Returning to the Mysterious Era
Chapter 525 - Golem Versus Whale

Chapter 525 - Golem Versus Whale

His words were utterly blunt. His calm, detached tone carried a powerful confidence, as though he were stating a fact.

And that fact, in the next moment, was bound to happen!

Arlington froze for an instant. He had thought himself proud, yet this man named Cassius surpassed him.

"You already think you've won before the fight even starts?" A trace of imperiousness flashed between Arlington's brows as he grew angry. "Only fists can show whose strength is real..."

"Hehehe." Cassius laughed softly,

A terrifying aura circled him, one even more domineering than Arlington's. His Qi gushed outward invincibly, moving in every direction.

This was the bearing of the Dominator Fist!

He looked at Arlington and said, "I did not expect to meet another on the same road. I will take you seriously..."

Cassius spoke sincerely, yet Whale King Arlington narrowed his eyes in wariness. This mysterious strongman was also walking the path of the Dominator Fist!

When two Dominator Fists met, it was the cruellest thing of all. Once one of them lost, everything he had would become nourishment for the other's growth! The victor would increase their strength, his will firmer, ever more confident he was the sole overlord!

The loser's strength would stall, leaving a longing he could never shake off. It would ceaselessly hinder his rise in strength like an illness that plagued the heart. Walking the path of the Dominator Fist meant never encountering setbacks, frustrations, or ups and downs.

What they needed was to be invincible and undefeated, advancing and smashing like a spear until they stood atop the mountaintop overlooking all beneath!

Put simply—invincible, invincible, ever invincible!

Whale King Arlington had always done exactly that. After sweeping through the United States of Yana's Covert Martial Arts community to become its number one, he crossed the seas to challenge Hongli with just that mindset.

Yet when Arlington felt satisfied having gained the result he desired, a tyrant who was likewise an extreme combat artist appeared! The two were destined to clash. But better today than some other day. Here and now, they would decide supremacy!

Whoosh!

Arlington stamped the ground, his whole body blurring into a huge shadow and shooting from Hongli's camp like an arrow.

With another flicker, he landed on the grassland battlefield. It was now pock‑marked and riddled with craters. No one could tell how much green turf had been flung away; only tatters of mottled color remained.

"Go ahead!" Arlington clasped his hands behind him, black hair whipping wildly.

Swish!

A blond figure in black leaped out of Hongli's camp, tracing a long parabola like a falling star. His trench coat snapped, and black boots struck the ground. The two equally tall and powerful figures faced each other in silence.

"Who is he?"

"Is that blond youth really going to fight Whale King Arlington?!"

"Did the Hongli martial community hide such a mysterious master?"

"Seems he's from Golem Sect, a very secretive sect..."

"He'll go solo? Victor and Jed together couldn't touch Arlington and were killed in a few punches! Two top-tier combat artists! Is this man stronger than them? Can he match Arlington?"

At once both camps buzzed with discussion. Voices of doubt and astonishment kept rising.

Many of the sect elders on Hongli's side looked blank. They knew little about Golem Sect. The sect had burst into the tournament from nowhere and was extremely mysterious. Its fame came from possessing four combat artists, who each wielded a structured set of fierce Covert Martial Arts.

Yet no corner of the four martial communities had ever heard of such warriors. They seemed to have emerged from the void itself. In earlier councils, the community discussed curbing Arlington, and someone had wanted to test whether Golem Sect hid a fist technique master. However, no answer came and the probing ceased. After all, chasing a near‑impossible extreme combat artist felt less solid than relying on Victor and Jed.

Yet the outcome was plain: Victor and Jed both lost and died.

All Hongli's hopes were shattered, and they had given up. At that juncture, the path thought impossible or absurd suddenly sprouted hope!

Whale King Arlington personally invited Cassius to battle. Moreover, his manner seemed solemn, not mocking.

Arlington was serious, so did that mean Cassius of Golem Sect was...

In a flash, quick‑thinking people in Hongli's camp exchanged shocked looks and whispered their guesses. Discussion boiled up at once, mounting ever higher.

The Hongli martial community also had its own extreme combat artist!!!

Someone whom even Whale King Arlington had to treat with caution! That single piece of news nearly blew the crowd apart.

After all, Arlington had just slapped Hongli's martial community across the face. Thus, Cassius was taken as a savior at once. Many young disciples surrounded Golem Sect's quarters, eyes bright with excitement and even fanaticism.

But Odo and the other four ignored them, keeping all their attention on the distant field. They wanted to watch closely how the director would defeat that formidable foe!

They wanted to see how Whale King Arlington's undefeated body of gold would be broken!

On the battlefield, the wind was whipping around them like keen blades. Arlington examined his opponent quietly; but the more he saw, the more wary he grew as he revised his estimate of Cassius's strength again and again.

He could see the brimming vitality, the massive Qi recklessly pressing outward, and the mind steeped in dominance.

This was a formidable enemy!

Arlington recalled the mention of the First General King's death. Though the First General King had only barely reached the realm of extreme combat artist, that was Arlington's own tier. Yet this man named Cassius had killed him. It clearly displayed a large gap separating them.

From that, Arlington inferred that Cassius had traveled very far along the realm of extreme combat artists. If they fought, Arlington feared he lacked absolute certainty. But would he shrink back for lack of sure victory?

Arlington's dictionary did not contain the slightest mention of 'cowardice'. Besides, he had just subdued Hongli's martial community and felt his own strength grow. His fighting power was at an unprecedented peak—enough to unleash one hundred fifty percent!

