Under the cover of the monster squad, Xiao Ming unleashed a two-minute energy stream amidst the ice shard bombardment.
Large sections of the Ruiner Nergigante's chest armor peeled away, exposing its dark red flesh.
Having found a way to suppress the monster, Xiao Ming continued to pin it down with energy streams after a brief pause.
"It won't regain its senses at a critical moment, will it?" Yidola grew cautious as the operation yielded good results.
"It shouldn't. Notice how the Ruiner Nergigante fell into chaos right after the Safi'jiiva died," Li Fan informed her.
"So, it maintained its sanity only to fight the Safi'jiiva, and after its opponent fell, it reverted to its abnormal monstrous instincts?" Yidola realized.
"That seems to be the case. Its weakness is exposed... it's time for us to act," Li Fan pointed to the Ruiner Nergigante's chest.
"Mmm... even without enemies approaching, it will trigger elemental turbulence and launch random attacks on its surroundings... to minimize contact time while delivering a heavy blow, we can only go for a high-speed assault," Yidola quickly devised a plan after observing the Ruiner Nergigante's current attack pattern.
"The monster squad will cover us. If we manage to heavily wound it, it will also create an opening for everyone to attack. We must seize the opportunity."
"Leave it to me," Yidola declared, patting her chest plate.
"Great Horn, help me out, let me get a few hits in." Li Fan wouldn't rely on slashing the Ruiner Nergigante to draw Qi for the Thunderclap Divine Blade on the fly. The ground battles so far had stripped away layers, and the rebound from impacting the soft soil was insufficient to generate Qi. Thus, he had to rely on monsters with sufficiently hard carapaces.
Great Horn obligingly tilted its head back and extended its left forelimb, as if inviting him to strike freely.
"I will suppress the thunder element," Li Fan said, then raised his blade to the side and began to strike.
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
"Phew~ Done. As expected of Great Horn, it felt like a tickle," Li Fan praised, looking at the blade glowing red.
Great Horn opened its tightly shut mouth and let out a low growl, as if to say, "Of course."
Hoo~
Felyne Dede scattered Demon Powder and distributed two red Power Seeds to the two of them.
Seeing Li Fan eating a seed, Great Horn quickly turned, baring its teeth in pain, and plunged its left forelimb into the soil.
"Mmm~ Mmm~... You can suppress the thunder element output of the Thunderclap Divine Blade, does that mean you already possess the ability to guide and control the thunder element?" Yidola asked, chewing on a Power Seed.
"Mmm~ Mmm~... I'm not sure, but after being electrocuted by the Azure Dragon's Storm Jade so many times, I feel like my perception of the thunder element has gotten stronger... Is this a Tolerance Seed?" Li Fan inquired, noticing Felyne Dede handing him another yellow fruit.
"Yes, please eat it all before attacking, meow!"
"Ugh~ Cough cough... Alright." Li Fan forced the pulp in his mouth down and took a large bite of the Tolerance Seed.
Yidola cupped the Tolerance Seed and rubbed it between her palms, musing, "Speaking of which, my control over wind currents also gradually strengthened, but after accumulating to a certain point, there are always breakthroughs in its application. You, however... seem to have improved very limitedly."
"Yeah, even before equipping the Wind God Dragon Jade, you could control wind currents with ease," Li Fan also found it strange.
"Could it be due to the inability to float upside down?" Yidola quickly thought of the biggest difference between them.
"You mean that the limitations on activating the innate abilities of the armor prevent the abilities from being fully unleashed?"
"Highly likely."
"But even with the Windproof Pouch, the Thunder God Dragon armor can't fly at all. When I first wore it, my head was practically touching my shoulders. I can't possibly hunt in an inverted stance," Li Fan felt the contradiction was irreconcilable, even though he had found the reason.
"The Thunder God Dragon itself can float. Perhaps there are certain conditions to be met for a deeper level of activation..." Yidola speculated.
Roar! Roar! Roar~...
"Cough! Cough! I can't anymore, this king needs to rest..." Xiao Ming's consciousness sent a reminder after maintaining the energy stream for an extended period.
"Alright, we'll take over!" Li Fan exclaimed, and all the monsters charged forward.
Yidola raised the Dragonic Heat Mechanism [Fierce Star] on her back, gazed at the approaching Ruiner Nergigante for a moment, slightly adjusted her stance, and assumed a charging pose.
The Wirebug she swung circled Yidola for a moment but didn't latch on.
"What's wrong?"
"No, if I drag you with the wire, the risk of being attacked is too high," Li Fan voiced his concern. Yidola could adjust and dodge attacks while charging forward in the air, but Li Fan, being pulled from behind, would have no escape.
