Rider of Cinder (Part 1)

Flames erupted around Mu Xi like a surging and blazing heatwave. With one step she sent the sphere of rippling heat towards the Rider of Cinder.

Everything around her was transformed into a brilliant flame that burned and engulfing everything. The Rider of Cinder uttered nothing as the sea of flames were approaching him.

'She must have the ability of Ultimate Fire.' Thought the Rider of Cinder as he held up his ancient sword and hack down before the sea of flames.

With a simple slash, the sea of flames was parted as easy as turning over a hand and then the Rider of Cinder leaped toward Mu Xi again with his hand thrusting out. Mu Xi narrowed her eyes as she saw the swirl of crimson flame forming around the Rider of Cinder's hand.

'Let's see how strong your flames are.'

She condenses her Ultimate Fire into her fist and thrust out to clash with the Rider of Cinder. As the two came into contact, the two colored flames began clashing and fighting each other.

The two flames struggle against each other, while Mu Xi fist and the Rider of Cinder hand struggled against each other.

'If this keeps up, we will just repel against each other again.' Thought Mu Xi as sent her other fist coated with flames toward the Rider of Cinder.

Yet the Rider of Cinder counter with his ancient sword that hacked downwards to Mu Xi hand with the intent to cut it off cleanly. But how could Mu Xi not predict this? With this thought, the flames around her fist erupted outward to the Rider of Cinder who was still hacking down with his ancient sword.

'Something is amiss.' Thought the Rider of Cinder as he felt his ancient sword cutting through the dazzling flames with no resistance.

It was then he saw the figure of Mu Xi was gone with only flames of her Ultimate Fire blocking him for a while. Before he could try to find her, Mu Xi appeared next to him in a flash of light, and in her hand was a condensed glowing ball of flame.

She thrust out her fist towards the Rider of Cinder who couldn't react and smashed into him. The Rider of Cinder's body was sent flying with a hint of shock in his eyes from Mu Xi's other-worldly strength.

Yet this wouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knew Mu Xi as she did blacksmithing as her main profession. So, of course, her strength needs to be abnormal among her pairs to keep moving up in blacksmithing and it became even more monstrous from the body sect training she underwent.

It wasn't wrong to say she is the third strongest in their group, physically wise. Yet Mu Xi didn't stop there as her four rings appeared behind her and all of them lit up.

Mu Xi instantly became a beam of light and appeared in front of the Rider of Cinder whose body was still flying. Then her first ring appeared causing her body to turn into a streak of orange as she tried to smash into the Rider of Cinder but he was able to move into a strange defensive stance.

The Rider of Cinder spat out blood as he was struck twice and slightly became injured from his defensive stance reducing the damage. But Mu Xi wasn't done with her onslaught of attacks as she summoned pillars of flame to engulf the Rider of Cinder.

Yet the Rider of Cinder was able to regain control and sprout out red flames from his body that fought back against the pillars. The Rider of Cinder landed and gazed at Mu Xi who had her guard up against them before he nodded his head to her.

The Rider of Cinder charges at Mu Xi who narrowed her eyes and begins assaulting him with an onslaught of fire element attacks. Yet the Rider of Cinder simply showed his exceptional swordsmanship and hack apart the attacks.

Then as he cut the distance between them, his eyes shined and cause Mu Xi whole body to freeze as she couldn't feel her limbs.

'Crap! Paralysis.' Thought Mu Xi as she felt everything becoming numb.

The Rider of Cinder wouldn't give up this chance he created, he hacks down with his ancient sword that erupted with sword intent and was about to bisect Mu Xi.

But Mu Xi quickly willed her three soul rings to appear and four fire shields appeared in front of her as the ancient sword was hacking down. Yet the shields were easily cut apart as the sword hacked down at Mu Xi but was only able to seriously injure her jade-like skin.

"Impressive." Said the Rider of Cinder as he swung his sword upward to Mu Xi's neck.

Luckily the paralysis wore off and her four rings appeared behind her causing her to shoot back like a beam of light but that didn't stop the sword from slashing through some of the light.

As Mu Xi appeared back, she flinches as her arm and chest were bleeding. She gritted her teeth and quickly summons flames in her hand to cauterize her wounds.

While creating pillars of flames to appear in front of the Rider of Cinder who chasing after her. The Rider of Cinder hacks down on the first pillar around him but knew he couldn't keep this up as his prey was moving back.

'Rise!'

Mu Xi's eyes widen after she was done sealing up her wound to see all of the rusted and chip swords around her rising up. Then the Rider of Cinder pointed down causing all of the swords to become coated in crimson flame and sped off toward her.

Like shooting stars, the sword rushed toward Mu Xi who only glared and simply summoned her fifth soul ring that began to lit up. Her whole body became engulfed with flames, and she charged toward the Rider of Cinder who only gazes at her.

The rusted swords were approaching her figure, but she didn't falter as her eyes began shining with determination. Then with a spin, she met the first few ancient swords rushing toward her and smashed them apart.

'How.' Thought the Rider of Cinder as he saw the swords flying away but then his eyes slightly widen.

As in Mu Xi's hand was two small vermillion hammer with decorative designs of a phoenix and the sun symbol. She brandishes her two vermillion hammers and began to smash apart all of the ancient swords rushing toward her.

