ushernet Chapter 168 - See You in Fifty Years
Chapter 168 - See You in Fifty Years
chapter 168 - see you in fifty years
amid the continuous explosions, the towering and majestic baptism chapel began to collapse. entire walls crumbled with a thunderous rumble. shattered stones engulfed in flames flew as they tumbled across the ground, the black rain extinguishing them.
the enormous flames reflected off the decaying knights' armor, casting a red glow that illuminated the surrounding darkness.
the northern covert martial arts alliance steadily closed in, relentlessly slaughtering the decaying knights, leaving more and more broken remnants of iron husks scattered across the ground.
cassius dusted off his clothes and looked at the baptism chapel, now consumed in flames. relief washed over him.
the craniotomy clinic, daybreak hospital, mission hall, central clock tower, arthropod hall, and now the baptism chapel—all of black rain manor's important structures of black rain manor had been destroyed. he was now only one step away from fulfilling twilight's lingering attachment: eliminating all the decaying knights.
said group found themselves surrounded by the elite forces of the northern covert martial arts alliance. the situation was obvious; the nearly thousand fighters of the alliance had completely suppressed the decaying knights. it was only a matter of time before the knights were all killed.
the weight pressing on cassius's heart since the beginning finally lifted, and he felt inexplicably light.
his entire body tingled with a strange sensation and he was hit with the sudden urge to scratch, as if tiny insects were crawling all over his skin. in the heat of battle, with adrenaline coursing through his veins, the human body often ignored pain. but as his mind slowly came to terms with the fact that this was a safe and relaxed environment, the previously overlooked pain gradually returned.
cassius took a deep breath and was about to turn around when he heard a startled shout from a member of the assault team ahead.
"there's something in the fire!"
he whipped around and rushed in the direction of that voice. mi an, who had been assisting other northern covert martial arts alliance units in their battles against the decaying knights, also hurried over.
"what happened?!" mi an asked, casting a glance at cassius. cassius shook his head.
the two of them reached the young man's side and peered into the flames, asking what he had seen.
the young man promptly answered, "it looks like columns—neatly arranged stone columns. they weren't here before; it seems they've risen from the ground."
"columns?" cassius took a few steps closer and was nearly singed by the flames licking up. from his angle, he could see a gray-black column emerging from the ground, its top unfurling like the hands of a lotus.
these pillars are supposed to contain dark essence! is this another one of black rain manor's tricks? cassius frowned deeply, the unease growing. was something unforeseen about to happen?
half a minute later.
whoosh! whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
eight artillery shells streaked across several kilometers, slamming into the burning baptism chapel. another round of explosions followed, and the air rose in waves, causing the surrounding golden-red flames to rapidly swell. even from a distance, cassius could feel the intense heat.
beside him, mi an shielded his eyes with his hand, glancing at the mostly collapsed baptism chapel before turning to cassius. "that should be enough, right...?"
half a minute later, another barrage of artillery rained down. eight shells fell into the flames, kicking up clouds of dust, which were then swept away by the black torrential rain.
feeling the heat on his face, mi an looked at the expressionless cassius once more. "this time for sure, right?"
whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
the third wave of artillery, packed with explosives, pounded the chapel again. with a crash, the last wall of the baptism chapel crumbled, and the raging flames dimmed significantly.
looking deeply contemplative, cassius stroked his chin. he nodded in agreement. "hmm, now it should be enough."
he wiped the rainwater from his face and scanned the empty battlefield. what had once been a formidable force of decaying knights was now nothing more than scattered and broken remnants of metal. there was some unknown black solid residue on the ruined weapons that was soon washed away by the relentlessly falling rain.
only a dozen or so decaying knights remained, all severely damaged and all still resisting and maneuvering their steeds in the center of the battlefield. the northern covert martial arts alliance had slowed its assault, wary of the gargoyles in the sky while they tended to their wounded.
cassius pondered for a moment, then turned to mi an and said, "just to be safe, let's kill these knights," then, as an afterthought, he added, "personally."
he couldn't get out.
cassius turned to look at the nearest pillar. the gray-black pillar's top held up a pair of hands, from which mist rose.
he rushed toward it, surprisingly unimpeded. however, the closer he got to the pillar, the stronger the radiation seemed, making the fatigue in his body intensify.
tap tap tap...
the sound of his footsteps echoed as he swiftly approached the pillar. determination flashing in his eyes, cassius threw a punch at the pillar, his fist whistling through the air. with a loud crack, the pillar shattered.
crack!
it broke apart like a spiderweb, countless fragments falling onto the ground.
