Chapter 563: Chapter 563

The amplification of the platinum sacred marks allowed Death's Fang Force combined with Reverberating Force to turn into Sonic Fang Force, which could scour anything away.

The Sonic Fang Torrent was an astonishingly lethal trump card for Cassius at this stage. It had caused substantial damage even against the Ultimate Dark Form, Pale Origin, proving how vital the sacred marks were. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novęlfire.net

Since the platinum sacred marks could fuse Death's Fang Force with Reverberating Force from the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance, they should naturally work on Thorn Feather Force as well.

Would Death's Fang Force with Thorn Feather Force and Reverberating Force with Thorn Feather Force each create new extreme Forces?

Or might all three forces merge into one? Would that give birth to an ultimate force never seen before?

The Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance had been created to erase immortality; every fist technique had a special force aimed at dark creatures. If Cassius truly fused the three forces into one, he would become the nemesis of every dark creature and the sharpest spear against calamity.

The moving carriage swayed gently as the white curtain fluttered. A breeze drifted in and the curtain fell, covering the window. Cassius stared at the back of his right hand in the dim compartment.

A hundred sacred marks linked together, forming a radiant platinum equilateral triangle. Thirty-three marks layered along each side, and one mark bisected the triangle down the middle.

The sacred spring water of the Dark Hunter Organization and the Soul Power of Black Rain Manor combined formed the Blood of the Spirit. The Blood of the Spirit likely drew its power from the Rune of Life, one of the five foundational runes.

Cassius' platinum sacred marks had reached completion and, as legend claimed, could cycle by themselves inside him. Even when battle drained their energy, they needed no replenishment. The spent power soon restored itself, achieving a state of endless renewal. At least this was true of the fights he had been in since the marks had filled.

Whenever Cassius unleashed Sonic Fang Force or Sonic Fang Torrent, the sacred-mark energy had never waned enough to halt the fusion. Clearly, the cap of a hundred platinum marks was sufficient for now.

"Let's first test Thorn Feather Force with Death's Fang Force..." He sat cross-legged and started the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist and Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist flowing inside him.

Crimson Qi and dense white Qi gushed from his pores, twining slowly into a vortex.

"Platinum sacred marks..." Cassius clenched his fist and triggered the marks' power. Instantly, the meridians of the two fist techniques overlapped.

Blood-red Death's Fang Force rushed downward while Thorn Feather Force, gleaming metallic white, surged as well.

The two collided and, a split second later...

The force exploded and rampaged through Cassius' body. He grunted as blood seeped from his pores, staining his undershirt red. Cassius slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath. It had failed, and his insides had taken considerable damage. Fortunately his Golem physique had tempered even organs and vessels so the issue was minor; he would recover shortly.

"Since that failed, let's try Thorn Feather Force with Reverberating Force."

Five minutes later, Cassius exhaled a hot breath and readied another attempt.

Another dull blast echoed inside; his whole body trembled and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

Outside, Odo, driving the carriage, heard the noise and asked, "My lord, do you have any orders?"

"Nothing." Cassius answered quietly with eyes frighteningly dark.

Another failure. Thorn Feather Force was hard to pair with the other two.

Why? Could it be that only opposing attributes could fuse? Like the two extremes of Red Falcon Fist and Sonic Snake Fist.

Whereas the balanced Waterbird Fist that stood squarely in the middle could not reach equilibrium with either extreme to forge an ultimate force?

Pairing Thorn Feather Force with Death's Fang Force had tipped the scale toward the latter's extremity; the same had happened with Reverberating Force.

Cassius pondered and felt like he was probably on the right path. However, another part might lie in Thorn Feather Force's own traits. Its devouring nature in particular could upset a one-to-one fusion balance.

"Since Thorn Feather Force can't fuse one-on-one, could all three forces together find a new point of balance?"

The idea rose in his mind, and he decided to put it into practice. For safety, Cassius kept his life vibration energy primed. Should anything go wrong, it would pour forth to heal his body continuously. After all, three forces allowed no carelessness.

Ten minutes passed and he had brought himself to peak condition. He lifted the curtain to admit fresh air, then let it fall.

"Here goes... huu..." Cassius breathed out a long plume of white vapor. He pressed his palms together and his consciousness sank inward. All three Southern Dipper fists circulated at once, and a domineering aura rose.

After a crisp crackle, red, violet, and white acupoints lit across his skin in reflection.

Sixty of each, forming a star map of one hundred eighty points!

The three sets of meridians bulged slightly, force flooding through them like a river. It coursed through his body with ferocious momentum.

"Now! Platinum sacred marks!"

All hundred marks on the back of his hand flared like bulbs. In an instant, the dim compartment blazed like daylight. A strange force enveloped Cassius, focusing on his Dantian and the overlapping meridians.

The meridians twisted, spiraling and overlapping until they formed a coil. The three forces clashed savagely.

Cassius exploded—literally! The entire left side of his body split open, blood gushing out as his bones snapped. His whole left arm flew off and slammed into the ceiling. Organs burst with crackling pops, turning the carriage into a hellish scene of gore.

Cassius' eyes were wide, his expression shocked. His stare was hollow, fixed on nothing. Within a hazy darkness where up and down had reversed in chaos, a glowing object drew his gaze.

What was that? It looked like a weapon. An odd, savage, brutal weapon.

Though he could not say why, Cassius felt like it was ferocious and cruel. His eyes were deeply ensnared, lured by this weapon of uncanny workmanship. He felt the thing ahead was a hundred thousand times more beautiful and alluring than any earthly goddess. It was downright irresistible, setting him ablaze with craving.

