Immortal's Paradox

Lei gritted his teeth as he stared down the horde of bandits surrounding him. Eight archers in the remaining towers had him locked in their sights, while the ground was filled with charging minions wielding swords, spears, and axes. At the center of it all stood the towering bandit leader, hammer raised, his aura like a storm ready to break.

The first wave of attackers surged forward, and Lei leapt into motion. Using his aerodynamic evasion technique, he darted through the ranks, weaving between weapons with uncanny precision. His enchanted mace sang through the air, shattering bones and armor alike. Sparks flew as steel clashed, and the cries of the injured echoed through the battlefield.

Arrows incoming!, the Nanospirit warned.

Lei's instincts kicked in, and he twisted his body mid-air, narrowly avoiding a volley of arrows. Still, one grazed his shoulder, and another nicked his thigh. Blood seeped from the wounds, but the Nanospirit immediately sealed the bleeding.

Damage control active, it announced. Blood loss minimized. Pain management enabled.

I can't rely on you forever, Lei thought, gritting his teeth. He blocked an incoming blade with his mace and countered with a Molten Punch, the heat of his strike melting through the attacker's weapon and armor.

More bandits fell, but their numbers didn't seem to dwindle. The archers in the towers were relentless, forcing Lei to keep moving.

The bandit leader barked orders, his voice booming across the camp. "Surround him! Don't let him escape! Archers, focus your shots!"

Lei felt the pressure mounting. Dodging one attack left him open to another. A spear nicked his ribs, a blade scraped his arm, and an arrow embedded itself shallowly in his shoulder. His body screamed in protest, but he refused to stop.

"Some annoying bugs, you are" Lei growled under his breath.

The cat's absence didn't help, but Lei focused on the fight. Every move he made became sharper, more efficient. The Nanospirit continued feeding him real-time updates on enemy movements, but Lei began to sense a change.

"Shutting you off," Lei muttered.

Not advisable-

Lei dismissed the warning and turned off the Nanospirit's guidance. He needed to trust himself. His instincts honed from countless battles began to take over. His dodges became smoother, his attacks more precise. The enchanted mace proved invaluable, bypassing even the toughest armor with its vibration force.

Despite his improvements, Lei knew he couldn't keep this up forever. The bandits were coordinated, and the leader himself hadn't even joined the fray yet.

"That's it," Lei muttered, reaching deep into his reserves. He recalled the technique used by the previous bandit leader, a risky move that temporarily boosted power at the cost of stamina.

"Nanospirit, recreate the technique," Lei ordered.

Technique named 'A Mortal's Fury' reconstructed with minimized side effects, it responded. Activation will raise your qi to peak Qi Foundation for approximately five minutes. Side effects: mild weakness afterward.

Lei activated the technique, and a surge of power coursed through him. His aura flared, startling the bandits. His wounds no longer slowed him, and his attacks became devastatingly powerful.

The tide of battle turned swiftly. Lei unleashed a Pyro Blast, the energy wave knocking several archers from their towers. He followed up with precise Molten Kicks that collapsed two more towers, leaving only three standing.

The remaining bandits hesitated, their morale shaken, but the leader bellowed, "Fight, you cowards! He's just one man!"

Lei smirked, turning his attention to the leader. "Let's test that theory."

He charged forward, breaking through the ranks of bandits. With a mighty swing of his mace, he shattered the knee of the leader's second-in-command, sending him crumpling to the ground. A quick follow-up strike silenced him for good.

The bandit leader, a man named Huang Ba, finally stepped into the fray. His hammer swung with devastating force, creating shockwaves that splintered the ground.

Lei met the attacks head-on, his mace clashing against the hammer. The vibrations from his weapon bypassed Huang Ba's defenses, forcing the leader to adjust his stance.

"You're strong," Huang Ba admitted, his voice gruff. "But strength alone won't save you."

"I'm counting on more than just strength," Lei retorted, dodging a heavy blow and retaliating with a Molten Punch to Huang Ba's thigh. The heat and force buckled the leader's leg, causing him to stumble.

Lei pressed the advantage, delivering a series of strikes that targeted weak points in Huang Ba's armor. Finally, with a decisive blow, he broke the man's thigh bone, sending him crashing to the ground.

Huang Ba roared in pain, his hammer slipping from his grasp. Lei kicked the weapon away, leaving the leader defenseless.

At that moment, Mao returned, leaping onto Lei's shoulder.

"You've been busy," Mao said casually, licking his paw."Would've finished faster if you had let me plan".

"Where the hell were you?" Lei asked, breathing heavily.

"I found something interesting. There's a merchant and his family locked up on the other side of the camp. They were the ones crying for help.And he...", the cat paused for added mystery,"sells merchandises related to alchemy".

"Interesting", Lei glanced at the defeated leader, "But, let's deal with this first."