"Damn it!"
Aiden, looking back, saw the steel dragon gathering its storm breath and immediately sensed trouble.
Due to the limited space at the top of the clock tower, it was difficult to find a safe place to evade in a short time.
Glancing at Semika, who was about to reach the outer wall, Aiden realized that if both of them were running away with their backs turned, they would definitely be caught by the storm breath.
"Come this way!"
Aiden turned and assumed a defensive stance, then struck his shield fiercely again.
The steel dragon, having accumulated airflow, quickly closed its mouth, and highly compressed airflow continuously leaked from between its teeth.
As if their taunts had worked, it slightly tilted its head and indeed faced Aiden.
*Bang! Bang!*
Its two front claws slammed down, and countless cracks spread from the top of the tower where its sharp claws dug into the ground.
*Whoosh! Boom!*
A horizontally spinning storm of air was spewed from the steel dragon's mouth, and the shattered ground was swept up like falling leaves.
"Ah!"
Aiden roared, seizing the moment the storm breath attacked, he leaned forward, raising his arm to meet it with his shield!
*Clang!*
The initial surge of storm breath, impacted by the small shield, had its trajectory deflected.
Unfortunately, before Aiden could celebrate, the surging mid-section of the airflow sent him flying.
*Thump!* Aiden, flying backward, slammed into the edge of the top-level wall.
*Crack!* Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the bricks of the wall.
The powerful airflow that followed pinned Aiden against the wall, rendering him completely immobile.
Flying debris of rock and stone struck the rock dragon armor, emitting a buzzing sound.
Is this the end of my hunting career?
Master, Miss Sophia, and the seniors of the top team...
As Aiden couldn't help but sigh in his heart, a silver light suddenly leaped from behind the steel dragon.
*Clack! Sizzle!....*
Dius landed on the steel dragon's tail and, by rapidly swinging the Kingfang Dual Blades he held in reverse, chopped all the way to its head in a spinning motion.
After delivering a final blow to the sharp horns, Dius did not pursue further, but instead leaped lightly and landed in front of Aiden with a somersault.
*Clang! Clang!*
With two slashes, the wall shattered and collapsed, being swept into the air by the airflow.
Dius grabbed Aiden's hand and asked urgently, "Can you still move?"
As Aiden opened his mouth to respond, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Dius could only hold Aiden with one arm and pull him away with a wire using the other.
As soon as they left the ground, Dius felt the weight was not right.
Aiden's rock dragon armor was too heavy!
Dius had to swing them a couple of times in the air to increase their flight distance.
After they swung out from the top of the clock tower, the top level was directly blown off.
The storm of air poured into the interior of the tower, and the giant white dial and black hands were blown into the air before crashing down.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!....*
*Boom! Boom! Boom!....*
Heavy crossbow bolts and cannons rained down densely from all directions.
Because the steel dragon had stayed long enough, the railgun battery and giant airships had arrived to support.
The two members of the top team landed on the roof of a building.
*Crash!*
Dius plunged his single blade into the roof tiles, barely stopping his forward momentum.
Looking at the chipped Kingfang Dual Blades, he took out a whetstone from his pouch and began to sharpen them.
"Master... you're bleeding!"
Aiden, who was squatting on the ground, saw that the soft armor on Dius's lower back was soaked with blood, and his eyes showed panic.
"It's nothing... I asked you to guard the ammunition at the deployment point, why are you wearing a full set of rock dragon armor?"
Dius asked with a hint of helplessness while sharpening his blades.
"The last line of defense is strong armor, that's what you taught me. Besides, this armor not only covered Semika's retreat, but I also survived the heavy blow thanks to it."
Aiden explained.
"Although the outcome is good, your choice was too extreme in terms of equipment balance. If you weren't assigned to frontal combat, you should choose lighter gear more often."
*Hiss!* Dius said, reaching for his lower back and pulling out a sharp piece of metal debris.
Then he opened a yellow paper packet, swallowed the three black pills inside.
Aiden's pale face quickly regained some color, and his breathing became much steadier.
"I understand! I will work hard to become stronger and will absolutely not let you get hurt like today!"
Aiden said earnestly.
"Don't worry about getting hurt. My master saved me the same way back then. Aiden... this is the inheritance between hunters. If you have a disciple in the future, you must shoulder the responsibility of being a master."
"I will remember that."
"Once your injuries subside and you can move, go to the nearest shelter first."
Dius said, tilting his head to look at the sky.
"What about the combat plan..."
"The top team's plan has failed. Now it's up to the chief hunter team. But before that, I will make the steel dragon pay for its arrogance in East Doldrum!"
