Hai slowly managed to stand up. She watched as both Mac and Luterio stood before each other with their mighty spear in their hands. Luterio's expression deformed by rage greatly contrasted with Mac's big smile.
Even Hai, who lacked experience, could tell that Luterio was nothing like the other invaders who Mac had just defeated. Luterio faced Mac with confidence and fury, even after seeing what happened with Mac's victims.
A seed of doubt bloomed in Hai's mind. She was not sure if Mac could win this or not. Yes, Mac may have defeated ten of his enemies in one minute, and he still somehow left that bloody battle unscathed; but there was something about Luterio that scared Hai. Maybe it was his determination to fight Mac, someone who also scared her greatly, but Hai did not have confidence in Mac.
But despite her fears, Hai managed to find her will to fight. As long as Mac was there, she would be ready to help him win this fight. He was her only hope after all.
While Hai slowly emerged from waves of fear, Mac swang his spear without a care in the world. Much of his friends would depict him as the embodiment of arrogance.
"You are the Luterio guy, right?" Mac said. "The one that I threatened through the Komyu stone."
Mac was excited to have a "flashy" battle with someone that could hold their ground against him, but he felt that he needed to have a meaningless exchange before it. If a fight was the main dish, this conversation was the appetizer.
Hai felt somehow insulted by Mac's demeanor. Her fellow tribals were on the ground bleeding, barely alive, and Mac was there with a smile now returned to his face. But whatever how offended she was, Hai's reaction could not compare to Luterio's.
"SO IT WAS YOU!!!" Luterio's words sent Hai another wave of fear. "YOU ARE THE ONE THAT KIDNAPPED MY BROTHER!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!???"
Luterio screamed with his full might. Mac was already someone that he particularly hated deeply, but now that he discovered that this demon of orange hair had captured his brother, Luterio was going berserk.
He tightened his grip on his spear as he looked at Mac. It was like he was facing his greatest archenemy.
But Mac only laughed before Luterio. His laughter did not carry the innocence and youth of a normal kid, but instead, the scorn and disdain in it were notably eerie.
"That is quite funny coming from you," Mac said with a scornful smile as he looked around the tents in flames and its habitants in peril. For a moment, his will to banter failed. He had almost forgotten about the sorrowful situation of the tribe once again. "For someone that cares so much for his brother, you sure went above and beyond here!"
This time Luterio returned Mac similar laughter. "What do you think this is, Mac Key Kast?" He somehow had more disdain than Mac in his voice. "I heard that you were more experienced than you looked, but I see that could not be more wrong. Do you think that any of these savages here are worth a piece of hair from my brother!? I will do it whenever I want and need it. As if these fools could compare to my family might."
Hai's will faltered for a moment but then came back more powerful than ever. How could he say those things about the people from her tribe? They did absolutely nothing to the invaders, even after her father passed by their hands! Suddenly, Mac killing the invaders the way he did not repulse her as much.
"That is really cool, dude," Mac said as he poked his ear with his free hand. His will to banter was deflating faster than he expected. "But what the heck is wrong with your mind?! Your response to the kidnapping of your brother is to kill everyone in this tribe? That sounds a bit counterproductive, huh? You could have gotten your brother killed."
"Your thinking reeks of weakness, Mac Key Kast!" Luterio responded as he readied himself for the combat. "Do you think that my people and I would sit quietly as my brother was in danger?! Before such a coward enemy that captures children, we all will rage and slaughter the whole world for him! Besides, we didn't kill anyone here! We specifically aimed for non-lethal wounds! They will all be allowed to witness the doomsday of their village and people!"
Hai had never felt such disgust for anyone before. She could understand the strong bullying the weak. She could understand how the weak would have to helplessly bow their head before someone who could kill them in an instant. Hai could even understand why the invaders killed her father. She thought that she understood the harsh world where she grew up. But to believe that people like Luterio and the other invaders existed? That they would not kill but torture their victims to beyond death? This night and the events it bought had taken the last bit of innocence that fifteen-year-old Hai had.
"That is so kind of you," Mac said in scorn. For better or for worse, Mac was too used to people like Luterio. He could even find him a little amused. "Maybe I should take a page from your book and adopt your way of thinking. I think I will not give you the same treatment that I gave to your friends!"
Mac did not take his eyes from Luterio. He knew that he would be attacked if he gave a chance. Instead, he prepared for the combat, just like Luterio.
The two fighters stared at each other for a solid second, and just when a particularly loud crack came from the flames, they charged for the life of the other.
Luterio struck first with his spear. His weapon was clearly of a higher quality than the other invaders. When Mac barely avoided the spearhead, he could almost see his whole head going with it.
Mac tried to attack too, but Luterio managed to dodge with just as much caution as Mac did. Soon, both of them reached an impasse and jumped back.
Mac was lucky he took care of the other ten invaders before Luterio showed up because he would have certainly died to his spear. Since the night started, Luterio was the first to equal him in combat.
