Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 388 - Thats A Damn Illusion?!

In the end, Rose still went up the mountain with Cassius.

Her reasoning? A hunter on a mission has no reason to retreat. Besides, she was a White Dazzling Hunter. Helping Cassius eliminate some small fry was not a problem.

Cassius believed her; it didn't matter whether Rose followed or not. Although he had just arrived in the time-travel era, he could already unleash his Qi through special means. According to his own estimation, he had no problem matching the peak of pugilist, which was comparable to a peak White Dazzling Hunter or an ordinary Dark Gold Hunter, just below the six main hunters.

If he couldn't handle such a small task with the strength of the seventh-ranked hunter in the Dark Hunter Organization, then Cassius might as well end this time-travel now. Moreover, he had a trump card. If he encountered real danger, Cassius could fully unleash the Qi within his body once, temporarily returning to his peak state.

The strength of a top-tier combat artist was enough to sweep away any seemingly insurmountable danger. Although this body of White Aster might be riddled with wounds afterward, since it would be at the point of collapse.

So unless absolutely necessary, Cassius would not use it.

At 5:10 p.m., the sun sank below the horizon, with only an orange afterglow tinting the clouds through the atmosphere. Three or four lines of birds flew by as a deepening dusk started to descend.

On the mountain path, two figures gradually disappeared into the woods. After five minutes, the castle appeared before them. This was a very typical old castle, featuring common round domes and spires. However, it had been weathered by wind and sun and neglected over the years, so many tiles were damaged or missing, and moss covered much of it. The overall tone looked dark, with faded paint brightening a few spots.

At the entrance, Cassius withdrew his gaze. Beside him, Rose reminded, "Master White Aster, it is now dusk, the junction between day and night. If there are groups of dark creatures inside, they are probably nearing a state of awakening... They might have already sensed us approaching."

"Hmm?" Cassius frowned. He keenly caught the key information in Rose's words. "Daytime, nighttime, awakening?"

There was none of this in the memories Cassius inherited from White Aster. Each time he time-traveled, he only had some vague fragments from the original owner. Cassius knew the processes of some major events and some unforgettable memories. The other memory fragments were like dreams; no matter how he tried, he couldn't make them clear. It was as if a thick black veil covered them.

The two did not immediately enter the Knights' Fortress. Cassius spent a minute subtly interrogating Rose to understand what she had just said. It seemed that during the Hongli Empire period, dark creatures did not act during the day. They could only be active at night! fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

This was completely different from the time of the Hongli Federation. The dark creatures in Cassius's time clearly could walk freely under the sunlight. Although they also disliked it, they were not restricted from being exposed to sunlight or weakened during the day.

He initially thought he had misheard Rose and assumed it was just a nocturnal trait of a certain dark creature. But after a moment of conversation, he realized that all dark creatures were like this!

Fearful of light, they would be severely weakened during the day. Some would even turn directly into ashes when exposed to sunlight. More specifically, the Blood Race!

Why did dark creatures evolve so suddenly over a span of about two hundred years? According to the records of the Hongli Empire, dark creatures had always feared light and dreaded daytime for nearly a thousand years! There must have been some event that led to such an earth-shattering change.

Could it be the fall of the Hongli Empire?! Or did some major event happen in an unknown place?

Cassius immediately grew alert. He felt that this time-travel era might not be simple, and he might personally experience a world-class historical event in the supernatural world. It was not just the fall of the Hongli Empire, but the change in dark creatures' characteristics would also affect the entire world.

His thoughts churned, but Cassius quickly returned to his senses. He strode forward with Rose towards the archway.

The tall archway was the entrance to the castle, formed by two buildings on the left and right that resembled arrow towers. There was a corridor atop the archway between the two buildings, with three windows. Since it was abandoned, it exuded an inexplicably gloomy feeling.

Once they passed through the archway, they entered the interior of the castle. The space was larger than imagined; the castle was not just a single building but a small complex of structures, with simple and narrow passages between them.

The withered trees had lost vitality, their branches like black claws. Although it was a flourishing summer, the weeds in the castle's inner courtyard were yellow and withered, without any vibrant colors.

Cassius stood before a pile of rubble, slowly scanning the place. He could see some obvious signs of fighting and bloodstains. They were from half a month ago, from the mission that had failed.

Only White Aster and the old hunter had survived out of the seven-person team. However, they had obtained some useful information after escaping with their lives.

