Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 652 - I Will Destroy!

At night, the mountain ranges undulated like black giant dragons entrenched upon the earth. They entwined and clustered until they became one. Shadows dappled as the night deepened. Silhouettes of the mountains, forest, and jagged boulders loomed in the dark, stirring a sense of mystery. From the ground, the peaks stabbed into the sky as if trying to puncture a heavy black curtain.

"Is the military ready?" A tall man in gray asked in a commanding voice. Even shrouded in the hazy moonlight, his burly, powerful build could not be concealed. He was dressed in a hunter-like outfit that outlined his bulging muscles.

On his right hand, a dark ring with a carving in the shape of a cross sword stood out.

It was the Chief Mechanist’s, Dixie, badge of identity.

"Preparations are complete. In a few minutes, a bomber squadron will head for the Lotak mining area. According to General Romeo, who's fully supporting this operation, they'll drop hundreds of tons of explosives. Unfortunately, the Gate Organization seems to be conducting some kind of ritual so their personnel aren’t densely clustered. The destructive effect of the bombs can't be maximized..." A blond man behind the Chief Mechanist spoke.

His name was Andrea, head of Special Affairs, and nicknamed the Golden Sun. His appearance fit his moniker, with handsome, deep-set features, lustrous blond hair, and a contagiously confident charisma.

Andrea was second or third in strength within the Black Ops Agency. He was a strong contender to be the next Chief Mechanist.

"Having fire support is good enough. We can't ask for too much. In all my years leading the organization, this is the first time I've seen such a massive gathering of the Gate Organization. It's an exceedingly rare opportunity. Hundreds of tons of explosives should make the Gate Organization pay dearly. After all, not every core member of the Gate Organization is at the General Kings' level..."

The Chief Mechanist spoke of seizing the chance, yet his tone grew grave at mention of the six General Kings. Those six were infamous across the globe, each strong enough to sweep a region alone.

Though the Black Ops Agency had emptied their nest, only two could truly contend with a General King. Granted, if lives were at stake, they might muster a third. First was the Chief Mechanist, the Black Sword Dixie. The second was the Golden Sun Andrea, head of Special Affairs.

If Reaper Amos and Wild Hunt Anthony joined forces and went all-out, they might be able to hold off one more opponent. Especially if Amos could activate his technique to the fullest.

As for other high-ranking Black Ops Agency elites, Red Hound Glen, Ten Command Gun Yuma, and Meditator Rod, they were a tier lower. Their foes would be Gate Organization members rather than the General Kings.

"This time, the Gate Organization is acting with impunity. It's not just our Black Ops Agency. The United States of Yana can't sit still either. Their Steel Knights’ top combat strength mirrors ours. For example, they have Knight Commander, Ghost Serpent Knight, and Skull Knight. If we join forces, plus fire support, it's not impossible to fight the Gate Organization. The one thing to watch out for is the deputy leader. The deputy leader who's been active for decades worldwide, mastermind of more than a dozen major supernatural incidents, and top of the wanted lists in over fifty countries... Holy Fist Skyfall!"

The Chief Mechanist Dixie showed rare dread. Andrea, Anthony, and the others furrowed their brows at the name. Dixie's predecessor as Chief Mechanist had been killed by Holy Fist Skyfall in a brutal encounter. Even his remains had been blasted to powdered fragments.

Holy Fist Skyfall's strength, needless to say, stood at the world's summit. To clash with such a being inspired fear even in the Black Ops Agency and the Steel Knights. Fortunately, the aim of this operation wasn't a fight to the death with the Gate Organization. It was simply to sabotage the Gate Organization's plan.

As long as the Gate Organization's plan failed, the basic objective would be met.

Dixie cautioned them as he led the whole force swiftly through the night.

"We'll play by ear. If necessary, Knight Commander and I will join forces to stall Holy Fist Skyfall. Remember, if it's unfavourable, we will withdraw once our basic objective is met. Don't lose your heads..."

Minutes later, the Black Ops Agency met the Steel Knights in a hollowed valley. The Chief Mechanist looked up to see the Steel Knights armored from head and face, silent and severe.

Some armor looked like clothing that was light and close-fitting, which was a little different from the Chief Mechanist's hunter's garb. Others, especially Knight Commander's, entombed the wearer in heavy black plate. The monstrous warhammer near his own size was strikingly conspicuous on his back. He looked like a brutal tank from an ancient battlefield!

Beneath a silver helm crowned by two demonic horns, a hoarse, aged yet powerful male voice sounded, "Dixie, how do we handle Holy Fist Skyfall?”

Dixie replied, “You and I together should be able to hold him. The Gate Organization must be focusing their attention on their major ritual so they won't be able to send all six General Kings. With resources tied up, it might just be five, four, or even three. In that case, we can fight together. If they go all-out and abandon a half-complete ritual, all the better. We'll withdraw immediately, leaving the Gate Organization with no chance to counterattack..."

The Chief Mechanist's analysis sounded quite feasible.

"So be it... The Gate Organization must pay the price!" Knight Commander's voice rumbled with ironclad resolve. Their feud with the Gate Organization was not shallow. It had been growing since the Steel Knights' founding.

Now, it erupted in full.

Knight Commander and the Chief Mechanist ordered their men forward without hesitation.

"Move out!"

They led their forces toward the Lotak mining area’s core, where the Gate Organization had long since laid out their ritual.

