"Forgive me for the delay, young master," Zhao Shi said, stepping beside Spark.
Spark turned to the sight of the defeated leaders, groaning and sprawled on the ground.
"Oh, you've handled your side already," he remarked, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You're quite brutal, you know that?"
"Am I?" Zhao Shi glanced at the writhing figures. "I don't think I was too hard on them."
"What?" The burly man finally took in the scene, his eyes widening in disbelief.
While he had been fixated on what he assumed was an arcane ascendant, Zhao Shi had swiftly and efficiently dispatched his men. Realization struck him—these three were far from ordinary. He felt like a cornered rat, surrounded by predators.
Panic clawed at his thoughts. Should he abandon everything and run, or stand his ground and fight?
Spark noticed the fear flickering across the man's face and decided to play his game.
"I'll give you a chance," Spark said, his grin widening beneath the mask.
"A chance?"
Spark nodded. "If you can defeat my butler, we'll let this matter go. How's that? "
"Defeat the butler?" the burly man repeated, a mixture of hope and skepticism in his voice. "Will you keep your word?"
"Hmm, hmm," Spark nodded with exaggerated assurance.
Spark had no intention of letting Yuna engage. It would end too quickly and dull the excitement of their journey. Proposing Zhao Shi as the challenger promised a more entertaining confrontation.
"Can you handle him?" Spark asked Zhao Shi, who stood with a composed demeanor.
"He shouldn't be much trouble," Zhao Shi replied, his voice calm as he stepped forward, hands unarmed but ready.
The burly man's eyes flared with anger at Zhao Shi's casual dismissal. How could a mere butler, devoid of arcane energy, look down on him? Seething with indignation, he prepared to show that he, an experienced fighter, would not be bested by a servant.
The burly leader charged at Zhao Shi, his bare fists slicing through the air with startling speed. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them, his powerful frame looming over Zhao Shi.
Zhao Shi stood his ground, seemingly unconcerned by the impending attack. His posture was relaxed, almost inviting the assault.
As the burly man's fist hurtled toward him, Zhao Shi made no move to dodge. Instead, he calmly raised his palm to meet the oncoming blow.
BAM!
The impact reverberated through the hall, sending ripples through the air. The ground beneath them trembled as if acknowledging the force of the collision.
The burly man's eyes widened in shock. His fist, which had the strength to topple lesser men, was halted mid-strike by Zhao Shi's open palm. And he remained unmoved, his stance unshaken, while the burly man's momentum was completely neutralized.
Disbelief clouded the burly man's face. Expecting his opponent to be flung back by the force, he instead found himself staring at a calm and resolute Zhao Shi.
Undeterred, the burly man unleashed a flurry of punches, each one aimed with precision and fury. Each strike resounded through the hall, shaking its very foundations.
Yet, Zhao Shi remained steadfast. His body did not shift an inch, only his palm moved, effortlessly intercepting each punch with uncanny precision. It was as if he stood before a furious storm, unyielding and unbreakable.
Frustration and panic began to creep into the burly man's mind. With a grunt, he leaped back, putting some distance between them. He stared at Zhao Shi, who appeared untouched by the onslaught, his expression serene.
Gritting his teeth, the burly man tried to process what had just happened. This was no ordinary butler. Zhao Shi's palm felt like striking an immovable wall, a barrier impervious to his might. It was no different from hitting the barrier made by the arcane woman earlier. This realization gnawed at him as he struggled to find a way to overcome the implacable force standing before him.
"How is this a butler?" the burly man muttered under his breath, disbelief etched across his face. His fists trembled slightly as he struggled to comprehend the sheer strength and calmness of Zhao Shi.
Seeing the burly man hesitate, Spark's voice rang out from the side, dripping with mockery. "Hey, hey, is this the part where the weaker party starts his monologue? Why so anticlimactic? Come on, use your hidden trump cards or something."
Gritting his teeth, the burly man's face contorted with rage and determination. He clenched his fists tightly, summoning his inner strength. Flames erupted around his fists, encasing them in a fierce, flickering aura. The heat distorted the air around him, and his fists glowed with an intense, fiery light.
"Oh, not bad!" Spark remarked with a hint of amusement. "For a bandit to reach the Spirit Inception stage, that's impressive."
At the Spirit Inception stage, an ascendant could manipulate spirit energy to a considerable extent. It was a skill level that marked the beginning of true mastery over one's inner energy.
In battle, harnessing spirit energy in such a visible form was a common tactic. However, channeling energy like this came at a cost—it drained one's reserves quickly. Only those with substantial reserves or desperate circumstances would resort to such displays.
The burly man knew this. His flames, while formidable, would burn through his spirit energy fast. But he had no choice. Facing Zhao Shi, a foe who effortlessly neutralized his raw strength, he had to leverage every advantage he possessed.
With a roar, the burly man lunged forward, his flame-wreathed fists blazing a path through the dimly lit hall. The flames crackled and hissed, casting long, flickering shadows on the stone walls. He aimed a powerful, flame-infused punch directly at Zhao Shi, hoping the added spirit energy would finally breach his opponent's defenses.