First, they had underestimated the strength of the dark creatures in the castle. Second, rare dark creatures that had never appeared before, Ghost Knights clad in plate armor, were also present. Third, these dark creatures, simply named Ghost Knights, were guarding something and would not leave anytime soon.

It was a coincidence that Cassius had encountered the mission that had left the original owner severely injured and unconscious for half a month. Well, finishing this matter could be considered a new beginning for White Aster.

Tap, tap, tap...

Two sets of footsteps sounded lightly on the rundown corridor.

When they turned a corner, they were greeted by a surprise. A tall figure riding a warhorse suddenly turned around at the end of the corridor. But upon closer examination, it wasn't riding a warhorse. Rather, the dark creature's form was half-human, half-horse. It was a centaur about three meters tall, fully armored in heavy plate. The plate had some ferocious scale-like patterns on the surface and emitted a faint, ghostly blue smoke.

Its lower body was that of a strong and muscular horse. The upper body was also a burly man, holding a bloody great axe with both hands. It looked quite intimidating. However, in reality, this Ghost Knight was the lowest level of dark creatures, roughly equivalent to a Decay-Rank Dead Blood.

Cassius didn't even look at it and was about to eliminate it with a raised hand when Rose acted first, seemingly wanting to fulfill her promise to help Cassius deal with small fry. She swiftly drew a symbol in the air with her right hand, uttering a syllable.

Her eyes instantly turned red, as rose patterns spread from the corners of her eyes, intertwining together. In an instant, a magical fluctuation surged out, like an invisible field enveloping the surroundings.

This was the illusionary space of an illusionist, similar to the Qi field of a Covert Martial Arts Practitioner. If a combat artist's Qi field was activated through release of Qi, then the illusionary space was a domain released based on the mind. It was both similar to and different from the psychokinesis of a psychokinetic.

The Dark Hunter Organization was an official force of the Hongli Empire. Having controlled the supernatural world for hundreds of years, they had conducted much research in that time. Apart from the Covert Martial Arts Practitioners who cultivated Covert Martial Arts, the members of the Dark Hunter Organization who gained power by drinking the sacred spring, and the Hellsing of Black Rain Manor, all other supernatural individuals' powers were called "arcane energy" by the Dark Hunter Organization. It was a type of talent different from ordinary people.

The word "arcane energy" was concise and clear; it was defined as the ability from one's origin. Furthermore, there were only three things considered as "origin" in the human body.

Physique, Qi, and mind.

Some people were born with extraordinary talent, with one of these three origins being particularly strong. As they grow older, they would naturally awaken abilities belonging to that origin. These were innate geniuses.

However, there are also situations where the abilities are acquired. For example, coming into contact with mysterious artifacts, visiting strange places, or experiencing unspeakable events would stimulate the activation of arcane energy.

The Hongli Empire controlled a vast territory and had a large population, so it had arcane energy awakeners with various abilities. They encompassed many strange and peculiar categories so for simplification, they were classified as "XX-type."

For example, under the origin of the mind, there were illusionist types, psychokinesis types, ghost types, and so on. Some would say they were flamboyant.

In fact, one could say that arcane energy users and dark creatures were like two sides of the same coin. Arcane energy users had one origin that was particularly strong. On the flip side, dark creatures lacked one of the three origins.

However, Hellsings and those who drank from the sacred spring were different. One obtained power from the sacred spring, while the other had Soul Power mixed into the rain. They used external objects to enhance the three origins of the human body, and thereby had more options in their development.

Finally, when it came to Covert Martial Arts Practitioners and those pursuing the path of Covert Martial Arts, Cassius's view was that it was the most balanced, correct and seemingly oldest path. Ancient fist techniques seemed to have appeared when the world was still in the age of wilderness. It had been passed down through generations with extremely high limits for mastery.

Body, Qi, and mind—Covert Martial Arts covered them all. Every time one practiced Covert Martial Arts, all were trained. It was just that different stages of Covert Martial Arts focused on different aspects. Essentially, practicing Covert Martial Arts was advancing all three origins in parallel within a powerful body.

Since it was developing the hidden potential of the human body, it had the most extensive combat power. Overall, cultivating Covert Martial Arts was optimal, followed by the unstable but powerful sacred spring and Soul Power. The various arcane energies would come next; but those who only cultivated one origin of the Threefold Gate were very extreme. However, arcane energy users could reach profound attainments by cultivating a single gate to their extreme, which was something even powerful Covert Martial Arts Practitioners couldn't match.