"Then what do we do?"
"I need to be more closely involved in the high-speed assault," Li Fan said, crouching down with his blade held in one hand and embracing Yidola's left leg with his other arm.
"You... what are you doing?"
"I know this posture is strange, but it's safe," Li Fan informed her. Yidola pondered for a moment and realized that pulling Li Fan like a kite during a charge towards the Ruiner Nergigante offered no safety. For instance, if a lightning bolt was about to form, she might be able to pass through it before it coalesced, but the person being pulled behind might get struck. This posture, though peculiar, was safe because they were so close together; as long as she wasn't attacked, Li Fan would be fine. Moreover, with their positions overlapping, the monster squad could provide support more easily.
"Good idea, you can hold on tighter," Yidola responded.
"Got it! Dede! I'm going all out for this fight. I'll leave the retrieval of some monsters to you."
"Don't worry, meow! Yidola! I'll insert your Super Regeneration Disc when you launch your high-speed assault," Dede assured him. Although the effective time saved might be brief, Dede felt it was worth the effort.
Click~ Hoo~
The Dragonic Heat Mechanism's nozzle opened, and a powerful gust of wind surged from Yidola, quickly flowing into the sword's air intake.
Hiss~ Hiss~ Boom!
As the charging level increased, streams of red flames erupted.
"Hoo~ Here we go!" Yidola took a deep breath and announced.
"Charge!" Li Fan tightened his grip on her thigh, then turned back and held his Thunderclap Divine Blade forward, aiming at the Ruiner Nergigante.
Whoosh! Boom!
A circular crater erupted on the ground, and the two figures leaping upwards seemed to vanish, transforming into a red star. The star traced an arc in the air before hurtling towards the Ruiner Nergigante.
Lightning, fire, ice shards, flammable liquid, dragon element electric sparks. Various elemental attacks flashed incessantly.
"Ugh! Hey!" Yidola twisted her greatsword to avoid a descending lightning bolt. Just then, a giant ice shard flew towards them.
Roar! Boom!
The roaring Brachydios spat out a blue flame fireball, shattering it in mid-air. As a ball of fire approached from the side, Ice Princess quickly dispersed freezing mist, erecting an ice wall to block it. The coalescing red-black electric sparks were absorbed by numerous large Elder Dragons, which quickly exploded. However, their sheer number managed to prevent the dragon element from erupting.
Boom! Crash~ Bang! Clatter! ...
With continuous support from the monster squad, a path was finally carved for the two of them. The Ruiner Nergigante looked up at the approaching crimson star.
Crackling~
Dragon elements gathered at the base of its two broken horns.
"It wants to counter with its broken horns!" Li Fan warned.
"We can't break through!" Seeing the Ruiner Nergigante brace itself on all fours, lowering its neck and chest, Yidola, in pursuit of basic accuracy, could no longer adjust her trajectory and felt she had to confront it head-on.
"We can! We're not the only ones going for a high-speed assault!"
Boom!
Before Li Fan's shout even finished, two circular pits suddenly burst open in the cumulonimbus cloud formed by flammable liquid. Two sharp, scorching pieces of armor plunged into the soft soil. High above the clouds, Huihui, already in a dive towards the ground, locked onto the Ruiner Nergigante's position through the holes in the clouds.
Seeing the azure light projected from the sky, Yidola no longer hesitated, gripping her sword hilt tightly and continuing her charge.
Bang!
The horizontally swinging broken horns, just before touching the Dragonic Heat Mechanism, suddenly tilted upwards uncontrollably. The Ruiner Nergigante, struck on its flank by Huihui, lifted its paws off the ground, rolled over, and fell to its side, struggling. Seeing the large expanse of flesh exposed on its chest, the Dragonic Heat Mechanism swung down.
"Heya!"
Slish~ Splash~
Dark red fluid splattered everywhere. The Ruiner Nergigante, feeling extreme pain, let out a mournful cry and rolled over again.
Swoosh~ Swoosh~
Li Fan, suspended in mid-air by Wirebugs, swung his wire to adjust his position. Mid-descent, he twisted his body and swung the Thunderclap Divine Blade.
Clang~
A straight Qi blade pierced through the chest.
Puff~ Puff~ Puff...
Large bursts of golden electric sparks erupted. As shattered flesh peeled away, a glassy, circular gem was revealed within its chest cavity.
"Good opportunity..."
Buzzing~ Buzzing~...
Li Fan, halfway through his sentence, suddenly heard the ethereal buzzing sound again. The exposed glassy Dragon God Orb began to emit a crimson glow.
"Withdraw quickly!" Li Fan immediately grabbed a capture sphere and began recalling the monsters.
Buzzing~ Buzzing~...
