Bang! Boom!
As the giant beast's forelegs slammed down again, the squad members lying prone in the snow felt the ground beneath them tremble violently.
Ice shards and debris kicked up by the impact erupted from the depression like a fountain.
The beast's hind legs slowly retreated, attempting to pull its massive body free from the severely collapsed earth.
However, through the dissipating snow mist, a network of crimson veins became faintly visible.
As the colossal left foreleg was lifted, its claws dug into the icy crust, revealing the Monoblos that had been embracing its foreleg.
Crack!
With a bite that pierced the ice, the Monoblos twisted its head and bit down again.
Splat!
Blood splattered onto the white snow.
Wail!
The giant beast lifted its long snout and let out a pained cry.
It persisted, however, and backed out of the trap.
Bang! Bang!
The pillar-like forelegs shifted slightly, and the beast, with a somewhat clumsy motion, completed its turn.
"Why is it facing us..."
Li Fan had a bad premonition, and as he suspected, the beast stomped its four hooves.
Its pace quickened, and it charged towards the mountainside in their direction.
Bang! Bang! Bang! ...
The tremors and roars from the ground intensified, and the squad immediately fled to the side.
They didn't climb higher to evade because there wasn't enough time, and they feared the entire mountainside would collapse from the impact.
Boom!
The beast's curved horn gouged into the mountainside. The icy surface held for only a moment before shattering, creating a large pit.
The Monoblos' forelegs, still clasped, and its front half plunged into the mountain with the immense force of the impact.
Screech!
Winding cracks spread rapidly across the rocky platform, threatening to reach the squad's heels.
"Jump down!"
Li Fan shouted, pulling on his wire to descend diagonally in mid-air.
As the squad leaped, the platform itself collapsed.
Rumble! Rumble! ...
An avalanche from higher up surged down the mountainside, as if to swallow everything.
"Grab my wire!"
Yudora said, leaping into the air and maneuvering upwards amidst the swirling snow.
"Dilu! Pachi! Hold on tight!"
"Okay, meow!"
The two cats responded in unison. Li Fan leaped forcefully and grabbed the wire Yudora threw.
Rumble! Rumble! ...
Below Li Fan, large chunks of snow tumbled down the mountain, continuing to fall over the wide cliff edge.
The entire process lasted about a minute. When the snow blocks became lodged and movement stopped, Li Fan released the wire and landed in the knee-deep snowdrift below.
"Pachi, did you and your master hunt in environments like this in the early days?"
Li Fan asked.
"That's right, meow."
Pachi replied.
"Then this 'Mighty Man' senior is indeed not simple."
Li Fan couldn't help but admire.
If the hunter's first permanent village was considered a beginner's area, then the hunting environment around the village of Kala was already quite safe by comparison.
Bang! Bang! ...
Crash! Boom!
As the beast's hind legs retreated, its massive body pulled free.
The mountainside, struck and creating a large depression, suffered a secondary collapse.
The Monoblos was no longer visible on its left foreleg, which was visibly injured.
The beast lifted its nasal tube, swept it across the snow, and then began to inhale forcefully. Guided by the airflow, snow quickly gathered beneath the beast.
The thickness of the ice armor on the fur of its four hooves visibly increased.
Once the ice covered the wound, the beast stopped inhaling and moved towards a narrow mountain path.
"It can't possibly get through..."
Boom! Bang! Li Fan's words had barely fallen when a rumble sounded.
As the beast moved forward, it used its body to rub against the snow blockages, gradually widening them.
The seemingly narrow path immediately became clear.
"The local monsters' familiarity with the terrain is indeed extraordinary."
Li Fan marveled.
"Did that Monoblos die, meow?"
Dilu, on his left shoulder, asked curiously.
"Impossible."
Li Fan and Pachi on his right shoulder responded simultaneously.
Hoo~ Hoo~
From the dark pit in the mountainside, heavy monster breaths emerged, accompanied by white puffs of air.
Soon, the Monoblos, with blood at the corners of its mouth, slowly crawled out.
"Such strange behavior."
Li Fan said, stroking his chin, puzzled.
"What do you mean, meow?"
Pachi inquired.
"This fight doesn't seem like a territorial dispute, nor is it about protecting young. It's as if they fought just for the sake of fighting. The beast doesn't look like it's fleeing, but rather like it just fought for a bit and then went home to rest."
Li Fan voiced his feelings.
"It's the same as my ecological observations, meow. This Monoblos is just very aggressive. Even though it's hard to determine a winner against the giant beast, it still initiates fights for no reason."