Then her fourth soul ring lit up and she teleported on top of the Rider of Cinder. As she was smashing down her hammer, the Rider of Cinder was hacking upward with his ancient sword.

Bang!

An earth-shattering sound rang out as these two weapons clashed and the Rider of Cinder eyes widen as he felt himself being pushed back. But that wasn't the end as soon as Mu Xi spin her body to smash her hammer back into the Rider of Cinder.

Bang!

'This isn't just her physical strength.' Thought the Rider of Cinder as he was being pushed back.

Sadly, the Ride of Cinder wasn't wrong as the hammers in Mu Xi's hand weight over ten thousand kilograms. Combine with the speed of Mu Xi's swings, allowed her to produce a terrifying amount of force that was beginning to suppress the Rider of Cinder exceptional swordsmanship.

Like a beat of a drum, Mu Xi was smashing her twin vermilion hammer into the Rider of Cinder who was gradually being pushed back. Mu Xi was treating the Rider of Cinder like he was a metal that needed to be refined with her swing becoming more deadly and ferocious as the seconds passed.

Yet the Rider of Cinder was equally deadly as even with the ancient blade in his hand, he was still able to deflect against Mu Xi's tyrannical attacks with movement similar to flowing water. As this exchange went on for a while, Mu Xi eyes shined as her Ultimate Fire started appearing around her arm and towards her vermillion hammer.

The vermillion hammers were engulfed with the flames of absolute fire causing them to shine with the decorative symbols on it looking sharper. With a glare, Mu Xi smashes her flame-coated vermillion hammer down toward the Rider of Cinder.

Like a comet or a shooting star, the hammer smashed into the ancient blade and caused an explosion to ring out that pushed the Rider of Cinder back. Yet that wasn't the end as Mu Xi began raining down her attacks that emitted waves of thunder-like noise.

But the Rider of Cinder refuses to lose out as a crimson aura began surrounding his ancient sword and he began to hack out even more violently.

The two reached the climax, attacking without retreating or giving in as the first one who did, would die. They shifted around vertically and horizontally as they rain down attacks on each other with neither losing out in their exchange.

More and more wounds were pilling up on both of them and yet they refuse to flinch or kneel as the first sign of weakness was death. If anyone else were here to watch this battle between these people, they would have been shocked.

As this looked like a battle between two warriors who swept countless battlefields or a fight between a dragon and a tiger. Ancient Sword and flame-coated vermillion hammers collided with their owners staring at each other with an unprecedented amount of calmness.

Both of these duos seem as if they were evenly matched and yet it was the Rider of Cinder whose expression was changing by the minute. While he had an untold amount of experience with his sword to make up for the difference between him and Mu Xi. It was becoming harder and harder to contend with her close-up.

Knowing he couldn't keep this up, the Rider of Cinder went into his strange defensive stance as Mu Xi hammer smashed down into his sword and then his eyes shined.

Mu Xi flinched, allowing the Rider of Cinder to move like the wind and thurst his ancient sword towards where Mu Xi heart was. Like a beam of light, the ancient sword flew toward Mu Xi heart.

'Kill!'

But then Mu Xi with an astonishing amount of flexibility and reflexes flip over the blade that was rushing towards her chest. The Rider of Cinder eyes widen at this and as Mu Xi was flipping over past his blade, he could see her eyes that were burning with determination.

Then a vermillion hammer smashes into him.

Bang!

Yet that wasn't it as another vermillion hammer came crashing down. Then another and another, until it becomes an almost endless cycle of hammers smashing down. Burn marks were appearing on the Rider of Cinder body with each successful slam.

'How!' Thought the Rider of Cinder as he knew Mu Xi should still be paralyzed for a few seconds. But sadly he was fighting Mu Xi when she had her hammers. Ever since she was trained by the little devil and her teachers, she has been learning how to forge through all types of distraction.

Even when her body was ringing with pain, her mind being attacked and etc. She was forced to have to continue forging through all this to become a great blacksmith. Through all of this hell and hardships, Mu Xi was able to forge a mind that could even withstand mental attacks of a Super Douluo when she has her hammer.

"Grow!"

The flames around Mu Xi twin vermillion hammers expanded and shape themselves into two mighty hammers that were towering over her. With a roar, she smashed down hard on the Rider of Cinder whose body was planted into the ground from her earlier onslaught.

The ground trembles from Mu Xi hammer that acted as if they wanted to topple mountains and overturn seas.

Bang!

A huge fissure was formed that extended in every direction as if the earth was breaking and causing the room to shake. A loud explosion exploded out from under the Rider of Cinder as a flame-covered vermillion hammers landed on him.

It created a large enough shockwave that sent Mu Xi back a few meters before she was able to stabilize herself. Mu Xi stared at the rubble where the Rider of Cinder was buried and as she was about to go over to him, a purple-gold fireball was coming towards her.

"Who!"

Mu Xi smashed her hammer into the fireball and destroyed it. But then a purple-flame serpent appeared behind her and then pounce. She didn't even flinch as golden flames burst from around her and burn away the serpent.

"Impressive. I thought that fight with that fiend already tired you out."A voice rang out.

Mu Xi shifts her gaze to where the voice was coming from and saw a humanoid demon walking to her, it was Mahaan who had a cruel smirk on his face.