Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 702 - I Am The True King Of Golems

Chapter 702 - I Am The True King Of Golems
Screech!
A savage cry shook the world as it glided swiftly across the heavens. A streak of red light stretched a long narrow line across the sky as it shot toward Xiadu's back. This was the second stage of Blood Rainbow Piercing Kill, and also Blood Vulture's fastest strike. It had enough power to blast straight through all of Yakasen Island.
Scarlet Qi condensed into a sharp beak dripping blood, drilling through the air with piercing sharpness. Yet unlike in previous clashes when Xiadu's true body would counter with a palm or even dodge, this time it did nothing. Its back remained exposed to Blood Vulture Dominator Fist.
"I would never waste this fleeting moment! Golem Armor! Blood Sun Blade!"
In an instant, a massive phantom similar to Cassius's Golem form enveloped Xiadu. The black phantom Golem stood clad in a withered armor that resembled wood yet was immensely thick. It was the true form of the Ultimate Dark Form, the Golem!
Clang!
At that moment, Blood Vulture Dominator Fist became a streak of crimson light and struck the phantom Golem. The strike screamed like a high-speed drill forcing its way through an ironwood trunk.
Boom!
Flames swelled, and an explosion erupted. Spear and shield both shattered in an instant, yet the remnants of the spear still retained some penetrative force. Blood Vulture Dominator Fist slammed into Xiadu's true body, leaving a massive, narrow scarlet claw mark.
Though wounded, Xiadu laughed wildly.
"Hahahaha!"
The Golem's defense ranked supreme among the top ten Ultimate Dark Forms. Yet even when Xiadu borrowed the defense of the Golem, it was still injured by Blood Vulture Dominator Fist. However, Xiadu now had a chance to counterattack. It believed that the Blood Sun Blade, ranked among the top three for destructive might, exceeded the might of Blood Vulture.
He had long known that Cassius possessed a technique to imitate the Golem's physique. It was akin to the ancient Holy Fists who simulated Ultimate Dark Forms to create Covert Martial Arts that enhanced one’s physique. Thus, Cassius's defense had to be strong, perhaps even peerless among all Holy Fists.
But could a clumsy imitator truly surpass the original Golem? Even the true Golem Armor could not withstand the second stage of Blood Rainbow Piercing Kill. How then could a mere imitation endure the far more powerful Blood Sun Blade? Even if it failed to kill Cassius, it would grievously wound him and interrupt his breakthrough!
Xiadu's excitement surged to its peak as the calamity around its hand boiled like magma. It gripped the blade with five fingerclaws lined with countless monstrous fangs and slashed downward.
Screech!
Blood Vulture Dominator Fist saw Xiadu endure the second stage of Blood Rainbow Piercing Kill and continue to strike at Cassius. He immediately forced himself into the third stage.
"Too late, Blood Vulture! The Southern Dipper lineage will all die by my hand!"
Xiadu accelerated unnaturally as it unleashed yet another ability. The Blood Sun Blade surged down and struck Cassius.
Clang!
A colossal clash of metal reverberated, making all of Yakasen Island quake. Cracks split the earth, spewing black mud. The sound wave resonated across the sky.
Explosive flames engulfed Cassius's meditating figure, as he was bathed in extreme heat and corrosive energy.
"This... this doesn't feel right!!!"
A terrible premonition gripped Xiadu as the Blood Sun Blade in its hand collapsed after spending all its power, leaving only the hilt. It had no chance to strike Cassius a second time. An unearthly wind dispersed the flames and black smoke, revealing a figure seated cross-legged in a crater of magma.
His hands were still clasped, as steady as a mountain. The only difference was that Cassius was now shrouded in the phantom of a colossal Golem body. Half-kneeling with one fist to the ground and arms closed protectively, its broad back had clearly borne Xiadu's strike. The steel cloak was torn and deep slash marks cut across its armor.
"Blocked?! How?!" Xiadu could clearly see that the Blood Sun Blade had been stopped by the Golem's armor. "You... what kind of Golem is this?! How could a mere imitation have a stronger defense than the true Golem?"
The kneeling Golem phantom was visibly larger, more robust, and more domineering than the one Xiadu had summoned. The size difference was obvious. It was at least one and a half to two times greater. Moreover, Xiadu's Golem was black, grim, and covered in jointed spikes like a beetle.
However, the phantom shielding Cassius had lines of elegance and dominance within its brutality. Its heavy armor was silver, with a bone-metal texture of extreme hardness, unlike the withered ironwood armor. Some of the spikes along its plates had been replaced by both divine and evil black flames. A broad steel cloak draped across its back, radiating cold strength.
The normal Golem looked like a mere soldier while Cassius was clearly the commander. Cassius remained motionless like a cold statue with his eyes closed, but his domineering Will quaked violently.
"Heheheh...
What you borrowed is the real imitation! A true Golem should be like this!"
"Did Annihilation Disaster and the Totem King not tell you? Even when they went all out, they still couldn't break my Golem's defense!
Hahaha...
I am the true king of the Golems! From now on, Golems will be defined and ruled by me!"
Cassius's Will roared like a dragon, shaking heaven and earth.
Bang!
A shocked Xiadu was struck by the leaping Blood Vulture Dominator Fist. The two clashed, turning into a crimson rainbow streak across the heavens before crashing into a mountain range. The range was instantly destroyed as they gouged out a long rift valley.
