Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 486 - They’re Demons!

Fierce winds swept through in the spacious courtyard as crimson mist coiled in the air. When everything settled, a man whose half-body burned like flames stood next to Nine Serpents. A wild grin still lingered on his face, revealing stark white teeth that curved and sharpened like a beast's fangs.

The gale had pulled down the hood covering Nine Serpents' head. A striking woman's face was revealed, though her pupils were as cold as a viper's, and black hair writhed atop her head like frenzied serpents. Every strand radiated an intense aura of peril.

The bearded man stood rigidly in place, not daring to move a muscle. The personnel before him from the Dark Hunter Organization hardly seemed like upright humans. If anything, those two captains looked more terrifying than the Blood Race and carried an aura more like monsters... They exuded a latent, extreme kind of rage and mania.

Precisely because he sensed their aura, the bearded man remained rooted to the spot like a wooden post. He stood quietly while Nine Serpents and the Fog Man exchanged a few short remarks, then watched them turn around and lead the main force away.

Two minutes later, the courtyard was empty once again, leaving him alone in the corner. A light breeze brushed his back with a subtle chill. Only then did the bearded man exhale in relief, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

Moments earlier, there had been two instances when he believed he was finished. The first was when Nine Serpents glared at him, demanding to know if he intended to compete with the Treatment Ward for prey; the other was when those maniacal, unrestrained laughs had echoed from the skies and the man wreathed in dreadful, bloody mist had descended like a demon.

The oppression he felt in those two moments had been nearly unbearable. He had once confronted a high-ranking Blood Race head-on over a decade ago, in a battle where the elite team of Mercury Hunters he belonged to was nearly wiped out.

If not for one of the elders among the Mercury Hunters voluntarily holding them back, the bearded man would never have survived. Even now, that blood-soaked night from over ten years before still haunted him like a dreadful nightmare.

Yet in this very moment, the bearded man realized that, compared to those two who had just been present, that high-ranking Blood Race being of old came up short, both in aura and sheer intimidation.

Those two had nearly suffocated him with their mere presence. He had needed a full three minutes to recover from that terrified state.

He gazed at the gateway through which those figures in black had departed. "If those two are already that formidable, then how powerful must the Director of the Treatment Ward they revere be..."

His mouth felt parched as wild imaginings filled his mind, but he quickly remembered that the Treatment Ward had no desire to join forces with them and was instead preparing to assault Count Bain's manor alone. He needed to report this swiftly to the elders and let the senior Mercury Hunters with their wealth of experience make a decision.

A small town of white-brick buildings stood in the outskirts of Bright Mountain City.

"You're telling me they've already acted on their own and have no wish to cooperate with us? Why would that be? We share the same enemy. Would it not be better to unite our strength to defeat the Blood Race?" In a roomy courtyard, a short, emaciated elder furrowed his brow.

He wore a gray cloth outfit similar to training attire. His hair was dried and graying, and wrinkles covered his face. Only his eyes still carried a deep, pure shade of blue, and he had a massive blade designed for cleaving horses strapped behind him.

The blade's body was so large and heavy that it nearly equaled the elder's own frame. At first glance, one could not help but worry about the old man's back.

Standing opposite the elder, the bearded man shook his head. "Their captains told us not to fight them for prey..."

"What nonsense is that?!" The elder flared up at once. "They think they can secure victory on their own? Do they think taking out a few branch line Blood Race in Bright Mountain City means anything? Count Bain's manor is a whole different beast; they’re secretly aligned with Alphama direct bloodline Blood Race in the Alphama Mountains. There are mid-tier and even high-ranking Blood Race within!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, convinced those people in black were too arrogant.

"They're charging in without a plan or sense of timing. How completely foolish. I can already picture the bloodbath awaiting them at Count Bain's manor." The elder sighed. "I thought they might be good allies, but they're turning out to be overconfident hotheads. What a shame... Regardless, this was the best opportunity in decades to attack Count Bain's manor. They've already paved the way, so there's no reason we shouldn't follow. This battle had to be waged without further delay. Time is not on our side..."

