When the burly man in the woods saw the five outside huddling together like turtles retreating into their shells, he laughed. "Hmph! All you have is a slightly tougher turtle shell. Watch me crack it open!"
With a wave of his hand, a dozen or so new humanoid puppets appeared before him.
These puppets all wore heavy armor and carried weapons. On closer inspection, every saber and spear in their hands gleamed with light-they were actually low- and mid-grade magic tools.
At the burly man's command, the humanoid puppets formed a line and broke into a rapid run.
They soon joined the battle, swiftly surrounding the enormous barrier that Iron Crutch Li and his four companions had raised around themselves, then savagely attacking it with their magic tools.
The close-combat puppets swung their magic tools at blinding speed. Boom! Boom! Boom! Sabers hacked and spears thrust without pause. In mere moments, they had battered the barrier until it swayed on the verge of collapse, its light flickering!
The five inside the barrier paled in alarm!
"Quick! Pour in your magic power to sustain the barrier!" the tall, thin man urged.
The other four dared not delay, sending their magic power surging into the barrier.
Fortunately, with all five feeding it magic power, the barrier finally stabilized, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, these puppet beasts are too difficult to handle. We can't afford to hold back any longer. I suggest we keep just two people maintaining the barrier's defenses while the other three do everything they can to destroy the puppets. I refuse to believe this man really has an endless supply! If we destroy some more, we might just exhaust his stock!" the loose-haired man said fiercely.
"Good! Exactly right!"
"Let's do as you suggest, fellow