However, the buzzing sound suddenly became more rapid. The activation speed of the Final Judgment this time was significantly faster than the previous one. The Ruiner Nergigante rose from the ground, and a slight shake of its neck caused large sections of its armor to fall off, yet it still stood tall, as if unaffected by its injuries. Black barbs emerged from its body outline. Li Fan saw a conflicting figure of light and darkness, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.
Can't escape? Must escape! Ice Princess hasn't been recalled yet, no time! With Huihui's speed, it's definitely possible! ..... Li Fan quickly shook his head, clearing these thoughts, and raised the capture sphere, continuing the rescue. But the blurred vision before him made it difficult to discern his direction. In his confusion, his hand was grasped.
"Hold on, Li Fan. My Super Regeneration Disc is still active. I'll stand in front of you," Yidola's voice echoed in his mind.
Buzzing~
The buzzing sound abruptly stopped. A shadow enveloped the sky, and familiar tremors appeared underground.
Zzzt~ Boom!
The world seemed to disappear at this moment, plunging into chaos.
On the distant horizon, the rising sun slowly ascended. The vast expanse of frost-covered frozen land, depleted of energy, was bathed in a soft orange glow. The Ruiner Nergigante, which had fallen into chaos, now found itself in a state of calm. It gazed at the colossal serpent-like ruin city coiled not far away, then lifted its neck and poked its head in.
Rustle~ Rustle~...
As multi-jointed tubular bones shattered, the coiled serpent-like ruin city collapsed. From the source of the dense golden insect threads, Shanshan, attempting to support herself with her scythes, finally fell onto the lower jaw of the serpent's skull. The Ruiner Nergigante veered its path, bypassing the bone ruins. Behind it, lying on the ground with its massive wings folded in front of it, Xiao Ming appeared in view. Xiao Ming tried to move, but even a slight lift of its claw caused large amounts of dragon element electric sparks to seep out from its carapace. It seemed too weak to resist any further.
The Ruiner Nergigante, its back to the dawn, did not attack immediately but simply stared coldly.
Roar~
After a while, it let out a soft sigh. It indicated that if Xiao Ming had not been born, it would not have wanted to kill the Safi'jiiva. Its attitude was not one of remorse, but it seemed to lament the death of the Safi'jiiva.
Roar~
Hello, goodbye... With a low sigh, the Ruiner Nergigante raised its claw.
Roar?
"Do you know what the strongest path is?" Xiao Ming suddenly asked via telepathy.
Roar... The Ruiner Nergigante growled, indicating it didn't know.
Roar! Roar!~
"Hahaha..." Xiao Ming burst into unrestrained laughter.
Roar! Roar~ Roar!
"It's compassion! Ruiner Nergigante... Hello! Goodbye!" Xiao Ming said, and despite the dragon element electric sparks exploding at its wing joints, it used all its strength to lift its massive wings. In the pit sheltered by its wings, Li Fan, holding the Thunderclap Divine Blade, was receiving the cold infusion from Ice Princess onto the weapon. Yidola, meanwhile, retrieved the Dragonic Heat Mechanism, its blade forged to an orange glow, from a cut. The Ruiner Nergigante, with surprise flashing in its eyes, was about to retreat.
Crackling~ Crackling...
The dragon element energy coiled around Xiao Ming's neck shattered ring by ring.
Buzz~
An energy stream erupted from its mouth, directly striking the Ruiner Nergigante's chest.
Bang~ Bang~...
The Ruiner Nergigante fell backward.
"This is human order. Remember it," Yidola walked to its chest, sighed softly, and then swung her charged attack.
"Heya!"
Boom! Under the heavy impact of the charged slash, the already bloody chest caved in further. The Thunderclap Divine Blade, coated with frost, was inserted vertically. With Li Fan's forceful heave, the glassy Dragon God Orb was pried loose and rolled into the soil. The Ruiner Nergigante, which had shown signs of struggling, instantly lost the light in its eyes.
"Is it really... dead?" Yidola stared for a long time, asking with uncertainty.
"Mmm... at least according to the guild's method for identifying dead monsters, it is indeed dead. But if the monster is faking it... Dede!" Speaking of confirming death, Li Fan quickly thought of Dede and rushed over.
"You must hide inside, you must hide inside..." Muttering constantly, Li Fan ran to the corpse of the Safi'jiiva.
"Pardon me!" With that, he pried open the Safi'jiiva's mouth with both hands.
"Dede! Are you in there?"
"Dede! Don't scare me!"
"I'm here, meow! I've recalled all the monsters in time!" A cat's head, covered in slippery saliva, emerged from its throat. Li Fan let out a sigh of relief and slumped directly onto the ground.