The terrifying collision and explosion did not occur, and the taut nerves of the crowd immediately relaxed.
However, one of the four single-shot restraint bullets attached to the Sky Comet Dragon's body by the Natural Selection had its trailing arrow loosen and fall due to lateral swing.
With only three tow ropes remaining, coupled with the attitude change during emergency evasion, the ship became extremely unstable.
After the Sky Comet Dragon ascended, it performed a dive and maneuver, and another tow rope snapped.
Having mastered the key to escape, the Sky Comet Dragon continued to accelerate downwards, this time targeting the Eternal below.
Except for the Clear Sky, which had a lower airbag structure, no giant airship could build protection above its hull.
The Eternal had no choice but to accelerate its escape, sounding a warning to other airships with bells and gongs.
*Dong! Dong! Dong!*...
At this moment, a rapid peal of bells sounded.
"Dilu, what does this ringing mean?" Li Fan asked curiously.
When collaborating with Feri to pilot the Flame Fire, Dilu was responsible for ringing the bells to issue various warning signals.
"Continuous ringing with the shortest interval... this means 'Fearless Charge'!" Dilu confirmed after listening for a moment, perking up her ears.
"Fearless Charge?"
"Yes, this is a bell signal exclusively for combat airships, meaning 'don't worry about me, fight with all your might'," Dilu explained.
"It's the Crimson Horn!" Yodora exclaimed, holding up her binoculars.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan quickly raised his binoculars to observe further.
The Crimson Horn, positioned higher up, was contracting its airbags into a pointed shape and diving downwards at full speed. It seemed to be aiming to intercept the Sky Comet Dragon mid-flight and halt it with a collision.
The Sky Comet Dragon foresaw the interception. Instead of evading, it pressed its wings even tighter against its body and continued to accelerate.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The airship's thrusters and dragon fire propulsion reached their peak simultaneously. A crimson hue gradually spread inward from the sharp edges of the silver gun wings. In a very short time, even the surrounding airflow turned red. The diving Sky Comet Dragon became increasingly blurred, and as the crimson shell on its body expanded, it soon transformed into a dazzling red light trailing a long flame.
*Buzz! Buzz!*
The Crimson Horn's two dragon strike guns at the bow spun rapidly, slowly extending forward. In the ultra-light small airship, the silence was so profound that even breathing had to be suppressed to the lowest possible level.
*Boom! Bang!*...
The red light and the airship collided, and a red and black arc of lightning exploded outwards. A large portion of the Crimson Horn's bow was instantly shattered by the impact, and debris rained down into the sea of clouds. However, the Sky Comet Dragon, as the red light faded, showed no signs of damage from the collision.
"Completely unharmed, what kind of characteristic is this?" Gu Xing questioned.
"Hmm... it looks a bit like the 'Aerial Charge' Li Fan proposed," Pazhizhi speculated.
"It's not just a simple charge. When it collided, its outer layer was covered in a large amount of dragon energy. This energy not only increased the impact force but also provided cushioning and protection for the Sky Comet Dragon," Li Fan explained.
"Then the airship array is finished?" Gu Xing voiced his concern.
"It shouldn't be. I suspect that the strain on its shell from rapid flight and its own dragon energy reserves limit the use of this move. And... the Crimson Horn wasn't just simply ramming it to intercept," Li Fan said. Before he could finish, the Sky Comet Dragon, which had been swinging its cables to break free, suddenly sensed something was wrong. Its left side, which had already escaped restraint, felt a strong tug again. Twisting its neck, it saw that on one side of the Crimson Horn's deck, the tow ropes of five single-shot restraint bullets were reattached. The Crimson Horn, with its bow heavily damaged, turned its orientation amidst the jolting and swaying, and its thrusters restarted at full power.
*Screech!*
The Sky Comet Dragon, which could only propel itself fully with one wing, was now being dragged backward.
*Dong! Dong! Dong!*....
The bell sound, signifying 'Fearless Charge', not only continued but was now echoed by overlapping rings. The Eternal, Clear Sky, White God, and Destiny's Wheel, four giant combat airships, were all ringing their bells and approaching at full speed. The Natural Selection, flung away, traced a semi-arc in the air. Another cable snapped, leaving only one to maintain the tow. However, by constantly adjusting the angle of its thrusters and utilizing the momentum of being flung away, it rapidly ascended to the Sky Comet Dragon's upper diagonal.
*Bang! Bang!*
Two thrusters exploded! Long orange flames erupted!