"Scram!"
Boom!
The earth exploded as a crimson light was blasted into the stratosphere. Xiadu leaped out of the ruptured glow with deep gashes marking its arm.
It had taken the full brunt of the second stage of Blood Rainbow Piercing Kill and half of the third stage. It had evidently paid a great price. The wound would certainly affect Xiadu's plan of opening the Gates of Heaven. The near-certain unsealing ritual was now riddled with complications.
"Damn it... damn it all! Blood Vulture, you and Golem Sect's master both deserve death! Hindering my grand plan like this, a million deaths would not suffice!"
Xiadu realized it had miscalculated. The Golem Sect's master had kept a trump card hidden. It had thought a fully recovered Blood Vulture Dominator Fist serving as a protector was already an extravagant trump card. It had never expected Cassius to also have a silver Golem protecting him. Furthermore, its body was even stronger than the true Golem!
Xiadu could not defeat Cassius with only one-third of its seal undone. By its estimate, wounding Cassius would require at least three of the top ten Ultimate Dark Forms acting in concert. Those beings would also need to be at their peak and battling at full force.
Xiadu's thoughts raced as it analyzed the situation. "In the World of Calamity, only the True Progenitor of Blood, the Totem King, and Annihilation Disaster have ever reached perfected power. Not to mention, Annihilation Disaster only emerged in the last century... That means, as of now, Golem Sect's master could dominate the World of Calamity with his body alone! Even I must unlock two or three seals before I can suppress him. With only one, I cannot..."
Cassius could no longer be a target. His diamond-hard shell would take too long to crack open, especially with Blood Vulture lurking nearby. The only recourse was to quickly open the remaining two Gates of Heaven. It had to fully unseal itself, let the other two parts return, and restore its Well of Sin state. Then, neither Blood Vulture nor Cassius would matter. Overwhelming calamity would devour all!
Xiadu leaped skyward toward the altar. "With the second calamity tide descending, the rift between worlds must already be open. The Totem King and Annihilation Disaster will answer my call and come to the surface world. I'll leave Blood Vulture to them..."
Cassius had said earlier that his Golem defense remained unbroken even when he fought both the Totem King and Annihilation Disaster. Xiadu knew nothing of this, for it had spent decades erasing White Bird's burning marks and paid no heed to the World of Calamity. If it had known, it would have demanded details instead of wasting time on Cassius as it had. However, it didn't matter. Once the Gates of Heaven opened, resistance would be futile!
Yakasen Island was completely split into pieces. On the largest remaining piece, Cassius sat cross-legged in a sea of solidified magma. His aura briefly subsided, and returned to calm. With a sudden hot exhale, the final star of the second stage lit up.
Xiadu's strike had, in truth, placed him under great pressure. The inner breakthrough of Three Fists as One was already perilous. Even the slightest distraction could have led to his destruction. Fortunately, his mutated Golem was monstrous enough to defend him. Blood Vulture's constant pressure had also forced Xiadu to retreat.
"Xiadu must be going to open the Gates of Heaven now... I must begin the final stage of Three Fists as One!"
Whoosh!
A crimson meteor suddenly fell from the clouds. The radiance dispersed, revealing Blood Vulture Dominator Fist. He landed beside Cassius and said, "Xiadu has gone to open the Gates of Heaven's seals. I did not follow to interfere. I just sensed two calamity auras with perfected power crossing over."
"It's likely the Totem King and Annihilation Disaster. Xiadu has summoned them." Cassius spoke, reaching out to seize one of the three floating tomes before him.
The Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist. The foundation had been set, so the true fusion could begin. The third and final stage of Three Fists as One had begun!
"Blood Vulture, don't concern yourself with Xiadu. Focus on guarding me and wait for the moment my Three Fists as One is complete. That is what matters most! Forget all else. If Xiadu wishes to open the Gates of Heaven, let it release its body... Afterward, I will..."
With a
crack
, Cassius's beast-like teeth bit through the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist. The scarlet fragments falling from his lips looked like flowing blood.
"
Heheheh
, I've consumed it!!!"
Meanwhile, countless black-robed figures stood silently awaiting their leader's arrival at the altar. Blood pooled into lakes and bones piled into mountains.
A black streak cut through the clouds and appeared atop the bone mountain in a flash. Several Arcane Stone Tablets floated on the altar, spinning at high speed and radiating a resonance that tugged at the world itself. Xiadu, a humanoid shadow of black smoke, hovered above the altar.
"A thousand years of labor has finally borne fruit..."
All the Gate Organization members encircling it bowed together. Only one deputy leader stepped forward, carrying two crystal caskets with utmost deference, offering them to Xiadu. A black smoke hand seized the caskets and smashed them hard upon the altar.
Glowing Gate Fragments spilled out, dissolving like sugar in water as soon as they touched the air. A terrifying pillar of energy shot into the sky.
Rumble...
Heaven and earth quaked deep in the void of the world. Two white stone gates emerged slowly like ink spreading. For a moment, holy hymns echoed across the world.
"Fleshly shell, spirit bearer's light, supreme essence..."
At the top of the pillar, a shadow of black smoke radiated a dreadful aura. Xiadu spread its arms, as if to crush the entire world.
"The time of harvest has come!"