They broke in from the right of where the Durians entered. Or perhaps it was left - Arthur had gotten quite confused and turned around in the last few minutes. He was just in the midst of crippling his opponent, slamming the butt of his spear into the man's hip hard enough to shatter the pelvic bone and dropping them due to the Yin Poison, when the wall exploded.
Ears ringing, head twisted tot he side, he staggered to the side and bumped into an unyielding wall. Face bloodied and messed up, half-blinded with blood still pouring from his facial wounds, big and ugly grabbed Arthur with one meaty hand and then proceeded to punch him with the other.
Arthur tucked up automatically, keeping arms close to the side of his body and head, letting the body absorb the hits. His helmet had been lost somewhere in the fight, an annoyance that meant that the explosion had rocked him more than it should have. Worst, though, was that around the third or fourth swing, his spear had been lost from his grip.
He'd grab for his kris, but his left arm was numb and not gripping well. This giant had obviously dumped a ton of traits into strength and then a technique to make himself stronger. Add in the fact that he was easily second advancement and Arthur was feeling the real difference in cultivation for once. All he could do was take the punishment, pulsing his own Yin Poison into his opponent as he tried to cripple the other.
Stronger poison - definitely on the checklist.
In the meantime though, he was saved not by his opponent's exhaustion but the bodyguards that had been attempting to keep up with him. Yao Jing slammed a shoulder into the other, tackling him to the ground and causing Arthur to fall to the side. After that, fist glowing, the pair of muscle-brained idiots started tussling, managing to get a few boots into Arthur as he scrambled away.
Unhappily forcing himself up, casting around for his spear and not seeing it close by, he tugged his kris out instead. Recollection of the explosion, screams and the smell of smoke and burnt flesh - though that might have been him - brought his attention to the hole in the wall.
Ghee Hin, streaming in. Fighting a rear-guard action, carrying members of the UN in with them, the 66 attacking behind and a small number of his own people. He felt his heart lurch at the thought of losing his own people, watched as a woman was cut down, and found himself running.
Screaming his head off, in anger and fury.
"Stop. Wait up!" Jan, just about finished throwing down her own opponent screamed as Arthur rushed past her.
He didn't pay attention as he wove a Refined Exploding Energy Dart. Waited for the gap, released it, began it again. Dropped the Yin Poison, knowing that the next fights were going to need more than a slow wearing down. No single leader to take down, just a lot of people.
Needed to get the damn dual cultivation methods working, and so he pulled at it. Drew up the Heavenly Sage's Mischief, shoved it in to run alongside his Bark Skin. Felt searing pain, but between being stabbed, punched, burnt and exploded; it was just another tally of agony. It was nothing, not when he was watching his people die.
A spear stabbing at him. He ducked low, stabbed with the kris and left it buried in a throat. Jerked his hands upwards and side, stripping the weapon from his dying opponent. Spun it around, clipped another opponent in the arm. Used that moment of inertia to punch the weapon forward, clipping the corner of a neck and tearing open veins and arteries. He kept moving, feeling his body speed up as the technique took over.
Chaos and battle, a world that faded away to glimpses of motion.
He'd entered the zone, that moment, that state of mind where everything else faded away. Concerns about the future, pain from the body, the ache in joints or thrashing emotions faded away. Only that moment, that second of movement and the next one. As though every movement was perfect, and when it wasn't, when a blow came in he never saw, a Mana Dart exploded and caught him and threw him backwards.
It didn't matter.
He was on his feet, back in the battle, rushing back in. He noticed motion, more people streaming in from their own entrance. Not attacking his people so he didn't care, though they joined the battle with him, fighting on.
Screaming, shouting, aching.
Till the enemies were falling back, afraid of the blood covered, unstoppable menace before them. Arthur might not have the sheer attributes of some, but he had more training, more practise fighting in battles and, most of all, a healing technique that was putting him back together - even passively - as he was cut, stabbed, punched and otherwise struck. That is, where they managed to land a strike that mattered as his armor protected him from a large number of those attacks. In the meantime, he had been trained - over and over again - on techniques to get his attacks through gaps, to grab and twist and slip a blow underneath the armpit, between gaps in the armour.
