Born Almighty Warrior
Chapter 83 Breaking The Bronze Men Array

Whistling a low tune, Ricky regarded his enemies with slightly raised brows. "So, this is the thirdchallenge for us, huh? Luckily, there are only ten bronze men in the array. We'll surely win againstthem in no time!" He let out a chuckle filled with uncertainty, trying to ease up his nerves while heexamined his opponents tactically changing their positions in lieu of the incoming menace.

Despite his initial positivity, his eyes narrowed in unbridled focus as he assessed the scene beforehim with a seriousness only veteran warriors could exhibit during battle. He clenched his teeth,knowing that his prior words were a mere attempt to diffuse the high difficulty of the trial they wereto face. The strengths of their adversaries were not to be taken lightly. He knew how much of itcould potentially damage his own body the moment he exerted his internal strength as a test to seethe extent of their prowess. It was borderline startling how they were more powerful than fiftywooden men. He felt intimidated and alarmed, even with their few numbers. He could see by nowthat he would be entering a brutal zone.

He gripped his long saber, a steely gaze gauging the capabilities of both teams. He had to have firmwill and determination to win in order to have a chance at defeating the bronze puppets. No pureand unabashed might would be enough to take them down; he needed to enact a clever plan."Hey, Agnes. Do you know any of their weaknesses?"

Ricky asked, his mind turning its gears as he struggled to concoct a flawless strategy to takeadvantage of their frailer sides.

Agnes shook her head in dismay. "I'm afraid not. The Trio Array was introduced into the competitionfour years ago. During that time, only the men of the Sage Faction succeeded in reaching this level.Contenders from the Purity Faction and the Groom Faction have not even seen it in the past; letalone attain any knowledge of their weakness." Ricky's face scrunched up with worry.

"Well, it appears that we're going to have to face a really difficult problem.”

She looked back at him and nodded, sensing his apprehension.

"Yes, I'm ready for that.”

Metallic screeches scraped against the other and created high-pitched noises that hurt the pair'sears.

The horde was starting to move at a fast pace, their tumultuous steps creating a barricade that soonencircled them.

They had no time to react from the ambush, only able to tense up in defense as brass bars suddenlymanifested from their foes’ hands while dashing towards them in an organized manner.

Strikes and lashes released from the collision of opposing forces signified the beginning of the longexhausting warfare. Agnes did not dare take leisure in blocking their attacks, not with their powercarrying the level of Blood Purification. She was able to resist the aggressiveness of one or twotools, but she had to put her life on the line if she were to combat them all

Ricky glanced at her in between his own engagements, uneasy with the thought of her gettingbeaten badly. He acknowledged that Agnes was more than capable of handling herself but hebelieved he had a responsibility to avoid on any fatal injuries to befall on his companion. They onlyhad each other to depend on after all, and so, he willingly took the majority of their rivals head on.Flames licked at the metal of his blade and emitted a heat only he could take. He maximized itspower; parrying the flurry of russet arms threatening to incapacitate him. He swung and dodgeduntil he managed to receive a momentary break from the ruthless scuffle. Heaving deep breaths toregain his composure, he winced when he felt his chest tighten uncomfortably, making himnauseous and wary of the ominous urge to vomit out blood from his damaged core.

They had successfully made it through the first wave of assailments.

Agnes returned to stand beside Ricky's form, not letting her guard down as she talked to herpartner, "Ricky, I can fight two guys at most. That way, you won't have to push yourself too much intaking them all at once. I'll buy you some time so you can figure out their weakness.”

"Are you sure? If you fail, our teamwork would break. Do you understand the risks?"

he asked, making sure that Agnes’ offer was something that was not merely backed up by emptypromises.

Sensing his underlying meaning, she wordlessly released her full energy. A boom shook the groundfrom the force of her power as steam raised high to the ceiling due to the heat wave pulsing aroundher form

"The blood power of innate spirit!"

she shouted, her aura changing enormously under drastic speeds that chased away any trace of herformer soft grace and gentleness.

She had evolved into a reverent queen that demanded praise and obedience from her subjects, thepressure flowing out of her in multitudes coaxing lower beings to bow before her mercy.

"Th-this is incredible!"

Ricky unconsciously took a step back in shock upon seeing the revelation unfold in front of him.

He knew that Agnes’ power could only be attained through inheritance from one's own lineage. Itwas a skill that was passed down generations to generations from the first warrior who became theinnate spirit.

It lived in all the descendants that undeniably had the ancestor's blood pumping in their veins.However, only a few were granted to assume the blood power of innate spirit.

Once gained, the practitioner would go smoother compared to the vast majority. It would not be sofar off to say that they would achieve the level of demi-immortal if they were to continue theirrelentless training; a big advantage that was regarded with envy by most.

"God! What are the odds... Someone from the Shui Clan really made it to the innate spirit!"

he uttered in disbelief, his widened eyes glued on Agnes’ majestic form. "If she decides to use thispower to compete with the other disciples in the competition, she would definitely be bound tofinish in the final round!"

