The ground trembled with a continuous rumble. Countless dark shadows flickered across the land, cast from high above.
A horde of monsters poured into the village, surging down the main road. They paid no heed to the buildings lining the thoroughfare, their gazes fixed solely on that flicker of purple ghost fire.
An Elder Dragon flew up to Li Fan.
"Go, tell everyone to be extra careful. Huihui will be joining the fight soon. If you're in danger, run towards Huihui," Li Fan instructed. With that, the Elder Dragon vanished into the surging tide of monsters.
Eudora, sword in hand, stood on alert. After two minutes, seeing that the monsters completely ignored her, she slowly retreated and sheathed her Great Sword.
"So, the Magnamalo not only uses monster hordes to strengthen itself, but also becomes the leader of the Rampage," Eudora mused.
"I wonder if the Magnamalo shapes the ecosystem, or if the ecosystem shapes it," Li Fan pondered. He felt that if the Magnamalo, after being severely injured at the Dragon's Roost, refused to be captured, it would surely perish on the spot. However, there was no reliable capture plan, nor time to make 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 approach, they can't get through that storm of wind and lightning, can they?" Eudora asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Since the entire ecosystem is resisting, I'm sure there will be a way," Li Fan replied.
On the deck of the Hunter.
"What! Fire Village sent a signal flare indicating they are safe?" Pazizi couldn't believe what the investigator reported.
"Pazizi! The sea conditions are not right!" The captain, sensing the abnormality of the sea, shouted.
"Ugh! Can't the Guild send someone to replace me sooner..." Pazizi, agitated, scratched her hair. The constant barrage of incidents was pushing her to the brink.
"Hoo~ Puxian said it's fine, so let's assume it is. Since the situation is at its worst, whatever happens next will be a rebound from the bottom... What's wrong with the sea?" Pazizi took a deep breath, quickly adjusted her emotions, and rushed 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, a Magnamalo let out a fierce roar, then leaped down. As if summoned, the monsters beneath the sea surged forth. A large number of yellow Mizutsune gathered, arching their backs to form a narrow floating bridge in the waves.
The Magnamalo reached the shore, its ghost fire flashing and exploding with continuous eruptions, illuminating the sea. Dozens of Barioth, having glided down from the cliff, continued forward on the bridge of Mizutsune, spitting frost from their mouths to freeze the surrounding seawater. As the ice bridge extended, the Barioth grew increasingly strained on the turbulent sea. At this moment, hundreds of Namielle emerged from the sea, their bodies arching to freeze the ice layer, further extending and expanding the frozen passage.
"This ecological display is beyond comprehension. Should we stop it?" the captain asked, bewildered.
"No! I understand why Fire Village sent the 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 instructed.
"But the wind and lightning surrounding the ancient city don't look like something that can be easily broken through," the captain said with some concern.
"Not necessarily. Let's observe for now. 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 Rampage crossing the sea.
Half an hour later, as the ice bridge was about to connect to the ancient city, countless blue and green figures appeared on the sea surface. Li Fan observed that a large number of Almudron and Ludroth were gathering towards the Dragon's Roost.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golden lightning within the wind and lightning storm seemed to have found an outlet, continuously lashing out towards the sea, as if guided directly at the protruding electric shells on the Almudron's backs. The striking golden lightning was completely absorbed by the electric shells, causing no harm to the Almudron. However, as the strikes increased, some Almudron, having absorbed too much golden lightning, had their electric shells shatter from the strain. Consequently, the Almudron began to rotate, with each only absorbing two to three strikes before diving deep underwater to discharge. The Ludroth floated with their upper bodies above the water, using a move similar to a water jet to spray high-pressure water streams at the wind and lightning storm, piercing through the surface and creating gaps. The swirling airflow, infused with golden lightning, was visibly weakening. However, Li Fan also noticed that as soon as the pressure from the Almudron and Ludroth eased, the wind and lightning storm would regenerate in large numbers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of red signal flares, indicating an assault, shot up and exploded from the decks of the Hunter and the Eternal. Li Fan knew Pazizi wanted to seize the opportunity and decided to make a dash for it. Otherwise, if the monsters crossing the sea couldn't hold out, it would become even more difficult for the giant airships to break through the wind and lightning storm. Due to the extreme time crunch, no one had time to draw up contracts; all participants were volunteering out of sheer passion. The advantage was complete freedom of engagement without a supervising authority, but the compensation was uncertain. The Fire Village's ship also set sail.
It seemed that when they broke through, they would need Huihui's help, as even the weakened wind and lightning storm posed too great a threat to the giant airships. Furthermore, the direction of the charge was crucial; what if they collided with a giant airship...
As Li Fan was using his binoculars for combat deployment, he suddenly noticed a peculiar phenomenon. Countless monsters were surging towards the Dragon's Roost, but their approach 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 Rampage. However, the sea monsters were coming from all directions. Not only would they not create a synergistic effect with the land and flying monsters, but there was also a risk of friendly fire when the Almudron used their electric shells to absorb lightning.
"Could it be that the monsters don't understand positioning?" Li Fan muttered curiously.
Wooo... Wooo...
Ethereal calls, as if from the abyss, echoed. The Hunter and the Eternal suddenly shut down their thrusters, and the Fire Village's ship also decelerated. Beneath the sea, behind the Dragon's Roost, a massive, elongated shape appeared. This figure had two large, horn-like protrusions. As its white body moved, it emitted ring-shaped shockwaves that flattened the turbulent waves around it.
"It's a Great Sea Dragon..." Li Fan was greatly surprised by the appearance of the Great Sea Dragon. However, upon reflection, it was understandable. Neither the Guild nor the Dragon Calendar Institute had comprehensive intelligence on the ocean. The Great Sea Dragon might have approached before, but it simply hadn't been witnessed.
