The ground trembled with a continuous rumble. Countless dark shadows swept across the land from high above.
A horde of monsters poured into the village, advancing directly along the main road. They paid no heed to the buildings lining the streets, their eyes seemingly fixed only on that flicker of purple ghost fire.
An Elder Dragon flew towards Li Fan.
"Go, tell everyone to be extra careful. Huihui will be joining the fight soon. If there's any danger, run towards Huihui."
After Li Fan gave his instructions, the Elder Dragon flew into the surging tide of monsters.
Eudora, sword in hand, watched with vigilance. But after two minutes, seeing that the monsters completely ignored her, she slowly retreated and sheathed her Great Sword.
"So, the Rampage isn't just about monsters using the horde to strengthen themselves; they're also becoming the leaders of the Hyakki Yako." Eudora mused.
"I wonder if the Rampage is shaping the ecosystem, or if the ecosystem is shaping it." Li Fan thought that if the Rampage had been seriously injured at the Dragon Palace Ruins and refused capture, it would have certainly perished on the spot. However, there was no reliable capture plan, nor time to deploy one. Everything would have to be dealt with as it came.
"Uh... one more thing. With so many land monsters in the horde, how do they cross the sea? And even if flying monsters get close, they can't get through that storm of wind and lightning, can they?" Eudora asked curiously.
"Since the entire ecosystem is resisting, I believe there will be a way." Li Fan replied.
On the deck of the Hunter.
"What! The signal flare from Honoka Village indicates they're safe?" Pazizi couldn't believe the information reported by the investigator.
"Pazizi! The sea conditions are not right!" The captain, sensing the anomaly in the sea, shouted.
"Ugh! Can't the Guild send someone to replace me sooner..." The irritated Pazizi scratched her head. The constant string of emergencies was pushing her to her breaking point.
"Hoo~ Puxian said it's fine, so let's assume it is. Since the situation has hit rock bottom, whatever happens next will be a rebound... What's wrong with the sea?" Pazizi took a deep breath, quickly adjusted her emotions, and ran to the railing to observe the sea.
Seeing countless dark shapes lurking and swimming beneath the wind-swept surface, Pazizi clutched her forehead, feeling as if she were trapped in a long nightmare.
Roar!
From the cliff behind them, the Rampage let out a furious roar and then leaped down. As if summoned, the monsters beneath the sea surged forth. A large number of yellow Mizutsunes gathered, arching their backs to form a narrow floating bridge in the waves.
The Rampage reached the shore, its ghost fire flashing and exploding with continuous eruptions, illuminating the sea. Dozens of Iceborne Dynaelses, gliding down from the cliff, continued forward on the floating bridge formed by the Mizutsunes, spewing frost from their mouths to freeze the surrounding seawater. As the icy passage extended, the Iceborne Dynaelses found themselves increasingly struggling against the surging sea. At this moment, hundreds of Abyssal Lagiacruses emerged from the sea, extending and widening the frozen passage by swimming on their backs and freezing the ice beneath them.
"This ecological display is completely beyond comprehension. Should we stop it?" The captain asked, somewhat bewildered.
"No! I understand why Honoka Village sent a signal flare indicating safety. This is the entire ecosystem's resistance against the Wind Serpent and Thunder Serpent. If they succeed, it might create an opportunity for us to land." Pazizi informed him.
"But the wind and lightning around the ancient city doesn't look like something that can be easily broken through," the captain said with some concern.
"Not necessarily. For now, let's observe. We'll act the moment an opportunity arises." Pazizi said with anticipation in her eyes.
The team and Puxian had already returned to shore, equally shocked by the sight of the Hyakki Yako crossing the sea.
