A portion of the airflow that was initially surging towards the Steel Dragon began to converge towards the Azure Wind God Greatsword, while another part was absorbed by the Village Treasure Blade Li Fan carried on his back.
The wind sacs on the Wind God Dragon armor rapidly filled with the inflowing air, emitting an indigo glow.
As the luster of the sword blade continuously changed, Eudora, who had completed her charged slash, adjusted her position with a forward shoulder tackle.
Then, the greatsword swung horizontally to her side, and after a backward swing, entered the charging state for a fully charged slash.
The power accumulated by the charged slash at this point had already been transmitted to Eudora's body through the hilt.
This was the greatsword's unique charging mode; the accumulated power was not only stored in the weapon but also in the hunter as a temporary energy reservoir.
The drawbacks were, firstly, the hunter's physical tolerance.
A fully charged slash, infused with power once, was already the limit for most hunters.
Secondly, during the charging process, to prevent the infused power from dissipating, the hunter could not move significantly.
Therefore, charged slashes and their derived moves were generally only employed when the monster was immobilized and incapable of attacking.
Having completed the fully charged slash, Eudora still did not strike. Instead, she retreated a small step, raised the Azure Wind God Greatsword over her shoulder, and entered the charging state for a true charged slash.
*Sizzle~*
A ball of ethereal red energy surged from her body. Eudora, at the center of the converging airflow, became increasingly indistinct.
The Steel Dragon sensed that Eudora had activated a challenger ability and struggled with all its might to break free.
However, its limb strength was insufficient to contend with the three monsters currently grappling it. It spread its wings to their limit, channeling airflow towards its metallic wing membranes.
The wing membranes bulged slightly backward in the wind, and the Steel Dragon's body began to slowly move backward.
"The Steel Dragon is moving further away from the strike point! Everyone, put in some effort and help push it back!" Li Fan shouted upon seeing this.
The Steel Dragon twisted its neck, its eyes filled with resentment. It seemed to be angered by the existence of such unscrupulous humans in the world.
"What are you looking at? You'll be in worse shape when I make my move... Here we go! One! Two! Three! Everyone, push together!"
Under Li Fan's command, the three monsters exerted force simultaneously, dragging forward. The Steel Dragon's backward momentum halted.
As the impact of the airflow on the wing membranes intensified, the two sides entered a stalemate.
Eudora's true charged slash was complete, but she still hadn't unleashed it.
*Crack!* She took half a step forward. Her stepping motion appeared slow, but the ground beneath her feet seemed to bear immense pressure, immediately shattering and sinking.
"Eudora, hold on..." Li Fan whispered, taking out his PSP and inserting the super-regenerating disc generated by Eudora's save file into the disc drive.
From Eudora's insect cage on her left arm, three emerald bugs flew out and began to circle the Azure Wind God Greatsword.
After winding around the tip of the sword blade several times, the emerald silk threads flew in the direction Eudora was facing away from.
As the silk threads tightened, the Azure Wind God Greatsword was raised vertically, the hilt level with her shoulder, and the blade began to tilt slightly backward.
*Hum~* As the vibrating blade began to glow, the fourth charge commenced!
"A fully charged slash accumulated four times? Are you kidding me?" Li Fan said, waving his hand by the riverside in the forest.
"I've considered it. I can withstand the power infusion of two true charged slashes. If the Wirebugs captured in Poké Balls are carefully trained, they can theoretically store at least half their power. Then I only need to withstand half a charge more to achieve it!" Eudora explained.
"A good idea, but the power a body can withstand in a fully charged state is likely already near its limit. At that point, let alone lifting the greatsword to continue charging, any action other than unleashing the power of the slash could tear your arm muscles." Li Fan also used other weapons in his spare time. After experiencing the greatsword firsthand, he had also summarized many insights. The power infused into the body twice could not be expected to wait obediently.
"Then let it tear." Eudora said, raising the super-regenerating UMD disc. The scene from her outdoor training flashed quickly through Li Fan's mind.
"Eudora is about to strike! Everyone, hold on!" Li Fan shouted, biting his tail blade. Zanchu, twisting its body, let out a whimper. This was to signal that the [Iaido Whirlwind Slash] had been charged. Li Fan Dilu immediately lunged and fell to the ground.
*Screech! Whoosh!* The horizontal, swirling, scorching tail blade struck the Steel Dragon's right hind leg joint. The Steel Dragon, losing its balance, toppled to its side.
Under the infusion of berserk power, Eudora, still holding the sword to charge, felt her arm muscles repeatedly heal and tear. Piercing pain shot through her mind, but the moment the charge was complete, her trembling hands holding the sword suddenly became steady. The three taut silk threads snapped back with extreme force, and Eudora shouted loudly.