Boom! A golden lightning bolt split the clouds. The lightning within the wind and lightning storm began to converge into a sphere, heading towards the area behind the Dragon's Roost. The Great Sea Dragon did not evade; instead, it accelerated forward.
Crack! Boom! A massive golden electrical field exploded on the sea surface, followed by a dull impact that sent colossal waves crashing upwards.
"Dilu-meow! Issue an impact warning!" Feri shouted as he ascended, spotting the incoming tidal wave.
"Leave it to me-ow!"
Clang! Clang! Clang! ... Dilu rushed to the ship's bow bell and began ringing it incessantly.
Whoosh~ The giant wave swept beneath the Fire Village's hull. After a violent shudder, the ship stabilized. Li Fan and Eudora quickly returned to the railing. The Dragon's Roost on the sea surface had now significantly sunk and tilted slightly.
"The wind and lightning storm is gone!" Eudora exclaimed.
"The Great Sea Dragon has retreated. This is the best time to strike!" Li Fan, observing, instructed Feri to proceed at full speed.
Since acting with the Guild was inconvenient and they hadn't planned for coordinated combat, the team chose a landing point that no one else had touched. As soon as Zang Zang and Pao Fu were released, they fixed their gaze on the outer wall area of the ancient city.
"I wonder if they've finished mating. It shouldn't be this fast, logically," Li Fan thought optimistically.
"So much coral... and dead fish I've never seen before, meow," Dilu's curiosity was piqued, but it was certainly not the time for exploration.
"You two, blend into the Rampage. Adapt as you go, but don't be too reckless," Li Fan instructed. Zang Zang then strode forward with large steps. Pao Fu, finally in a scene conducive to its abilities, happily slid forward.
Although the landing points varied, their destination was the outer wall area. Thus, the team soon encountered the monster horde disembarking and the giant airships hovering in the sky.
"Village Chief Puxian, do we really not need the hunter team for escort?" Pazizi asked worriedly as the Fire Village engineering corps, without any guards, prepared to descend using gliders.
"There's no need to divert our forces. I know you don't have many hunter teams with you on this trip. If the Dragon Piercer and the Dragon Buster pass their inspection and can be used normally, we will inform you with a signal flare. 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 wall, which was covered in reefs and barnacles.
...Pazizi then led the hunter team in their descent. With the Wind Serpent confirmed sighted, all twelve hunter teams from the two giant airships were deployed. As Puxian had said, this giant airship expedition was somewhat rushed, and the hunter teams were far from full capacity. As for the firepower support, it would likely be provided 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 support would vanish.
Since the appearance of the Rampage crossing the sea, Pazizi's mood had improved. She had initially only hoped for the two airships to land successfully. 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 Zang Zang carved on the coral, the team quickly reached the outer wall area. This was a circular mountain range with many uneven water puddles on the surface, but compared to other areas of the Dragon's Roost, it was quite level. The wall, covered in barnacles, had no gates; only three closely spaced Dragon Piers were retracted within the wall. At the top of the wall, a slightly rusted Dragon Buster was aimed at the sky. The severely injured Wind Serpent was hovering and circling in front of the city wall. Its constantly scanning eyes clearly detected the approaching hunters, yet it made no move.
"Strange, where is the Thunder Serpent?" Eudora, hidden behind pink coral, asked curiously.
"Below," Li Fan said, pointing to the ground.
"Why?"
"This entire island lacks coral and barnacles here. It must mean something is amiss below," Li Fan explained.
"I see... Oh! The Guild is in position too. 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 played a significant role in their previous victory against the Wind Serpent. If it were solely up to the hunter teams to fight and hunt, these individuals would be insufficient.
Before long, the Magnamalo was the first to leap onto the wide platform. It confronted the Wind Serpent, which attempted to intimidate it with a roar. However, as soon as it opened its mouth, fluid poured from cracks in its armor, suggesting it didn't have much time left to live. Nevertheless, the Wind Serpent showed no intention of retreating, instead drifting towards the center of the circular mountain range.
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 lament. The Magnamalo's eyes showed no pity. Its forearms ignited with ghost fire as it charged and pounced. The Wind Serpent's tail, with its last remaining wind sac, glowed and emitted a gust of air that dispersed the ghost fire dust. However, this did not stop the Magnamalo's pounce, as its sharp claws were raised.
Swoosh! With a powerful horizontal swing of its enlarged foreclaw, which had grown to the point of cracking its armor, it shattered the Wind Serpent's head armor, sending it flying backward. The Magnamalo slightly rotated in mid-air, its body fully extended as the ghost fire clusters behind it exploded. Using the force of the explosion, the Magnamalo's right claw, with its demonic arm blade, slashed across the surface of the last wind sac on its tail.
Slish! The Wind Serpent completely lost control of the swirling airflow. It managed to float for a short while upside down before crashing to the ground in a prone position. It spread its forelimbs, as if embracing the ground, or perhaps trying to protect something.
Guild hunters, hidden behind other coral formations, raised their heavy bowguns towards the sky, aiming with curved shots. In Li Fan's estimation, they were likely about to fire spread ammo.
"Let her go..." Li Fan heard a voice in his mind and looked at the Wind Serpent. Its yellow eyes were now fixed in their direction.
"I'm sorry, but if I let her go, the whole world will be in danger," Li Fan said helplessly, raising his Iron Fortress shield.
"Quick, get behind the shield."
"Uh... is an attack coming?" Eudora asked in surprise.
"Not an attack, Huihui is coming," Li Fan replied.
Taking Poké Balls to Brave the Monster Hunter World.
Zhao Lala reminds you: Don't forget to bookmark after reading.