Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 240 - Finger Blade versus Finger Gun

It was a ferocious collision of two Qi energies; a pure clash between combat artists where victory depended on the strength of the body, mind, fist technique, Will, and the level of their Covert Martial Arts.

Dietz had been a combat artist for five years. He was no longer a novice. His Blood Hand Fist had grown to become quite formidable after years of slowly mastering its Qi. On the other hand, Cassius was an anomaly who had naturally attuned to the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist in his Killer Persona and could extend his Qi to a radius of three meters. He was at least a third stronger than the average combat artist. Cassius had even earned the renowned Blood Fist Feng Liusi's praise.

The Qi of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist rippled red, while the Blood Hand Fist's Qi looked like it was tearing rifts in the air as it radiated outward. When the two collided, the energies erupted, sending, sending waves of turbulent air in all directions.

The Covert Martial Arts Practitioners watching from the edges of the training field could feel the intense gusts of energy coming toward them. Their clothes clung to their chests as the hems flapped wildly in the wind. They tried to peer through the dust in the air.

"Is this how combat artists fight? They're standing several steps apart, but their Qi clash alone creates such massive aftershocks." A younger pugilist raised his hand to shield his eyes as he spoke to the person beside him. He accidentally swallowed a mouthful of sand as he opened his mouth and had to turn to the side to spit it out.

"Of course. Combat artists are the cream of the crop in the Covert Martial Arts world. Each one has honed their body to unimaginable levels and even mastered abilities beyond physical strength." A middle-aged woman standing nearby said as she glanced over at the arena, "I wonder who will win this one."

"Probably Sect Master Dietz. This challenger might look formidable, but I once saw Master Dietz use the Blood Hand Fist's ultimate move, the Ten Flames Finger Blade. He sliced a massive boulder in half with just two fingers. I'll never forget how easy he made it look," one of the nearby martial arts hall leaders chimed in.

"The Blood Hand Fist's ultimate moves are extremely fierce and far more aggressive than most Covert Martial Arts. Dietz definitely has the upper hand..." Several others joined the discussion.

Some favored Dietz while others thought Cassius was stronger. However, many of them were in agreement that the fight between the two combat artists would be an intense one. At the very least, it didn't seem like it'd be a short battle. They could sit back and enjoy the spectacle for a while longer.

The dust on the field cleared, but the two opposing Qi energies remained locked in a standoff. On the left, Cassius brought his hands together in front of his chest, his arms cutting through the air like the wings of a great bird of prey. His ten fingers closed together to form a bird's beak. His fingertips left trails of crimson mist as they languidly sliced through the air.

He stood firm, red Qi slowly seeping out of his body and swirling around his chest. They circulated under his arms, in the bends of his elbows, and around his neck like hazy ribbons. From a distance, the spectators saw Cassius transform into a human-like predator as the faint screech of a raptor rang out.

Several meters away, Dietz's expression changed dramatically. "Initial form of the Will of the Fist!"

Crack, crack, crack...

An immense pressure instantly squeezed and distorted the Qi around him, compressing its originally nearly round radius shape into an elongated disk. Dietz reacted quickly, pulling back his Qi until he had it concentrated within a two-meter circle around him, just enough to fend off Cassius's advancing Qi.

He could no longer stand his ground, as a mysterious force pressed him back several more meters. Dietz's face flushed red as he glanced at Cassius with renewed seriousness.

Will of the Fist... That's something only veteran combat artists can display. His Qi is on a higher level than mine.

Dietz quickly shifted into another stance, spreading his legs wide, with his left foot forward and right foot back. One hand rested near his waist in a horse-riding stance while the other hand rose into the air, his fingers mimicking the jaws of a serpent ready to strike.

"Blood Hand Sect, Dietz!" He hadn't bothered with formalities when the fight started, but after witnessing Cassius's strength, Dietz had no choice but to respond with respect.

Cassius's eyes flickered, and he returned the gesture. "Wind Elephant Sect, Cassius."

A moment later, two loud bangs echoed across the training field as two black shadows hurtled toward each other.

