The hunters resumed their operations, continuing the pore-blocking strategy, once the Zorah Magdaros's shaking subsided.
More scattered fragments of its back shell were tossed into the furnace-like openings.
Simultaneously, the wooden ramparts were engulfed in flames. The detonation of ammunition boxes hit by lava fragments destroyed more than half of the cannons.
Fortunately, such situations had been anticipated, and the anchor points for the restraint shot cannons were placed far enough away to avoid being affected.
Dilu, perched on Wanpi's neck, observed the battle below from high in the sky with binoculars.
"Roar!"
Wanpi's roar caused Dilu to quickly shift her gaze, scanning the surrounding airspace.
"That's... it's coming, meow!"
Having confirmed the target, Dilu detached the small aerial bomb barrel from her back, ignited it upside down, and hurled it towards the canyon below.
*Boom!* The aerial bomb barrel exploded above the monster's back shell, scattering a burst of colorful fireworks.
"All personnel, evacuate!"
Upon receiving Dilu's warning, Li Fan immediately issued the evacuation order.
While the Zorah Magdaros encounter was fraught with danger, it did not impose strict requirements on armor and weapons.
The situation was entirely different when facing an Nergigante; insufficient equipment was essentially a death sentence.
Whistles sounded in succession, and a large number of Aptonoth swooped down.
*Hiss... Hiss!*
At this moment, the Wirebugs in the insect cages became extremely agitated, flashing bright blue light.
"Captain, this reaction is quite unusual."
Aiden reminded him.
"It is unusual, which is precisely why I issued the evacuation order."
Li Fan explained.
"But you issued the order before the Wirebugs even reacted?"
Aiden asked, puzzled.
*How did he suddenly become so smart...*
"It's my keen intuition for the arrival of danger."
"Oh... that's amazing, Captain."
Aiden exclaimed in admiration.
"Let's not waste any more time, let's evacuate immediately."
"Let me take a look first..."
Aiden said, tilting his head to observe the Aptonoth circling in the sky. However, after a long search, he couldn't find his own Fia.
"The Aptonoth isn't here to pick you up?"
Li Fan probed.
"Uh~ it seems so. Perhaps it couldn't stand my constant chatter."
Aiden's shoulders drooped in disappointment.
Li Fan suddenly pictured an Aptonoth flying in the wilderness with a ceaselessly chattering Aiden trailing behind.
However, observing the other hunters waiting for evacuation, he noticed that Aiden's experience was not an isolated case.
"It might not be your fault. The stimulation from the cannon fire and Zorah Magdaros's roars could be causing the Aptonoth to stay away."
Li Fan surmised.
He believed that individual Aptonoth also possessed personality differences, such as bravery or timidity.
"That's great! So it's not my fault."
Aiden said with relief.
"How will hunters without Aptonoth escorts evacuate?"
As Li Fan pondered this, Yidola's voice echoed from above.
"Everyone, hold onto the Wirebug silk!"
Li Fan looked up and saw Yidola, floating in mid-air, using Wirebug silk to ferry hunters away.
Although she could only carry five hunters at a time, the ramparts were close by, making the round trips extremely swift.
Just as the evacuation was proceeding in an orderly fashion, a startled cry suddenly rang out.
"What is that!"
Following the direction pointed by the hunter, everyone looked up at the sky.
A monster with a pair of curved horns on its head and covered in spines was flapping its wings, flying towards Zorah Magdaros's back shell.
"It looks so ferocious... What kind of monster is that?"
Aiden exclaimed.
"That's an Nergigante... Why haven't you evacuated yet?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
"I'm a recommended member of the Fifth Fleet. I must at least ensure everyone's safety before deciding where to go."
Aiden stated with great responsibility, drawing his Tobi-Kadachi Lance.
"Impressive spirit, but Nergigante is an Elder Dragon. Are you prepared?"
Li Fan inquired.
"Of course, Captain!"
*Clang!* Aiden said, striking his shield with his Tobi-Kadachi Lance, expressing his resolve.
"Alright, but be extremely careful not to get hit by its foreclaws, or you'll be in mortal danger."
Li Fan cautioned.
"I understand!"
The two immediately sprinted towards the Nergigante's location.
"Capture operation terminated! Abandon the main ramparts! All personnel to the side ramparts! Cover the hunters' evacuation!"
Fly on the ramparts immediately issued the order.
"Old man, we have heavy ballistae that can assist in the attack."
Di Yan reminded him.
"Good, abandon the cannons immediately. All combat personnel will use the heavy ballistae to attack."
Fly hadn't expected that the heavy ballistae Li Fan had requested to be deployed would actually prove useful.
