Chapter 47: Explosive Flight of the Dragon and Phoenix
Sunan squinted his eyes shut as he smashed through the wooden windowpane and into the Drunk Ox Wine Shop. He caromed off a wooden shelf inside the room, sending several jugs of wine and alcohol smashing down onto the ground, before landing in a heap in the corner of the room.
-Thump-
Even as he struggled to his feet, a blur crashed through the fragments of the window, and the Golden Immortal was standing over him.
“You should have submitted,” the Golden Immortal said, pulling his spear back in preparation to deliver a blow.
As Sunan had come to find over the course of the past few minutes, there was something special about the Golden Immortal’s spear. Not only could it shoot out hooks to bind an opponent, it was incredibly tough. Sunan had made the mistake of trying to block a blow from the spear with his forearm, and had nearly received a broken arm as a result.
Earlier, the Golden Immortal led the Lions of peace and the other ordinary soldiers in a rapid charge of the Golden Dragon headquarters. Fierce fighting had instantly broken out, with Sunan and Bao teaming up against the Golden Immortal.
With so many people involved in the fighting, chaos quickly ensued, and the sheer number of people the Golden Immortal had at his command instantly put the Golden Dragons on the defensive. For each of his soldiers that fell, there was always another to take his place, with more lurking off in the background and jumping up onto the estate walls.
Before long, Sunan and Bao found themselves fighting on the north wall of the estate, which overlooked the Drunk Ox Wine Shop.
By that point, Sunan, Bao, and the Golden Immortal had all received minor injuries, but nothing more. Then the Golden Immortal landed a lucky kick on Sunan’s chest, sending him flying off the wall of the estate and into the shop itself.
Sunan’s Ox-Tail Dao had been ripped out of his hand during the fall. His shoulder and knee ached, and blood was oozing out of his mouth. Just when the Golden Immortal was about to strike out with his spear, a hoarse shout rang out, and any remnants of the poor window were completely obliterated as Bao flew into the room.
“Palm of the Phoenix!”
Sunan had seen Bao unleash Palm of the Phoenix on two different soldiers who had been foolish enough to interfere with their fight with the Golden Immortal. The results had been devastating, and although the soldiers hadn’t been killed, they had been immediately rendered incapable of fighting.
This was the first time he’d seen her try the move out on the Golden Immortal.
Lips pursing into a frown, the Golden Immortal twisted to the side. “Golden Dodge!”
Spinning away from her attack, he twirled through the air, landing a kick on Bao’s side that sent her smashing into another nearby shelf. More bottles of wine and alcohol crashed to the ground, a few of them landing on Bao herself.
-Smash-
By this point, the floor was slick with wine.
As soon as the Golden Immortal landed, he pushed the button on the bottom of his spear, and the claws blurred into motion, latching onto Bao. Then the Golden Immortal jerked the spear to the side, sending her smashing into another cabinet of wine jugs and into Sunan, knocking him down again.
Pushing the button again caused the hooks to release, and the rope to snap back into the spear.
“I’m done playing games,” the Golden Immortal said. “The Love General ordered me to try to get you to submit. But this a war zone, so the Fire General’s orders take precedent. He said that if you refused to surrender, to kill you. I guess it’s time to put away the toys--” he tossed the golden spear off to the side “--and use the real weapons!”
With that, he pulled a pair of crimson gloves out of his robe, which he put on each of his hands. Then, he clenched them into fists, and they burst into flame.
“A little gift from the Fire General,” he said, grinning.
Bao and Sunan struggled to their feet and got into ready stances. Both of them were bloodied and panting, sore from the protracted fighting. They were tired, tired in a way that they could never have imagined before, so tired that everything seemed to blur. This was different from sparring; this was real combat. Unlike the mismatched duels which both of them had fought in the past, it hadn’t ended after only a round or two.
“It’s better this way, anyway, Sunan” the Golden Immortal. “I’ve been wanting to beat your ass into a pulp ever since you showed up at the Green Elephant Emporium all those years ago. Finally the time has come. Strike of the Golden Fists!” He leapt high up into the air and the smashed downward with his fists.
Sunan tried to counter the move, but it was too powerful. The fists slammed into his neck and left shoulder, sending crushing pain through his body and sending him lurching backward, vision swimming.
Bao lashed out with a fist strike of her own, but the Golden Immortal easily countered it, then kicked straight out, knocking her back.
“You two are out of your league. I’ve trained with the top fighters in the King of the Pure Ones’ forces. The two of you are just groping around in the dark. Strike of the--”
Before the Golden Immortal could finish speaking, someone interrupted him.
“Sword of the Scholar!”
“Slashing Axe!”
Wine jugs exploded as Sun Mai and Mao Yun burst into the wine shop, unleashing both of their signature moves. An illusory blade shot out from Sun Mai’s fingers, and as Mao Yun waved his axe through the air, a ripple spread out, destroying numerous cabinets and wine jugs as it closed in on the Golden Immortal.
