Facing Sinmon's powerful punch, Eddie couldn't dodge; Jean was right behind him. If he dodged, she would bear the brunt of the attack, and he knew she'd never forgive him. Eddie couldn't afford to dodge, but he wasn't foolish enough to confront the giant head-on. He kicked Jean's shapely rear, sending her flying to safety, then used the momentum to leap up, skillfully evading the punch and counterattacking with a kick to Sinmon's face.
Eddie's kick, empowered by the giant's shadow, had enough force to break a wild ox's skull. However, Sinmon seemed unfazed by the attack, advancing with his massive wolf-toothed fist weapons, intending to crush Eddie.
Eddie couldn't match Sinmon's brute strength, but his speed, reflexes, and technique were superior. If it were just Sinmon, Eddie could easily handle him. However, Sinmon's true power lay in coordination with the skinny 'Bone Spike' and 'Saltold Old'.
Bone Spike summoned a skeletal figure with bone wings, wrapping himself in it. He moved faster than lightning, appearing behind Eddie. The bone wings' spines aimed for Eddie's heart, while Bone Spike prepared to strike.
"Get lost!" Jean rushed back to assist, swinging her giant sword at Bone Spike's head, trying to split him in half. Saltold Old intervened with his emerald fishing rod, wielding it like a spear.
Eddie, seeing this, quickly stepped on Sinmon's face and leaped up, spinning to avoid Bone Spike's deadly attack. He caught Jean mid-swing, pulling her down with him into a pond, narrowly escaping the three-way assault.
Jean, recognizing Saltold Old's use of the Yue family's spear technique, exclaimed in surprise. Saltold Old boasted about acquiring the technique from a resilient Yue family member, Yue Guan, who had disappeared and was suspected to have been killed by enemies.
Eddie realized Saltold Old's expertise extended beyond the Yue family's technique. The ability to use a fishing rod as a weapon demonstrated his profound skill. The rock where Jean had stood was peppered with small holes from Saltold Old's spear technique. Eddie knew a direct hit from the rod would be fatal.
Eddie's eyebrows raised slightly as he contemplated their predicament. Jean noticed the change in his expression and gently wrote a word on his back: "Understood." Eddie realized that their initial skirmish was just a prelude to the real deadly battle ahead. Laura had finished gathering the Starlight Azure Grass and was now focusing on gathering the aurora's energy.
Escape was impossible due to a colored light column disrupting spatial movements in the cavern's ceiling. The only way out was through a fierce battle – victory meant freedom, while defeat spelled eternal entrapment in the cave. The seriousness of the situation was evident on the faces of Eddie, Jean, and Laura, as well as their formidable adversaries, Sinmon, Bone Spike, Saltold Old, and Phosphorus Devil.
Only the voluptuous and bewitching Phoenix Fairy seemed to maintain her composure, elegantly seated on a ledge, her dainty feet bare and swinging playfully as she observed the unfolding battle.
Sinmon roared, "Tenfold Muscle Amplification!" Emitting a cloud of black smoke, he transformed into a minotaur-like figure, significantly enhancing his strength and defense. His muscles bulged monstrously, giving him the appearance of a true 'Mountain Crusher Demon'.
Bone Spike performed a deadly dance, multiplying his afterimages and increasing his speed to dizzying levels.
Saltold Old summoned a small, seemingly harmless creature onto his fishing hook. Eddie, aware of the deep-sea thrasher's lethality from the 'Top Ten Fierce Beasts' in the beast manual, was cautious not to underestimate this tiny creature.
Phosphorus Devil no longer targeted Eddie but instead focused on Laura, unleashing his hellish flames. The battle was poised to escalate into an intense and unforgiving confrontation.
Phosphorus Devil found himself at a disadvantage against Laura, as he couldn't attack her within her protective shield. Laura, however, relentlessly attacked Phoenix Fairy with her aurora, forcing Phosphorus Devil to protect Phoenix Fairy with two waves of hellish flames to counter each strike of the aurora. Fortunately for Phosphorus Devil, Laura took much longer to gather energy for her aurora attacks.
During an intense explosion where aurora and hellish flames collided, shaking the entire mountain and causing stones to fall, all combatants sprang into action simultaneously. Jean leaped high, striking down at Sinmon. At that moment, Bone Spike attacked from behind, but Eddie, holding Jean's left leg, skillfully tossed her behind Saltold Old, allowing her to cleave him in two. However, the Saltold Old's afterimage vanished, revealing his real position behind Eddie.
With a sinister laugh, Saltold Old whipped his green fishing rod at Eddie's waist. As Eddie lost control and plummeted towards the ground, Sinmon perfectly timed his punch, hitting Eddie's head and sending him flying like a cannonball. Saltold Old then launched his fishing line, and the small creature on the hook transformed, shooting a powerful water jet through Eddie's body, creating a transparent hole in the thick mountain wall.
Eddie, struck by the coordinated attack, fell into a water pool, sinking without resurfacing, as blood rose to the surface.
Jean attempted to rescue Eddie but was pushed back by numerous afterimages of Bone Spike performing the deadly dance. She was struggling to defend herself.
Saltold Old, having seemingly defeated Eddie with one strike, stood by the pool's edge, gazing into the water with a sense of perplexity. He found it suspicious that the cunning Eddie could be so easily defeated, especially considering Eddie was, in his opinion, a more troublesome adversary than Jean.
As Sinmon dismissively declared Eddie's certain demise, he suddenly screamed in agony. His right eye burst like a bubble, spewing blood and covering his hands. Saltold Old, startled by this sudden development, swiftly raised his green fishing rod for protection and began scanning for the enemy.
Suddenly, a clear voice, as soothing as a spring, echoed behind Saltold Old, sounding as friendly as a greeting between old friends: "Old man, are you looking for me?"
As Saltold Old turned, he saw a shirtless Eddie, his smile as radiant as the sun, slowly extending a hand holding a golden dragon-slaying dagger. Saltold Old attempted to retreat and dodge the attack, but to his horror, he found his body as heavy and immovable as stone. He tried to raise his fishing rod, hoping to use his spear skills to pierce Eddie with multiple holes, but his arms were immobile, as if cast in iron.
It was as if invisible ropes tightly bound him, instilling deep fear in his heart.
"No one takes advantage of me without paying the price! You're no exception. Here's what I owe you, plus some interest!" Eddie plunged the golden dagger into Saltold Old's back, twisting it before swiftly slicing across his neck, severing his trachea and carotid artery with a clean cut.
Blood spurted skyward as Saltold collapsed.