The group retreated into the hub, and took up the defensive positions around the room. It was a spacious, circular space, with two big stones near two opposite corners serving as potential cover from the missiles.
Xin hid behind the left stone and observed the room as he finished reloading. Tu Qiang, Yao Nang and master Taowei were standing to the sides of the tunnel's exit. No one was strong enough to hold the passage against the iron mantis, so naturally, poking from the flanks was the best option. Murong Zhan was carrying the cauldron around the room, letting the archers dip their arrows, but also letting Yao Nang coat Xin's glaive in the fiery liquid. Meanwhile, Wu Xiaoyun was placed in the back, to heal the injured and reinforce as necessary.
Their last torches were hung on the walls, as it was too crucial to have vision in this fight. Xin could hear the enemy group gather in a wider passage right before the hub; they would probably let one of the weaker bugs run in first. Master Taowei prepared the stone on the ceiling in the centre of the room — he would drop it when the moment was right. Sadly, he wasn't strong enough to just manually crush a stone in a convenient location, and was forced to find a location that's already vulnerable to cracks (Otherwise, he'd prepare a trap right outside of the tunnel's exit, as it was a surefire way to hurt the iron mantis.).
"They're coming!" Xin shouted as soon as he heard the enemies start moving again.
This tunnel was wide enough for a bug to run through, and he knew their advance would be pretty rapid.
The first bug emerged from the tunnel. It was a basic stage one grasshopper, its carapace already covered in dents from the previous fight. A sacrificial pawn.
Smash! Master Taowei hit it with his hammer from the flank, and Yao Nang sliced at its legs with her fiery glaive.
How long will my glaive last before it's ruined? A minute?.
He aimed his arbalest at the grasshopper. No, unnecessary. The bug forced its way into the hub despite its injuries, the yaoguai's influence clearly inhibiting its self-preservation instincts. Smash! Tu Qiang crushed its head with his halberd, and then again. Its head was destroyed instantly, but the bug still kept running, pushing Tu Qiang aside!
Those damned bugs, Xin thought. The female mantis can eat a male's head, and he'll still impregnate her afterwards. This rudimentary movement was enough to make Tu Qiang retreat, and disrupted their formation.
Xin felt his chest get tense. The battle is now in full swing!
The iron mantis emerged from inside the tunnel. It was covered in numerous deformed dents, caused by melting, but they couldn't spoil the magnificence of this creature. It finally entered the centre of the battle, surrounded by the enemies on all sides, and spread its pincers in a menacing fashion. As if it wasn't impressive enough, it also emanated a loud ringing shriek, almost deafening those that stood close to it. Luckily, it wasn't a qi technique.
Yao Nang backed off, she was hesitant to poke at the creature with her glaive. One slice of its pincers and her glaive is gone, another — she's sliced in half herself.
Rui Ming shot a melting arrow at the creature again, targeting the neck. A precise hit! The mantis didn't recoil in pain, but sprinted towards the wind path master instead, its joints clanging and ringing eerily.
"Come at me!" Rui Ming drew his blade, which he knew wouldn't deal any damage, and prepared to disappear into one of the thin side tunnels.
Xin aimed at the iron mantis, then quickly changed his mind. He ran up to the cauldron held by Murong Zhan and dipped his bolt into it.
"That's the last one, Xin! I'll reinforce the others now!" Zhan warned. His chakrams were already infused with metal qi, he was probably planning on killing as many low ranked bugs as possible to free the hands of the stronger fighters.
"Fine!" Xin ran to the side and scanned the battlefield. Rui Ming successfully baited the mantis into chasing him and won us a few precious moments! Everybody in the squad is slowly being engaged by more and more bugs entering the hub. Where is the rank two master?
He aimed around with his crossbow, and he could see his bolt's tip melt. He doesn't have much time left before it becomes a stick with a feather!
Shit. I need to pick a target. A stage two grasshopper, or a regular giant mantis? These two seem like the most optimal targets. But what about the yaoguai? Is he using a stealth method to sneak up on someone?
Fuck it. Xin aimed at the giant non-iron mantis that was pushing Tu Qiang deeper into the room. As a rank one cultivator, freeing him up would give the squad more options.
"Qiang, firing!" Xin warned his comrade, and he quickly stepped aside. The bug didn't understand the purpose of his move, and delivered a follow-up swipe. Nice the bug exposed itself, it can't dodge now! Xin iinfused the bolt with metal qi. The melting material flared up due to this reaction, and he pulled the trigger.