"Give me back my father!"
As the Azure Wind God Greatsword swung down, the world seemed to stand still. Realizing its extended neck was beneath the sword's edge, the Steel Dragon could no longer care about anything else and reared its head to ram into it.
*Clang!* ... *Boom! Crash!* The Steel Dragon's head was smashed into the ground, and a silver horn flew into the air.
*Rumble!* The cracked ground shattered and caved in. Li Fan, crawling out of the crater, pointed the Poké Ball at the motionless Steel Dragon in the pit. He noticed that the rust on the Steel Dragon's head was gone, and the newly formed steel shell along with the skull had been shattered, exposing raw red flesh.
*Whoosh!* The Poké Ball was thrown. Little Fool, preparing to unleash its [Tail Spike Injection] with a somersaulting motion, gained confidence upon seeing a stationary target.
*Roar!*
*Gulp!* The thorn at the end of the emerald green tail, propelled by the body's somersault, plunged directly into the Steel Dragon's head shell. Due to the immense amount of venom injected, a moment later, a large amount of accumulated purple fluid oozed from the Steel Dragon's eyes and nostrils.
*Roar...* Seeing the Steel Dragon's mouth slightly ajar and emitting a groan, showing signs of movement. Li Fan immediately recalled Little Fool with the Recycle Ball.
*Screech!* Li Fan, with two blades on his back, first drew the Village Treasure Blade, which had completed its charge.
*Roar... Roar... Roar...* The Steel Dragon's groans grew more rapid. To Li Fan, they sounded like incomprehensible pleas: "They're still waiting for me, I must keep my promise, it's too late."
"I didn't expect you to be a dragon who values promises. Unfortunately, no matter who is waiting for you, you won't see them again..."
"Li Fan! The dark clouds in the sky are not right, meow!" Dilu shouted towards the sky.
"I don't have time to worry about the clouds right now, Dilu..." Li Fan was saying when his vision was obscured by the lowered clouds. Could the venom only restrict the control of storm currents but not the use of wind vortex currents?
"Disperse!" The Village Treasure Blade was swung backward with one hand and then smashed forward forcefully. The large amount of airflow that exploded dispersed the surrounding clouds, but the next moment, they were filled again.
With a mournful cry from the Steel Dragon, the sound of flapping wings could be heard.
*Roar! Roar!* From within the dense clouds, Cheche's roar sounded.
"You've grabbed its front claws! That's great, Cheche!"
*Roar!* Rage-filled roars from the Brute Wyvern followed.
"No, Cheche, you're holding the Brute Wyvern!"
As the clouds rapidly rose, a large mass of dark clouds rapidly retreated as they contracted. Just as Li Fan was about to call out to Huihui to pursue the clouds, a dense white fog that engulfed the mountains and forests flew towards them. Instantly, everything around them was shrouded in mist.
"What's going on... Can the Steel Dragon control fog too?" Eudora asked, struggling to climb out of the crater.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be a Chameleos. It doesn't want the Steel Dragon to die here," Li Fan deduced from within the fog.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* ... From a distance, the dense sound of signal flares exploding could be heard. Although the color of the flares could not be seen through the fog, given the current situation, the team could easily infer what was happening.
"Let's go with Huihui to support the north city gate," Eudora sighed lightly, slinging the Azure Wind God Greatsword over her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, and my arm feels even stronger."
"Aren't you going to pursue the Steel Dragon?"
"The priority now is to defend the city. It was agreed in the operational plan long ago. Personal grudges have to be set aside for now. Besides... to let the Steel Dragon off with just one sword strike feels too easy for it," Eudora said calmly.
*Boom!* Huihui, descending rapidly, hovered near the ground, dispersing a large area of white mist. Li Fan immediately issued new orders, telling Huihui to head to the north gate as quickly as possible. After all, the Apex Mantis, with the sandstorm as cover, posed an increasing threat with every step it took closer to the city gate.
On the city walls of the north gate, facing the surging sandstorm, Gu Xing issued commands.
"Concentrate artillery fire on the central area of the sandstorm!"
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* ... A round of concentrated artillery bombardment began. However, the sandstorm seemed to be a monster that could devour everything. The shells entered it, and apart from a few muffled explosions, there was no further sound.
"Still can't go out?" Pazhizhi, who had already completed ten warm-up exercises, said impatiently.
"If we charge into the sandstorm, we can't even see each other, so we can't launch an attack," Gu Xing informed him.
"I knew I should have chosen the Steel Dragon back then. At least I could see the monster," Pazhizhi said with some regret. Gu Xing lowered his head slightly, falling into silence.