"Elder Wind Blade, I must report one thing. When I came into contact with them just now, I felt the intimidation those two captains gave off was on par with that of a high-ranking Blood Race. Maybe their strength shouldn't be underestimated..." Unable to hold back, the bearded man spoke quickly, honestly relaying his information.

"High-ranking Blood Race? Do you think that level of expert grows on trees, to have two show up at once? Though our Mercury Hunter clan doesn't have a great intelligence network, we still know about the Dark Hunter Organization and the Hunters' Association. If you want to handle a high-ranking Blood Race, you at least need one of those Shadow Hunters from the Hunters' Association. We've learned from the government that these people in black belong to the Treatment Ward, a division under the Hunters' Association. Didn't you say earlier that those two captains addressed someone as the Director of the Treatment Ward? That means they're subordinate to the Treatment Ward. You're telling me these two gave off more pressure than a high-ranking Blood Race? Could the Treatment Ward possibly have two Shadow Hunters beneath it..." The elder nicknamed Wind Blade shook his head.

Clearly, as a senior of the blue-eyed tribe, he had some knowledge of matters in the supernatural realm, enough to deduce which branch of the Dark Hunter Organization Nine Serpents and the Fog Man belonged to.

Elder Wind Blade paused briefly, then continued, "Never mind that for now. Quickly go and inform Elder Serpent Arrow. Tell him to bring out everything we've prepared..."

The bearded man opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, merely nodding.

Five minutes later, Mercury Hunters gathered in the town's square.

"One hundred bottles of refined blood, five hundred bottles of mercury, three thousand Blood Race–piercing arrows, black-gold daggers, spiral-edged beheading blades..." The gaunt elder walked slowly among them, ticking off each piece of equipment with his finger. "Also Mercury Thorn shrapnel grenades, large mechanized crossbows..."

Elder Wind Blade finished listing a plethora of gear, a faint confidence kindling in his heart.

His gaze swept across the many younger Mercury Hunters, all lined up neatly, and he nodded in approval. "Excellent. The chance to destroy Count Bain's manor is finally here today. Everyone, gear up at once. Elder Serpent Arrow and I will lead the charge in a full-on assault on the count's manor..."

Rustle, rustle...

A large group of Mercury Hunters with deep-blue eyes sprang into motion. They were like hounds unleashed at last.

***

A manor was nestled in the hills in the outskirts of Bright Mountain City. Several smooth dirt roads converged on that cluster of grayish-black buildings, resembling thick arteries around a heart, with Count Bain's manor serving as the heart itself.

A handsome young noble with pale skin sat at a table within the main hall inside the manor in a refined manner, enjoying a meal and dressed in a classic noble outfit. Delicate white lace adorned his sleeves, collar, and even his chest, and the hem of his pristine shirt was traced with conspicuous gold filigree.

Clink, hiss...

His pale fingers gripped the metal knife and fork to slice the meat, revealing sickly blue-black veins writhing faintly beneath his skin. A portion of meat, half-raw and still streaked with blood, was sliced free.

The young noble picked up a nearby goblet filled with a thick, scarlet fluid that was likely blood and poured it over the piece of meat, soaking it thoroughly. He stirred it with his fork, lifted the meat, and put it into his mouth to chew.

He nodded and smiled with sharp, protruding fangs, then raised his head to signal his subordinate to report.

"Your Lordship, those feeble Mercury Hunters have been acting out again lately. They abruptly sent quite a few elite hunters into Bright Mountain City yesterday. Meanwhile, many Blood Race disguised as human collectors lost contact with us. It was probably the Mercury Hunters' doing. We've sent someone to investigate, and we'll have news soon..." A middle-aged Blood Race in a butler's uniform spoke at his side.

"Hmph. Those feeble pests buzz around like flies and have been plotting to topple my manor for decades. Yet they still act like tortoises with their heads stuck in their shells, too timid to strike. They think I'm unaware they plan to ambush me the moment they find some flaw. How foolish. I'm starting to grow bored. Perhaps I should reveal a weakness and lure them into an attack. Then I can eliminate their entire fighting force at once and be done with these irritations..." Count Bain sneered, showing utter disdain for the Mercury Hunter clan. He had long treated Bright Mountain and Mirror Lake City as his personal domain.

"Yes, Your Lordship." The butler bowed his head in reply.

