"Apologies, Gu Xing. To deal with the Sky-rending Dragon, I had to resort to unconventional methods!"
Devon shouted from the base of the mast.
After a period of high-speed propulsion, the edges of the Sky-rending Dragon's carapace began to glow red.
Perhaps the relentless speed hadn't shaken off the two giant airships, as the force of the dragon flames from its wing-mounted thrusters abruptly weakened.
Before long, three more giant airships, each with its thrusters activated, approached from the left and right sides of the Pioneer.
Within the hull walls of these airships, numerous hunters in various attires raised their heavy bows to their sides, aiming at the Sky-rending Dragon.
Seeing the ship stabilize, Devon pushed Xik towards Li Fan and the others by the hull.
"I'm leaving Xik to you... Abandon ship, everyone! Abandon ship!"
With that shout, Devon sprinted towards the stern.
The not-so-large crew of the Pioneer, either swinging on ropes or climbing the nets attached to the hull, were following orders and heading for the attached lifeboats.
"Let's go to the Natural Selection, meow. The ultra-light small airships are over there."
Xik provided directions.
The combat members on the tower immediately took action.
While swinging across with insect silk was an option, the team, prioritizing safety, climbed the load-bearing nets to reach the Natural Selection.
Looking back at the Pioneer, Devon, who had rushed into the ship, was now in the bridge on the third deck.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
Along the hull walls of the six giant airships, the first volley of ice shots had begun.
Clearly, despite the major upheaval, they still trusted Devon's plan.
Dazzling blue ice crystals continuously burst and exploded around the Sky-rending Dragon.
As the first volley ended, the ranged hunters immediately unloaded their weapons and began loading sleep shots.
"Xik, what exactly is Devon trying to do?"
Li Fan inquired.
"Uh... Devon said a long time ago that nothing could threaten the Sky-rending Dragon when it's high in the sky, meow, so to damage it, unconventional means are necessary."
Xik explained.
"What means?"
Gu Xing asked urgently.
"When the Pioneer and the Natural Selection set sail, they were loaded with ballast, sacrificing cargo capacity, meow..."
Xik said, his gaze beginning to shift.
"It's normal to load ballast if you're connecting to the Sky-rending Dragon to slow it down."
Li Fan didn't find it particularly surprising.
"The ballast is G-rank explosive barrels, meow."
Xik whispered.
A moment of silence fell over the scene. Li Fan tentatively asked, "So, the purpose of shooting sleep shots is to detonate the entire Pioneer and attack the Sky-rending Dragon?"
"Yes, meow..."
Li Fan looked at the deck beneath his feet, suddenly feeling a sense of unsteadiness.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
Countless clusters of pale green smoke burst and dissipated on the Sky-rending Dragon's frozen body.
By the third round of concentrated sleep shots, the Sky-rending Dragon's eyelids grew heavier.
*Puff! Whoosh~*
From the thruster ports at the base of its wing-bones, red flames were replaced by black smoke, and soon, the propulsion ceased.
Without the acceleration from its thrusters, the Sky-rending Dragon, with its wing-bones tightly folded to its sides, continued to glide forward.
But as its head slowly tilted downwards, its body began to descend as well.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*... *Clang! Clang! Clang!*...
The gongs on the Natural Selection began to strike at regular intervals.
The message conveyed was to cease fire immediately.
At this point, the load-bearing nets connecting the two ships were cut by the crew of the Natural Selection.
"Hold tight! Resist the risk of being thrown off!" shouts and reminders echoed across the deck.
*Whoosh~*
A howling wind suddenly rose.
Feeling the ship accelerating downwards as it tilted, Li Fan tightened his grip on the Poké Ball containing his partner.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Fireballs flashed from the two giant thrusters beneath the Pioneer, and soon, two bursts of flame erupted.
The Pioneer, with an even faster descent, began to plunge downwards.
Seeing that the distance was almost right, Devon adjusted the helm, then took a wooden stick to lock it in place and lit a gray fuse in the cockpit.
He then braved the strong airflow and made his way to the third deck, which was already severely tilted.
By now, the load-bearing nets connecting the two ships had been severed. Devon's only means of escape was a rope swinging rapidly in the wind.
Devon grabbed the railing and observed for a moment before leaping.
As he grabbed the rope in mid-air, the distance between the two airships was too great, and the rope fixed to the Pioneer snapped instantly.
