The Great Sword from the Fire Village was a Great Sword, not crafted to the standards of hunting weapons.
Its blade length and weight far exceeded those of a normal Great Sword.
Kneeling halfway behind the Iron Tower Great Shield, Li Fan held the scabbard in one hand and the hilt in the other, drawing the Great Sword horizontally before him.
*Ching! Whoosh!*
Within the wind vortex of the Wind God Dragon, a strong stream of air, condensed into a line, surged into the blade as if summoned.
This Great Sword must have been forged by the ancestors of the Fire Village specifically to counter the Wind God Dragon.
From its ability to absorb wind currents, Li Fan deduced this.
Though he couldn't tell what material possessed such a trait, it was undoubtedly precious. Otherwise, if ten or twenty of these were made, the Wind God Dragon would have fled long ago.
*Bang! Bang!*
The Wind God Dragon clawed forward, its body reaching higher.
After fully drawing the sword, Li Fan discarded the scabbard and unslung the Diablos Lance from his back.
Holding the shield in his right hand and the Great Sword in his left, he advanced.
In the game, due to weapon design limitations, players were not allowed to carry and use weapons in such a manner.
But this was reality. Discarding weapons, changing armor mid-combat, or mixing various weapon combinations were all unrestricted.
Of course, this was only if it yielded positive results; otherwise, sticking to standard usage was safer.
The Wind God Dragon raised its right claw slightly, about to sweep across the surface of the castle wall.
As Li Fan pondered how to respond, a shout came from the side.
"Cover the Chief Hunter!"
The man leading a hunting squad forward shouted, then abruptly stopped, timing his charge with the trajectory of the right claw. He slammed his silver-white Imperial Guard Great Shield down forcefully.
The other two hunters, wielding Imperial Guard Charge Blades, stopped on either side.
*Clang! Clang!*
The two Great Shields slammed down, shattering the ground stones and embedding themselves.
The last hunter, a burly man carrying a Great Sword, braced himself against his middle teammate's back with his shoulder and lunged forward in a bow stance.
A shield formation was thus established!
"Thank you!"
A squad with three Charge Blades and a shield combination skill; they must be specialized in support.
Li Fan thought to himself, observing the squad's composition.
*Whoosh! Swish!*
The Wind God Dragon's claw swept forward, dragging dust and debris.
*Bang! Hiss...*
As it swept across the shields, its right claw paused slightly before the charging squad began to move back.
After retreating more than ten meters, the shield formation remained stable.
The Wind God Dragon raised its right claw high and then changed its attack to a downward slam.
*Hiss!* The left and right Imperial Guard Great Shields shifted simultaneously, revealing a gap between them.
*Click! Click!*
Two straight Imperial Guard Charge Blades thrust out from the gap.
*Puff!* Four scorching blasts of air erupted from the vents on the muzzles of the Charge Blades.
Azure flames spilled outwards from the muzzles.
"Hold! Ah!..."
With a shout from the man holding the shield in the middle, the three Imperial Guard Great Shields, along with the two Charge Blades, were raised.
Facing the Wind God Dragon's descending right claw, the muzzles of the Imperial Guard Charge Blades erupted with massive fireballs, two Dragon Bursts exploding skyward simultaneously.
*Boom! Boom!*
*Aow...*
The Wind God Dragon let out a pained cry, and its flaming right claw immediately retreated.
Seeing Li Fan getting closer, the Wind God Dragon, unable to land a sweeping attack with its front claws, changed the direction of its internal wind vortex.
It shifted from vertical to horizontal, aiming to better protect its front.
A fierce wind swept across the castle wall, the horizontal currents whipping up countless debris that circled the Wind God Dragon rapidly.
Li Fan, seeing the debris coming from the right along with the swirling currents, switched his Great Sword and Iron Tower Great Shield to the other hands.
*Clang! Bang! Swish!*
Countless pieces of debris struck the shield, creating a dense barrage of sound.
Li Fan shielded himself with his shield while slowly advancing through the gale, each step a struggle.
However, this action by the Wind God Dragon greatly accelerated the charging speed of the Great Sword's wind absorption.
But Li Fan's joy was short-lived. He suddenly felt his left hand, gripping the hilt, trembling uncontrollably.
Li Fan looked down and realized it wasn't a problem with his control, but the blade was absorbing too much wind current and vibrating rapidly due to energy overload.
To increase the energy capacity, stability was completely disregarded...
*Whoosh~*
At this moment, the floating Dragonator head drifted into the swirling air currents and began to spin along with them.
This was problematic. The plan was to hold the shield defensively with one hand and swing with the other.
With the Great Sword in its current unstable state, he would definitely need to grip it with both hands for a direct slash to ensure the attack landed.
Li Fan found himself in a dilemma. A fully charged Great Sword unleashed a terrifyingly powerful wind slash.
