The masked guards came down from the platform.
The first one swung a wide arc at Baki's throat, a small blade extending from his wrist. Baki leaned back and let it pass, grabbed the arm, and twisted it back into the guard's own shoulder. He kicked him into the two behind him.
Two more came from both sides, their hair whipping forward with thin blades tied to the strands. Baki dropped flat and the blades crossed above his head. He swept both guards as he came back up and drove twin punches into their chests. They went through a marble pillar.
CRACK!
Another jumped at him, heel blades leading. Baki caught the leg in both hands. "Cheap tricks!" The blade cut his palm. He spun the guard and threw him into four others rushing in. They piled up and stayed down.
The rest closed in together. Wrist blades clicked open. Hair blades whipped. Baki moved through the middle of it, bending and turning, letting them hit each other. One blade grazed his shoulder and cut through his jacket. He used one guard as a shield and drove two blades into their own teammate. It was over in minutes.
The hall went quiet. The masked guards lay scattered across the floor. Baki stood in the center with small cuts on his arms and shoulders. He looked up at Wang Wei and smiled. "Shall we talk now?"
Wang Wei's hand shook. "DON'T COME CLOSER! WHERE ARE THOSE RED DRAGON BASTARDS?!"
"Hey." A voice came from behind. "Not going to say hello to me first?"
Baki turned. Zhang Jian walked toward him spinning a butterfly knife in each hand, grinning like this was the best thing that had happened to him all week. "I'm not the type to wait around. How about we play right now?"
Baki cracked his neck. "I was saving you for last. But sure."
Zhang Jian came in fast, slashing in a practiced pattern. Baki caught both wrists mid-swing and twisted. Zhang Jian winced and kept grinning. Baki hit him once in the chest. Zhang Jian stumbled back and one knife hit the floor.
"You're faster than you look," Zhang Jian wheezed.
He kept coming. Side kick, low sweep, a grab attempt. Baki countered each one cleanly and Zhang Jian kept eating the results. A knee to the gut bent him over. A throw put him face-first into the marble. He pushed back up every time, bleeding more each round, still talking.
"What a monstrous strength!"
Baki grabbed him again, rolled back, planted his foot on Zhang Jian's chest, and launched him overhead. Zhang Jian landed hard and the marble cracked under him.
CRASH!
Zhang Jian rolled over and looked at the ceiling. "If I want to stop you, I have to give it my all."
He kept going anyway. Headbutts, low kicks, a thrown knife that Baki caught from the air. Zhang Jian tried spitting at his face. Baki moved before it left his mouth. Zhang Jian rushed in with his last knife. Baki twisted his wrist, took the blade, and kicked him through a table.
Wood exploded on impact.
Zhang Jian pulled himself out of the debris, one eye swelling shut, breathing in hard pulls. His hand went to his jacket. He pulled out a vial and threw the contents across Baki's chest and arms. Clear liquid soaked through the fabric. Zhang Jian smiled through the blood on his face.
"One thing Red Dragon knows. There's no fun in a fair fight."
He flicked a lighter. Once. Twice. Third try it caught. He tossed it.
The chemicals went up instantly. Flames spread across Baki's torso and the heat pushed everyone back a step. Smoke rose toward the ceiling. Zhang Jian leaned against the pillar and watched.
Baki walked out of it.
His shirt was gone. His chest and shoulders were burned red and blistered. He kept walking at the same pace, eyes on Zhang Jian.
Zhang Jian's good eye went wide. "Impossible!"
Baki closed the gap and kicked him in the chest. Zhang Jian hit the wall and left a crack in it before dropping to the floor. He tried to lift his arms. They wouldn't cooperate. His fingers stretched toward a fallen knife nearby and stopped short.
"I have done my part," Zhang Jian whispered. His eyes closed.
Baki let him stay there and turned.
Li Xiu stood a few steps away, still holding her drink. She took a slow sip. Her smile was easy but her eyes were reading him carefully. "My, my. You really are something."
Hou Qing stood behind her. His jaw was set and his eyes were cold.
Baki looked at both of them. Burns across his torso, cuts on his arms, breathing just slightly harder than before. He cracked his neck. "Good. Line up. I'll take you both at once."