After all, his Tsifu might not have liked what they were doing, but the man was practical. And teaching techniques to grip and hold, to target tiny cracks and to set weapons so that it'd punch through anyway, that was just practical.
Even if, for example, some of those gaps were found in riot armor.
Some memories, like the riots of '69 and '29 died slow.
When they backed off, when they started throwing down weapons and their morale broke; it was almost a pity. Because then, the adrenaline and that transcendent moment of movement and battle faded. When real life arrived, and all the pain, loss and injuries came crashing down.
That's when he had to start counting the cost.
***
Groups of Ghee Hin, all squatting on the ground, legs crossed, arms raised and laced behind their heads. Like in the movies. Funny, the things you learnt. At least, Arthur figured that was where Rick and Eric had learnt this from. Various members of the UN and some of the Clan members were watching over the group too. Watching the triad members and each other, because tempers were running high. No one was killing anyone out of hand, just yet, but they certainly were a lot rougher than they could have been.
Arthur didn't even have the heart to tell them no. If anything, his hand itched to grab the kris and put it through a few throats, but that was why he was keeping them clasped behind his back. That and so the others wouldn't see them tremble, as adrenaline washed away.
In one corner, more gently and carefully, bodies were being placed. Even the dead of the other side were being treated more respectfully than the living, which probably said something about humanity if Arthur had the time to tease out such philosophical strands.
Mostly, though, he was too busy watching the smaller pile grow. Or piles. One for the living, slowly fixing wounds. The other, for the dead.
Was it lucky, then, that there were a lot more of the first than the second? It took a lot to kill people, especially Climbers. You could cripple, knock unconscious, force a person into shock and leave them on the battlefield, slowly dying. Emergency first aid, the passive healing from the Tower and his own Seal could - combined - bring them back.
If you were lucky.
"Our people are dying too!" A voice called, shouting at the group. Rick strode over, ready to cuff him, but Mel raised a hand. She glared at the other, speaking firmly and loudly. "We're treating everyone. If any of you have actual medical experience or a healing technique usable on others, put your hands up. We'll use you." A beat. "After you've been patted down."
Surprisingly, two hands went up. Arthur paid just about enough attention to note one was a nurse and the other had a healing technique.
Then, his attention was drawn back as Auntie Wen stared at him, turning his head by his chin. "Bad cut. You're lucky your technique removes the scars."
"Not something I care about, Ms. Wen." He paused, added. "Thank you. For the help."
"What? I'm chopped liver?" Jean said. "My people nothing?"
"I already thanked you. Twice," Arthur said, patiently. Tried to, even as he saw the big, teasing grin. He watched as she smacked his chest, rested a hand on him a little too long as she leaned in. He swore, he could literally smell the pheromones coming off her.
"I can think of other ways to thank me...."
"Later." Arthur exhaled, shook his head as the last of the adrenaline faded out of him. "There's a lot to deal with. People to count, injuries to sort out. And the Ghee Hin and their people to sort out."
"We need to take them, while their reeling," Auntie Wen said.
"Wait... what? Take them?" he asked and Jean grinned, perking up.
"Oooh, their businesses?" she said.
"All of them, yes." A head turned, taking in Raj who finally had managed to make his way over. "Though I feel it should be split among those who took part."
The leader of the 66 snorted. "We helped."
"When you saw us join in and realised the 66 were done," Auntie Wen said. "Utterly useless. We could have won without you."
"Could you now? And you think you are ready for another fight?" Raj said, angling his body aggressively. "You ready to start another war?"
Arthur raised a hand, stalling the conversation before they could get into it. "Raj, the 66 can't take us all. But we don't want another fight. Nor could we all take the entirety of the Ghee Hin's stuff, not without a fight, not if we're not together. Even keeping control of all their buildings, all the things they own or the businesses they're shaking down will be too much."
"We don't..."
Arthur just spoke over Jean, ignoring her words. He really didn't care what they had to say, though he continued. "I will say this. We're taking all their brothels, all their nightclubs and massage parlors or whatever the hell they call it. The rest, you all work out, but don't expect to get an equal share, Raj. If nothing else, your people bled the least."
Then, voice dropping he added. "But that can change."