Chapter 605: Fight Fire With Fire

The wounded Aurous artist crashed down a few meters away from Zinnia, rolling across the blood-soaked ground. His breathing was rough, his eyes unfocused.

Instantly, the Sentient Bloodfiends around Zinnia moved. They formed a perfect circle, sealing the area off from the rest of the chaos. They also deployed a spectral barrier using an array disk, acting as the Array Eyes for it.

The noise of the ongoing battle faded slightly after the barrier was activated. For the time being, Aksai’s maid didn’t have to worry about outside interference.

Zinnia looked at the man lying before her. He was strong—far stronger than any Argent artist she had faced so far—but his energy was unstable. He was injured, weakened just enough for her to fight him on equal footing.

Her lips curved into a small, confident smile. She understood what Aksai was doing. This wasn’t just about protecting her—he was training her, giving her a real opponent to push her limits. Compared to using a simple sparring partner, this kind of “training doll” was far better.

Even Aksai had sparred with Zinnia right after her breakthrough, but that was mostly to help her stabilize her newly acquired powers. What she needed now was a capable Aurous artist to gain insights into her own martial arts. She needed to upgrade her martial arts in her own way to make them put the golden Qi to good use.

After all, sparring partners lacked the intent to harm, whereas this Aurous artist, forced into becoming Zinnia’s training partner, would be fighting for his life. That, in turn, would bring out the best in her.

She looked up in Aksai’s direction and whispered softly, “Thanks, my lord.”

Then she turned back to the wounded Aurous artist, her sword lowering into an attack stance. Her golden Qi began to flow, steady and bright.

The man growled, forcing himself to stand. He looked around and saw Aksai approaching another Aurous artist with the Celestial Stringer in his hand.

‘Aaargh! Th–that son of a bitch. Did he just decide to move on to the next opponent? Am I that weak in his eyes?’

Then he looked back at Zinnia and immediately understood—he had been reduced to someone’s stepping stone. Humiliation and rage twisted his face, and all that anger found a target in her.

“You… you think you can face me?” he spat, clutching his bleeding side.

Zinnia’s smile widened slightly. “Well, if my lord thinks I can handle you,” she said, her voice calm and cold, “then I don’t need to rethink it. I’ll just trust his judgment.”

And with that, she moved—her figure flashing forward like lightning, her sword slicing through the blood mist as she began her fight against the opponent Aksai had gifted her.

***

Outside the spectral barrier.

Jin Jolan’s foot slammed against the cracked ground, sending a ripple of silver Qi through his legs. His body blurred, moving faster than the eye could follow.

He darted left and right, his movements sharp and unpredictable. Each of his steps was powered by the Qi Flow Arts that merged his leg techniques and speed into one deadly rhythm.

Wen Wei’s sword flashed beside him. Streams of silvery light burst from his blade as he unleashed the Sword Qi Arts he had practiced for decades. His strikes were fast, clean, and precise. Each of his swings cut through the air with a whistle sharp enough to split stone.

Lin Lan made her move as well. Her palms glowed white-gold as she struck out in measured bursts. Each movement of her White Golden Palm Arts created ripples in the air.

Together, the three of them moved like a single unit—experienced, coordinated, and determined.

But their enemies were unlike anything they had ever fought before.

The Sentient Bloodfiends’ deathly hollowed eyes gleamed faintly under the blood-soaked light. Their skin was lined with faint vine-like markings and empowering Essence Equation runes, pulsing rhythmically with dark-reddish and silvery Qi.

When the trio attacked, the Bloodfiends moved in perfect response.

Jin Jolan kicked forward, his Qi-enhanced leg aiming for the nearest puppet’s chest. The Bloodfiend countered with the same movement—Qi Flow Arts, but faster and heavier. Jin’s eyes widened as his leg was caught mid-air and twisted before he was sent crashing into the ground.

“What… how… how is that possible?!” Jin gasped, rolling back onto his feet, his leg throbbing from the impact.

Wen Wei’s sword also met the blade of another Bloodfiend, sparks flying. He recognized the movement instantly—it was Sword Qi Arts, but smoother, sharper, deadlier. The puppet’s attacks flowed like water but carried the weight of steel.

Wen’s defenses were broken within seconds. He barely managed to block the next strike before a sharp kick sent him flying back several feet.

Lin Lan fared no better. Her palms met those of her opponent in a clash of White Golden Palm Arts, and the impact sent a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath them. The puppet’s palms struck in patterns that Lin had never seen before—her own martial technique, but improved.

“This… this can’t be real,” Lin gasped, staggering backward. “They’re using our own martial arts. More precisely, higher-level versions of them with more perfected Qi Flow Templates than what we use!”

Wen spat blood, his grip tightening on his sword. “That bastard Aksai… he stole them! He made these monsters learn our martial arts to deal with us! He… he is mocking us.”

Aksai naturally had no intentions to mock these people simply because he didn’t gain anything out of it. He was simply trying to “fight fire with fire.”

Of course, the Bloodfiends had no obligation to put their creator’s point of view forward. They moved in silence, their faces blank. Their strikes came again and they were precise, merciless, and relentless.

Every movement from them was efficient, like a machine tuned for war. They didn’t fear injury. Even when Jin managed to land a kick that cracked one puppet’s ribs, the Bloodfiend didn’t slow down.

The puppet simply adjusted, twisting his body to absorb the damage and retaliate with double the force. He was a resurrected being. He wasn’t worried about any bodily injuries as they could be dealt with simply by using fiends-only custom potions once the battle was over.

“What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

— Gladiator (2000)