Then, rather than retreating, Huohe, Xifaman, and Kelan Kai tightened their grips on their weapons and leaped forward together, facing the swarm of Red-Blue Bees as it counterattacked in fury. Together, they formed the first defensive line with their own flesh and blood, keeping the main swarm firmly occupied. Shiheng immediately fell back to the mages' side, shielding the sisters Nalan Jingyu and Nalan Ruoshui, along with Kelin Xiaoman, behind him. His gaze stayed fixed on the swarm's movements, never daring to relax for even a moment.
Red-Blue Bees had always been known for their ferocity, and they had no fear of death. Now, these little insects had been thoroughly enraged, and their attacks could only be described as frenzied! Their razor-sharp stingers stabbed toward Huohe and the other two as densely as falling rain, while their iron-hard bodies slammed into them relentlessly. Faced with such a fierce, vicious assault, the three could only swing their weapons with all their might to defend themselves and strike back. For a time, blades flashed and crossed amid the swarm's piercing screeches, the sounds ringing throughout the mountain forest. Yet despite the three men's considerable skill and fighting strength, they were hopelessly outnumbered-the sheer size of the swarm was terrifying! Before long, several gruesome wounds, some deep and some shallow, covered their bodies. Their once neat, clean clothes were already soaked crimson with blood, leaving them looking utterly battered. Worse still, the immense strain of prolonged, intense combat gradually made their movements slow and clumsy. Their strength and speed were far below what they had been, and their stamina plummeted, as though they might collapse at any moment.
Sheltering a short distance behind them, Kelin Xiaoman took in everything. Yet rather than being cowed by the gruesome, bloody scene before her, she forcibly suppressed the fear and panic surging within her and swiftly began drawing on the water-element magic within her body. A soft, delicate, pale-blue glow gradually appeared at the tips of her fair, long fingers, each as slender as a scallion stalk. Then streams of healing magic flowed continuously from those halos like little rivulets, settling with unerring accuracy over Huohe, Xifaman, and Kelan Kai as they fought fiercely against the enemy.
These healing spells seemed to possess some wondrous power, effectively stabilizing the wounded men's injuries while greatly easing the piercing, agonizing pain throughout their bodies. This allowed them to keep fighting rather than eventually collapsing, losing consciousness, or even dying from severe injuries or unbearable pain!
But the swarm's assault was far too fierce. Before long, several Red-Blue Bees broke through the three men's defensive perimeter, bypassed the front line, and lunged straight toward the Nalan sisters, who were restoring their mana with their eyes closed, and Kelin Xiaoman, who was casting with all her strength. Just as the venomous stingers were about to strike, Shiheng's eyes turned bloodshot. The blood and vital energy throughout his body surged, his muscles tightened and bulged, and his aura abruptly soared. He had activated the Berserk Secret Art outright, his combat strength breaking through until he stood firmly in the late stage of a fifth-level warrior!
After entering Berserk, Shiheng radiated a menacing aura. Ignoring the swarm's sharp stingers, he charged straight into its midst with his heavy blade. Every slash whistled through the air as he fought a bloody battle against the attacking Red-Blue Bees, using his body to hold the mages' last safe area without yielding an inch.
More than thirty more Red-Blue Bees surged out and headed straight for Nalan Jingyu and her sister. Shiheng struggled to hold them off, only to glimpse more than twenty Red-Blue Bees lunging toward Kelin Xiaoman to one side, leaving him caught in a dilemma. At that critical moment, he could only act on instinct, hurling his weapon to block the assault of the thirty-odd Red-Blue Bees while placing his own body in front of Kelin Xiaoman, taking the frenzied collisions of more than twenty Red-Blue Bees with his bare flesh. In an instant, Shiheng was sent flying by the brutal impacts. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood and lost the ability to fight on the spot.
Meanwhile, Huohe and the others had just finished clearing out the swarm around them. Without even time to catch their breath, they immediately turned back to defend the others. After a gruesome struggle, the group finally killed every remaining Red-Blue Bee.
With the battle over, they could only rest where they were. It was not that they did not want to leave immediately; everyone was utterly exhausted and lacked even the strength to retreat. Fortunately, Red-Blue Bees had occupied this area for years, so other magical beasts rarely dared to approach. For the moment, it was reasonably safe.
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