For example, just now, Rose displayed the power of a White Dazzling illusionist. The moment she activated the illusionary space, the Ghost Knight rushing from afar instantly froze in place, posing in a dynamic running posture as his great axe halted in mid-air. Its entire figure was like a statue and its pupils were already dim.

Obviously, its consciousness had been dragged into the illusionary space.

Snap.

Rose snapped her fingers, her right hand swiftly formed a new hand seal, and finally uttered another corresponding syllable. The Ghost Knight's aura immediately fell and its pupils lost its luster.

Although it's dusk now and the light in the castle corridor is quite dim, my Rose Space can still exert over seventy percent of its effect. This dark creature has already lost its ability to move since its consciousness has been dragged into the illusionary space. In another five to ten seconds, its consciousness will completely sink, and this dark creature's body will die as well... Rose thought to herself.

Dealing with this dark creature that was one rank lower than herself was still easy for her. The sky was about to get dark so they needed to finish the battle before nightfall. Otherwise, the dark creatures would become active, with heightened killing intent. Combined with how the darkness hindered vision, White Aster might not gain any advantage even if he was a master of illusions.

"Master White Aster, we..." Rose was just about to urge him on when suddenly she heard galloping hoofbeats from the end of the path ahead. They had evidently been attracted by the previous Ghost Knight's movements.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Four or five figures leaped around the corner in quick succession. They all looked like heavily armored knights, sprinting at full speed like small cars.

The gravel on the ground was shaking. The tips of their weapons scraped against the walls, sparking a trail of fire.

"Twilight Rose!" Rose stepped forward, her fingers tracing afterimages in front of her chest while uttering a dozen syllables in a special rhythm. It almost sounded like singing.

Her hand seals flew rapidly, fingers intertwining into various complex gestures. This was seemingly a foundational technique that required long practice. An even stronger mental fluctuation unfolded with the illusion.

She was about to drag the four or five Ghost Knights emitting ghostly blue smoke into the illusion. Unexpectedly, two more Ghost Knights burst out from the corner, standing four meters tall and emitting blue light. This time, the two knights were akin to White Dazzling Hunters.

Rose inwardly cried, Not good!

Her illusionary space shattered and backfired. Too many enemy consciousnesses had been dragged in at once. Especially when she tried to drag in two of the same level as her, it caused the illusionary space to collapse.

Moreover, these two blue Ghost Knights were much stronger than ordinary dark creatures of the same level, leading to the backlash. Blood trickled out of the corner of her eye. Rose felt dizzy and was about to warn Cassius when she vaguely heard a roar.

It was the shriek of a strange raptor, piercing like metal tearing stone.

Cassius stood motionless like a statue in the darkness. Behind him, a massive blood-red figure leaped out. Its ferocious and enormous wings instantly enveloped most of the corridor. A head as big as a truck opened its massive mouth and snapped down.

It bit off the upper half of a Ghost Knight in one bite. The heavy and ancient armor was torn like paper as blood spurted wildly from the fleshy stump. The remaining half of the horse body continued to canter forward a bit longer before collapsing.

The fierce bird opened and closed its massive beak twice; its blood-red pupils were like searchlights as greed and a thirst for blood filled them.

It let out two harsh caws, then opened its blood-red mouth again. It was so red it seemed to drip blood, and a huge suction force emerged.

As it sucked in the air, the three centaurs couldn't stabilize themselves. Their three-meter-tall bodies were forcibly dragged into the raptor’s black-hole-like mouth.

The sound of metal and bones crunching and shattering could be heard. Blood spattered like a fountain from the gaps of the bird's beak.

"!!!"

The remaining two blue Ghost Knights, who had barely stabilized themselves, were terrified and fled frantically back the way they came. However, the terrifying sound of compressed air bursting sounded behind them. It was the neck of the Blood Vulture contracting like a spring!

With a snap, the two knights, along with half a building, were swallowed. The bite was incredibly smooth, and a huge "U"-shaped indentation appeared on the marble wall. Stone debris fell down.

Not far away, Rose rubbed her eyes. She looked from the blood-colored giant bird feasting in the ruins to Cassius, who hadn't made any moves.

Her expression gradually twisted. Deep inside, it was as if a voice was screaming.

That's a damn illusion?! It can even swallow buildings in one bite! Even the master of illusions in the organization isn't this outrageous! Theoretically, this is impossible!