Twang! Swoosh! A fiery bolt penetrated the bug's head. Such a fearsome creature was nothing if you had a strong counter-method, and it twitched for a few more breaths before collapsing on the ground.
A humanoid figure emerged from behind the bugs, flapping its rudimentary wings, and leaped straight towards Xin, covering half the room in one jump!
Curses, I blundered! It waited for me to waste my bolt!
The creature was armoured with a carapace and emanated a rank two aura. Its hands were transformed into pincers shaped like scythes, unlike the spiked ones of a normal mantis. These were not meant for pulling or grappling, but for slashing!
Xin dropped his crossbow and activated Resonance Palms. His qi reserves were also dwindling. Will this be my death?
A figure emerged from behind Xin, clad in chitin armour of his own, his hair waving as he ran and his ember eyes glowing in the dark, absolutely determined to take the rank two master head on!
"Lei!"
Xin and the yaoguai both stood in praying mantis pose, and Xin knew the opponent would lunge, if not for his friend suddenly appearing!
"Talk about timing!" Lei charged towards the enemy master as Xin retreated backwards. He had to quickly scan the situation, as he had just arrived! A few side glances, and he had the image of the field. Xin is retreating, everyone is engaged with the bugs, the iron mantis is about to hit the squad in the back. He then noticed Rui Ming look at him. So much information to process in just mere moments, one without martial talent and experience would be overwhelmed!
"Swap opponents, Lei!" Rui Ming shouted. Wu Lei felt a warm wind cuddle him, speeding him up.
"Right, I get it!"
Lei delivered a false slash at the yaoguai, then used his propulsion dao shard to jump away. The Windsplitter was already running sideways on a wall, trying to reach him and intercept the yaoguai! What a freak, Xin thought.
"He broke through?!" The bugman was confused. Su Xing told him the battle intel of everyone involved, seeing Lei emanate an upper tier rank one aura was quite surprising.
"Lei, mid!" Master Taowei reminded him in such a way that the yaoguai wouldn't figure his advice out. Sadly, he was engaged with a regular giant mantis and already injured. Wu Xiaoyun extended a vine to seal his wound.
Meanwhile, Murong Zhan was in a fight of his life. A wood path giant mantis had broken through their ranks and ran straight towards him! Luckily, it didn't shoot any missiles at him.
It stabbed the ground with its pincers, and a bunch of vines grew from under the ground to trap the young noble.
"Not today!" Around his ankle, there was a glowing golden chakram, and he delivered an upwards crescent kick, destroying the vines in one fell swoop. He slowly retreated back.
The giant mantis got confused, raised its pincers and slowly approached him.
"Any help?" He shouted out nervously. This thing is meant for rank ones to fight!
"Fight better!" Rui Ming shouted as he wall-ran past him, towards the yaoguai.
"Thanks!" At least I get to be sarcastic before I die. If I defeat this mantis and protect the cauldron, we could turn the tide of battle!
Rui Ming drew his bow and shot once while he was still on the wall, and twice more when he landed, using his expensive wind path arrows. The yaoguai nimbly dodged the first and third hit, but the second arrow hit its shoulder and got stuck there.
"That's nothing!" The yaoguai shouted. "Look at this!" He spread his scythe-arms to the sides, activated a wood path technique and crossed a third of the room in one leap, closing the distance between him and the Windsplitter. Still in the air, he tried to slice at Rui Ming with his qi infused pincers.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Rui Ming threw one gust of wind at the enemy master, to disrupt his jump, and another one at the wall, to launch himself perpendicularly, and ended up on the yaoguai's flank. Still, he wasn't happy. This opportunity must be utilised, as he used a lot of qi on this move, while his opponent barely used any. He braced himself for fencing, his sword covered in dents from the previous fights.
"Hey, mantis!" Lei finally reached the iron mantis, who was about to hit his squad's rear, and spat at it. It had no way to dodge. This time, his lava spit was fist-sized, and potent enough to instantly start melting the creature. It didn't shriek in pain or shiver, it just spun its limbs like a possessed mannequin, turning its body towards Lei. Stab! Yao Nang seized the opportunity and bravely lunged at the bug's back leg with her glaive.
No effect.
The iron mantis ignored her and rubbed its pincers together.
Lava Spit! Lei quickly responded with a move of his own. He could feel his mouth burn when he used the technique too often.
