Cassell College, The Ice Cellar.
This is where the most confidential secrets of Cassell College are kept, for it holds Hilbert's "collection."
These items are all rare treasures, some of which, even in the Hybrid world, could cause a massive upheaval. But compared to the most important item inside, the rest of the "collection" is just trash.
The "Dragon Bone Cross," left by Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire, after his death, is kept in the lowest layer of The Ice Cellar, in the Ice Vault.
In the myths, the Three Fate Goddesses wove, stretched, and cut the threads of life here, controlling the fates of all beings. This is a place of annihilation, a silent and ancient cavern where the only sound is the omnipresent drip of water, cold and lonely.
A shadow carefully slipped into the Ice Vault, following the water circulation system.
The shadow moved through the stainless steel pipes, its soft form like a fish, nimble and agile.
These two-meter-wide pipes are divided into freshwater and seawater pipes, providing water to Hilbert's vast garden and fish tanks. Every few hundred meters, there's a tough alloy mesh to prevent intruders, but now, they were easily torn apart.
The alarm system inside the pipe no longer blinked red, and most of the barriers leading to the "Ice Vault" had been violently dismantled.
Soon, the shadow reached the end of the pipe. After estimating the distance, it clenched its fist and struck the hard pipe wall.
Bang!
The pipe wall and the rocks outside seemed to have reached their breaking point, starting to crack and crumble.
Immediately after, it was shattered by a punch. The water pressure carried the dark figure out through the broken pipe wall, into a massive dark space.
The shadow carefully dropped from the pipe wall, stepped on the flowing water, lit a burning stick for light, and began observing the mysterious underground space.
The floor, seemingly made from a single piece of polished bronze, was covered with deep etched grooves, winding like snakes, with cyan water flowing through them.
These grooves formed a pattern resembling a flourishing tree, unmistakably the crest of Cassell. It branched out, again and again, ultimately merging into a quiet lake ahead.
An incredibly powerful alchemical domain filled the entire space. The source of the domain was the metal patterns beneath his feet.
Shaped like the bronze tree, countless alchemical symbols were hidden within the intertwined branches, collectively forming the powerful alchemical domain.
Time seemed frozen here. No wonder there was no tight defense—this alchemical matrix itself was the perfect defense system!
"Humans can really push alchemy to this level, huh?"
The shadow lowered its head, staring at the flowing alchemical domain on the bronze floor, sighing with awe.
At the places where the lines intertwined tightly, there were miniature alchemical domains to suppress the raging power inside them.
Inside the miniature domains, there were various artifacts: unknown machines, stone boxes engraved with runes, half-dried mummies, faded and decayed bronze items, incomplete jade books, and more.
Each of them could cause a stir in the world of Hybrids.
"Pile of junk."
The shadow glanced over at those world-shaking artifacts, a hint of disdain in its voice.
He took a sharp knife and sliced open his wrist, letting thick blood drip into the grooves of the bronze floor. The moment it hit the water, it spread rapidly like molten lava, quickly soaking into the groove.
The cyan liquid in the groove seemed to trigger a violent chemical reaction, causing the liquid in the groove, which depicted the World Tree, to boil.
The alchemical matrix was activated. The blood-red light flickered rhythmically, in sync with the beating of a heart.
The deep chanting of the shadow echoed throughout the space. Under this ancient and powerful incantation, the bloodlight in the groove grew stronger, until the bronze World Tree glowed as if it were heated metal.
In the next moment, the alchemical realm was destroyed, and the sealed space regained its freedom.
The treasures once suppressed by the alchemical matrix came back to life, bursting with extreme violent power, like a horde of demons dancing wildly, emitting restless sounds.
"Quiet!"
The shadow seemed to dislike the noisy environment, coldly scolding.
An imposing force, vast like a mountain, suddenly swept across the entire space, as if it were an emperor's command from ancient times. The chaotic noise instantly ceased, and the treasures trembled into silence once again.
