There was little to no time. Luterio was stunned as he failed to predict Mac's and Hai's next move. Mac needed to proceed with precision and care as he was unlikely to fabricate another circumstance like this.
Mac got to use his unique footwork the first time in this fight. As if he was sliding in the earth and swimming in the air, he swiftly moved to Luterio's side, with his weapon following his pace.
Using the momentum acquired in his little dance, Mac slashed the left side of Luterio's abdomen with cold precision. It did not matter if Luterio had a muscular build or some type of armor beneath his shirt; the spearhead cut the meat like the wind.
After the successful attack, Mac continued with his footwork and landed behind Luterio. He had not finished just yet. Luterio was far from his death.
Maybe if Luterio was an ordinary man, the wound inflicted by Mac could have been fatal, but unfortunately, a body tempered by cultivation would not fail that easily. Tales said that a typical cultivator could go on for days even with a perforated heart. And for someone so close to that realm like Luterio, he still posed a threat to Mac.
He was a threat, as in, Mac would need to try a little harder to win this fight. There were many tricks up his sleeve that would avoid or, at least, lessen the real danger.
Now that Mac was behind Luterio, he had left the space open, leaving Hai in danger. The situation was pressing, but Mac was not worried.
He thrust his weapon once again, this timing aiming to puncture the right side of Luterio's shoulder. The move failed!
Luterio, bringing his senses to full alert after being wounded, managed to evade Mac's attack coming from his blind spot. Years of accumulating experience combined with his instincts saved his life, or so he would have thought.
Mac matched his breath perfectly and screamed for Hai. "Attack, now!"
Hai, who was only a bystander of this fight since the start, was finally being called into action. She was ready for when Mac needed her, but her reaction was still lacking compared to someone like Luterio. She attacked with a quick fireball, but just like Mac, she missed.
That was enough for Mac, though, as the fire attack confused Luterio only briefly. Mac had not put his full power behind his attack, so he managed to turn the thrust into a slash, aiming for Luterio's chest, who now turned to him in full vigilance.
The attack only managed to scratch his body. But Mac proceeded to stride towards his wounded enemy as he threw multiple attacks as Luterio could only retreat since he lost his balance. Mac was adamant about ending this conflict now, so he used the last trick he had in hand, or to be more precise, in his head!
"Arani!" He timed his speech as he threw another jab. "Aim for his neck!" And just like that, a thread of line produced by his trustful companion frantically shot from his hair. Mac was aiming to overwhelm Luterio with too many attacks.
That was the biggest scare that Luterio had this night, and who could have blamed him? He was already near death as Mac was violently attacking him, meaning any mistake would be his last. But now, he watched as a mysterious string pierced the air in the direction of his neck.
Luterio was unaware that Arani's web was not firm or resistant enough to neither cut nor strangle him, but Luterio was in no position to think calmly to catch Mac's bluff.
Luterio tried his best to survive. He stepped back and raised his spear to whisk the line away, but Mac was as prepared as he was vicious.
Mac threw another jab as he screamed for Hai to attack again. There was barely any hesitation behind their attack.
But while Luterio managed to destroy the silk thread while he avoided Mac's blow, he got hit by Hai's fireball.
Hai had put all of her rage and motivation behind her powers, but she, unfortunately, failed to harm Luterio. At most, she had thrown him on the ground, and he would get up faster than he fell. If Mac wasn't there, that is.
He was already using his footwork to regain his composure for a consecutive attack. Mac then used the gained momentum to throw himself after Luterio, bringing his spear alongside.
Using the strength in his arms and his weight, Mac perforated Luterio's dominant arm. The end was basically here, but Mac was not satisfied. Before Mac fell beside Luterio, he fiercely stomped the ground with his right foot and erected himself straight. He dragged his spear to the sky bringing only Luterio's arm with it. His screams of pain and despair smothered the cries and groans of the tribals.
Hai observed the horrific scene, and this time, she did not feel repulsed by it. Perhaps it was because she had fiery hate for Luterio, or maybe the fact that Mac at least struggled in this combat made him feel more human to her. Either way, she felt a sense of relief as she imagined that the fight against the invaders was over. Hai did not dare to imagine that there were still more formidable foes to face.
Mac bought the spear closer to snatch the arm away from it. Even though he grew used to gore and the tragedies of wars, Mac still felt disgusted with such direct contact.
"Oh well, I gotta do what a gotta do." And with that thought, Mac swung his spear stained with fresh blood and took another limb from the urging Luterio. His left leg was gone this time.
"What did you do that for?!" Hai asked, surprised. She feared that Mac would become more repulsive in her eyes again, but she realized he was not smiling. Mac just seemed annoyed.