"it was that easy?!" cassius found it hard to believe.
but it was indeed that simple, as the most difficult part had been the previous mind-bending hallucination. it seemed to possess a compelling, almost hypnotic quality, strong enough to deceive even an accomplished pugilist like cassius who had formidable willpower.
this trap was lethal in that, after a while, a penetrating force would kill those caught in the hallucination with radiation. cassius noticed two elite disciples from the covert martial arts alliance convulsing on the ground. their consciousness was trapped in the hallucination, while their bodies suffered continuous damage from the real-world radiation, a threat even their martial arts couldn't withstand.
it didn't look like the baptism chapel was actively attacking them, but rather, it was a final, passive defense mechanism designed to protect something beneath the chapel. those who came within a certain range would fall under the hallucination's influence, and find themselves trapped within the gray film.
while speculating this, cassius quickly began to destroy the pillars inside the gray film. these pillars didn't seem to be made of anything special, and he could break them with a single powerful strike. however, the radiation around the pillars was extremely strong. after destroying just ten, cassius was already coughing up blood. and there were at least fifty pillars within the gray film.
he didn't know if he could hold out, but he had to try. cassius wasn't doing this to save the others trapped in the hallucination; he was doing this for himself.
he had already accomplished most of what was needed to shut down black rain manor: all the decaying knights were dead, most of the special buildings were destroyed, and all that was left was the foundation of the baptism chapel.
the radiation here was horrific; even cassius's combat-hardened physique couldn't withstand it. even if he survived, he would suffer unimaginable consequences.
but this was the time-travel era! as long as he fulfilled twilight's obsession, as long as he was still breathing, cassius could instantly return to the real world, leaving his host's body and reuniting with his healthy one.
so, he wasn't afraid. if anything, his purpose and determination were stronger than ever.
by the time he destroyed the twentieth pillar, cassius was vomiting blood with every breath he took, his lungs feeling like they were on fire. by the thirtieth pillar, his skin was covered in countless blisters, and his limbs had red welts as if they had been burned. by the fortieth pillar, it felt as though thorns were growing inside his muscles and bones, piercing through his nerves and marrow.
by the fiftieth pillar, cassius was stumbling around like an old man, his skin a mess of wounds, his face a bloody sight as if it had been doused in acid. most of his strength had drained away, leaving him with just enough energy to pound at the final pillar with his fists, even as his skin tore, exposing his bones.
despite his wretched state, his eyes remained bright. a person with a purpose was very different from one without when they were facing certain death. he had only one pillar left!
thump, thump, thump... crack!
the pillar finally shattered, the stone fragments at the top flying in all directions.
buzz...
almost simultaneously, the gray film enveloping the chapel dissipated. black rain manor began to tremble as dense gray-black steam billowed from the surface of the buildings. as the steam surged, the manor's walls, houses, and floors began to blur like a fading illusion. the rain lightened up.
lying on the ground in the baptism chapel, cassius, who looked barely human, showed no sign of life. the others—mi an, duomo, hardy, oro—now freed from the gray film, quickly gathered around him. their expressions were solemn as if they were standing before a dear friend's grave.
the seemingly lifeless cassius suddenly broke the silence. "has the rain stopped?"
the others were momentarily shocked. duomo quickly looked up, feeling the air with his hand before replying seriously, "yes, it has."
"then it's time for me to go. goodbye... i mean, see you in fifty years."