Dius said, holding the Kingfang Dual Blades in reverse, and streams of twisted crimson energy spread upwards from his shoulders and arms.
About ten minutes later, the steel dragon, half rusted and half gleaming metal, chose to retreat.
Behind the standing telescope in the Great Hall, Vega asked, "Did you notice that as the rusted carapace peeled off, the steel dragon's control over the airflow was gradually strengthening?"
"I have that feeling too, meow."
Sik, who was writing records, stopped his pen and agreed.
"So, does that mean the steel dragon's ability to control airflow doesn't entirely depend on the sharp horns on its head?"
Zuda made a conjecture.
"Perhaps the steel shell acts as an amplifier. If the rust accumulates to a certain extent, the amplification of the steel shell on the body surface will be weakened."
Vega proposed a new insight.
"How is it achieved? Resonance, or magnetism... It seems we still need to research the physical body."
Zuda rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"By the way, Zuda, doesn't the Guild Master have the old sword 'Xuzuo'? Why do we still need to borrow the Black Greatsword from Pokke Village?"
Vega asked confusedly.
"That old sword 'Xuzuo'... it's broken."
Zuda sighed in response.
On the Blaze, unlike Eudora, who was closely monitoring the steel dragon's movements, Li Fan looked up at the boundless dark clouds.
He wasn't sure if the steel dragon was guarding against Huihui, but in terms of actual effect, it did create a lot of visual obstruction.
Unlike the wind god dragon, the steel dragon, when using swirling airflow, did not create a swirling cloud hole above, exposing its position below the clouds.
"Li Fan, after the induction operation was optimized, will Huihui still participate?"
Eudora asked anxiously as she watched the steel dragon approach.
"Not for now. This operation is mainly about a surprise attack. If the induction operation fails, it won't be too late to ask Huihui to forcibly detain the steel dragon... As for you, have you really made up your mind?"
Li Fan asked.
"Yes, based on the steel dragon's combat performance in the city, a three-stage charged slash is not enough to be fatal."
Eudora said firmly.
"Alright then... Feri, descend! The induction operation is about to begin!"
Under Li Fan's command, the Blaze, hovering in mid-air, slowly descended.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!....*
Passing through the south gate of East Doldrum, the steel dragon was once again subjected to a barrage of heavy crossbow bolts.
It wasn't that it didn't want to ascend to avoid this attack, but it sensed the frequent movement of a "bad dragon" above the clouds, preventing it from flying too high.
After completely evading the city's defenses, the steel dragon bent its neck and bit at the rusted shell on its left foreleg with its sharp teeth.
*Screech!*
A string of sparks flew, and half of the broken ancient dragon's teeth fell down.
The rusted shell, with its edges curled outward, remained completely unharmed.
The steel dragon angrily exhaled several puffs of black gas from its nostrils and mouth, and let out a low growl.
"It sounds like a single-word curse..."
This time, before Eudora and Dilu could ask, Li Fan, hidden in the bushes, provided the translation himself.
"So, shedding the steel dragon's shell is really that difficult, meow."
Dilu was a little surprised. In her eyes, ancient dragons were omnipotent beings, yet they could also be in such a predicament.
"Chaoche just joined the team, can it really achieve the induction operation by itself?"
Eudora asked with some worry.
"Don't worry, Chaoche is an absolute expert at provoking the opponent's fighting spirit, and besides, the steel dragon needs Chaoche right now."
Li Fan said confidently.
*Roar! Roar!....*
The steel dragon heard the roar from the ground and looked down, realizing it was a Brachydios moving low through the jungle.
The steel dragon merely thought that this Brachydios was a bit slow, unable to even sense an ancient dragon, and continued to fly.
*Screech! Screech!....*
It looked down again and saw the Brachydios scratching at the rocks, quickly carving out a cave in the mountain.
The steel dragon, as if preoccupied, still paid no attention.
A moment later, the steel dragon seemed to realize something and looked down again.
This time, it saw a large, earth-yellow boulder coming towards it.
*Boom! Crash!*
The steel dragon retreated a short distance in the air, quickly stabilizing itself.
*Roar...*
The steel dragon shook off the gravel stuck in the gaps of its carapace and let out a low growl.
"A three-word curse..."
"Didn't you say the steel dragon's accent is different and you can't understand it?"
Eudora said speechlessly.
"I can learn. Huihui has lived for so many years, what accent hasn't she heard?"
Li Fan explained.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The steel dragon flapped its wings and slowly descended.
At this time, Chaoche was using its sharp claws to lift scattered boulders, as if testing their weight.
The steel dragon raised its neck and approached from the front without any fear.
