Han Sen was taken aback. The three beings in front of him were as strong as Nan Litian, by the looks of them. They wanted to claim the shelter, but they seemed dubious and afraid of something. It came as a bit of a surprise.
When Han Sen entered the hall, they all stared at him at once.
They knew the place very well, and they knew who inhabited the shelter. They did not expect to see Han Sen show up—someone who was mostly a stranger—to try to fight for it.
What's more was the fact that it was only a human, and one who did not seem particularly strong.
The spirit smiled to him, and spoke. "Another human? We were controlled by a human for so long, do you really want another? Maybe we should deal with him before we decide what's next."
After that, the two mutant creatures looked angrier.
Han Sen thought to himself, "D*mn, spirits still have a hard-on for hating humans even in this sanctuary. They'll use any excuse to kill a human, if they have to."
To cool the situation, Han Sen pleaded to the creatures that seemed undecided and said, "Please don't listen to him! We only have one life, and yet, spirits can respawn. If he betrays you people, that comes as no cost to him. It's a little unfair, don't you think?"
The two creatures turned to the spirit and growled, with their lips raised and teeth on full display.
The spirit stared at Han Sen with intense eyes.
Han Sen inspected the three that were there, wondering how he might pull things in his favor. The spirit was blue, and he wielded a blue crystal greatsword. He had blonde hair.
One of the two creatures looked like a white tiger. It had six ears, but apart from that, it looked like a proud and glorious being. The other creature looked like a robot, and it was made of black metal.
"Do you remember how Nan Litian treated us? We were treated like worthless slaves. He was a horrible person, with one hell of a mean streak. And the conditions of staying here? Have you all forgotten?" The spirit made his case for why he should become leader instead.
Han Sen rebutted with, "I don't know what sort of person Nan Litian was and how he treated you all, but I'm not him. And what's more is that you are free; I will let you keep your freedom. I've dealt with spirits before, and I know how cruel and callous they can be. They enslave humans and treat them as poorly as they do creatures. Anything in a spirit's service is controlled via a tight leash pulled by an iron fist. It is no way to live."
Han Sen then went on to say, "I'm a human with a bronze geno core. How can I fight you all?"
As he spoke, Han Sen summoned his umbrella to prove to them it was bronze. When they saw it was a bronze geno core, the creatures turned to look back at the spirit. The scene had been brought to a standstill.
Han Sen was thinking how he might take the shelter. He didn't want to back off and miss this opportunity, but he also knew he could not fight the three of them. The three were only a little weaker than Nan Litian himself, so the odds were completely out of his favor. He wouldn't stand a chance.
Han Sen thought it might be best to just back out and let them duke it out before swooping in when a wounded-victor emerged.
Committing to this idea, Han Sen took one step back. But when he did this, the metal robot swept forward and stopped him from leaving.
"How about a deal?" the metal robot offered.
"What deal would that be?" Han Sen looked at the roboman with interest. This was a surprising turn of events.
"I will help you take down the shelter and give you control. I only want the mine," the metal man explained.
The spirit then said, "Metal Demon, why don't you just ask me? Join me and we can crush these vermin. We can crush the six-eared freak, make me ruler, and you can have the mine." The white tiger roared when he heard what he had been called.
Metal Demon responded to the spirit by saying, "The human is correct. If you became ruler, we would all be enslaved."
The spirit's face turned glum, hearing this. "Do you really think a bronze geno core human can beat me and Six-Ear?"
Metal Demon said, "Don't presume Six-Ear is with you. He hasn't pledged allegiance to any one side yet."
Metal Demon continued, "Six-Ear, you want the garden, don't you? How about you take the garden, I take the mine, and the human gets the rest?"
Six-Ear heard this and roared in agreement.
"What do you think human? Does this satisfy you?" Metal Demon said.
"I'm just happy to have a roof over my head," Han Sen said, agreeing.
Six-Ear and Metal Demon began to dubiously approach the spirit, slowly and carefully. They had their plan. Han Sen wasn't sure how they were going to engage the spirit in battle, but he followed after them with care.
The spirit, however, was of an unswayed resolve. He had no fear, and he balked at them, saying, "Pah! You guys are all so naive. Do you know why I have bothered talking to you filth for so long?"
A sudden aura of immense evil and power raced into the shelter. Upon its arrival, shock struck the hearts of the creatures backing Han Sen. An additional two spirits had come. One was tall and imposing; as it was a four-meter-tall giant that wielded a massive hammer. The other was short. It was plump and stocky, and it was no taller than Han Sen's waist. The hammer it wielded, however, was larger than the giant's.
They did not mask their presence or lifeforce. They wanted the others to see that they were just as strong as the other spirit they had come to aid.
"Three versus three. Those are the odds I like. But tell me; are you as confident as you were just a few moments ago?" The spirit smiled callously.