The remaining seven Human-Faced Insects circled Dai Yuan cautiously. Their human-like faces on the carapaces twisted with eerie expressions. After watching him kill three of their kind with raw power, they had grown far more careful.
Dai Yuan stood steady, his body still empowered by the Shamanic Rune. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as he watched every movement of the insects with sharp eyes.
Whoosh!
The insects suddenly launched another wave of attacks.
This time, instead of rushing straight at him, four of them opened their mandibles wide and released a strange, high-pitched screech.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!!!
The sound was unnatural—like nails scraping against metal mixed with a human scream. It wasn't meant for the ears. An invisible wave of sonic energy sliced through the air, bypassing his physical defenses and striking his skull directly. The space between the trees visibly distorted from the force of the attack.
"Ugh!"
Dai Yuan released a strangled gasp as his large frame buckled. He staggered backward, clutching his head with both hands. His ears rang violently, and the attack shook not only his hearing but his soul and mental strength as well. The world spun around him. The power flowing from the Shamanic Rune faltered for a few dangerous seconds before stabilizing again.
Blegh!
He spat out a mouthful of dark blood. His vision swam as a severe, stabbing headache threatened to split his skull. Despite his efforts to steady himself, Dai Yuan staggered like a drunkard, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Every time he tried to focus his mind and direct his strength, the rhythmic screeching from the insects disrupted him, leaving him disoriented and unable to muster his full power.
Sensing his vulnerability, the insects seized the opportunity. Two of them rushed forward in sync. One slashed at his sides with its sharp legs while another leaped onto his back, biting down hard near his shoulder. Fresh blood sprayed across the mud.
Splat!
The intense physical pain briefly cut through the mental fog, snapping Dai Yuan back to reality. He looked down through bloodshot eyes at the mocking, contorted human faces on the carapaces of the two beasts feasting on his flesh.
"These damn things…!" he growled.
Forcing himself to move despite the crushing mental pressure, Dai Yuan grabbed the insect on his back and smashed it against the ground with all his might. It died instantly as its body collided with a thick exposed root. The remaining insects continued their piercing sonic assault. Instead of deterring them, the death of their companion only seemed to enrage them further, sharply increasing the intensity of the waves.
Clutching his head, Dai Yuan staggered around. The mental strain was affecting him far more than the physical damage. Each wave made his head throb and slowed his thoughts. His reaction time dropped drastically—what should have been easy dodges became dangerous close calls.
Knowing he couldn't endure the mental torture much longer, Dai Yuan pushed the Shamanic Rune harder, forcing it into an overdrive state. The rune on his chest burned like a hot iron pressed against his skin. His strength surged beyond the limits of his body, and he could feel his bones creaking under the immense pressure.
While the overdrive greatly increased his power, Dai Yuan knew he couldn't maintain it for long. The energy was draining away at an alarming rate.
With his physical abilities forcibly boosted beyond their natural limits, Dai Yuan moved like a localized hurricane. He charged forward, using his enhanced speed to close the distance on the nearest insect. With both fists, he delivered a powerful hammer-drop punch. The creature released a sharp wail as its carapace cracked like shattered pottery and died on the spot.
Zipping to the next one, he reached down, locked his fingers onto the thick carapace of the insect biting his thigh, and ripped it off his flesh with a sickening tear. Without hesitation, he drove his right fist straight down into the center of its pale shell using the Meteor Star-Stomp technique.
CRACK!!
The shell disintegrated instantly under the rune-boosted force. Turning to the attacker on his back, he delivered a brutal, blindingly fast elbow strike that shattered its mandibles, followed by a rapid barrage of Furious Wave Punches that reduced its upper torso to pulp.
"Furious Wave Punch!" Dai Yuan roared as his fists turned into a storm of strikes. The air around his hands hissed from the intense friction and heat.
In a short but explosive burst, Dai Yuan reduced the number of insects by three. The remaining four stared in stunned silence at the carnage and the bloodthirsty expression on his face.
Not giving them a chance to resume their sonic attack, Dai Yuan lunged forward across the damp clearing. His sandals shattered thick tree roots as he launched his heavy frame into the air and came crashing down like a falling boulder onto one of the insects—the Meteor Bomb technique from the Meteor Shower series.
BOOM!!!
The concussive force erupted outward, creating a deep crater and crushing the high-level beast into the mud. As dust and green fluid sprayed into the air, Dai Yuan spun around, grabbed another retreating insect by its legs, and swung it like a club. He smashed it against the ground repeatedly before finishing it with a heavy stomp on its carapace. Four down.
The clearing suddenly fell into a heavy silence as the suffocating sonic screeches finally stopped. Four more high-level Tier 1 monsters lay mangled and lifeless.
The last three insects realized the danger. They intensified their sonic waves until the sound became almost deafening. Dai Yuan felt as if his head would split open.
Gritting his teeth, he over-taxed the Shamanic Rune even further. Power surged through him one final time. Moving like a blur of lightning, he closed in on the nearest insect and delivered a devastating punch to its head. Gray-green gelatinous matter sprayed across his body. Five down.
Only two Human-Faced Insects remained.
Standing amid the corpses—now mingled with those of the Silver-Blade Centipedes—Dai Yuan's chest heaved sharply with every breath. His large frame was covered in a messy mix of blood: green from the insects, red from his own wounds, and silver from the centipedes. As he watched the final two insects with vigilant eyes, he suddenly felt the Shamanic Rune's power beginning to fade rapidly.
Dai Yuan stumbled forward and leaned against the massive tree trunk to steady his trembling body. Through his hazy, blood-rimmed vision, he saw the last two insects standing ten meters away, clicking their pincers with a mix of caution and malice.
They hissed and circled him warily. Their human-like faces now showed something close to fear. They knew they were in danger, but they still refused to flee.
Clenching his fists tightly, Dai Yuan felt his heart tremble. He dreaded what would happen once he became fully exhausted and vulnerable to these two remaining insects. He had to finish this fight quickly—before the rune stopped feeding him strength entirely.