But how much of it could be released depended on the force of the user's swing.
If it were any other weapon, the village chief, Puxian, wouldn't have entrusted it to him.
With the Great Sword, he must have had absolute confidence in him when he handed it over.
The other party also hadn't anticipated someone pairing a Great Sword with a shield.
What to do? At this point, no one could provide him with support.
If only there was a move that could unleash a full-powered swing with one hand...
In the midst of the gale, Li Fan suddenly thought of a possibility.
It was unlikely, wasn't it? That move didn't involve a shield on the arm, and the final slash could only be executed by splitting the technique.
Most importantly, the weapon was completely wrong!
However, using a weapon in that manner with one hand would indeed maximize its swing power.
Li Fan, oscillating between negation and affirmation, felt a bit conflicted.
But the spinning Dragonator head didn't wait.
"No more thinking! I'll take a chance!"
Li Fan shouted, slinging the Great Sword behind him with one hand, raising his shield with the other to block, and sprinting forward.
Simultaneously, he kept replaying the sequence of movements in his mind.
Seeing this, the Wind God Dragon adjusted its wind vortex, increasing its intensity while rapidly pushing the Dragonator head down to ensure it hit Li Fan.
*Screech!*
Before the Wind God Dragon's massive, jawed mouth, Li Fan stomped his feet and came to an abrupt halt.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
With three insect threads wrapping around him, the Wirebug forcefully slammed him onto the castle wall.
Li Fan swung the Great Sword horizontally with one hand, drawing a semi-arc in front of him.
As the blade swung behind him, he took a large stride forward, channeling all his strength into his left arm, raising the Great Sword and slashing it down.
"Release!!!"
Li Fan roared.
The Shield Axe Final Strike was unleashed!
*Whoosh!* The massive air current from the Great Sword's slash blew away all the internal wind vortex of the Wind God Dragon.
The wind slash didn't manifest as an air blade but as a colossal air blast that tore through the Wind God Dragon's body from its head.
The castle wall, which had been howling with wind moments ago, instantly fell silent.
Not long after, a crisp sound was heard.
*Crack!* In the center of the Wind God Dragon's head, the cracked carapace split open into several larger fissures, and blood and an unknown blue liquid gushed out like a dam breaking.
Looking at the Great Sword deeply embedded in the ground, Li Fan, gasping heavily, couldn't be bothered to lift it.
He quickly let go, slammed the Iron Tower Great Shield on his side into the ground, then turned his body, bent his knees, and stood firm, leaning his upper body forward, with his arms and shoulders pressing against the inner wall of the shield.
*Bang! Clang!*
The Dragonator head, no longer held by the wind vortex, slammed onto the castle wall's summit and rolled sideways.
*Clang!*
The serrated spikes struck the surface of the Iron Tower Great Shield, creating a shower of sparks.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The rolling Dragonator head pushed the shield backward, kicking up dust, and finally came to a slow stop.
"The Great Sword of the Fire Village... so this is how it's used."
Puxian, who had been stunned for a long time, exclaimed.
"Now is not the time to study this! Quickly save Li Fan! The final wind vortex is gone, gather your forces and attack the Wind God Dragon..."
As the startled Puxian issued orders, a gentle updraft emerged around them.
*Aow... Aow... Aow...*
The groaning Wind God Dragon raised its head and floated into the sky.
"It's repelled..."
Watching the Wind God Dragon recede and disappear into the clouds, Puxian muttered, then slumped to the ground.
"We succeeded! We defended the pass!"
"The Wind God Dragon has been repelled! We won!"
"I can't believe it! *sob sob*..."
...
From the ruins of the castle wall, shouts of joy erupted.
Embraces, laughter, tears...
The scene was deeply moving.
*Ching!* Eudora lifted the Iron Tower Great Shield and tossed it aside.
Seeing Li Fan lying on the ground, panting and resting, she couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"I was so scared, meow! *sob sob*..."
Dielu leaped onto Li Fan's chest.
"It was a bit dangerous, but far from death's door."
Li Fan said with a faint smile.
"When I saw the Dragonator head rolling towards you, I was terrified."
Eudora let out a long breath.
For a moment, she thought Li Fan was beyond saving.
"It's alright, it's just... this battle was truly exhausting."
Li Fan felt that this castle defense battle was the most tiring he had ever participated in.
"This is the most severe injury the Wind God Dragon has sustained in recorded history. If it could be intercepted by the Guild's two airships, there might be a chance to kill it. Relay this information to the Guild immediately."
"Understood, Village Chief!"
After Puxian gave the order to the village defense captain, he quickly ran over to the squad.
"Thank you so much, Chief Hunter. At the same time, I must apologize for making you shoulder a responsibility that should have been mine."