Count Bain chuckled once more and sipped from the goblet of thick, crimson fluid. Then he took out a palm-sized rectangular box from inside his coat. It was neither quite metal nor quite wood, sporting a matte sheen akin to metal. Its surface was abnormally smooth, with no visible gap. It seemed like a metal block produced in some industrial age.

When he placed it on the table where the sunlight struck it, the angled side shimmered with a strange, beguiling hue that carried an oddly compelling allure. Count Bain watched greedily, rubbing the box's surface with his finger.

He did not know why, but this legendary antique collected by his subordinates held an uncanny power over him, even as a Blood Race. He felt the need to keep it close at all times, playing with it day after day, intoxicated by its forbidden essence.

He referred to the object as a magic box, presented to him five years ago by another Blood Race under his command. He adored it, carried it at all times, and occasionally studied the box's properties because he was convinced there was nothing ordinary about it.

Sadly, he had discovered nothing of note in the five years since. Still, it served well as a collectible relic. On a side note, the Blood Race who offered him the box had called it a "cursed box." All its previous owners had died unnatural, gruesome deaths, as though subjected to a dire curse.

However, Count Bain paid no heed. He was not some fragile human but a powerful Blood Race adept with formidable immortality. No curse or mishap, he believed, could ever kill him so horribly. It was unthinkable. He intended to hold onto the magic box until he uncovered its secrets.

In front of the dining table, Count Bain fondled the smooth surface of the box for a moment, then sipped more of his bloodwine, staining his lips crimson.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—boom, boom, boom!

Suddenly, the outer wall of the structure shook repeatedly, as if struck from afar by something akin to artillery shells. They pummeled the wall, accompanied by the crisp crack of bone snapping and abruptly cut-off shrieks.

With a whistle, another projectile came hurtling in, punching straight through the wall!

Boom!

The ornate wall collapsed, scattering fragments of brick and stone. A mangled figure crashed onto the building's plush carpet. Half of its body had been torn away, spilling entrails onto the floor. Judging by the look of it, it might have been bitten in two by a giant python.

"What in the world?!" Count Bain, no longer able to keep his composure, sprang to his feet by the table and hurried to the fallen figure, sensing his subordinate was still alive.

"M-My Lord... an ene... enemy raid... b-be careful..." The Blood Race's vitality drained away entirely. The energy in its body fully depleted, leaving no chance to divulge more information.

"Damn it! Some force actually dared attack my manor!" Count Bain seethed with rage. Beside him, the butler dashed toward the entrance to investigate what lay outside.

Creak!

The door opened, and a blast of crimson gale surged inside.

The butler froze like a puppet, hand still on the doorknob. However, his palm was stripped of flesh, leaving only a pale skeleton. No, it wasn't just his arm—his entire body had become a hollow skeleton.

His flesh had been ripped away in an instant by that gale, as though he had been sliced apart by countless blades in a fraction of a second.

"Rosa? Rosa! Damn it!" Count Bain was about to rush over when the entire building quaked violently as the howling roar of a tornado came from beyond the walls.

It seemed as though a colossal creature had slammed into the outer walls, devouring everything in its path.

In the blink of an eye, daylight vanished. A thick, dark red mist surrounded the windows, echoing with screams punctuated by the sound of ravenous flesh-tearing.

"Aaaargh!" "No!" "Run!" "We can't get away..." Their cries grew weaker and fewer until they ceased completely.

Count Bain's hair stood on end, and an intense sense of danger compelled him two steps back, his spine pressing against the edge of the table. In alarm, he turned his head, gaze landing on one corner of the room. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

It was a massive floor-to-ceiling window. Yet now, a hideous face covering the entire glass laughed maniacally, its bloody mist contorting like flame. Two deranged eyes locked firmly on the table next to Bain.

It was as though it beheld some priceless treasure.

Bang!

The giant face of blood mist shattered the glass, forcing its way inside. Its gaping maw revealed a mass of rotting flesh and severed limbs not yet fully digested.

"Found it! Found it! Hahahahahaha..." The massive bloody visage let out an earsplitting laugh that shook the entire building to its foundations, nearly bringing it down. "The Kupan Demon Box is right here!"

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