When Arno shouted those totally absurd words if spoken moments ago, those 13 individuals together with him around Lothur couldn't help but express their anger.
They were so close to getting the Soul Bone that Lothur would generate, but at the last moment, these 'hyenas' had shown themselves.
As intelligent people who knew that the formation of the Diamond-grade Soul Bone would generate discord among themselves, they could not allow such a thing to be formed!
If that happened, the unity between them would weaken, allowing these 'hyenas' to beat them and be the only ones to gain something from it all.
They refused to die for the sake of others, so if they couldn't have the chance to absorb Lothur's Soul Bone, they would rather such a thing didn't even form!
'That little devil can't get any stronger, even with his devilish regeneration.' One of those level 18 men still standing, thought to himself. 'So even if he recovers after a while, we can put him in that same situation whenever we want!'
That was in the minds of these 14 people, each feeling that it was worthwhile to take a step back, reorganize things in the City of Darkness, and only then kill Lothur.
When they came to attack him earlier, they all knew the risks of other boarders turning against them. But none of them expected that Lothur would be so strong and resilient as to have taken more than half of them out of the fight.
To kill him, a group of nearly 40 Transcendents of levels 17 and 18 had almost had to be completely exhausted!
With that, even though frustrated at being prevented from getting what they wanted so close to their goal, these men stopped their actions against Lothur and turned their backs on him to protect him.
Arno looked over to where some of the strongest in the surrounding area were watching them thirstily and said. "To the 'hyenas' in the surroundings, let me tell you that if you proceed with your current intentions, we will kill you all.
We are indeed tired, but before we die, I guarantee we will take some of you!"
The other side said nothing and kept watching them, particularly the young Lothur, badly injured but strangely still alive.
One of Arno's allies then shouted. "For you more foolish people, remember that this creature recovers quickly. Once he recovers, we will need the same strength we used to push him to the limit again...
Will you be able to do that? Without us, it will be impossible for you to obtain this Soul Bone!"
Some in these groups of 'hyenas' hesitated at the thought of this, but then one of the more proactive ones, willing to rebel, shouted. "Friends, don't listen to these dying men. All they want is to keep their power inside the City of Darkness!
Are they saying we can't kill this little devil in the future? Well, we will kill him now! I'm sure we can do it!"
'True! As much as we don't have the same capabilities as these men at their peaks, the demon will take a while to fully recover.
Before that happens, he will still be weakened for all of us to attack!'
Similar thoughts spread to the surroundings, with some who had hesitated moments ago becoming more confident of their rebellion.
"Shit!" Arno cursed in a low voice, feeling they could not leave this place peacefully.
The other 13 individuals realized the same and prepared to face the 'hyenas' in the surroundings, looking at this destroyed area where nothing of the old Flame Faction had remained.
Only rubble and bodies could be seen in the surroundings, where the many 'hyenas' were hiding, preparing to attack.
The men who were allied with these 14 individuals and who was seriously injured had already left the area when they noticed these people approaching, so these 14 cultivators were alone.
Lothur was slowly recovering from the situation earlier. However, without EVF points to recover quickly, he could only depend on a slower recovery.
But his recovery was still quite fast compared to that of humans, to the point that while those people were talking and preparing to fight, his Soul Bones were already rebuilding in his body.
Soul Bones were items of demonic origin connected to the body and soul. So even if they were destroyed, if their owner didn't die, they could recover as many times as necessary!
Thus, even though Tenur's three Soul Bones had exploded earlier, they were all already recovering, just as would happen to a demon's body after it was crushed.
"Attack!"
Amidst Lothur's gradual recovery, the many level 17 cultivators in the surrounding area could no longer take the strain and began to run at the group of 14 individuals.
With a shout from one of them, his group's confrontation with the local leaders began, causing these men to face the worst threat of their lives!
Even though each of them was much stronger than the opponents in the surrounding area, they were exhausted and would not last long against them!
Thinking of the risks they would face in the next few moments, these people couldn't help but curse these 'hyenas' as they prepared to use their remaining power.
With that, they ran or flew at their enemies, while Arno stayed behind to protect Lothur's body and ensure they remained allies.
Arno was the strongest and least exhausted of them, so he was the most reliable in ensuring the integrity of Lothur's body.
Not only that, he was the best chance for Lothur's body to recover enough that even these people wouldn't have a chance to kill him.
When Lothur's recovery reached that point, there would be no more conflict because it would be impossible for these people to kill him without the help of these local leaders.
That was their goal in this fight!
Boom!
"Aaaaaaagh!"
Soon the shouts and sounds of battle intensified in the surroundings, with some of Arno's allied men suffering at the hands of their opponents, but several rebels suffering much more, with some even dying.
This would continue for the next few minutes, escalating to such a level that even Arno would have to flee with Lothur's unconscious body to separate some of the enemies.
Arno also had an interest in avoiding the deaths of his allies since, if Lothur continued to recover, sooner or later, he would need the help of these stronger men to again break through the half-breed's defenses.
So he did not intend to betray his allies now but to buy time for all of them!
'Damn it! We hurt the damned thing badly, and now his recovery is too slow!' He thought as he flew off with a few dozen enemies chasing him.
...