Puxian knelt down, his face filled with helplessness.
"Village Chief Puxian, you should tend to your wounds first. I'm truly fine."
Li Fan said, sitting up from the ground.
He was simply too tired, which was why he was lying on the ground resting.
"I've already transmitted the crucial intelligence. If the Guild can intercept the Wind God Dragon this time, we might be able to end the Rampage of the Hundred Dragons."
Puxian immediately shared this good news.
"Hmm... something feels a bit off."
Li Fan didn't seem particularly happy.
"Is something wrong?"
Puxian asked, somewhat surprised.
"Although it was successfully repelled, what exactly was the Wind God Dragon looking for?"
"Legends say it was searching for the Thunder Dragon. As for its ecology... the village has conducted much research, but we still can't understand it."
Puxian informed him.
"Yes, the Wind God Dragon has almost no sensory abilities, which is why it searched close to the ground. But the Thunder Dragon wouldn't be underground, would it?"
Li Fan agreed.
If the Wind God Dragon was indeed looking for the Thunder Dragon, it should at least be searching in the sky.
Searching along the Jade Leaf Fortress was truly baffling.
"Perhaps the Wind God Dragon is directionally challenged and can't read maps, so it can only search up close, inch by inch."
Eudora speculated.
"Then maybe the Thunder Dragon is also directionally challenged, meow."
Dielu offered her opinion.
"If two directionally challenged creatures with almost zero sensory perception were to meet... it would be impossible."
Li Fan felt that the probability of this happening was virtually zero.
"It's possible, meow!"
Dielu raised her paw.
"Oh? Really?"
Li Fan asked, somewhat surprised.
"When I was little, my companions and I weren't very familiar with the area around Kalala Village, and new maps were expensive, meow. Before we went exploring, we agreed on a fixed rendezvous point. If we got separated, we could wait there."
Dielu explained her method.
"But the problem is, they're directionally challenged."
Eudora still felt it wouldn't work.
"Ask for directions, meow. There are many merchant caravans on the main road leading to Kalala Village, and the rendezvous point has a unique characteristic, making it easy to find."
Dielu elaborated.
"Wait a moment, could it be that the Wind God Dragon isn't looking for the Thunder Dragon, but a rendezvous point?"
As Li Fan spoke, he pulled out the map of the Fire Village.
The Jade Leaf Fortress, the Fire Village, the cliffside coast, and the deep sea were arranged in a straight line on the map.
"There is indeed such a possibility. The Wind God Dragon's behavior of not letting go of any inch of land when it arrives, and only stopping after exploring all the ground, has never changed since it was recorded. Perhaps it is truly searching for a specific location."
Puxian mused, arms crossed.
"If the Wind God Dragon is truly looking for a rendezvous point, then according to Dielu's method, either the rendezvous point has a unique characteristic, or it involves asking for directions..."
As Li Fan spoke, he suddenly recalled something.
The Wind God Dragon didn't actually have *no* sensory abilities; it just had a very unconventional way of perceiving things.
It could communicate with humans on a deep, subconscious level, something Li Fan had profoundly experienced.
The Dragon Palace Castle had sunk to the bottom of the sea, and the unique rendezvous point no longer existed.
Therefore, the only possibility for the Wind God Dragon and Thunder Dragon to meet was through asking for directions, as Dielu had described.
"Village Chief Puxian, where are Suiren and Hina?"
"Uh... I don't have exact information. However, before the Wind God Dragon arrived at the pass, due to pessimism about this defense battle, a highest-level evacuation order was issued. Currently... they should be on a ship heading to Elgade."
Puxian made a guess.
"This..."
Seeing Li Fan's troubled expression, Puxian tentatively asked, "Is there a problem with my deployment?"
"No, evacuating across the sea to Elgade is indeed safer. However, I have something important to discuss with Hina and Suiren. Now that the crisis is over, can you recall them as soon as possible?"
Li Fan inquired.
"We're already working on it, but it might take some time for the message to arrive."
"Alright, Village Chief, you're busy. I also have things to do."
Li Fan got up with Eudora's help.
Although the Wind God Dragon had been successfully repelled, Puxian had no less to do now than before the battle. Li Fan decided it was a good time to leave.
"What are you going to do?"
Eudora asked.
"I need to quickly take care of the Wind God Dragon..."
Li Fan tapped the image of Huì Huì on his device and immediately initiated a summon.
"Wanpi is in the sky, meow! It seems to be in a hurry."
Dielu pointed to the sky with her paw.
"Anjanath... something's not quite right."
Li Fan read the translation and said, "The rendezvous point with Huì Huì is at the second checkpoint. Let's go take a look together."
As the dark clouds dispersed, the starry sky twinkled.
But Li Fan couldn't shake the feeling that an ominous aura was present.