He wanted only to extend a hand to stroke its eerie patterns, bloodthirsty grooves, and sharp spikes. The moment he thought about it, he acted without hesitation. In the boundless darkness, Cassius lunged forward and seized the glowing weapon!

All at once, endless brutal thoughts, lust for destruction, and murderous intent poured into his mind. In that moment, he learned the weapon's true name!

"Thorn Sonic Death Armament."

The glowing weapon shattered into light. Cassius' final fleeting glimpse branded itself into his memory. The weapon remained vague in outline, seemingly unfinished. Only the very tip appeared tangible, metallic and colored. The rest was a black-and-white silhouette that seemed faintly sketched out in the darkness.

Clearly Cassius was still far from mastering it.

"Thorn Sonic Death Armament... Thorn Sonic Death Armament..." He muttered, his mind wavering.

Only after a long while did he recover. "This is an accursed weapon. Perhaps a demonic weapon. Such extremes of slaughter and malice are not normal... Perfect, it suits me! A match made in heaven!"

Cassius bared a grim smile, demonic aura rolling off him. A second later, his awareness returned to the carriage interior. Immediately, searing pain flooded his body like a tide.

Even Cassius' mountain-like body quivered as his impassive face twitched. He glanced at the bloody cross-section of his left side, then at the severed arm lodged in the ceiling. "Ah, my arm's gone. Merging three Southern Dipper Forces does bring heavy consequences..."

"My lord!" Odo, in the guise of an elegant youth with gold-rimmed spectacles, yanked the door open in alarm. He had clearly heard the commotion. A stench of blood rushed out as gobbets of flesh clung to the carriage walls, tangled with white bone shards.

Cassius sat cross-legged amid the mess. He looked a pitiful sight with half his body nearly blown away. Even his handsome face was cracked and oozing blood.

"M-my lord!" Odo gasped, never having seen Cassius so ravaged.

"It's fine. A small mishap in practice. Drive on. We're at the head of the convoy; let's not delay the others..." Cassius' almost-split mouth moved slowly, issuing the calm order. He remained expressionless, as though his grievous wounds were trivial. His black pupils were like cold deep pools, revealing that he was currently using the Cold Persona.

"But, My lord..." Odo began. Yet every word died under Cassius' icy stare, and he only answered, "Yes."

He closed the door gently and resumed driving. Inside, Cassius quietly let life vibration energy run through his body and trigger rapid regeneration.

Coupled with the Golem Covert Martial Arts' superb healing, his ruined body rebuilt itself at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"Huu..." Cassius opened his eyes again, black pupils shifting back to blue.

The weapon's hazy image kept flashing through his mind. He lowered his gaze to the back of his right hand. The hundred marks that had shone like bulbs were now dim. They sank beneath the skin as if overloaded. A brief sense told him that all his sacred-mark energy had been spent at once.

A hundred platinum marks sufficed to fuse Reverberating Force and Death's Fang Force, yet they were a drop in the bucket for merging all three Southern Dipper forces. Clearly, the weapon born of Reverberating Force, Death's Fang Force, and Thorn Feather Force was unimaginably powerful. The greater the expenditure, the harder the fusion, and the resulting might would be unprecedented.

His resolve hardened. He had to obtain the Thorn Sonic Death Armament!

Cassius' eyes glinted as he lowered his hand. The depletion of the marks mattered not; he could feel their power building again; it only needed time.

The platinum marks stemmed from the Rune of Life. Both sacred spring water and Soul Power apparently drew on that rune's strength yet their sources seemed to come from broken runes.

Such was the truth of the Dark Hunter Organization and likely of Black Rain Manor. Would combining them yield a complete rune? If he could acquire the full Rune of Life, perhaps he could fully forge the Thorn Sonic Death Armament.

Of course, his body would need further strengthening to wield it. The weapon had formed only a tiny tip, yet it had grievously wounded him on the spot. Were it to manifest wholly inside him, he might die instantly. Even the Golem body could not save him.

Would raising his flesh to Ultimate Dark Form level suffice? Could he then barely control the armament?

Cassius speculated inwardly with slight unease. He did not know if Ultimate Dark Form was adequate. However, he was certain that level was the minimal threshold. Any lower and he would be deemed unqualified.

One touch of the weapon might cause an explosion...

"The road is long... Very long indeed..." As Cassius sighed, the black convoy rolled toward East Sea City.

Midway, they rested for several hours in a coastal city. Cassius stepped out from the carriage fully healed, washed, and wearing fresh clothes.

Odo breathed easier yet chided himself. His faith in the Director was still lacking. That moment of well-intended worry was no different from doubting the Director's strength. Next time, Odo resolved, he would not doubt, he would believe first!

Several days later, in Kafka Hall of East Sea City.

In a rather luxurious chamber, an oval table draped in gold cloth was ringed by orderly dark-red chairs occupied by the masters of great sects. At the table's apex stood a tall seat of violet-gold, carved in ornate patterns. A powerful figure in black silently sat there.

"Today marks the formal founding of the Golem Sect alliance! The Golem Sect houses nearly a hundred Covert Martial Arts and Secret Techniques and welcomes disciples of every style. Members may freely borrow the arts they need, and the sect will serve as a platform for exchange..." Cassius, clad in black, spoke in a deep, forceful voice.

His oppressive gaze swept every face in the hall before he withdrew it. After a brief pause, he continued, "Now, any Covert Martial Arts sect willing to cooperate with the Golem Sect, please raise your hand..."

Swish swish swish swish... swish swish swish swish...

In an instant, the masters of all sects lifted their arms, forming a dense forest of hands. They looked like a lush grove swaying in the breeze.

"Heheheh..." Cassius chuckled softly, the corners of his mouth curling in pleased satisfaction.