"Serpent Bite!" As the two exchanged blows, Dietz finally found an opening to unleash the Blood Hand Fist's ultimate move. His body arched back before snapping forward, his arms shooting out like striking serpents. His red-hued fingers looked like a snake's fangs.

The wind howled as Cassius's blood-red eyes flicked to Dietz's incoming arms. He roared in approval and as his palms cut through the air and met to form the shape of a lotus flower bud.

"Blood Flower!"

At the last moment, Cassius took a deep breath using the Third Breath technique. He instantly entered the Breathless Chain Strike state, where he could unleash relentless attacks without needing to pause for breath.

"Blood Flower: Thousand Hands!"

Although Feng Liusi had originally created the Blood Flower technique, Cassius had developed a personal variation that he had named Thousand Hands. It was the perfect combination of the ultimate move Blood Flower and the Third Breath technique.

It was still in its neophyte stage and could only be considered half-complete. It still had a few significant flaws that Cassius hadn’t fully perfected. As such, it wasn't a move that should be used in a combat artist-level sparring match, but Cassius's Killer Persona had given birth to a wild, arrogant and utterly fearless temperament. Moreover, after their initial exchange, his Killer Persona had sensed that Dietz wasn't a match for him.

Therefore, he brazenly unleashed his unfinished technique in the heat of battle. After all, the best way to test a deadly move or secret technique was through combat. Battle would immediately reveal its flaws.

Cassius dared to do what others wouldn't because the Golem Covert Martial Arts he practiced gave him extraordinary recovery abilities that were far beyond a normal person.

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Clack! Clack!

Cassius’ arms sounded like spinning gears as his muscles swelled and tensed like steel cables being stretched to their limit. His merged hands exploded outward until it looked like thousands of arms were stretching out from within the blooming lotus bud!

Each palm afterimage represented ten strikes. They layered on top of each other until a tidal wave of palms crashed down on Dietz!

!!!

Dietz's eyes widened in shock. His arms twisted like a serpent as he struck back. Serpent Bite was a powerful grappling technique. When it struck an opponent's joints or limbs, his fingers would sink into their flesh like fangs, and cut and tear like sharp blades. The technique was designed to tear through muscle fibers and even damage bones.

But his opponent wasn't being torn apart; in fact, he was the one being torn apart! The two arms he had thrust forward were instantly enveloped by a barrage of attacks. A relentless torrent of palm imprints pounded his flesh, bruising, battering, and tearing his skin open.

It felt as if he had plunged his bare arms into a meat grinder. There was no intricate technique nor subtle angles of attack. It was purely speed and volume! There didn't seem to be much control in many of the strikes as they hit air, but the remaining blows were more than enough to completely swallow up Dietz.

The pain that shot through his arms quickly turned into numbness. Dietz tried to swiftly retreat, but it was too late. The flurry of blows swept past his arms and struck his chest.

Dietz grunted, a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, but he forced it down. He used the momentum of the strikes to propel himself out of range. His feet dug deep ditches as he skidded to a half several dozen meters away.

The veins in Dietz's neck bulged as his arms trembled uncontrollably. He took a deep breath, seeming to invoke a Secret Technique, and quickly thrust both hands up. His arms were an alarming shade of red and mottled with bluish patches. The veins beneath his skin appeared ready to burst.

Dietz kept his eyes on Cassius, who was rapidly closing in. He swept his arms in wide arcs, tracing three large circles in the air. His muscles seemed to snap back into place as his fingers splayed open, moving slowly yet somehow swiftly through the air, leaving behind trails of red light.

"Ten Flames!"

Whoosh!

A faint orange Qi erupted from his body, only to spiral inward and be reabsorbed. This was the sign of a combat artist channeling all their energy into one concentrated strike.

Dietz leaped into the air, launching himself forward with a single step. "Finger Blade!!!"

Cassius took a firm step forward and met Dietz with a punch!