At the same time, a dozen meters away, the lowest point of the Lotak mining area was in a broad basin among the hills, barricaded by peaks. The Gate Organization had used special means to compress the Miracle Garden's range of movement bit by bit over the past week until they had driven it into this narrow trap.

Eerie structures of white bone rose around the basin. They all had hollow openings that dripped blood, which seeped into the soil and blended with the earth. Totem-like dense lines on the ground showed their bloody hue more clearly in the night. They crept inward to cover the whole basin like a spiderweb.

The Gate Organization's ritual had begun at midnight and was about halfway through. One could faintly sense the lines forming a giant bloody eye to mirror the moon above. A black stone altar stood in the center like an iris, casting an eerie violet light on the proceedings.

A structure shaped like a well filled with translucent liquid stood upright in the exact center of the altar. Countless Blue Tear Eyes were inlaid inside the well's body, forming an array. At first, they spun in all directions like living eyeballs but they soon aligned to gaze upward.

There, a steadily spinning stone tablet radiated a mysterious energy. Beside it, a figure watched in silence. He wore a black robe, yet it did not cover him wholly. His naked chest showed bronzed skin crisscrossed with healed scars. As his muscles quivered, the scars blinked like feral eyes.

Long black-and-white hair fell around him, giving him a rugged, fierce brutality like wild grass rooted deep in a desolate desert.

"At last..." He murmured with a sigh and slowly closed his eyes.

Holy Fist Skyfall recalled the leader's promise to him. If he completed the plan for the Miracle Garden, the leader would grant him a chance to touch that ultimate domain! He had dreamed of it for decades and craved that day fiercely.

He was surely heaven's favored genius among the Gate Organization's deputy leaders over the last dozen generations. He possessed not only great power, but the ambition to bear it as well as deep experience and a strong foundation. If not for choosing the wrong path at the start and standing against humanity, he might already have seized the Heart of the Holy Fist and his chance to step into the top realm.

However, what had happened could not be changed. He was, in the end, of the Gate Organization. Holy Fist Skyfall's road was closed and only one other path remained... The path of an Ultimate Dark Form!

Xiadu had promised a chance for a mere human to touch the realm of an Ultimate Dark Form. If he succeeded, he could shed his humanity and truly metamorphose into an Ultimate Dark Creature! In doing so, he would grasp a path to inexhaustible calamity energy... He wanted nothing more than that.

Thus, he was ready to put in one hundred and twenty percent of his efforts for the Miracle Garden operation. Any group obstructing the Gate Organization would be brutally crushed!

The failure of the Hongli Federation's and the Western nations' Black Serum Projects had ruined the Gate Organization's initial objective. He intended to keep the score and make them pay later, even if they too were victims.

Several formidable figures conferred at the altar. Soon, one stepped out to issue orders to the rest.

"Hurry up the flow of corrupted blood. Ignore the trifling loss, just finish as fast as possible..."

As the word spread, a sound rang out in the tranquil sky. Looking up, a long line of black geese seemed to sail across the moon. On closer inspection, it was actually a formation of bombers!

They flew into the night, equipped with dedicated arcane energy users to deliver massive explosives precisely into the basin.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Bombs pelted down like rain and exploded on impact. The thick reek of gunpowder arose instantly. On the altar, Holy Fist Skyfall angrily struck out. Qi roared through him, whipping up a dark-red cyclone. A great red glare swept through the sky, clearing swaths of the falling bombs.

The detonations in midair were like a vast fireworks display. A quarter of the bombs were taken out but the rest still fell. There were too many; even he could not block them all. After all, he was not a true Holy Fist. He lacked even the Heart of the Holy Fist.

Boom...

Brilliant fireworks bloomed across the basin as shockwaves rolled through the basin. The Gate Organization members each employed their arts to withstand the deluge of fire. However, they had to protect the ritual apparatus, so at times they had to just grit their teeth and bear it.

Even a combat artist might have been gravely hurt from hundreds of tons of explosives if they were careless. Soon, many members of the Gate Organization were wounded. Some who were truly unlucky had too many bombs fall at their position and were blown to death on the spot.

Just as the scene lay in chaos, two powerful forces appeared north of the basin and charged in.

The Chief Mechanist and Knight Commander led the vanguard, black sword and giant hammer in hand. Behind them, Reaper Amos, Wild Hunt Anthony, Golden Sun Andrea, Ghost Serpent Knight, and Skull Knight sprinted forward. It was a convergence of the world's strongest combatants!

Tonight, the Gate Organization would pay a grievous price!

On the altar, Holy Fist Skyfall's gray hair whipped around as his face contorted. "Black Ops Agency and Steel Knights... You seek death!"

At almost the same moment, within the Miracle Garden, a vast, hazy horror lifted its head. Its blood-red pupils were like two moons. "So many years... At last it is ending... Lord of Flooding Light... What a nostalgic name, heh..."

At the basin's edge, atop a peak cast in the shadow of a taller mountain, a man sat cross-legged in silence. Only his eyes, deep as an iceberg, watched without joy or sorrow.

Behind him, three phantoms were slowly descending as if from another space. One was red as fire, another holy as light, and the last wreathed in demonic flame. The three powers intertwined and became a tightly clenched fist.

The Thorn Sonic Death Armament had formed. It seemed to await the true descent of a decisive war.

"Whatever emerges from that so-called seal, I will destroy..."