With the rope swinging, Devon was flung outwards, crashing heavily against the hull of the Natural Selection.
*Bang!*
The immense impact instantly knocked Devon unconscious. His hands slipped from the rope, and by the time he tried to grab it again, it was too late.
In a flash, two intertwined green insect silks descended from above the hull.
After the first silk reached its limit, a second Screw-worm circled around the silk, tied a knot, and then swooped down again.
Devon only saw the Screw-worm descend behind him, felt a tightening around his waist, and then he was rapidly pulled upwards.
As he grabbed the hull with his hands, before Devon could even climb onto the deck, Pazizi grabbed his arm and pulled him in.
"I've never seen a hunter so adept at using insect silk before. Thank you, Li Fan."
Devon, panting, praised him.
"Are you crazy?! If your plan fails, the entire airship fleet will be annihilated!"
Gu Xing questioned him.
Devon adjusted his cracked glasses, a smile on his lips. "Although it wasn't explicitly stated, I believe the Guild had already seen through the Dragon Calendar Institute's plan. Gu Xing, we are facing monsters. There are no safe and steady ways to win, you should know this better than I do."
Gu Xing fell silent upon hearing this.
"And for now... everything is still under control."
Devon looked ahead at the Pioneer, which was continuing its descent towards the Sky-rending Dragon, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The Sky-rending Dragon, enveloped in airflow, slowly opened its eyes. Its vertical pupils darted left and right before suddenly constricting.
Falling? Why?
The brief memory lapse brought an unusual sensation, and the Sky-rending Dragon sensed a presence of danger.
*Boom! Boom!*
Several bursts of black smoke erupted, and the dragon flames from the wing-mounted thrusters quickly reignited.
Just as the Sky-rending Dragon was about to ascend again, a strong impact was felt on the dorsal carapace connected to its tailbone.
*Boom!*
Before the Sky-rending Dragon could twist its neck to look, a violent explosion sounded.
As the Pioneer shattered and exploded, countless G-rank explosive barrels were flung out, their chain reaction igniting further explosions.
In an instant, the sky above the Yi Qun Ridge was filled with fire and billowing smoke, and a black cloud suddenly appeared.
*Boom! Whoosh!*
The slowly dissipating black cloud suddenly exploded from its center, and a silver light shot towards the sky.
The Sky-rending Dragon, its left side covered in black and gray, began to ascend at an almost vertical angle.
Its left wing was now extensively damaged, with only the thruster port near its body still weakly expelling dragon flames for propulsion.
"Did it succeed?"
Gu Xing asked in disbelief.
"I can't believe it. With such severe damage to its left wing, it can still ascend vertically."
Devon was greatly shocked.
"The cable!"
Li Fan exclaimed as he saw the cable extending into the black cloud tightening.
Devon understood and issued warnings to brace for impact and ascend quickly.
Simultaneously, the gongs and bells chimed rhythmically, conveying a simple message.
Make way!
*Creak! Swoosh!*
As the single-shot restraint bullet's metal cable tightened, the Natural Selection, dragged by the Sky-rending Dragon, began to ascend vertically like a roller coaster.
Debris from the Pioneer, churned up by the explosion, rained down and struck the deck.
Fortunately, the ascent was fast enough that the debris attack lasted only a short while before the Natural Selection left the black cloud.
At this point, Devon issued another abandon ship order.
"Although we are still ascending, the Sky-rending Dragon has slightly changed direction. It's intentionally heading towards the Sky-piercing Tower... Hurry and wait in the ultra-light small airships. When we reach maximum altitude, detach from the Natural Selection and prepare for the second phase of the operation."
Holding onto the hull railing, Devon explained his plan.
Li Fan pondered it and found it feasible, but quickly noticed a problem.
"What about you?"
"I'll stay behind and activate the thrusters at the right moment to adjust the Natural Selection's impact angle."
Devon looked up at the Sky-rending Dragon, his tone calm.
"The self-destruct impact has already been successful once, meow. With the Sky-rending Dragon on guard, the chance of hitting it a second time is slim."
Xik informed him.
"If there's a chance to severely damage both of the Sky-rending Dragon's wings, I believe it's worth it... Don't cry, Xik, you have a more important duty."
Devon was resolute.
After a long silence, Gu Xing sighed, "I wish you success."
"Thank you... By the way, Li Fan, could you do me a favor and take me to the cockpit?"
Devon asked.