Pachi agreed.
"Let's go talk to it."
Li Fan said, stepping forward through the snow.
"This... you can't, meow. We should at least deploy first."
Pachi quickly waved its paws to stop him.
"The deployment is already in place."
Li Fan said, pointing to the Monoblos' location.
At that moment, the Zinogre and the Brachydios had already surrounded the Monoblos, one in front and one behind.
The Monoblos showed no fear, its claws planted on the ground as it constantly turned its head to look around.
Its bared fangs, in human perception, seemed to be grinning menacingly.
"This individual is unusual. Won't Zinogre and Brachydios be at a disadvantage?"
Yudora asked with some concern.
"Probably not. After all, they are monsters that have fought Elder Dragons."
Li Fan was still quite confident.
Without Li Fan's command, the Zinogre and Brachydios hadn't intended to attack yet.
However, the Monoblos couldn't wait. Its clawed wings spread wide, and its head lifted high.
"It's about to roar... Attack!"
When they encountered it on the frozen archipelago, Li Fan had already realized that the Monoblos was a creature that valued honor and fair play.
Before a fight, it would always issue a roar as a deterrent.
This move was indeed very effective against human hunters.
Firstly, its intimidating presence could put psychological pressure on the hunter.
Secondly, the sonic waves produced by the Monoblos' roar were extremely powerful, capable of repelling and injuring hunters through pure vibration.
For monsters, sonic vibrations could have some effect, but the piercing roar rarely served as a limitation for most monsters.
This presented a perfect opportunity to attack.
The Zinogre approached first. Since it was a two-on-one battle, it launched a relatively conservative shoulder tackle.
The Monoblos' head swung back, about to roar, when its long tongue suddenly shot out from its mouth, licking at the dried blood frozen on its chin.
As it turned its head to face the charging Zinogre, its eyes were full of provocation.
Li Fan noticed at this moment that the Monoblos' forelegs, planted on the ground, were at different heights, and he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Without roaring, the Monoblos still couldn't dodge the Zinogre's tackle, but it didn't move or fly back as a result.
Instead, using its powerful left claw dug deep into the ground, it completed a large-angle spin in place.
Then, its right claw was raised, and it swiped.
Splat!
Its sharp claws raked across the retreating Zinogre's chest, and a few scales along with keratin fragments fell off.
After standing firm, the Zinogre's fighting spirit was ignited. It pulled back, circling to maintain a standoff.
Instead of the pre-battle roar, it used its sharp claws to resist the impact, then used the momentum to spin its body and counter with a scratch.
The entire process was clear-minded and brave, this Monoblos was not simple.
Although it was only one round of engagement, Li Fan could already see the monster's unusual nature.
Roar!
At this moment, the Brachydios roared.
The Monoblos' attention was suddenly drawn away from the standoff, and it turned to look.
"Why are you all looking at Mighty Man, meow?"
Pachi saw that the squad's approach speed had suddenly slowed down.
Yudora and Dilu were both watching Li Fan, making him curious.
"Because only Li Fan can infer the meaning of monster communication, meow."
Dilu informed him.
"Uh... you can also try to understand monster communication, meow."
Pachi said incredulously.
"Brachydios is saying he wants the Monoblos to join the club... oh, no, the monster squad."
Li Fan translated.
"Hmm... Brachydios can recruit so many monsters, he should be able to. It's just Pachi... he probably won't accept it."
Yudora said with some worry.
Roar... Roar...
The Monoblos exhaled two bursts of white gas from its mouth, as if issuing a disdainful laugh.
"When I dominated this snowy mountain, you were probably not even born yet. Stop daydreaming... Crooked Neck Tiger?"
Li Fan translated with some helplessness.
"Crooked Neck Tiger, meow... That Zinogre is a bit strange. Why is its neck crooked?"
Pachi asked curiously after hearing the translation.
"There are two reasons for this. Firstly, Brachydios has a missing eye, and coupled with the rapid keratin growth on its brow ridge, it obstructs its vision somewhat, so it tends to tilt its head when looking at things."
Li Fan explained.
"Oh, so that's how it is, meow... What's the second reason?"
Pachi pressed.
"Someone he greatly admires, in order to stimulate his abilities, also had a slightly crooked neck."
Li Fan replied.
"Truly an incredible monster, meow!"
Pachi was quite astonished upon hearing the explanation.
Roar... Roar...
After Brachydios finished speaking, it casually lay down on the ground.