If he would not fight now, then when? If he flinched now, he might remain unbeaten, yet a shadow of fear would stain his heart. One that would hinder further growth.

On the grassland, their garments snapped.

"East‑Pole Sect, Arlington!"

Arlington's physique was tall and balanced. At first glance, he was a flawless blend of strength and speed, like a fighting machine. He wore a pure‑black combat attire with armored pads on shoulders and knees, bearing a heavy angularity that resembled a knight.

"Golem Sect, Cassius."

Opposite him, Cassius's handsome face remained cold, his velvet‑like golden hair tossing like a lion's mane. He wore a black leather coat that sat over broad shoulders. He brimmed with unspeakable strength, authority, and dominance. Beneath his shirt, red and purple acupoints twinkled like stars, mysteriously resonating with one another. It made Cassius seem ever more extraordinary, like there was no one like him in the world.

"Arlington, I just watched your East‑Pole Whale King Fist. Your forte is strength, yes?" Cassius spoke suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Whale King Arlington frowned.

"Hahaha..." Cassius laughed. "Simply beating someone isn't fun, especially when victory is sure. Only by defeating him in the field he prides himself on, shattering his dignity and pride, does victory sear the memory..."

He smiled at Arlington. "I hear you were born mighty, and your Covert Martial Arts is peerless in strength..."

Cassius slowly raised his right hand, splaying five thick fingers. Veins bulged like little snakes under the rock‑hard skin on the back of his hand.

The five fingers clenched with a pop. Air rushed madly, turning into dense white streaks of Qi. A sharp hiss split the air like rending cloth.

"I use the Golem Covert Martial Arts. It represents demonic energy and a towering giant."

"The strength you excel in is likewise what my Golem Covert Martial Arts does best. So let us see whose strength is higher... whose strength equals a mountain!" Cassius slowly spread both arms.

Terrifying black steam burst skyward from his head and shoulders, forming a cataract that scoured the heavens. Behind Cassius's head, a blood‑red moon disc emitted a scarlet, sinister halo.

Roar! Boom, boom, boom...

Dull rumbles echoed through the air in waves. A fearsome colossus appeared behind Cassius, its gigantic form blotting the sun and casting vast shadows.

The Golem slowly spread its arms covered in dense metallic scales, as though to hug the sun into its chest. Its towering body stood like an iron tower upon the earth. Bone‑like layers of armor stacked, inspiring fear.

A monster—a truly ancient monster had descended upon the peaceful realm of man!

"Unleash your Qi, unleash your will, unleash all your strength! Then be defeated, suppressed, and destroyed by me!"

The Golem slowly looked down, its deep, dreadful voice resonating with heaven and earth, shaking eardrums: "Ar... ling... ton..."

Woooo...

A lonely giant whale's low cry sounded from Arlington's chest, riding a roaring ocean tide of Qi.

Bang! Rumble‑rumble‑rumble!

An explosion swept the air away as a massive blue whale undulated through the air, each sweep warping the atmosphere.

"Such boastful talk!!!" Arlington stood atop the whale's head, his aura surging. Deep‑blue Qi spewed like a volcano as he roared, "I'll crush every bone of yours with the East‑Pole Whale King Fist!"

Boom!!!

Arlington dove down, Qi blazing like a meteor tail. He hurled a savage punch that seemed to drag the blue sky with it. The giant whale likewise dived, ramming into the black Golem!

"Then try it!" Red light flared beneath the Golem's visor.

It swung an arm, as though stirring heaven and earth. An explosive, terrifying force flowed from its mighty body into both arms.

Cra‑cra‑cra‑crack...

The bones made dreadful sounds as the Golem's arms swelled two full inches thicker. They lifted, compressed, then blasted outward in a punch!

Boom!!!

Golden‑red sparks emerged as the explosion radiated searing heat. The Golem's right fist smashed upward, colliding with the descending blue whale!

Ding!

A mushroom cloud formed, filling most of one's vision. Blinding white light and scorching heat blasted in all directions. Yet sound seemed frozen—silent and terrifying.

Only when a vast visible shockwave swept past them did sound return to everyone's ears.

Boom‑boom‑boom‑boom... roar‑roar‑roar‑roar...

The sky was exploding, the ground collapsing, and the wind howling across the plain.

Even with many combat artists' Qi fields shielding them, the spectators were still sent sprawling. Their cheeks stung from the wind and their eyes nearly blinded. They could only sprawl flat, fingers clawing the earth in an attempt to hold their ground. They struggled to raise their heads and peer at the two monsters in the center of the battlefield.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosions began to ring out from the core of the fog as the spectators dimly saw two huge shapes trading blows. Shockwave after shockwave rippled out, nearly ploughing the entire land.

Boom!!!

A louder blast than before sounded. The blue whale flew backward, crashing heavily into the forest.

Crash!

The whale flattened a part of the forest. It let out a wail as a massive fist‑print sunk into the middle of its body, cracking its hide. Skin splintered off as though it would break in half.

Whoosh...

A gale roared past, sweeping the fog away. The towering Golem stood upon the earth, stepping toward the blue whale.

Each footfall made the ground quake.

Thump, thump, thump, thump...

The sounds ceased as the Golem slowly bowed its head.

"Exactly fifteen punches. You endured fifteen of mine... Not bad. A performance beyond my expectations. You have great potential."