The deck was now almost vertical, and most people were clinging to the railings, suspended in the air.
As the chief researcher, Devon, who spent a lot of time in the wilderness, might have a stronger physique than an ordinary Dragonkin.
But not enough to move around easily in such conditions.
"No problem."
Li Fan replied, releasing Screw-worms to circle Devon's waist, gripping the railing with one hand and the silk with the other, quickly tying a knot to secure him.
"This technique... so strong."
Devon couldn't help but marvel.
Then, Li Fan began to release insect silk, extending it towards the cockpit on the third deck.
"I say, don't you even have a protective plan prepared?"
Li Fan asked.
"The last message from the bells and gongs was for everyone to evade. I doubt they'll listen to me, but it's too late for regrets now."
Devon replied.
"I'm talking about yourself."
Li Fan said helplessly.
"I'm carrying a glider on my back."
"Alright..."
"Actually, I'm a little scared too, but I remembered someone telling me back then that some things just have to be done by someone, and I suddenly found my courage."
Devon sighed.
"Was the person who said that the missing Chief Hunter?"
Li Fan tentatively asked.
"Heh heh, you really are like him."
Devon said with a smile.
"Huh?"
"He could always figure out so many things just by deduction."
"We're here. Do you want me to leave a Screw-worm for you?"
Li Fan said, grabbing the outer railing of the third deck.
"No need."
Devon stepped on the cockpit glass, shattered it with a kick, and jumped into the cockpit.
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Since the cargo bay hatch on the deck couldn't be opened normally, Pazizi simply smashed it open with a hammer.
Seeing that the ultra-light small airship, fixed to its base within the cabin, was undamaged, Xik breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dilu, meow, there's no time. Can you come inside and help me release the restraints?"
Xik asked.
"Of course, meow."
Dilu picked up Xik and threw a Screw-worm towards the cabin.
Before long, a small airship with a large balloon but a small hull floated horizontally from the vertical deck surface.
The four people and two cats squeezed onto the small deck, feeling the violent jolts.
Xik was responsible for piloting the airship, constantly gaining altitude and approaching the Sky-piercing Tower that loomed in the clouds nearby.
The rest of the group observed the battle with binoculars.
The Guild's Hunter and the Eternal had not followed the order to evade.
During the Sky-rending Dragon's descent and ascent, they had preemptively turned to intercept, intending to use their altitude advantage.
*Boom! Swoosh!*...
Cannonballs and pressure-sensitive resistance rounds rained down.
Facing the barrage, the Sky-rending Dragon, with just a few body shifts, dodged the cannonballs.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*...
Just as the gong sounded for retreat, the Sky-rending Dragon, accelerating suddenly, ascended to the same altitude as the two giant airships.
After a brief hover, the right thruster flashed red.
*Boom!* A shockwave exploded in the air, and the Sky-rending Dragon flew past the Hunter.
Was it afraid of the giant airships due to the severe damage to its left wing?
But such an attack...
Just as Li Fan was wondering about the Sky-rending Dragon's near miss, a crack appeared, almost piercing the entire balloon of the Hunter.
As air leaked out, the balloon rapidly deflated.
The Hunter's response was timely; numerous orange-yellow spheres appeared on the deck – small emergency balloons specifically for giant airships.
Maintaining altitude was no longer possible, but at least it would significantly reduce the rate of descent.
"Natural Selection!"
At this moment, Eudora cried out in alarm.
If the Sky-rending Dragon didn't pursue, the Hunter's biggest safety concern would be landing.
But when the towed Natural Selection appeared in their sight, a more terrifying crisis loomed.
The Sky-rending Dragon made a sharp turn, and the Natural Selection, being dragged along, its bow directly rammed towards the Hunter.
"It's intentionally using the tow to cause a collision between the giant airships."
Gu Xing deduced that the Sky-rending Dragon was doing it on purpose.
"Ah! Is the Hunter still salvageable?"
Pazizi asked worriedly.
"It can't dodge... Huh?"
Just as Gu Xing sighed, a thruster on one side beneath the hull ignited, and orange flames erupted fiercely!
"It's Devon, meow!"
Xik shouted excitedly.
Without any airbags and with only one thruster at full power, the Natural Selection's hull instantly tilted upwards.
*Boom! Crash!*
The bottom of the airship scraped across the midsection of the Hunter's deck, and the two giant flying vessels grazed past each other.