The 'spirits' inside the alchemical objects felt a pressure far more terrifying than death from the shadow's scolding. It was the aura of a tyrannical king, engraved in ancient memories.
The shadow stepped forward slowly, entering the boiling water pool, and fixed his gaze on the round metal altar ahead.
Like a devout believer, wherever he passed, the greenish water made its final struggle, attempting to stop the intruder. However, all was in vain.
Climbing the altar, what came into view was a withered skeleton, glowing with a heavy bronze hue, separated inside by specially made glass.
"We meet again, Norton."
Through the thick glass, the shadow extended his hand as if to touch the bones inside, his voice carrying endless loneliness and melancholy.
"No matter how great a creature is, it will eventually have its end. Even the once mighty Dragon King is no exception."
"You're right," a voice suddenly came from the darkness.
The shadow paused, shifting his gaze toward the source of the voice. A person was already standing there.
If his spiritual awareness had not detected them, then the only possibility was this: the person had been waiting for him, and his actions had long been under the other's control.
A spotlight shone down, exposing the two figures.
The shadow tensed upon seeing that figure, instinctively taking on a defensive stance: "It's you, Hilbert!"
Yes, the person standing there was none other than the principal of Cassell Academy, the greatest dragon slayer in history—Hilbert Ron Anjou!
"Yes, someone broke into my collection room. I had to come see who was bold enough," Hilbert said casually, hands in his pockets. Wearing a crisp suit, his silver-white hair neatly combed back, and his golden eyes gleaming, he observed the intruder.
"But I didn't expect it to be a woman."
Under the spotlight, the intruder, dressed in all-black combat gear, had a graceful and elegant figure, particularly her long, slender legs with a flawless curve.
"Does the principal of Cassell have a prejudice against women?"
The shadow gently touched the dragon bone cross behind the glass, speaking softly, "Well, I never planned on hiding, and now that I've been discovered... let's make it simple."
A visible, transparent field spread outward from the shadow, vibrating the entire space with an invisible force.
Countless metal fragments, influenced by the powerful magnetic field, began to swirl around the shadow at high speed, forming a violent storm of metal!
With the added kinetic force, these tiny metal fragments became incredibly destructive. The air within the field was pierced by the fragments, and erratic electric currents surged, turning the floating debris a fiery red.
The high heat, combined with the rapidly spinning metal, created a giant blender, crushing everything in its path into dust!
The field expanded rapidly, reaching ten meters, fifteen meters, then twenty meters. It was approaching Hilbert's position.
However, Hilbert remained calm, watching the shadow at the center of the metal storm. He spoke, "No need to make it so complicated. Your target is that dragon bone cross, right?"
"And what if it is?"
The shadow replied calmly, her golden eyes locked onto Hilbert.
She knew that, despite his old appearance, the man before her had the explosive power of a lion. Any moment of hesitation could result in her head being cut off!
This was no exaggeration—Hilbert, with his mastery of "Time Zero," was undoubtedly one of the most powerful assassins!
"As agreed, I'm giving you Norton's Dragon Bone Cross."
The rapidly expanding metal domain suddenly halted just before it would completely consume Hilbert.
"What did you say?" The shadow was stunned and even thought they had heard it wrong, so they asked again.
"Isn't your goal the Dragon Bone Cross?" Hilbert said indifferently. "I'm telling you, you can take it. That's all."
"Are you... out of your mind?"
The shadow stared at Hilbert in disbelief, wondering if they were possessed by a spirit.
Otherwise, how could Hilbert, who had made dragon hunting his life goal, so easily give the Dragon Bone Cross of the Dragon King Norton to this unknown person?
"Don't want it?"
Hilbert sneered and asked in return.
The shadow felt completely suppressed, hesitating for half a second before speaking slowly, "I do, but why?"
"Because the era of dragons... is coming to an end."
Hilbert's gaze was calm as they looked at the shadow, speaking slowly, "Relics of the old age don't need to be kept; they just take up space, don't they?"
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer