more relaxed and varied—a diverse array of individuals who used the organization as a platform for information exchange. Anyone who came to use the Gate's platform could be considered a peripheral member.

So, was this Li Wei just a peripheral member? How, then, did he come to possess a Gate Fragment?

There didn't seem to be a rule stating that only core members could have Gate Fragments. Amos had assumed Cassius was a core member due to his interactions with the organization and his possession of a Gate Fragment. This assumption, coupled with past grievances, had fueled his anger, leading to their intense battle. But it suddenly hit him that he may have misunderstood.

"Wait!" Amos called out, trying to explain.

But Cassius had already launched himself like a cannonball, his hands thrusting forward like javelins.

Boom, boom, boom…

The two clashed furiously, exchanging blows. Then, with a loud explosion, they separated. Amos stumbled back five to six steps before coming to a stop. He opened his mouth to speak. "Wait—"

Whoosh!

A red-tinged, curved energy wave was alreadyracing toward him. Amos had no choice but to roll to the side to avoid it. The arc slammed into the ground and instantly exploded. The wave spread out like an electric arc and grazed Amos's waist. He let out a muffled groan, his hands trembling slightly.

"I said, wait—"

Bang!

A fist came speeding toward Amos's face. With no time to block it, the punch sent him flying. Blood burst out from his nose.

Cassius froze in place, looking down at a wire around his throat, which had already cut his skin to the point of bleeding. If he'd put any more force into that punch, his throat would have been half-severed.

"Ah! Damn it! Why won't you listen to me!"

Amos, pale-faced, quickly scrambled up from the ground. He wiped the blood from his nose, his eyelids twitching. Unrestrained fury filled his eyes as the wires around him vibrated intensely.

The metal wires flew out again, this time two hundred of them. Additionally, these wires were now imbued with a piercing force along with their cutting power.

All the wires converged like a giant spider web, their sharp tips all pointed at Cassius. Their intense aura would make anyone's skin crawl.

"Hehehe…" Amos chuckled softly. Each step took him closer to Cassius. "You're the first person in the past three years to hurt me and make me feel pain twice. As a reward, I'll use my full strength to deal with you!"

"Ignorant fool… You…"

"Enough, Amos! Stop this meaningless fight."

At the park entrance, an old man with white hair hunched over, slowly walked in.

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