The Golden Immortal was caught totally unawares. The ripple hit him first, slashing his golden robes and causing blood to spurt out from his chest. Then Sun Mai’s illusory sword hit him, destroying more of his clothing and gashing his thigh. However, things weren’t over yet.
Over the years, Sun Mai had refined and perfected his Sword of the Scholar into something spectacular. Furthermore, he was unleashing it with cathartic power. As soon as the initial blade hit, eight more illusory blades appeared and spun toward the Golden Immortal in a tempest of destructive power. He staggered backward, blood spurting out of one wound after another. One of the blades nearly severed his left arm at the elbow, and he let out a miserable scream.
Clutching his left arm, he growled, “You’re DEAD. All of you!”
Before anyone else could make another move, he blurred into motion, flying out of the same window he had entered.
“You’re not getting away this time!” Sun Mai shouted, leaped into the air after him. “Come on Mao Yun!”
Mao Yun looked over at Sunan and Bao. “Chieftess, Sect Leader. The situation is bad. Full scale assaults have begun on the north and east walls. Dragon Lord Sima has requested your presence at the Dragon Gate.”
Sunan nodded. “You back up Sun Mai, we’ll go to Zikang. Capture the Golden Immortal alive if you can. Kill him otherwise.”
Mao Yun nodded, then leaped after Sun Mai.
All of a sudden, Sunan and Bao were alone in relative silence. They looked at each other.
“Bao, about what I said before....”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Come on, we have to get to the Dragon Gate.”
As soon as they stumbled out of the shambles of the Drunk Ox Wine Shop, they could see smoke rising up from locations all around the city.
“This isn’t good....” Bao said.
The sounds of fighting could be heard from the north, presumably from the Thunder Gate. Although they were closer to the Thunder Gate, Sima Zikang had set up his command post at the Dragon Gate, so that was where they headed. They ran as fast as they could in their bruised and battered condition. A few minutes later, the Dragon Gate loomed up ahead. To Bao and Sunan’s relief, it had not been breached. However, the sounds of fighting could be heard from the other side, and crossbow bolts were flying over the wall.
They hurried into the gate and past the guards to Dragon Lord Sima Zikang’s command room. As soon as they entered, he looked up at them, face ashen.
“Sect Leader, Chieftess....”
“How bad is it?” Sunan asked.
“Bad, sir. The Thunder Gate has been breached yet again, as expected. Defenses here are holding, but I’m not sure for how long. They’re pushing harder than they have so far. I think... they’ll breach the Dragon Gate within two hours. Worst of all is I’m getting reports there are enemy troops in other parts of the city. I’m not sure if that’s true, but fires have sprung up in numerous locations.”
“It’s true,” Sunan said. “The Golden Immortal led his men through a secret passage. Can you send men to the Pure Phoenix headquarters to try to contain them?”
Sima Zikang looked down at the map of Daolu on the table, upon which were figures representing the main squadrons he had positioned throughout the city. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Not quickly enough. Sect Leader... I think we may need to resort to the Explosive Flight of the Dragon and Phoenix.”
Bao cocked an eyebrow. “Explosive Flight of the Dragon and Phoenix?”
Sima Zikang nodded. “Chieftess Bao, while you were... resting, we came up with some contingency plans. I think now is the time to enact just such a plan.”
Sunan frowned. “Are you sure we can’t salvage this? There are other contingency plans. Why not the Subtle Flight, or the Dashing Flight? Why the Explosive Flight? They haven’t even attacked the White Rat Gate, let alone the Zhen Gate.”
“Sect Leader, even the greatest general or fighter must know when to back down. People are dying. We are vastly outnumbered, and are facing elite warriors who have magic and Demons on their side. We might not be able to retake the Thunder Gate today. Plus, we don’t have enough men to spare to comb through the city and track down the infiltrators. That’s not to mention that we have no idea how many troops came through the secret tunnel, or if more are coming through. We need to get out of Daolu now. If we don’t, we won’t have the chance to slip away during the night, or break through their lines in an early-morning blitz. We will die here. Of that I’m certain.”
A long moment passed in which no one spoke.
“Fine,” Sunan said. “Begin the Explosive Flight of the Dragon and Phoenix.”
Sima Zikan nodded decisively and turned away to begin the work.
Sunan looked over at Bao. “The Explosive Flight of the Dragon and Phoenix is a retreat tactic relying on a few precisely planned and targeted explosions. The resulting fire and smoke will give us the screen we need to get most of our people through the Zhen Gate and across the Chezou River. A few of the Golden Dragons and Pure Phoenixes will cast aside their robes and weapons and remain behind in civilian clothing to act as agents.”
“Explosions? How?”
“You know how sorghum wine is flammable? Sorghum God has built stockpiles in a few key locations, and we’ve packed the surroundings with pine needles and other flammable materials. It will create plenty of smoke. Come on, we need to get moving.”
Bao’s mind was racing, and even as Sunan turned to leave, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve. “Wait.”
He looked back. “What is it?”
“I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
--
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