Half an hour later, as the frozen passage was about to connect with the ancient city, countless blue and green figures appeared on the sea surface. Li Fan observed that a large number of Lagiacrus and Mizutsune were converging towards the Dragon Palace Ruins.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golden lightning mixed with the wind and lightning in the storm began to find an outlet, constantly spilling out and striking the sea, as if guided directly towards the protruding electric shells on the backs of the Lagiacrus. The striking golden lightning was completely absorbed by the electric shells, causing no harm to the Lagiacrus. However, as the strikes increased, some Lagiacrus, having absorbed too much golden lightning, had their electric shells shatter from the strain. Thus, the Lagiacrus began to rotate, each absorbing only two to three strikes before diving deep underwater to discharge. The Mizutsune floated with their upper bodies above the water, using a move similar to a water jet to continuously spray high-pressure water streams towards the wind and lightning, breaking through the surface and creating gaps. The swirling air currents, infused with golden lightning, were visibly weakening. However, Li Fan also noticed that as soon as the pressure from the Lagiacrus and Mizutsune lessened, the wind and lightning would immediately regenerate in large numbers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of red signal flares, indicating an attack, ascended and exploded from the decks of the Hunter and the Eternal. Li Fan knew Pazizi wanted to seize the opportunity and decided to attempt a charge. Otherwise, when the Hyakki Yako's monsters could no longer hold on, it would be even more difficult for the giant airships to break through the wind and lightning.
Due to the extreme time constraint, no one had time to form contracts; all participants were volunteering out of sheer bravery. The advantage was that without a designated force to command them, they could fight with complete freedom. The disadvantage was that the rewards were not clearly defined. The Honoka was setting sail at the same time. It seemed that when they broke through, they would need Huihui's help, because even the weakened wind and lightning still posed a significant threat to the giant airships. Furthermore, the direction of the charge was crucial. If they happened to collide with a giant airship...
As Li Fan was using his binoculars to plan for battle, he suddenly noticed a very strange phenomenon. Countless monsters were surging towards the Dragon Palace Ruins, but their angles were all concentrated on the side facing the shore. This was understandable for land and flying monsters, as it was the direction of the Hyakki Yako's advance. However, the sea monsters were coming from all directions. Not only would they not create a synergistic effect by gathering with the land and flying monsters, but there was also a risk of friendly fire when the Lagiacrus used their electric shells to absorb lightning.
"Could it be that the monsters don't understand positioning?" Li Fan muttered curiously.
Woooo... Woooo...
Ethereal calls, as if from the abyss, echoed. The Hunter and the Eternal suddenly shut down their propulsion, and the Honoka also decelerated simultaneously. A massive, elongated shape appeared beneath the sea surface behind the Dragon Palace Ruins. This shape had two large, horn-like protrusions resembling bull horns. As the white body moved, it emitted ring-shaped shockwaves that flattened the turbulent waves around it.
"It's a Leviathan..." Li Fan was greatly surprised by the appearance of the Leviathan. However, upon reflection, it was understandable. Neither the Guild nor the Dragon Calendar Institute had very comprehensive information about the ocean. The Leviathan might have approached before, but it just hadn't been witnessed.
Boom! A golden lightning bolt split the clouds. The lightning in the wind and storm began to converge into a sphere, targeting the area behind the Dragon Palace Ruins. The Leviathan did not evade; instead, it accelerated forward.
Crack! Boom! A massive golden electric field exploded on the sea surface. After a dull impact, towering waves surged upwards.
"Dilu meow! Issue an impact warning!" Firi shouted as he ascended, seeing the giant wave approach.
"Leave it to meow!"
Clang! Clang! Clang! ... Dilu went to the ship's bow bell and rang it repeatedly.
Whoosh~ The giant wave swept past beneath the hull of the Honoka. After a violent shake, the ship stabilized, and Li Fan and Eudora quickly returned to the railing. The Dragon Palace Ruins on the sea surface had significantly subsided and tilted slightly.
"The wind and lightning storm has disappeared!" Eudora exclaimed.
"The Leviathan has retreated. Now is the best time to attack!" Li Fan, who had been observing, said and instructed Firi to proceed at full speed. Since they were operating separately from the Guild, there was no coordinated battle plan. Therefore, the team chose a landing point that no one had yet touched. As soon as Zan Zan and Pao Fu were released, they fixed their gaze on the outer wall area of the ancient city.
"I wonder if they've completed mating yet. They shouldn't be that fast, right?" Li Fan could only think optimistically at this moment.
"So much coral... and dead fish I've never seen before, meow." Dilu's curiosity was piqued, but now was not the time for exploration.
"You two, blend into the Hyakki Yako. Adapt as needed, but don't be too reckless." After Li Fan's instructions, Zan Zan strode forward. Seeing that Pao Fu had finally arrived in a scene where it could perform, it happily slid forward.
Although the landing points were different, their destination was the outer wall area. Thus, the team soon encountered the monster horde landing on the island and the giant airships hovering in the sky.
