Fierce Battle

Long's face was filled with confusion. Ni Jianrong, who had been thrown aside, quickly got back on his feet. Fang You, whose chest had been slashed by Simon's "Fangs of Gluttony," let out a muffled scream. His chest bore four deep gashes, nearly ten centimeters in depth, almost severing him in half. Blood gushed out like a fountain, mixed with bits of his organs, unstoppable. His body swayed, and he collapsed backward, his limbs twitching. This was a fatal blow; he was clearly beyond saving.

His face contorted in agony, he could feel his life slipping away, disbelief evident in his eyes. Simon, like Long, had appeared unguarded, and Fang You's sudden attack should have caught him off guard. How had Simon, as if forewarned, not only evaded his assault but also counterattacked lethally?

He realized his mistake too late. Simon's earlier actions were a ruse to deceive him. Fang You had thought Simon was unprepared, never anticipating the swift retaliation. His negligence had cost him his life.

"All together, kill him first!" Ni Jianrong, seeing Fang You's imminent death, lowered his stance and lunged at Simon.

Wang Kaikang, who had just grabbed Lily, harshly shoved her aside upon hearing Ni Jianrong's command. He then quickly drew the weapon from his back, shaking off the cloth that wrapped it to reveal a finely crafted machete.

Wielding the machete, he charged at Simon alongside Ni Jianrong. Lily was deemed inconsequential, and Long, with the bone spur embedded in his chest, was gravely injured. Though Ni Jianrong hadn't managed to eviscerate him, Long's injuries were severe; he had slumped to the side, unable to even stand, let alone fight.

Their sole threat now was Simon. They aimed to eliminate him first to seize control of the situation completely.

Ni Jianrong's bone spur, emerging from the flesh of his right hand, was no ordinary weapon but a unique ability akin to Simon's "Fangs of Gluttony." Simon dodged the incoming bone spur, but from behind, Wang Kaikang's machete sliced through the air towards him.

Simon drew his dagger.

With a resonant clang, he blocked Wang Kaikang's machete with the dagger. Sensing his strength slightly exceeded his opponent's, Simon deflected the machete with the dagger, then, with a swift motion, sent the dagger flying.

With a sharp thud, the dagger embedded itself deep into Wang Kaikang's chest, burying to the hilt.

"Damn it..." Wang Kaikang's face turned ashen as he gripped his machete tightly, staggering backward. His eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as he stared at the dagger hilt protruding from his chest. This unpredictable combat tactic and sudden change were entirely new to him. He had never anticipated that Simon would use the dagger to block his machete and then throw it like a dart in such a short range. The swift shift left Wang Kaikang no time to dodge, resulting in a direct hit.

Facing two opponents, Simon knew it would be nearly impossible to prevail through conventional means. He surmised that both Ni Jianrong and Wang Kaikang were at least Level 3 Source Spirits, possibly even Level 4 like Long. In a head-on confrontation, they would likely overpower him, so he had to rely on unconventional tactics to gain the upper hand.

Having landed a successful strike, Simon noticed Ni Jianrong's bone spur, about a foot long, emerging from his right hand's flesh and thrusting towards him. Simultaneously, Simon launched himself diagonally forward. Ni Jianrong's attack missed, and he shouted angrily, "Are you really just Level 3?" His voice betrayed a hint of fear, but with no way to retreat, he charged forward with grim determination.

Despite the dagger embedded in his chest, Wang Kaikang did not immediately collapse. He turned, his face contorted with rage, and gripped his machete tightly, attacking Simon alongside Ni Jianrong. As a Level 3 Source Spirit, his body was several times stronger than an average person's. While the injury hindered him, it was not instantly incapacitating; he could still fight for a while longer.

His initial shyness had vanished, replaced by a ferocious expression fueled by intense hatred for Simon. Simon's trajectory took him towards the edge of the balcony, where the iron rod lay silently. He reached out and seized it, then turned to swing it.

With a sharp clang, the iron rod deflected Ni Jianrong's bone spur. Simon's "Fangs of Gluttony" extended from his left hand, poised to strike, but Wang Kaikang's machete followed swiftly. 

With his back to the balcony and no room to evade, Simon had no choice but to lift the "Fangs of Gluttony" to block the machete. Using the ten-centimeter-long weapon to parry the machete required precise timing. Though Simon had considerable combat experience, he still felt a surge of tension, needing to focus his full attention on the task.

With precise accuracy, Simon's left hand blocked the descending machete with the "Fangs of Gluttony." Ni Jianrong launched a fierce kick into Simon's abdomen. Though Simon parried Ni Jianrong's bone spur with his iron rod and held off Wang Kaikang's machete with his left hand, he could not evade or block the powerful kick. A muffled grunt escaped him as the blow landed, the force of it feeling as if his internal organs had been violently upended.

Ni Jianrong's face twisted into a vicious grin as his bone spur retracted into his flesh. With a swift motion, he bypassed the iron rod, aiming a heavy blow at Simon's chest. As he did, the bone spur emerged once more, targeting Simon's heart. Meanwhile, Wang Kaikang's machete descended again, both attackers now pushing Simon against the balcony, intent on ending his life.

Suddenly, Wang Kaikang felt a sharp pain in his back, a chill spreading through his body. Lily, previously thrown aside, had charged forward unnoticed. Her small hands gripped a dagger, now buried to the hilt in Wang Kaikang's back. They had underestimated her, dismissing the child as harmless. Now, her unexpected attack left Wang Kaikang defenseless.

The intense pain distorted Wang Kaikang's face, eliciting a fierce scream. He spun around, abandoning his assault on Simon, and swung his machete towards Lily. Her pale face reflected terror as she glanced up.