"I need to incapacitate him more, logically. This guy here is strong enough to cause some trouble even without an arm." Mac said. And to prove his point, he violently stomped Luterio's helpless face. "See, he is still alive and kicking even after tap-dancing on his face. Taking a leg as an additional precaution is a must."
Hai scared herself with how fast she agreed with Mac's vicious reasoning. "But, then... wouldn't it be better to kill him then?" Words that Hai never thought she would ever say left her mouth so naturally.
Mac faintly smiled as he shook his head. "I am not over with this guy just yet. There are a few things that I want to ask about these invaders, and this guy seems to know more than the guys that I decapitated. Besides..." Mac inched closer to the screaming Luterio and grabbed his jaw. "I can't let him die just yet, right?" It was like Mac was talking directly to Luterio. "Hearing him talking all high and mighty about torturing the innocent people from this tribe, it makes me curious to see what face he will make when he feels his own venom." And with that, Mac cracked Luterio's jaw.
Hai watched, perplexed, as Luterio's screams slowly turned into coughs as he drowned in his own blood. Trying to cope with the situation, Hai focused on another matter.
"Won't that make it... harder for him to talk?" She said.
"Oh, shoot! That is true!" Mac said. "Oh well, he will probably survive, and if it comes to the worst, I can have you take him to the Crimson Coast."
Hai did not like the idea of submerging Luterio in her loved sea. But before she could even think of complaining to Mac, he suddenly calmly walked away from her and Luterio.
Mac lazily looked around the ground. He was not afraid that Luterio could do anything more to him. His enemy could not get up nor use his weapon efficiently. The other invaders that Mac beheaded posed more of a threat to him than the wretched and defeated Luterio.
But there was another thing worrying Mac. There was someone hidden tending ill intentions towards him.
Mac could feel the danger only building up. This sheltered person was probably stronger than Luterio and could finish him easier than Mac could defeat Luterio. But why was he not attacking, then?
"I don't have time to think about that!" Mac thought as his face maskered his worries while he walked. "But since this person is not acting up, I do have some time to arm myself a little more!"
Mac had survived to this day, not because of the strength in his muscles, but because he had mastery in managing outside forces, be it other people or creepy spiders that would not leave his hair. Mac would also consciously use his foes' faults to his benefit.
"You want to leisurely sit on your ass while your prey is right in front of you?" Mac's facade cracked with a smile as he found what he sought. "Be my guest then! This little mistake of yours will enable a couple more to happen soon after."
When Mac faced the invaders previously, he tackled the situation with a surprise attack. With a strong swing, he dislocated the head of his war hammer and threw it at his enemies. That part of his weapon went flying along with the mangled head of the first victim from the ten. And Mac had finally found it.
He didn't have time to recover it because of Luterio's sudden arrival. Mac would probably have an easier time fighting him if he had his war hammer instead of a spear because Mac had a superior affinity for that kind of weapon.
"But then I wouldn't have the chance to overpower Luterio in his own field of expertise." Mac stupidly wasted his neurons thinking about things that did not matter anymore.
Mac grabbed the head of his war hammer from the ground. It was tainted with the remains of the nameless invader. This missing part was abnormally weighty to the point that an ordinary adult could not hope to lift it from the ground, and yet, Mac effortlessly did the deed.
Having to touch the blood and flesh on the head of the war hammer did bother Mac a little. But then, he had an idea.
"Arani," Mac peacefully called, as if he was not in a dire situation. "Please, be an extent of my arm."
And once again, a white thread shot from his orange hair. This time, the web tightly wrapped Mac's right arm and continued on its way to also encompass the head of the weapon.
Mac then leisurely let go of his hand. The head did not fall on the ground but stood hanging, connected to his arm by Arani's line. It was like Mac turned that part of his weapon into another full-fledged one.
"Mac, what are you doing?" Hai cluelessly asked as she saw Mac with one weapon in each hand. "We already won, right?"
Hai was trying her best to convince herself that they got every invader and that Mac had somehow saved what rested of her tribe. But deep down, she knew that it was not over!
There was a memory that Hai tried to suppress into the oblivion of her mind. She remembered awfully well how her father died that day to these invaders. But it didn't matter how harder the daughter tried, Hai could not remember the face of the monster that killed her only lasting parent. Probably due to the trauma that she refused to face herself.
But Hai remembered the faces of everyone present at that moment, and among the other invaders that watched the execution alongside her, she clearly remembered Luterio. But he was making an expression that he didn't show Mac and her. It was the complete opposite, actually. It was the countenance of admiration.
Hai felt a struggle in her stomach. It was as if, just like Mac, she started to feel the presence of the most dangerous threat yet.
While Hai unexpectedly came to the correct conclusion, Mac was trying to motivate himself in his mind. The next and final battle would be tough.