In the current Hall of Thirty-Three, the sculptures of the Bodhisattva were cut and cracked by the Qi Blade on the sword.
The ground was torn and destroyed by the wind burst from the naginata.
The secondary limbs of the undying insects, and the giant sword of the Southern Barbarian Warrior, also left huge and gruesome traces of destruction.
Lann is now serving as a firefighter in two battle circles.
He himself is fully focused on the movements of the Eight Hundred Nuns, always ready to engage head-on, keeping this huge yet nimble enemy within Iwami Yixin's attack range.
Meanwhile, Mentos uses his extraordinary hearing, sense of smell, and touch to gather and integrate the battle situation on Old Robert's side.
Whenever the Southern Barbarian Warrior is in imminent danger and about to collapse, Mentos informs Lann of the situation.
Then the Demon Hunter's left hand would release a Magic Seal at a critical moment or shoot a supersonic bullet.
Lann has done his best within the limits of his abilities, but as time passes, human stamina will inevitably reach its limits.
The red tengu mask of Iwami Yixin has been blown off by the naginata's wind.
The aged Sword Saint even felt a bit of relief in his breathing because of this.
He had already slain at least over forty people today, and now he has to fight against the phantom-like Temple Abbot. At an age where his hair and teeth are about to fall out, such a schedule is quite thrilling.
This made him chuckle, never imagining that such a day would come when a mask became an obstacle to his strong breath.
Though Iwami Yixin's stamina is nearing its end, his martial arts skill still allows every slash to maintain a high standard.
While on Old Robert's side, his breathing becomes increasingly heavy and rapid, intensifying to the point of producing a whistle-like sharp sound through the breathing holes of his steel helmet.
Just from that breathing, one could feel the humidity and suffocation inside the full-cover helmet, as if the damp hair had already stuck to a sticky neck.
His Southern Barbarian martial arts might, when practiced to a profound level, also have the endurance of Eastern martial arts. But now, he cannot maintain the level of power output like Iwami Yixin when his stamina is about to run out.
His speed and arm strength are inevitably deteriorating. This increases the frequency with which Mentos informs Lann.
Among the three, only Lann's stamina is still relatively abundant.
The magical transformation of the Demon Hunter makes their muscular structure different from ordinary people, giving them greater endurance and resilience. It allows these monster hunters to wear armor over mountains and forests to clear out monsters.
And the coordinated action of the genetic seeds and the extraordinary vitality of the "second heart" make Lann's body even more exceptional than a typical Demon Hunter.
But now the battlefield situation prevents him from fully utilizing his abundant stamina.
The opponents on both sides include three undying insects, clearly ferocious and surpassing their kin, and the phantom avatar of the Immortal Peak Master.
If either side falls, and the two merge, they will all die here.
The stalemate is clear not only to Lann as the 'firefighter' but also to Iwami Yixin, who is entangled with the Eight Hundred Nuns.
Having fought battles his whole life, he can naturally sense the development of the situation even amidst a vortex of blades.
His sharp single eye once briefly glanced and met Lann's gaze.
'Don't do anything unnecessary, maintain the current standoff.'
That message was clearly conveyed through that single eye.
With two enemies, handling one first would greatly reduce the threat of the other.
And judging by the current level of [Light Body Skill], swordsmanship, and strength displayed by the Eight Hundred Nuns, they can only take down the Immortal Peak Master first.
They must get that blade before they're exhausted!
The massive body made of purple light and shadow once again temporarily repelled the panting Sword Saint, attempting to leap and merge with the three undying insects.
But before she lightly sprang up, Lann had already detonated a Dragon's Dream bomb along her jumping path, producing a small cloud of flammable gas hanging there.
A throwing knife in his hand sliced through the air, shooting toward her head.
The Eight Hundred Nuns wielded the naginata to block, with the sparks igniting the flammable gas, causing the flames to erupt.
The illusionary purple figure, though not afraid of fire, had her [Light Body Skill] interrupted, allowing Iwami Yixin to entangle her again.
At this point in the situation, even Lann started to choose to trade resources for stamina.
If anyone on either side can't hold on, he must stand in the breach.
"Sir, you have to handle Robert's side personally!"
Mentos's analytical reminder was concise and straightforward.
Old Robert, due to arm fatigue, did not have enough strength to hammer an undying insect far enough to create a pause to react to the next undying insect's attack.
Now, two centipedes are baring their teeth and claws, winding towards him from two directions!
Due to the angle, neither the Magic Seal nor the arm cannon could hit with a single strike.
Lann acted decisively. Under the core knowledge of the Bear School Swordsmanship, he lowered his center of gravity significantly.
His running posture resembled a famished wolf on the prowl.
The shockwave first slammed one undying insect aside, then the Lady of the Lake's Sword shimmered with brilliant golden light.
Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the slashing charged with magic cut the other undying insect diagonally into two parts.
Black and red fluid spilled, wetting the ground.
Lann knew it was useless. The segmented insect could reconnect in less than a second; even burning the cut wouldn't help.
The near-cursed undying nature likely didn't even adhere to the conservation of mass.
These centipedes were also unlike the typical instant Buddhas within the Immortal Peak Temple, barely affected by North Wind's freezing effect.
The magical power sometimes defies rational worldviews, yet such power exists.
Existing without reason.
Lann helped Old Robert out of the bind and immediately prepared to turn back to block the Eight Hundred Nuns.
But Old Robert's iron glove, unusually, held him back.
After a moment of surprise, Lann seemed to understand something, staring at Old Robert with wide eyes.
"I can't hold on anymore."
The middle-aged male voice beneath the armor was weary and wooden. When discussing matters of life and death, it was as plain as talking about spoilt fruit at the dinner table.
"I can still manage... for maybe two more minutes. Sorry, but after that, it's up to you."
'Can't hold on' and 'can still manage' sounded paradoxical. Get full chapters from novᴇlfire.net
Old Robert's combat effectiveness largely depends on his armor and giant sword. Now, he's almost unable to wield the giant sword, but... he still has his armor.
Although that armor can bleed even under the jaws of ordinary undying insects, if he throws his whole body at the Immortal Peak Master and wraps him... he could hold out for at least two minutes.
Lann had his mouth open, but no words came out.
Fortunately, Old Robert did not expect Lann to say anything.
In the humid, suffocating helmet, he clearly pronounced: "Thank you."
The 'thank you' Lann heard in the side hall was no illusion. The Southern Barbarian Warrior harbored gratitude for this young man.
This was his vendetta, this was his anguish.
He should have charged into this Demon Cave alone, been toyed with, and killed. Or foolishly guarded the gate for these murderers after his son's death.
But now, he followed Lann to fight here, to this point.
At least now, he doesn't walk alone, nor with regret.
For this, he was willing to use his dying anguish to earn Lann two minutes.