Seeing this scene,
Cass was overwhelmed with despair and couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood.
Staring at the approaching Notoriety Ethereal,
Cass's face was filled with resentment, anger, despair, and sorrow...
In the end, he laughed helplessly.
"Locomotive, you really are tough. Even this couldn't kill you..."
In fact,
even before finding Hare's House, he had known just how difficult it was to kill a high-ranking Ethereal.
In the few recorded instances in New Eridu,
either the military had to intervene, unleashing overwhelming firepower to bury the Notoriety Ethereal alive...
or the elites from the Hollows Special Operations Department had to act.
Even then,
there was no guarantee they could completely kill a high-ranking Ethereal.
Let alone now, when Cass was all alone.
To wound a Notoriety Ethereal this badly, nearly killing it—this feat alone was already unbelievable.
Even experts from the Hollows Special Operations Department would find it hard to believe.
Cass wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said,
"To hurt you like this... it was worth it..."
Then,
Cass forced himself to get up.
Enduring the pain, he picked up a stone from the ground and stumbled forward a few steps,
throwing it toward the Notoriety Ethereal—Locomotive.
But he no longer had the strength to throw far.
The rock fell to the ground halfway.
"Come on! Keep ramming me! I don't have any W-Engines left, hit me!"
His revenge had failed.
Cass spread his arms wide, welcoming death.
"My love... wait for me. We'll be together again soon..."
With that,
Cass closed his eyes.
But—
Notoriety Ethereal—Locomotive seemed wary of Cass's earlier strike.
It didn't immediately attack.
Instead, it circled around him.
Finally,
confirming Cass was no longer a threat,
the Locomotive continued down the abandoned railroad track, charging straight at him.
Just like before,
its speed kept climbing, the ground rumbling with a deafening clanging sound—like the death knell of hell itself.
This time,
there was no guardian angel to shield him.
Cass knew—this time, he was truly going to die.
Hearing the clanging grow closer and closer,
even though he was resigned to death, Cass couldn't help but feel fear deep inside.
Fear of the Notoriety Ethereal.
Still,
Cass decided to open his eyes and face the Locomotive head-on.
Just like ten years ago,
he could clearly see the Notoriety Ethereal coming toward him, but was utterly powerless,
forced to watch as it crushed him.
Cass took a deep breath.
Maybe, for him, death wasn't pain anymore—only release.
What he couldn't accept was that
he failed to drag the Notoriety Ethereal—Locomotive down with him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sam Li... I can't make up for Hare's House's losses..."
Before the Locomotive hit him,
Cass raised his fist.
Even if he couldn't stop it, he would still swing.
In a flash,
the Notoriety Ethereal—Locomotive was right in front of him.
However—
right at the moment it was about to hit him—
Suddenly.
The ground trembled slightly.
A loud boom echoed.
Golden light erupted as a golden wall burst out of the earth, blocking Cass's path.
Before Cass could react,
another thunderous boom sounded—
the Locomotive crashed violently into the wall adorned with golden patterns, shaking the entire ground.
"It... it blocked it... it actually blocked it!"
Cass stared in shock.
He couldn't understand—why had a golden wall suddenly appeared?
It had stopped the Locomotive's charge.
And it hadn't collapsed.
Cass hurried around to the side of the wall and saw—
the Locomotive had been thrown back dozens of meters.
No doubt about it.
This wall was tougher than the Locomotive.
Cass, bewildered, reached out and lightly touched the golden wall.
The moment he made contact, a warm sensation washed over him,
like taking a calming agent.
His fear subsided a little,
and even his trembling body steadied.
It was a comforting feeling.
Suddenly,
a faint and familiar voice called from behind him:
"Mr. Cass, are you alright?"
The moment he heard that voice,
Cass quickly turned toward the mist—and saw two human figures approaching.
One held a birdcage.
The other carried an axe.
In an instant,
Cass thought of Sam Li, but he couldn't believe it.
Sam Li had completed his mission—there was no way he'd show up here.
Moments later,
as the two figures emerged from the mist,
Cass finally saw clearly—
It was indeed Sam Li.
And beside him was a yellow-haired girl carrying an axe.
Before Cass could react further,
in front of him,
Piper slung the axe over her shoulder and yawned.
"Mr. Sam Li, didn't you say we were here to kill Ethereals? I don't see any Ethereals around."
Then,
Piper glanced at Cass.
"Hey, mister, you seem to know Mr. Sam Li too, right? Tell us where the Ethereal is so we can get this over with. The boss is still waiting for me to get back."
Piper suddenly regretted it a little.
If she hadn't followed Sam Li into the Hollows,
she'd probably already be back at the Sons of Calydon's base.
Hearing Piper's voice,
Cass quickly warned them:
"Don't come over! The Locomotive is just behind the wall!"
Cass had already prepared himself for death.
He didn't want to drag anyone else into it.
Piper set the axe down on the ground.
"We're here to kill Ethereals. You look pretty beat up. You should fall back and rest."
Cass wanted to say something more—
But at that moment,
Sam Li simply waved his hand lightly,
and the golden-patterned stone wall shattered and disappeared without a trace.
Cass stared, stunned: "????"
Suddenly, he realized—
Could it be that the golden wall just now... was Sam Li's doing?
At the same time,
with the wall gone,
Piper finally saw the Notoriety Ethereal—Locomotive standing behind it.
In an instant,
Piper's mouth dropped open in shock.
"That's... that's... a high-ranking Ethereal?! It's a high-ranking Notoriety Ethereal! Mr. Sam Li, let's get out of here—!"
The moment she saw the Locomotive,
Piper instantly woke up from her sleepiness,
fully alert—her first instinct was to run.
But Sam Li shook his head.
"No need to panic. This is exactly who I'm looking for."
Seeing Sam Li had no intention of retreating,
Piper had no choice but to lift her axe and stand beside him.
"You're hopeless... You saved me once. I won't abandon you."
Off to the side,
Cass looked at Sam Li and Piper, then at the Notoriety Ethereal—Locomotive.
He hesitated, not knowing what to say.
He wasn't sure whether Sam Li and Piper could actually defeat the Locomotive...