Quick answer: Parry Hua’s two-swing blade strings. Dodge her red-flash grab, low sweep and drifting lily blooms, and step off fresh lily patches before they burst.
Hua is a bride puppet in a red gown. She fights in Chapter 3 (Steel and Steam) of Phantom Blade Zero with a huge dismembering blade and a field full of red spider lilies. Her blade hits are readable. The lily attacks and the grab they lead into are what drain Soul‘s health bar.
Hua at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Name bar | “HUA, DEADLY BETROTHED” |
| Location | Flesh Lily Fields, Weeping Creek Valley |
| Health (Pathbreaker) | 21,060 HP |
| Type | Puppet (immune to Bleed) |
| Ordinary hit | ~100 HP Pathbreaker, ~70 HP Wayfarer |
| Big hit | ~300 HP Pathbreaker, ~210 HP Wayfarer |
| Respawn bell | Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base |
| Reward | Scarlet Wraithblade, 9,000 Remnant Dust |
On Pathbreaker, the default setting, Soul has a maximum of 850 HP here, and a healing gourd restores roughly 340 HP. Her most damaging attacks are the heavy finishing swings, the bursting lily patch, and every strike in her grab. Any three big hits will use up Soul’s 850 HP bar.
Hua is a Puppet, so Bleed does nothing to her. Jagged Steel’s Bleed reads “Has no effect on Puppets, Golden Bodies, or Phantom Bodies”, so Bleed weapons like Jagged Steel are the wrong pick here. Bring a weapon that does not rely on it.
Where to fight Hua
Travel downhill from the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base bell to reach the Flesh Lily Fields. See the complete directions to Hua and her Scarlet Wraithblade reward if needed. A cutscene shows a bride drawing her long blade while seated among the lilies; the battle begins when the scene ends.
Red spider lilies, candles, red cloth and a wedding altar draped in red fill the open arena, which is bordered by rocks and leafless red trees. After a death, Soul respawns at the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base bell, roughly 140 m uphill. You can use the Flesh Lily Fields bell only once the fight is over. Her place among the other bosses is in the full list of bosses.
Hua’s attacks
Hua alternates blade strings with lily attacks. Damage figures below are for Pathbreaker. On Wayfarer, ordinary hits cost about 70 HP and big hits about 210 HP.
Two-swing blade strings
Hua raises her massive blade, then delivers a pair of swings. Her opener connects around 1 to 1.3 seconds into the move, with the next strike arriving at about the 2-second mark. This timing applies to most of her attack strings. A regular blow deals about 100 HP, while her strongest finishing swing deals around 300 HP.
Guard through both strikes and parry them one at a time. After parrying the opener, stay on defense for the follow-up rather than trying to counter. A successful parry sends sparks from the blades.
Fast long-reach cut
A fast, single slash comes in just before one second has passed. It can reach Soul from several steps away and deals about 100 HP. Parry it early; stepping back once won’t put you beyond its reach.
Low sweep
Hua crouches and sweeps her blade through the lilies. Two hits arrive close together during the opening second, too quickly for you to parry both. Use a dodge to avoid the attack.
Drifting spider-lily blooms
Huge red lily blossoms materialize and float toward Soul.
Should one reach Soul, Hua goes for a grab roughly 1.7 to 2.3 seconds after the blossoms first appear. The grab sets up her grey-screen finisher. A blossom suspended above Soul signals that the grab is coming.
Move sideways as the blossoms travel, and dodge when one gets close. Don’t stop to heal while any remain in the air.
Burning lily patches
Red spider lilies emerge across the ground near Hua. After a few seconds, they erupt into pillars of red fire that deal about 300 HP (around 210 HP on Wayfarer). Leave each new patch before it erupts, and keep the fight on clear ground whenever possible.
Red-flash grab
Hua gives a red-flash warning, then rushes forward to seize Soul; the grab connects about 1 second later. If she catches Soul, she lands two cuts at roughly 3 and 3.5 seconds into the attack. Each cut deals about 300 HP (around 210 HP on Wayfarer), so a single grab can remove most of an 850 HP bar.
A parry is not an option. Wait 1 second after the red flash before dodging.
Grey-screen finisher
After the grab connects, the screen fades to grey. Hua vanishes, appears above Soul, then swings her blade down for about 300 HP. The attack can only be avoided by staying clear of both the grab and the blooms that set it in motion.
Counter-swing
If Soul attacks without a break, Hua often interrupts with a quick counter-swing. Limit each attack window to two or three hits, then return to guard.
How Hua changes later in the fight
As Hua loses health, she performs the red-flash grab and grey-screen finisher more frequently. Be ready to dodge rather than risk getting locked into a long combo.
Tips for the Hua boss fight
- Parry the blade strings; dodge the red flash, the low sweep and the lily blooms.
- Stay off fresh lily patches, since they burst a few seconds after they spread.
- Don’t heal beside Hua or with blossoms still in the air. Use the gourd from a distance, just after one of her strings finishes. A grab can erase the health you just restored.
- Change weapons using 1 to replenish Sha-Chi when its supply is low.
- Bells restore Phantom Edge uses, so use those charges during this fight.
- Wayfarer makes her hits about 30 % weaker and can be selected at any time. Her moves stay the same.
Hua’s reward: Scarlet Wraithblade
Defeating Hua gives the Scarlet Wraithblade, a Two-Handed weapon with 240 Damage and 117 Guard Break. Its description reads “A massive dismembering blade once wielded by the bride, Hua.”, and its arts spread Red Spider Lilies. The weapon card asks “Equip the new weapon now?”. Its arts and upgrades are in the Scarlet Wraithblade guide.
The rewards also include 9,000 Remnant Dust and the “Scarlet Wraithblade” achievement. After you finish the fight, you can ring the Flesh Lily Fields bell. Other boss fights are covered in the Peng Meng boss fight and Jing Ye boss fight guides.