*Whoosh!* Chaoche threw a boulder again.
The protective wind armor instantly appeared!
*Crash!* The boulder shattered instantly, and the fragments were blown away in all directions by the swirling protective wind armor.
The steel dragon's steps faltered slightly, but it was otherwise unaffected.
*Roar...*
Chaoche let out a low growl.
*Whoosh!* The protective wind armor, which had weakened, surged again.
"What did Chaoche say, meow? Is it a curse?"
Dilu asked nervously.
"No, Chaoche just said 'ordinary'."
Li Fan translated.
"Ordinary? Do these two words have that much power?"
Eudora asked, confused.
"This is the art of language. Used well, it can provoke the opponent more than a curse."
Li Fan explained.
The steel dragon hesitated for a moment, and its protective wind armor quickly dissipated.
Clearly, the other party was afraid of scaring Chaoche away.
*Roar! Roar!*
Chaoche braced itself on its claws and let out a powerful roar.
*Crack!* The ancient dragon tooth, which was half remaining in its mouth, was directly crushed by the steel dragon.
"What words have that much power, meow?"
Dilu asked curiously.
"Chaoche said if you keep losing, you'll have nothing left to lose."
Li Fan translated.
"This... is it mocking the steel dragon for often losing battles?"
Eudora asked curiously.
"Some ecological matters, perhaps only monsters know about them."
Li Fan informed her.
The absurd battle records in the game had not been witnessed and confirmed by field investigators.
However, judging by the steel dragon's reaction, it seemed particularly concerned about this.
Suppressing its rage, the steel dragon continued to approach.
Chaoche hesitated. Although it had successfully attracted the steel dragon, all the lines Li Fan had taught it were finished.
After much thought, it decided to use a curse that would provoke its fighting spirit.
Upon hearing this, the steel dragon became even calmer.
"Very good... no vigilance... it doesn't want to unleash its abilities too much to scare Chaoche away..."
Li Fan, who was watching its every move, knew very well that the steel dragon now wanted to use Chaoche's sharp claws to remove the rust remaining on its body.
Thirty meters away, the steel dragon stopped in place, its neck raised high.
Chaoche the dragon car activated, its mouth full of sharp teeth opened, and with its claws pulling and scratching, it charged with all its might.
Looking at the sharp claws flashing with a cold glint, excitement flashed in the steel dragon's eyes.
*Roar!* Chaoche leaped forward in a pounce.
However, its forelimbs did not adopt the usual backswing claw attack, but instead extended forward with all their might.
The steel dragon couldn't discern any abnormality in its movements, only that it was unusual.
*Clang!* Chaoche's giant mouth bit onto the steel dragon's left foreleg, and several broken teeth, along with blood, splattered out.
The veins on both powerful forearms, flashing with red patterns, immediately bulged.
However, instead of choosing the most destructive claw attack, the powerfully exerting Chaoche instead grappled the steel dragon's left arm joint with all its might.
The steel dragon was a little confused, but it was still happy that a Brachydios dared to attack it.
Suddenly, a Felyne riding a cloud appeared not far in front.
"Go, Pukei-Pukei, meow!"
As the cat's paw swung backward, Dilu shouted loudly.
*Whoosh!* The Launch Sphere opened in mid-air!
With a flash of white light, Pukei-Pukei directly appeared in a pouncing posture.
*Thump! Clang!*
The steel dragon was knocked back two steps by the impact. By the time it realized something was wrong, its right arm joint was already firmly held by Pukei-Pukei.
*Roar!*
The steel dragon let out a roar of anger, and its protective wind armor immediately surged.
However, upon seeing the large amount of purple dust swirling around, it quickly dispelled the wind armor and controlled the airflow to divert it elsewhere.
*Boom!* The purple dust was blown into the jungle and quickly turned from purple to pink, causing a large-scale ghost fire explosion.
*Clang!*
A strong gripping sensation came from its left hind leg.
The steel dragon turned its head and found a Zinogre tightly gripping its left leg.
At the same time, a hunter appeared in front of its body, flying through the air.
*Thump!* A crashing sound was heard.
A giant tail blade was embedded in the ground of its left hind leg, sinking deep into it.
The steel dragon confirmed it wasn't a grapple this time, but it was exceptionally painful.
As for the other hunter who appeared, just the aura they exuded made the steel dragon feel extremely disgusted.
Eudora's toes lightly touched the ground, and she leaped in front of the steel dragon, then drew the Great Sword of the Azure Wind God she carried on her back.
"Eudora's Guillotine is ready. You can't escape."
Eudora said coldly, then began to charge her greatsword in a backswing.