"You may have your Finger Blade, but I have my Finger Gun! Let's see which is faster—your blade or my machine gun!" Cassius unleashed a barrage of finger strikes, explosive energy coursing through each joint in his body.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A raptor’s screech exploded in the air as Cassius's arms tore through the space like two spears. His palms blurred as they compressed air in front of them and slammed violently into Dietz's Ten Flames Finger Blade.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rapid collisions echoed like firecrackers going off as their fingers clashed countless times in the air. Every time their thumbs met, it created a small burst of white Qi, like bubbles, that lingered briefly in the air. Soon, the air was filled with these white bubbles, as the opposing energies rapidly negated the other.

From afar, the crowd of Covert Martial Arts Practitioners fell completely silent, their eyes locked on the violent clash between the two fighters. The powerful waves of energy washing over their faces like a tide was proof enough of the terrifying strength the two combat artists were unleashing. Not a single onlooker could boast that they could withstand a single strike from the overwhelming barrage they were witnessing.

The flurry of finger shadows intertwined, creating a dark cloud between the two fighters.

At the center of the training field, red mist rose into the air, gradually solidifying into the silhouette of a massive, blood-colored falcon, brimming with murderous Qi!

As the battle intensified, the blood falcon grew more and more solid until it eventually seemed to come to life as its fierce eyes snapped open. Its menacing wings spread wide with a loud swoosh, and its beak opened, emitting a deafening screech.

Screech!!!

The screech exploded like thunder as it swept across the entire training field. It wasn't just limited to the training field. Everyone in the Blood Hand Fist Martial Arts Hall felt a shudder run through their bodies. Their hearts skipped a beat, and their minds went blank for a second as they stood frozen in place.

Bang!

A white-haired figure was violently sent flying, crashing through a wall and landing in a heap of broken bricks and debris.

"Sect Master!" One of the disciples of the Blood Hand Fist sect exclaimed. Despite the disheveled hair and torn clothes, they recognized their own sect master amidst the debris.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Dietz hacked violently, his chest heaving up and down. Eventually, he could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Dietz lost!" The leaders of other martial arts halls who had come to watch exchanged flabbergasted looks.

At the center of the training field, a blond youth stood in a deep crater, hands clasped in front of his chest.

Pop!

Cassius's eyes snapped open, his body quickly reabsorbing the red mist in the air. He could feel something inside him break. Yes! It was the sixth acupoint.

Swish, swish...

It sounded like water flowing inside his body, but it wasn't water, nor was it blood. It was Death Fang's force. Dense Death Fang's force spontaneously rose and flowed into the newly opened acupoint, quickly filling the natural storage space within.

He slowly parted his hands, and a crackling sound emerged between his palms as invisible waves of force pierced the air in his grasp. His Qi had just torn through the air.

"Just as I thought. As a lethal assassination technique, the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist grows sharper through battle. The more I fight and the more I engage in life-and-death struggles, the faster I improve..." Cassius murmured to himself.

Feng Liusi likely earned his Blood Fist title from this same principle. His fist techniques had all been honed through bloodshed. Otherwise, why call it an assassination technique?

He slowly relaxed as he glanced at the distant Dietz, who was struggling to rise. Cassius hadn't gone for the kill, so all Dietz had were several broken bones. It wasn’t too severe of an injury for a combat artist.

Cassius folded his hands in a gesture of respect. "Sect Master Dietz, I appreciate the match."

He didn't bother acknowledging the shocked onlookers nor the complex expression on Dietz's face. He simply bent to pick up his hat from the ground. He blew the dust off it and patted it clean before placing it back on his head. Then, with a flick of his index finger against the brim, Cassius walked away.

None of the Blood Hand Fist disciples or instructors dared block his path. They all stepped aside, giving him a wide berth as he walked out. The residual killing intent and Qi from Cassius's fight against a combat artist-level opponent were enough to keep ordinary people at bay.

Not to mention the Qi he was deliberating emitting was so overwhelming that none of the ordinary Covert Martial Arts Practitioners around him could utter a single word. It took three minutes after Cassius left the Blood Hand Fist Martial Arts Hall for his oppressive presence to finally fade enough for people to speak again.

As he walked along the street outside the martial arts hall, Cassius peered up at the sun. "It's still early. Maybe I'll challenge another combat artist at Extreme Judo tonight before l head for Evil Eye Fist tomorrow."