Squelch!
Madame Gao charged forward two steps—and Bella drove her blade straight through the heart of a red-robed ninja who shared damage with the old woman.
This technique was insidiously cruel. Even the Corrupted Monk couldn't withstand it, let alone Madame Gao.
The old woman stumbled, her chest erupting in agony. She nearly fell, thick blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth.
Bella moved like the wind. Gripping her blood-soaked blade, she cast another spell, preparing to link the second ninja to Madame Gao's damage share.
This was the first time Madame Gao had encountered such a technique in the real world, but Kunlun's ancient texts contained similar records. Warriors had developed countermeasures specifically for this.
No time to worry about shortening my lifespan now.
She channeled her qi throughout her entire body. Drawing on her vastly superior cultivation, she forcibly severed Bella's psionic link and wrapped herself in an impenetrable barrier, leaving no opening for the psionic energy to exploit.
Thirty to fifty years of cultivation couldn't achieve this level of defense—but four hundred years was more than sufficient.
She sealed herself off from the psionic link. By then, Bella's blade was less than four inches (10 cm) from the second ninja's heart.
She punched a hole through the second ninja's chest. He didn't so much as grunt before dying.
"Old bitch, you react pretty fast!" Bella tried to establish another psionic link, but the moment her energy reached out, Madame Gao's qi barrier deflected it. The defense was airtight—no way to penetrate in a hurry.
"A mage? Kamar-Taj?!" Madame Gao's eyes narrowed, then she shook her head. "No... more like those witch doctors..."
She was furious. This was exactly what she'd feared. Warriors like her despised mages most of all—you never knew what tricks they had up their sleeves.
This fight was a perfect example. They'd barely exchanged blows, and she'd already coughed up blood and taken damage.
Don't underestimate that mouthful of blood. She wasn't young anymore. What she'd spat out wasn't just blood—it was life. That single moment had cost her at least ten years.
"Witch doctors?" Bella's smile was radiant. "Your knowledge is lacking."
Strike while the iron is hot—momentum lost is momentum gone. This principle applied everywhere. Madame Gao's speed had noticeably dropped; that overwhelming, unstoppable aura was gone.
She was afraid.
A martial artist fighting a magic user was already at a disadvantage. When that magic user had prepared countermeasures in advance? The warrior's chances of victory became even slimmer.
Bella had designed multiple combat scenarios beforehand, accounting for various contingencies. The current situation fell well within her plans.
No need to fight her head-on. No need to rely on Eagle Vision for a desperate last stand. Four hundred years of cultivation? Can't afford to mess with that! I'll just avoid close combat entirely!
Her finger traced a rune in the air, then she pointed at Madame Gao.
First-level spell—Paralysis Suggestion!
This was a suggestion, not damage. No amount of qi could block it.
Paralysis Suggestion was a form of mental deception—arguably only slightly more sophisticated than hypnosis. It was nearly useless against young people. Grab some random youth off the street and tell them "You're about to be paralyzed," and they'd call you insane.
But against the elderly? Devastatingly effective.
This spell was practically designed for bullying the old and infirm!
Madame Gao felt her body grow impossibly heavy. Her joints creaked and groaned. Her qi still circulated, but her thoughts grew sluggish, her muscles spasming between tension and relaxation.
"Damn it!" Her willpower held firm. After a second of mental fog, she regained clarity.
I'm old, but not so old I can't walk! I can still fight!
She lunged forward two steps—and Bella's third spell arrived. Another technique perfect for exploiting the elderly and weak: under the premise of the target's confidence being severely shaken, it reduced their observation, perception, hearing, and overall sensory acuity.
Distraction.
How important were a warrior's senses? Imagine your eyes weren't blind, but suddenly nearsighted. Your ears weren't deaf, but hearing only at half capacity. How could you fight like that?
Madame Gao charged forward a dozen steps, only to find her palm strike had missed Bella's position by a full six feet (2 m).
"Die, old bitch!" Bella wasn't fond of this hag either—the kind of person who inspired disgust on sight.
With all the debuffs stacked, Madame Gao's capabilities had been whittled down to almost nothing. Bella immediately switched to her most familiar attack spell.
Mind Blast—direct hit!
The old woman collapsed completely. They'd maintained distance throughout the fight. Her exquisite martial arts and profound cultivation never got a chance to shine before she was nearly finished.
Yet she had some resilience. Even with her mind reeling from vertigo, she managed to scrape together a shred of consciousness and shriek: "Kill her! Kill her! KILL! Kill them all!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A barrage of whistling sounds filled the air. The red-robed ninjas finally reacted—their leader was in danger. A storm of shuriken and throwing stars hurtled toward Bella's position.
After the ranged assault, the ninjas showed no fear whatsoever. Every single one charged forward with blades drawn, willing to sacrifice their flesh and blood to buy Madame Gao time to escape.
Bella said nothing. She seized a katana from one ninja and slashed his throat with a backhand stroke.
Then her blade became a whirlwind of steel. Instead of retreating, she advanced, using superior swordsmanship to cut down the red-robed ninjas one by one.
Just as Isshin Ashina found the Fountainhead Palace's martial arts too flashy, she found the Ashina Style somewhat... inelegant.
After receiving the Divine Dragon's teachings, Bella had come to favor the sword techniques of the Okami Clan from Fountainhead Palace—elegant, beautiful, while still retaining considerable lethality. Some spells could even be woven into the movements. Even enemies dying by her blade would acknowledge the artistry of her swordsmanship. That was enough.
She'd also learned portions of Emma's sword techniques, another martial art passed down by shrine maidens and priests.
Bella's martial development had progressed through distinct phases.
Initially, her rapier demanded sharpness and precision. Later, she'd studied numerous schools, gaining breadth. Then came the Ashina Style's ruthless efficiency. Finally, she'd determined her personal style: the pirate, assassin, and samurai techniques didn't suit her. The dance-like swordsmanship of shrine maidens and priests—that was her path. Inside and out, she pursued a single ideal: beauty.
Her blade traced arcs of white light. Red-robed ninjas fell one after another. Meanwhile, Madame Gao had gradually shaken off Mind Blast's effects and staggered over thirty feet (10+ m) away.
"Trying to create distance? That'll only make you die faster." Bella couldn't help but laugh mockingly. "Old bitch, you cling to life too desperately. You're dead today. No one can save you."
The woman should have rallied her subordinates for one final desperate assault—that might have given her a slim chance. But Madame Gao was too afraid of death, unwilling to accept even the slightest risk.
"Come out, Little Sakura. Time for revenge."
The Divine Dragon poked her head out from Bella's collar, gazing at Madame Gao with complicated emotions.