"Has there been any intel from the Chief Hunter team yet?" Gu Xing asked.
"No... You've asked this question four times since we started operating here. You seem very concerned about the Chief Hunter team?" Pazhizhi asked, puzzled.
"They are all too young, and yet exceptionally talented, which is why I worry," Gu Xing explained.
"Unbelievable, Gu Xing the Oni is actually concerned about his juniors," Pazhizhi said with surprise.
"There has to be a succession between old and new hunters... By the way, has your brother returned yet? He's the one who most enjoys taking on cutting-edge challenges. This situation is a great opportunity for him to showcase his skills," Gu Xing inquired.
"I don't know. He might have died in the wild long ago," Pazhizhi replied, claiming ignorance.
*Boom!* A red meteor streaked across the sky.
"Here it comes! Haha! Li Fan's diversionary tactic has succeeded again!" Pazhizhi exclaimed excitedly, waving at Huihui.
"With the Valstrax's combat style, will it really be beneficial to us..." Gu Xing remained cautious.
*Bang!* A ring of air currents suddenly appeared! Huihui veered and charged into the sandstorm. After two charges and penetrations, the sandstorm, which had several large holes broken through it, slowly dissipated. Gu Xing quickly raised his binoculars to observe. The gigantic fortress of the Apex Mantis did not appear. It was only when the receding sandstorm exposed some of the ground that a not-so-large, dazzling figure emerged.
"It didn't build a fortress, and... it's moving so slowly. With this mobility, if it attacked the city, it would be blasted to smithereens before it even touched the city walls," Pazhizhi said, confused.
"It is indeed slow, but its two foreclaws are wrapped with threads, as if it's dragging something," Gu Xing said, slowly raising his binoculars to look at the end of the numerous threads. As the sandstorm gradually receded, the object being dragged by the golden threads gradually became visible.
"What is that! Is it a mirage?" Pazhizhi squinted, leaning his upper body out of the city wall's edge to get a clearer view.
"No, that's a dismantled ancient ruin city... Heavy ballistae, full power! All cannons ready to fire! If the Apex Mantis attempts to build a fortress, open fire immediately!" Gu Xing issued the order. The Apex Mantis had entered the city's defensive range under the cover of the sandstorm, but due to its relatively small size, Gu Xing decided to reserve the first round of bombardment for its fortress form, which had a higher chance of hitting.
*Screech! Screech!* ... The Apex Mantis, leaning forward, took each step with solid footing. It showed no reaction to the dissipation of the sandstorm or Huihui's arrival. It merely continued to drag the extensively collapsed ancient ruin city forward towards East Doruma.
*Rumble!* The half-broken tower remaining in the city crashed to the ground amidst the jolting movement. The Apex Mantis turned its head, observed for a moment with its compound eyes, then raised its claw-like tail towards the rear.
*Puff!* A silk thread shot out, sticking to the yellowish wall of the half-broken tower. It then hooked the silk thread with its foreclaw sickle and gently flicked it up and down. The taut silk thread transformed into circles, tightly wrapping the half-broken tower. Confirming it could be dragged away, the Apex Mantis turned and continued forward.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* ... *Clang! Clang!* ... Heavy ballista bolts struck the Apex Mantis, causing sparks to fly before breaking and snapping. The Apex Mantis tilted its head, observed the city wall for a moment, and appeared to be in thought amidst the attacks. It seemed to be wondering why it was being attacked.
Inside the Great Ancestor Hall, Zudda observed the sandstorm recede and immediately exclaimed, "It really worked!"
"When it comes to Valstrax, leaving it to Li Fan is always the right choice," Vegasha said with pride.
"Things will be easier now. No matter how large the fortress built by the Apex Mantis is, it's mainly composed of ordinary brick and stone structures, especially since the materials are from ancient ruins weathered for years. This strength is simply no match for artillery fire," Zudda said with great confidence.
"Indeed. Moreover, the fortress form is too cumbersome. I doubt it will last until the north city gate before collapsing, not to mention the hostile Valstrax circling overhead," Vegasha agreed.
"Once the讨伐 or repulsion is complete, tell Gu Xing and Pazhizhi to immediately go to the mountain stronghold to support the Guild Master. It will definitely be in time!" Zudda had even made further operational deployments. Everyone who had some understanding of the operational plan believed that victory was tilting towards East Doruma. Only Sophia, on the suspended staircase of the Guild Headquarters observation deck, held a different opinion.
"Ah~ It's still not here. If you don't come soon, it will be too late," Sophia said with a sigh, lowering her binoculars.