"If this collision is successful..." Gu Xing said, standing up with the other crew members to watch from the ship's side.
"No, you're all gathering on one side, the hull will tilt!" Sik shouted, quickly turning the helm. Pazhizhi heard this, removed the Diablos Hammer from her back, and placed it lightly on the unoccupied side. The slightly tilted small airship immediately regained its balance.
"Go, Deven," Li Fan sighed softly, watching the Natural Selection dive. The Sky Comet Dragon, unable to escape the Crimson Horn's tow, fell into a brief state of confusion. For eons, nothing had threatened it, so much so that its own existence had gradually become blurred and forgotten. Towers, seas of clouds, rich cities on the ground... Memories were awakened by the spreading fear. *I will die!* A simple, direct concept flooded its consciousness.
*Whoosh~~*
Several V-shaped grilles on its chest opened, and as a large amount of air was inhaled, the red light flickered.
*Screech!*
A sharp metallic scraping sound echoed. The right gun wing, originally used for thruster escape, suddenly turned forward. The three rhomboid thruster nozzles behind the gun wing pointed towards the Crimson Horn, and red dragon flames compressed and condensed within the wing bones.
"All hands, evade! All hands, evade!..." The captain, seeing this, quickly issued orders.
*Boom!* The three ejected crimson energy beams converged, forming a terrifying red wave. The wave swept across the deck, igniting a series of explosions. Several single-shot restraint bullet launch bases used for towing were directly melted and destroyed. In desperation, the Crimson Horn had no choice but to detach from its airbag and escape by diving rapidly. The Sky Comet Dragon's right wing quickly rotated back, hovering briefly to build momentum, and a massive strip-shaped tail flame erupted.
*Buzz! Dong! Dong!*
Just as Deven believed he would collide with the Sky Comet Dragon, it vanished before his eyes. In the vast blue sky, only a snapped restraint bullet arrow was recoiling towards the ship.
*Dong! Clang! Dong! Clang!*...
The Clear Sky, at the highest altitude, sounded a warning with alternating bell and gong strikes.
*Whoosh~*
In the cockpit, Deven heard a whistling sound approaching. Unfortunately, the empty deck had no observers to relay the Sky Comet Dragon's location.
"Alas... if only you were here," Deven sighed, resting his hand on the helm.
*Bang! Boom!*
The diving Sky Comet Dragon pierced through the Natural Selection. Its speed was so great that the explosion shockwave from the G-class bomb barrel did not even reach it after it separated from the hull. As the explosion smoke spread, another black cloud appeared.
*Roar!*
A sharp cry echoed through the air. The Sky Comet Dragon hovered and began to accumulate energy for propulsion again, but black smoke began to continuously pour from its nozzles. After a brief hesitation, it began to ascend vertically. The combat members on the tower top wanted to continue observing but suddenly found their vision obscured by clouds.
"This is the third layer of cloud sea forming around the Sky-Piercing Tower. Above this is the top of the Sky-Piercing Tower. If you feel you're not getting enough air, I have oxygen spheres... How is Deven doing?" Sik asked, feeling the atmosphere had become a bit somber.
"He's doing alright. The situation is as planned, the Sky Comet Dragon's energy is depleted, and it should be returning to its nest soon," Li Fan replied.
"That's good. Dilu, help me control this, I'm going to disengage the second safety lock," Sik said, and then swapped piloting the airship with Dilu. He took off the red bomb barrel from his back, took out several tools from his waist pouch, and began to pry at the metal lid, then used something like a screwdriver to disassemble it. After removing the lid, a red pressure button was revealed.
"Phew~ The second safety lock is disengaged!" Sik wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the four people and one cat. "Who wants to carry it?"
"Leave it to me!" Dilu shouted.
"You, Dilu?" Sik blinked, looking somewhat incredulous.
"Yes, I've been secretly training for a long time to throw it," Dilu confirmed, holding the helm.
"Alright, I'll hover as close as possible in the air above the tower top later. The ground team's estimated time to destroy the Sky-Piercing Tower is 40 minutes after the Sky Comet Dragon returns to its nest. If the target is achieved early or fails, I will drop this signal bomb barrel downwards to remind the ground team to detonate it early. You can send me a retreat command via signal flare, and I'll get as close as possible to the drop rope," Sik explained.
"That Sky Comet Dragon seems to have suddenly remembered how to fight. Are you two really going?" Gu Xing suddenly asked in a calm tone, trying to dissuade them.