"Village Chief Puxian, do the hunter teams really not need escort?" Pazizi asked worriedly, watching the engineering troops from Honoka Village prepare to descend with gliders without any guards.
"There's no need to divert our fighting strength. I know you don't have many hunter teams with you this time. If the Dragon Piercer and the Dragon Buster pass inspection and can be used normally, we will inform you with signal flares. Await our good news!" Puxian said with a smile, then was the first to jump from the airship, leading his team towards the top of the city walls, which were covered in reefs and barnacles. Pazizi then led the hunter teams in their descent. Since the Wind Serpent had been confirmed sighted, all twelve hunter teams aboard the two giant airships had been deployed. As Puxian had said, the giant airship sortie this time was rather urgent, and they were far from being fully loaded with hunter teams. As for the firepower support they could provide, it would likely be given when the Thunder Serpent and Wind Serpent were engaged in combat. Otherwise, if the giant airships became the primary targets, not only would their retreat be completely cut off, but their only hope of aerial fire support would also vanish.
Since the Hyakki Yako crossing the sea appeared, Pazizi's mood had improved. She had initially only hoped that the two airships could successfully land. Now, not only had they landed safely, but they also had a large number of monster helpers, causing her confidence to soar. Following the path carved by Zan Zan on the coral, the team soon reached the outer wall area. This was a circular mountain range with many pitted waterlogged areas on the surface, but compared to other areas of the Dragon Palace Ruins, it was quite flat. The wall, covered in barnacles, had no gates or anything similar, only three closely spaced Dragon Piercers retracted within the wall. At the top of the city wall, a slightly rusted Dragon Buster was aimed at the sky. At this moment, the heavily injured Wind Serpent was hovering and wandering in front of the city wall. Its constantly scanning eyes clearly indicated that it had noticed the approaching hunters, but it made no move.
"Strange, where is the Thunder Serpent?" Eudora asked curiously, hiding behind pink coral.
"Below." Li Fan pointed at the ground.
"Why?"
"This is the only part of the island without coral and barnacles, which means there must be something unusual going on underneath." Li Fan explained.
"I see... Oh! The Guild has also taken their positions. Should we act?" Eudora asked.
"Don't rush. They also want the monsters to attack first." Li Fan replied. The advantage of the city's defense system was a major factor in their previous victory against the Wind Serpent. If it were purely a matter of hunter teams fighting, these people would be no match.
Soon, the Rampage was the first to leap onto the wide platform. It confronted the Wind Serpent, which tried to intimidate it with a roar. However, as soon as it opened its mouth, liquid flowed from the cracks in its shell, suggesting it didn't have much time left to live. Nevertheless, the Wind Serpent showed no signs of retreating, instead moving towards the center of the circular mountain range as it drifted.
Whoosh! Whoosh~ More monsters followed. Lei Ge, Xi Xi, and Wan Pi all arrived.
Roar... Roar... The Wind Serpent, unable to roar, simply moaned, as if chanting a dirge. The Rampage's eyes showed no mercy. Its forearms ignited with ghost fire as it charged and pounced. The Wind Serpent's last remaining wind sac on its tail flashed and emitted a gust of air that dispersed the ghost fire dust, but this did not stop the Rampage's pounce with its raised claws.
Squelch! A powerful swipe from its thickened foreclaw, which had grown to the point of cracking its shell, shattered the Wind Serpent's head carapace, sending it flying backward. The Rampage slightly rotated in mid-air, its body fully extended, and the ghost fire clusters overflowing from behind it exploded. Using the force of the explosion, the Rampage's right claw's demonic arm blade suddenly extended and swept across the surface of the last wind sac on its tail.
Slish! The Wind Serpent completely lost control of the swirling air currents. It hovered upside down for a short time before crashing to the ground in a prone position. It spread its forelegs, as if embracing the ground, or perhaps trying to protect something.
The Guild hunters, hidden behind other coral formations, raised their heavy bowguns and aimed with curved shots. Li Fan suspected they were about to fire spread ammo.
"Spare her..." Li Fan heard a voice in his mind and looked at the Wind Serpent. At this moment, its yellow eyes were fixed in their direction.
"I'm sorry, but if I spare it, the whole world will be in danger." Li Fan said helplessly, raising his Iron Tower Heavy Shield.
"Quick, get behind the shield."
"Uh... is an attack coming?" Eudora asked in surprise.
"It's not an attack, Huihui is coming." Li Fan replied.