But if you were to tell Luterio that, pride would not be a feeling that he would experience. He would feel a deep sense of shame that could reach the roots of his lineage.
That is because Luterio could be considered exceptional among his peers. He was at the ripe age of fifty-seven, and slowly but steadily, he was approaching the level of a cultivator. Even his own father, an actual cultivator, wasn't at his tier in his fifties.
But Luterio didn't reach this far based on talent alone. He spent his whole life training to the point where none of his peers would dare to follow. If someone ordered him to do a thousand push-ups, he would do three thousand. If he needed to run one hundred kilometers without rest, he would run at full speed the whole day.
Luterio sought to be the strongest. He aimed to be a cultivator like his father and go even further. He blooded his body and scarred his mind for his goals. There weren't many people in these lands the same age who could compare to Luterio.
And yet, there was Mac. A fifteen-year-old who could not even cultivate taking him head-on. Granted, Mac was barely able to keep up with him, narrowly avoiding attacks and having to take some light blows so then he could avoid the more dangerous one. But despite all that, Luterio had never felt more humiliated in his whole life.
Even if he was aware that Mac was not an ordinary person, he couldn't handle the shame that hammered his self-esteem for every second Mac stood his ground against him.
Meanwhile, Mac had his face stuck in a perpetual smile, in a mixture of rage towards Luterio's actions and amusement before an enticing battle. But while his face showed a myriad of feelings, his mind was calm and serene. Mac needed to be careful with his next moves because he realized that he was in serious danger now, more than when he had to face the ten invaders.
Firstly, Luterio was actually physically stronger than Mac, with higher speed and more potent strength. The body that Mac acquired in his countless adventures could not match up to someone who could cultivate.
Secondly, his enemy was armed with a dangerous weapon. Mac was confident that he could even break the spears from the other invaders with he pierced them in the right spot. He already did that when he destroyed the spear Luterio had thrown at Hai. It was fortunate that Luterio had chosen to throw the spear of one of the invaders that Mac had killed first, otherwise, Hai could have died.
But these problems were not something that Mac could not handle. The difference in experience between both fighters was too big of an advantage for Mac. He was quickly tracing different ways to take Luterio down in his mind. He might not be able to defeat him in a single strike, but sooner or later, Luterio would fall before him. But alas, he had two more problems even more concerning.
Mac had mastery in a special type of footwork used by one of the most powerful people he knew. The problem was that if he used this technique, Hai, who was right behind him, could be exposed to a sudden attack from his enemy.
Luterio had already proved that he was resourceful enough by trying to take Hai out even before the fight started. The chances that he would try to kill Hai once again were dangerously high, and Mac was not sure if she would be able to react fast enough.
That was also one of the reasons why Mac had to face Luterio head-on without backing off too much. He needed to keep Luterio away from Hai.
But there was an even bigger problem. Mac could feel that there was someone out of his sight. An enemy shadowed in darkness, waiting for something. Mac felt someone staring at him, and he could tell that it was not a weak coward waiting for Luterio to finish him. No, It was someone actually stronger than Luterio!
"This weary night is finally reaching its end, but there is still so much shit to do." Mac sighed in his mind without changing his expression. He needed to act like he was focusing on Luterio. "I will need to end this fight now while I still have the chance."
Mac thought hard for a moment as he stabbed for Luterio's chest. "This guy is way too focused on this fight and on me. Hidden Will is unlikely to work on him in this state. So I guess I will have to appeal for a more unorthodox option!"
"Hey, Hai! Get ready and attack at my signal!" Mac screamed as he redirected an attack from Luterio. As Mac was having additional trouble due to the fact that Hai was present, it was only fitting for him to use her to win this fight.
The simple fact that he called out for Hai was enough for Mac to gain some ground. Luterio was acting with more caution due to the threat that Hai could pose him. Now he had to divide his attention between two foes, giving Mac the chance to change the tides.
Hai initially gawked at the brutal but still grandiose fight between Mac and Luterio, but she only took an instant to process what Mac said and got ready to attack the moment he called for her again. This dreadful night was molding her to become a warrior.
But Mac did not call for her. He continued fighting with even more vigor. He was not going to give Luterio a break just so he could recollect himself.
Maybe if Mac continued at this pace, he would eventually defeat his opponent, but he would surely be exhausted and more vulnerable at the end, and since he still had more fight to come, Mac needed to conserve his energy. He was going to get help from Hai, but in more ways than one!
Mac swang his spear horizontally and tragically missed, and when he dodged Luterio's thrust for his left leg with a jump, Mac left a sharp whistle. It was like the whistle activated something on Luterio's brain because he hurriedly looked up at Hai for a moment. And that was all that Mac needed.
Mac was using Luterio's own experience against himself. His rival probably assumed that his whistle was the signal for Hai to move, but alas, Mac would win this quarrel in an instant now that Luterio wavered.