The animal, in one final attempt to take revenge, concentrated its Qi in its tail, leaving the armor weak and vulnerable.
If Gabriel attacked again, it'd be a mutual kill, a deal he wasn't willing to take. He wanted to step back and deflect the tail away.
One of the two women Daniel was fencing off took a step back while the other used her club to block Daniel's attacks on her own. The woman at the back took out a knife from her sleeve, imbued it with her Qi, and threw it at Gabriel.
"Gabriel, be careful!"
Daniel shouted as he saw her actions and could only watch helplessly. Gabriel could sense the knife coming at high speed, blocking his escape route. If he chose to block the knife, he would have to take the desperate tail attack straight on, spelling his doom.
"Fuck it!"
There was much more he wanted to say, but there wasn't that much time to speak as his mace smashed the pangolin. At the same time, the pangolin's armored tail pierced through his heart.
To make things worse, the throwing knife plunged into his back, making him stumble. In his last moment, he chose to give a survival chance to his friends and trade his life for the beast's.
The pangolin's armor, although durable, couldn't handle a heavy mace without any Qi coating it. The beast's heart and lunges burst inside it, killing it on the spot. As for Gabriel, he collapsed on the beast's carcass and died.
"No, Gabriel!"
Daniel attacked the woman in front of him in fury. He was slightly stronger than her, and when the other woman took a step back, he quickly got the advantage.
"Haha, you guys are using a mace and a spear, you three must be outcasts in your sect!"
The woman taunted him as she was pushed back. Even if Daniel was stronger, the difference wasn't enough to allow him to inflict heavy damage in a short time.
Despite the sect's name, not everyone used swords there. It was called this way because of a divine sword the sect owned, passed from a sect master to his successor. The sect master was always a sword user, but it didn't make everyone do the same; most disciples never had any aspirations to become the next sect master.
Soon, the other woman joined the fight and evened it out, tilting the battle in their favor.
"You guys know you can't win 2v3, but we aren't cruel. How about we will let you go, and you only need to leave behind the beast, the stone, and your friend's storage ring?"
The woman who threw the knife suggested her terms for a cease-fire. Daniel, however, felt obligated to take revenge for his long-time friend's death and didn't back out.
"I know you're saying it because you're afraid of dying if we continue. Killing us won't be so simple. I'm willing to accept a cease-fire if you leave as you came."
While Daniel wanted to avenge Gabriel, he didn't want to die in vain. Even if he could take down one or two of the women with him, he knew they'd lose the fight and ultimately die.
·ƈθm "I'm willing to concede on the beast's corpse. You know how valuable its armor is. But I'm taking the storage ring, it's our rightful war spoils."
The two had an understanding that they both didn't want to risk dying, so they opened negotiations and ceased their fighting. Needless to say, it'd be bad for certain people who were waiting outside for their mutual deaths.
Suddenly, everyone felt something happens. They didn't know what, but they knew someone activated a technique.
"What did you guys do?"
Daniel asked suspiciously as he squinted his eyes at the three women.
"I don't know what you're talking about, none of us did it. It must be your doing."
The woman raised her sword again and pointed it at Daniel. She started feeling a killing intent coming from the two men, and her own started surging. She quickly changed her mindset from negotiating to killing the three and taking all the loot.
"Oh, really? You better put down that sword and stop your games if you still want a chance at leaving here alive."
Daniel's state of mind was also changing. His thirst for revenge increased, and he placed more importance on revenge compared to before, making him much less willing to bend on his terms.
"I retract my offer to leave the beast's carcass for you. We are taking everything if you two want to leave here alive."
The woman said sternly and took a fighting stance. In response, Daniel brandished his saber and prepared to fight back.
"I'm not giving you anything. If you don't want to fight, you'll have to leave empty-handed."
----------
Outside the tunnel:
"I feel that two entities just died. One of them should be the beast."
Ken reported to the girls standing by his side. Soon later, the Qi disturbance ceased, indicating the end of the battle.
"Is the battle over? Why did they stop fighting?"
Diana asked Ken anxiously. The fighting stopped right after Ken reported the death of two beings, and it'd be weird if everyone just died simultaneously. The most plausible explanation was that they had an agreement to prevent further casualties.
'Bloodlust Domain – Frenzy Mode.'
Ken activated his domain and his bloodlust seeped into the tunnel, affecting the people inside. He hoped he wasn't too late, and believed it'd be enough to break negotiations down.
He was aware it could backfire at him if the 5 inside investigated the source of the technique instead of suspecting each other, but he believed that coupled with their already existing hatred for each other, they would choose to place the blame on their enemies right away, and his gamble paid off.
Two minutes later, the fighting continued, and the trio remained hidden for an hour until the commotion finally simmered down.
"There are two disciples inside. I can't tell their physical condition, but it shouldn't be too well. They should also be exhausted after the long intense fighting."