Swish! Swish! Two discs were launched at him, but he used the propulsion dao shard, enhanced by the combined force of the Molten Heart technique
"Su Xing!" The yaoguai shouted as he was chasing Rui Ming all around the cave. "Extinguish the mantis immediately!"
Rui Ming was eating spirit stones as he wall-ran away. At this rate, he wouldn't last very long. He was as fast as the yaoguai, but his qi pool was much smaller.
Xin was reloading in the centre of the room, using the chaos to drop focus from himself and avoid any attention. Any moment, the yaoguai could drop the chase and attack him, Tu Qiang or Wu Lei, as they were the other priority targets. He looked around as he pulled the lever, and saw Murong Zhan struggle against the giant mantis. Lei was running away just like Ming, chased by the glowing, melting iron mantis. Everyone else was engaged with weaker bugs.
Xin analysed the situation again. The resource that we are exhausting from them is a number of bugs. Their rank two yaoguai and giant bug are much more durable in terms of their qi pool. Meanwhile, we are defending effectively, and no one seems seriously injured, but we are slowly losing ground and expending our qi. This fight will be defined by whoever loses their first trap card!
I know what to do! Xin was now determined to make an impact. He ran towards the mantis that was assaulting Murong Zhan, and sliced at its back leg with his Resonance Palm!
The creature shrieked in pain and turned sideways to engage two opponents at once.
"Finally!" Murong Zhan's spirit was elevated. He attacked the pincers of the distracted creature, and slashed right into its joint. Despite the difference in rank, the elemental vulnerability allowed him to deal significant damage. "We can win this! Push!" He shouted. "Xin?" The hunter was already gone.
Xin ran to the side of the iron mantis, who was chasing Lei into a corner. Suddenly, his path was crossed by a rank one grasshopper. No, please, no! He cursed fate.
Twang! Swish! He was actually aiming at the creature's head, but shot its chest on accident. It still did significant damage, but he needed to hurry!
Woodcutter's Downswing! Xin bravely charged the creature and slashed at its head as it was stunned, slicing it in half instantly. He got much better at fighting the grasshoppers by observing their movements in the previous fights, while they stayed the same, unable to process information and gain knowledge.
Xin quickly took out a spirit stone and consumed it. He then dove from under the grasshopper's shoulder, and emerged right where he wanted to be.
In front of Su Xing.
The young man was wearing his beautiful armour, repaired at the shoulder, and carried his glaive. In his hands, there was a small blue ball that looked like a jumper ball kids played with.
Bubble dao shard!
Su Xing stopped in his tracks, he didn't expect to be intercepted. The yaoguai said that he'd create a path for him using the bugs, but he'll have to fight his way through if necessary. Extinguishing Wu Lei's technique was his max priority, especially now that it seemed like he broke through. Confused, he pointed his glaive at Xin, wondering what happens next.
Xin scanned him quickly, then made a decision.
"We can still win!" Xin raised his hands above his shoulders. "You were a hostage, please com..."
Su Xing was waiting for Xin to finish his phrase, but Xin suddenly lunged at him. Su Xing instinctively infused his glaive with water qi and delivered a downwards swing!
A flash of inspiration surged in Xin's mind. He crossed his arms at the elbows, then trapped Su Xing glaive's shaft as he leaned forward.
Woodcutter's Scissors! A technique name popped up in Xin's mind, but Su Xing would never learn its name.
His glaive was sliced in half in one move, and he quickly recoiled in fear, but Xin grabbed him by the side of his neck and buried his other palm into his eye. His finger bursted his eye and went deep into the eye socket.
"Aaaagh! Aaagh! Aaaagh!" He tried to push Xin away as he screamed in agony, his blood gushing from the wound.
Butchered the angle, should have entered the brain, Xin thought. Curses. He twisted the finger in Su Xing's eye socket, until he could feel himself scratch a big chunk of his brain matter off, and quickly threw the water path master over his hip. He then stomped on his face with his boot.
"Brother! Aaagh! No!" Wu Xiaoyun screamed desperately.
"Behind you!" Xin warned her, but she wouldn't turn towards the grasshopper in time. Luckily, Yao Nang intercepted the creature, and Wu Xiaoyun got away with this blunder.
She's not meant for combat. Some people just aren't, Xin thought. Need to get away from the iron mantis' area. Xin picked up his crossbow and repositioned again.