"So, Ricky, do you still doubt me now?" Agnes smirked as she crossed her arms in defiance.

Ricky sputtered out a chuckle, caught off guard by her domineering position when a waywardbronze man put a halt to their conversation.

After fending it off briefly, he turned to her and said, "Well, how long can you use this power tofight?" He propped a hand on his hip and flashed a faint smile at her. He could no longer deny hermastery, but he knew it would be idiotic of him to be swept away by carelessness. He had to takeeverything into consideration to be victorious by the end of the fight.

"An hour would be a piece of cake,”

Agnes brimmed with confidence, putting all her faith in the gift left by her ancestor for her to wield."Great! I'll deal with the remaining eight within that time,"

he exclaimed, relief flooding through him.

His last statement marked the end of their allocation. He straightened his posture and closed hiseyes momentarily, intending to mimic Agnes’ unabashed display of talent earlier. He let thesimultaneous warmth and coldness lick across his flesh as he activated the Nine-degree BodyRefining Formula to the Second Degree. In a blinding flash, the army was plunged under the gravityof his aura and colored them in orange hues which carried both halves of his infernal and frostypower.

With the addition of the Light Apperception to support the duo's command over the battle, theycompleted the image of supreme and overwhelming competitors.

Ricky's saber hummed in his grip, buzzing with unrivaled vitality that signified its own alertness. Hewas prepared to end the long driven out strife.

The unexpected turnaround of the match was met with outcries of awe and fascination from thethree demi-immortals residing above the palace.

"The dual powers! This guy's spiritual meridian can carry dual powers!" They gaped, watching theconflict commence below in surprise.

"That girl

did a remarkable job! She's really smart for inviting a genius with a spiritual meridian that carriedthe dual powers!" The grandmaster from the Purity Faction proclaimed in joy.

They stayed immersed in the scene, taking in as much information as they could from the ongoingdispute with the Array.

Ricky swung his saber, the mixed energies he controlled exploding on their adversaries andferociously assaulted every gap and corner of their bodies.

He aimed to purposely overpower them with his wild charges; a cunning scheme to seek out theirfragile cores.

He targeted the most common vulnerable parts of a puppet: the brain, chest, stomach, andshoulders, in hopes of demolishing them thoroughly.

Nevertheless, his blind strikes only proved to be futile. The lack of evidence from the dolls tiring outanytime soon confused and despaired Ricky. If he were to continue at this pace, he would end upcollapsing in fatigue. No matter how potent his current state was, it would be useless if he were todrain all his energies at some point.

It did not help that Agnes also seemed to be succumbing to her limit as she fought the two puppetswith increasing sluggishness chaining down her movements.

Her blood power of innate spirit was running out with every passing second, revealing an urgencythat spurred Ricky into thinking overdrive on how to render the bronze men into total decrepitude."Aren't they supposed to have a weak spot?" Muttering in frustration, Ricky unyieldingly pierced hissaber again and again through the tough surfaces of his enemies.

He scanned their figures as he prayed fervently to notice any unusual circumstance to serve as hisbreakthrough.

He held his breath as his frantic eyes jumped to one body to the next. Suddenly, he was struck witha realization that his saber had successfully left cracks on their chestnut exteriors.

"Maybe there isn't any array power in them?"

he mumbled, puzzled by his replaceing.

If that were the case, it should not have been possible for the array to be stronger than the mobsthey had fought previously. He could still vividly recall the shadow marks left as trails of evidence tothe cuts his weapon had tried to inflict on them. Those stone and wooden men did not break intopieces as it should have because of the array power embedded in their forms.

But then, if the bronze array had possessed the same skill as the former legions, he would not havebeen able to leave deep cuts caused by his inexorable slashes.

Unless, its aim was to solely break down their dissidents’ real strength.

He startled upon his new discovery. Their physiques bore no weaknesses and no array powers; allthey had was their own pugnacious strengths that equaled to a warrior at the first grade of BloodPurification. The only way to triumph over the mob was to harbor a power stronger than theirs."Finally!"

Ricky grinned, mustering all his momentum to unleash the devouring runes from within. With thoserunes’ help, he made it to the second grade of Blood Purification.

It renewed his being; baptizing him with fresh and unrestrained vigor that permitted him to slashthrough his nearest enemy.

"Crack!"

The metal ripped like a loose thread from a broken hem before it split into halves and fell on thesolid ground heavily.

'l was right! It all depends on true strength!"

he sighed, mitigation and glee prancing around in his chest.

He proceeded to take them down one by one; raising his saber and plunging it countless of timesinto the puppets without any remorse. In a span of a few seconds, he had emerged gloriouslyundefeated as he stood on top of the fragments scattered along the floor.

Ricky and Agnes shared a look brimming with the pride of conquering their last mission.

He breathed in ease, oblivious to the panting of his partner almost on the verge of fainting from thetenacious exercise. At last, they were crowned champions. All their efforts paid off, with Ricky evenmanaging to receive the bonus of reaching the second stage of Blood Purification.