"Of course. I have no intention of retreating by airship this time. I intend to fight the Sky Comet Dragon to the death," Li Fan said with utmost determination.
"Me too," Yodora seconded.
"Uh... you should probably just retreat," Li Fan replied.
"Why can I retreat?" Yodora felt underestimated.
"Alas... do as you please," Gu Xing sighed helplessly. The ultra-light small airship slowly floated out of the third layer of cloud sea. The brilliant sunlight shone on the crowded deck, and several people couldn't help but shield their eyes. As the altitude continued to rise, the small craft surpassed the height of the Sky-Piercing Tower's summit. Just as the observation data depicted, this was a circular stone platform. The remaining white brick walls, along with the few remaining pillars and beams, bore clear signs of artificial construction. Li Fan couldn't imagine what level of technological development was required to build here. Seeing no monster corpses on the ground, Li Fan confirmed the Sky Comet Dragon's habit of cleaning its nest. The leftovers cleared out were considered precious food for the young Xixi at the base of the tower to grow. Li Fan recalled Xixi's scheme at this moment. He felt it would be better to let her face reality sooner if given the chance.
*Whoosh! Bang!* A large hole exploded in the third layer of cloud sea.
"All hands, take cover!" Sik shouted, and all the crew members immediately lay down.
"Aren't we here to kill it? Why are we hiding?" Pazhizhi asked, confused.
"This small airship is our only escape facility. It must not be threatened in any way," Sik explained. Yodora, looking up, noticed something unusual.
"Something's wrong, the Sky Comet Dragon is circling and accelerating!"
"Such a small target, it's impossible!" Gu Xing, seeing the Sky Comet Dragon rapidly turning red in the sky, as if about to use dragon energy charge again, also couldn't understand.
"It's like using an anti-aircraft gun to shoot a mosquito," Li Fan summarized.
"Using an anti-aircraft gun to shoot a mosquito... what a poetic metaphor!" Pazhizhi, lying on the deck, took out her notebook and quickly recorded it. As everyone watched in disbelief, the Sky Comet Dragon turned into a red star and plummeted rapidly. However, its target was not the ultra-light small airship, but the top of the Sky-Piercing Tower.
"Ah... everyone hold on tight!" Sik warned upon seeing this.
*Bang! Boom! Crash!* Countless outer rocks encasing the Sky-Piercing Tower shattered and splashed outwards, and a massive annular shockwave spread from the tower's summit. The third layer of cloud sea surrounding the Sky-Piercing Tower was instantly pushed back hundreds of meters by the impact. The ultra-light small airship, like a small boat in a torrential storm, was pushed backward at a large angle as the shockwave approached. Li Fan rolled back and forth on the deck. After the ship's body stabilized, he quickly grabbed the railing and leaned down to investigate.
"This..." The scene he saw stunned him. The white rock layer on the surface of the tower top had completely disappeared, leaving only a protruding black stone platform.
*Crack! Crack!* Under the constant flashing strikes of dragon-attribute red and black lightning, the black stone platform pulsed with red light from within, as if breathing.
"This is the Hercynian Stone ore vein of the Sky-Piercing Tower's core! How can there still be energy?" Sik exclaimed in surprise.
"Hercynian Stone that has lost its energy is pure black. This piece looks like it's on the verge of depletion. It must be the Sky Comet Dragon's hidden reserve," Li Fan deduced.
"So the combat arena has shifted from the top of the Sky-Piercing Tower to above the Hercynian Stone," Gu Xing said with a grave tone. Amidst the rising heat, in the center where the flames dissipated, the Sky Comet Dragon's four claws were embedded in the surface of the Hercynian Stone, its neck held high. The grilles on its chest were fully open, and a large amount of air, along with black dust, converged towards its chest. The Hercynian Stone instantly radiated red light, and countless energy lines flew towards the outer surface of its gun wings.
"Oh no! It's already started absorbing and accumulating! This distance is a bit far!" Sik was desperately trying to get the small boat closer. However, the unexpected impact had pushed them too far away.
"Leave it to me." Pazhizhi removed her Diablos Hammer, pointed her thumb towards the Sky Comet Dragon's location, and aimed. She then took a deep breath and swung the Diablos Hammer behind her to charge.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~* A faint light flashed, and energy condensed. The color of the light on the rough hammer surface kept changing.
"Right, you guys should get further away," Pazhizhi said, turning back. She gripped the hammer handle tightly and spun rapidly on the deck. The three people and two cats quickly squeezed into a corner, afraid of being accidentally injured.