Heavy cannons were generally only suitable for attacking fixed targets or colossal monsters that couldn't dodge.
Attacking an Nergigante was extremely difficult, especially with its position on Zorah Magdaros's back.
"Yidola, Li Fan, you must be alright."
Aibo, who had been closely monitoring the battle, murmured as she evacuated the main ramparts.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~*
The wind pressure from flapping wings arrived, scattering a cloud of dust.
The Nergigante, having landed on the surface of the back shell, scanned its surroundings with its black vertical pupils, quickly locking onto the approaching Li Fan.
*Bang!* Li Fan stopped abruptly and first fired a signal flare into the sky.
Seeing the colorful fireworks explode, Dilu immediately took out her PSP and inserted the "Super Regeneration" disc.
"Li Fan!"
"Continue evacuating the hunters. We've got this!"
Hearing Yidola's call, Li Fan knew she intended to provide support. He immediately refused, and Yidola did not insist further.
*Boom~ Boom~...*
The Nergigante slowly sidestepped, beginning to adjust its position.
Li Fan and Aiden advanced cautiously, one on each side.
"Roar... Roar..."
The Nergigante's mouth moved slightly, emitting a series of dry calls.
*My aura doesn't belong to this world...*
Was it referring to the Thunder God Dragon armor, or my identity as a transmigrator?
As he cautiously approached, Li Fan tried to understand the information conveyed by the Nergigante.
"Why can't I find... its weak point."
Aiden observed intently for a long time and reached a rather surprising conclusion.
Head, foreclaws, wing bones, hind claws, tail.
All were covered in sharp black spines, making it impossible for Aiden to find any place to strike.
"Aiden, our current mission is to cover the safe evacuation of the hunters. So, we don't need to focus on attacking. Just prevent it from moving further back."
Li Fan reminded him.
"Understood."
Aiden glanced back and saw that there were still about thirty to forty hunters waiting for evacuation. He immediately raised his round shield in front of him, calmly adopting a defensive stance.
"Good. I'll go and have a 'chat' with it now. You stay here and guard."
"Uh... Huh? 'Chat'?"
Aiden was incredulous.
"Yes. If it witnesses the power of a single hunter, perhaps it will abandon its intention to continue fighting."
Li Fan said, shaking the Thunder God Blade in his hand.
"I see. Please be careful, Captain."
Realizing Li Fan's intention, Aiden immediately understood the meaning behind his words.
Generally, monsters with very limited sightings have limited understanding of humans.
Much like many monsters in the Ancient Forest, they primarily judge strength by size when encountering unknown creatures.
Therefore, when they see humans, they usually resort to brute force.
However, with the arrival of the Fifth Fleet, this impression had slightly changed.
If the initial impression could mislead the Nergigante into believing that there were 500 hunters as powerful as Li Fan, then it would certainly not attack humans without reservation.
As they approached with swords drawn, both sides observed each other.
To Li Fan's surprise, the Nergigante was calmer than he had anticipated.
"Do you know who my big brother is?"
Li Fan stopped about twenty meters away and asked arrogantly.
"Roar... Roar..."
The Nergigante responded with dry calls.
"Here, everyone can be a big brother..."
Li Fan was taken aback by the response. After a moment of thought, he replied, "I agree with that, but after my big brother visited here, there's only one who deserves the title of 'big brother'."
"Roar?"
"If you want to know its name, listen carefully: the master of foul weather, the dragon clad in storms, the creator of Yidola's unfortunate life, Kushala Daora, the Steel Dragon."
As Li Fan spoke, he held his sword in one hand and reached into his backpack with the other, pulling out a gray, block-like object that gleamed with metallic luster.
This was a fragment of Kushala Daora's horn, severed by Yidola outside Dundorma.
He had brought it to the New World hoping that the Wirebugs would attach to it, allowing for more precise tracking.
"Do you feel my big brother's aura? I advise you not to disturb it..."
Seeing the Nergigante's black vertical pupils constrict and its gaze turn hostile, Li Fan stopped his bluff and cautiously took two steps back.
"Roar... Roar..."
"You shouldn't have come..."
Li Fan heard the Nergigante's patience running out and sensed its intention to attack. He immediately threw the fragment of Kushala Daora's horn at it.
*Clang!* The fragment collided with the spines on its foreclaw, sending a shower of sparks flying.
The Nergigante glanced at it, then slowly raised its right foreclaw and pressed it down onto the fragment.
*Boom~ Crack~*
The ground, formed by Zorah Magdaros's back shell, immediately collapsed and dented.
This terrifying display of power startled both Li Fan and Aiden.