"Ah?"
Li Fan exclaimed.
"What's wrong?"
Yudora asked urgently.
"Brachydios said to tell the Monoblos to quickly give up the idea of fighting, otherwise, when the Crooked Neck Emperor arrives, he'll blow your ashes away."
Li Fan said with some exasperation.
"Oh! Is there such a powerful hunter in the squad?"
Pachi said with great surprise.
If there was any hunter who could fight the Monoblos alone and defeat it easily, Pachi only thought his master could do it. However, since this squad could even command a Zinogre and a Brachydios, it wasn't impossible for there to be extremely powerful members within the team.
"There are currently only two hunters in the squad. The Crooked Neck Emperor that Brachydios mentioned... is actually me."
Li Fan introduced himself.
"Ah? Is that so, meow... But since you bear the name of Mighty Man, I believe you can defeat him... However, your neck doesn't seem to be crooked."
Pachi acknowledged.
"Because the boots, gauntlets, and helmet are all with me, meow."
Dilu jiggled the backpack on his back.
"I get it, meow! The current Mighty Man is not in his complete form! And the mark of the complete form is a crooked neck!"
Pachi said with sudden realization.
"While your statement is correct, it sounds truly bizarre."
Li Fan said helplessly.
As the squad approached, the Monoblos was immediately caught in a pincer attack.
Li Fan felt that even a G-rank monster would probably not last a few rounds.
Roar...
Brachydios roared, making a grand introduction to the squad.
The Monoblos had long sensed the squad's approach, but compared to the invisible pressure from Zinogre and Brachydios, it didn't believe the hunter squad could pose any further threat. It let out a low growl.
Roar...
"He is very disappointed that the Crooked Neck Emperor is human, and questions why Brachydios would associate with humans... Are humans all liars?"
While Li Fan translated, he couldn't help but feel confused by the meaning.
Just before hunting and killing the Monoblos, he had one very important thing to confirm.
So, he cleared his throat and asked, "Monoblos! Now, there is a question that requires your serious answer! Five years ago, where did the hunter who frequently challenged you go?"
"Answer me, meow! I've come for revenge today!"
Pachi excitedly stood up.
The Monoblos, which had been confronting Brachydios, seemed annoyed by the shout but couldn't help but glance in the direction of the sound.
However, it was this glance that caused its originally fierce pupils to contract sharply.
Roar... Roar... Roar...
The Monoblos became extremely agitated, its eyes fixed on Li Fan.
"Mighty Man! What is the Monoblos saying, meow? Did it mention Master's whereabouts?"
Pachi asked anxiously.
Li Fan shook his head, looking somewhat bewildered, and replied, "No, it said... you've finally arrived, my nemesis."
"Nemesis... What does that mean, meow? Answer me seriously! Where is my Master?"
Pachi said, tears welling up uncontrollably.
Roar!
The Monoblos let out a roar filled with excitement.
"This time I will absolutely not lose again... I am the true... ultimate powerhouse!"
As the Monoblos' expression deviated further from normal logic, Li Fan's translation difficulty gradually increased.
What perplexed him even more was that his own desire to fight was rising along with the Monoblos' excitement.
"Li Fan, I can use the wind currents to attack the Monoblos' back. How about I make the first move?"
Yudora suggested, seeing the Monoblos' increasingly unstable emotions.
"No, I'll do it."
Li Fan said, drawing the Thunderclap Blade from his back.
Crackling! A golden electric arc flashed on the blade.
"Alright, then I'll try to charge up an aerial slash. Be careful, the downward slam is dangerous..."
"I can handle it myself."
Li Fan, tilting his head, exhaled a white puff of air and said calmly.
"Ah? Just you... is this a new monster fusion technique?"
Yudora asked curiously.
"No, just me alone."
"Are you alright?"
Yudora completely failed to understand.
"It's been a long time since I directly participated in combat. The performance of the Thunder armor and weapons couldn't be fully unleashed in training. I want to take this opportunity to try it out."
Li Fan explained.
"Perhaps not. This is a five-star monster. It's too dangerous to fight alone."
Yudora advised.
"It's fine, I have two security guards on the side. Trust me."
Li Fan said, walking forward alone, waving for Zinogre and Brachydios to move away.
Zinogre looked a bit confused, while Brachydios responded with a reverent roar, retreating quickly with a look of satisfaction.
Seeing this, Zinogre could only choose to retreat, leaving enough space for the one-on-one battle between the human and the dragon.