The Nergigante appeared to be exerting no effort, nor was it using its body to apply pressure. It simply lowered its foreclaw, causing the surface of Zorah Magdaros's back shell to indent as if it were cotton.
"Roar.... Roar!"
With a roar directed upwards, Li Fan immediately rolled backward.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~*
He felt the wind pressure from flapping wings and a vast shadow enveloped him. Without looking back, he knew it was in the air, ready to attack at any moment.
"Ah! Captain!"
Aiden immediately charged forward to assist.
"I'm fine! Evacuate quickly!"
Li Fan shouted. Seeing that he couldn't shake off the pursuit, he turned back towards the Nergigante and assumed a stance for an iai slash.
*Clang! Roar!*
The Nergigante let out a fierce roar, its right claw, covered in sharp spines, raised high in the air.
*Ding! Bang!*
The right claw struck the activated Qi, unleashing a terrifying force that spread outwards in concentric waves.
After absorbing the immense power, the activated mist-like Qi instantly transformed into a defensive barrier. However, to Li Fan's surprise,
the barrier could not withstand the pressure of the Nergigante's foreclaw and shattered on the spot.
*Swish...*
Looking at the blue starlight scattering around him, Li Fan's mind went blank.
But he soon realized that the battle was still ongoing.
Facing the incoming right foreclaw, Li Fan immediately chose to roll backward.
*Boom! Crack! ...*
The Nergigante's foreclaw strike shattered the ground, sending rocks and lava spewing out.
As Li Fan got to his feet, he felt something approaching, but his vision was obscured by lava, making it impossible to detect.
Suddenly, a sharp protrusion shot out from the lava, and he realized with a jolt that it was a spine flung from its foreclaw after a ground slam.
It was too late to swing his sword, so Li Fan could only try to avoid the vital areas.
*Slash!* The Thunder God Dragon bracer was pierced by a spine, and blood sprayed out.
"Roar... Roar!..."
As the Nergigante roared triumphantly, a sound suddenly interrupted its roar.
*Slash! Clatter!*
At this moment, Li Fan pulled out the spine and casually tossed it aside.
This action greatly surprised the Nergigante. It couldn't understand how such a weak creature, after being hit by a claw strike and then a spine, could still be unharmed.
It didn't rush to attack again but instead began to observe Li Fan closely.
*Hiss... Hiss...*
Catching a faint sound, the Nergigante's gaze locked onto Li Fan's arm.
Seeing the penetrating wound rapidly healing, the Nergigante suddenly froze.
Li Fan sensed the anomaly but dared not let his guard down. He continued to grip his sword, maintaining his stance.
"Roar... Roar..."
The Nergigante, which had been ferocious moments ago, suddenly let out a low growl.
It raised its head and straightened its foreclaws, as if it had disengaged from combat.
"Have you... been looking for me for a long time?"
Li Fan pondered for a moment, unable to comprehend why the Nergigante would suddenly utter such a sentence.
"Roar... Roar..."
"We both possess unparalleled regenerative abilities... so we are a match made in heaven..."
Li Fan felt a sudden chill.
"Let me explain first. Your perception is definitely flawed, and severely so."
Li Fan immediately began to explain.
"Roar... Roar!"
"It's not my perception that's flawed, it's yours that's deviated. And it has nothing to do with Kushala Daora..."
"Roar! Roar!"
The Nergigante suddenly roared, becoming extremely agitated.
"Uh... Yes! It was Big Brother Kushala Daora who told me! I've been brainwashed by him!"
Li Fan felt that explaining was futile. However, the Nergigante's stubborn insistence that Kushala Daora was behind it actually aligned with his plan.
*Sizzle~ Sizzle~*
Its body spines began to grow rapidly, making the Nergigante appear even more ferocious and terrifying.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! ...*
Countless heavy ballista bolts shot in from the side. Some spines on the Nergigante's wings broke, and its body recoiled.
*Tap... Tap...*
The sound of armor clanking as someone ran echoed from behind.
"All hunters have been evacuated! It's your turn!"
A deep, mature voice called out from behind.
*This voice... it's the Sword Master!*
After a brief slide down the slope, the Sword Master, clad in Rathian armor, leaped into the air.
Drawing the Wyvern Blade [Verdant] in mid-air, he brought it down in a direct chop.
*Clang! Crack!*
Several spines on the Nergigante's left foreclaw were severed by the blow.
"Go quickly! I've got this!"
The Sword Master said, shifting his footing and slowly adjusting his stance.
The Nergigante lunged forward. The Sword Master took half a step back and dodged with a Foresight Slash.
Although he couldn't draw power from the attack, he skillfully evaded the lunge and followed up with an upward slash, striking the Nergigante's head.