"I will choose my attack timing carefully!"
Eudora gave her assurance.
The diamond-shaped carapace covering the Bazelgeuse's back possessed outstanding fire and blast resistance, rendering the attacks from "Little Fool" and "Naughty Fireball" largely ineffective.
Under the barrage of explosions, the Bazelgeuse would even seize opportunities to counterattack with explosive fireballs.
Li Fan observed the throats of Naughty Fireball and Little Fool, noticing that the carapace on their necks had softened under the high temperatures due to the continuous firing of fireballs.
A shining pale pink was continuously spreading beneath the carapace.
The fine orange flames drifting from their mouths also gained a touch of bright blue as the temperature continued to rise.
"It's time, Naughty Fireball, Little Fool, enter Blazing Inferno state!"
Roar! Roar!
The two dragons let out simultaneous roars, and the pale pink carapace under the high temperature instantly spread to their heads along their necks.
Sensing danger, the Bazelgeuse on the ground shed a large amount of its explosive scales from its jaw, chest, and tail.
It then slammed its head into the ground, using its claws to propel its body forward in a charge.
The explosive scales struck by the charge immediately detonated, and a large amount of black smoke billowed up, obscuring the sky above the entire valley.
Yet, even so, the Blazing Inferno fireballs accumulated by Naughty Fireball and Little Fool continued to be spat towards the smoke.
Boom! Boom!
Two massive blue flames exploded with a deafening roar, flashing with dazzling light.
The smoke, squeezed by the impact, pressed against the rocky walls of the circular valley.
The ground situation reappeared, and several streams of flame from the Blazing Inferno explosion turned orange-red, continuing to burn on the ground.
The Bazelgeuse, surrounded by fire, had some residual blue flames burning on its back.
Between the gaps of the diamond-shaped carapace, orange-red veins pulsed like breathing.
Ssss...
A faint, crisp sound of expansion and cracking was heard.
On the explosive glands of its jaw, chest, tail, and leg joints, the explosive scales, resembling black fruits, grew and swelled at a visible rate.
It's the "Crimson Heat" state... Attacking the explosive scales at this moment will draw a large amount of elemental energy into the secretion glands, causing extreme damage to the Bazelgeuse.
However, the explosive scales generated during "Crimson Heat" enter an activated state of immediate detonation, greatly increasing the danger of approaching for an attack.
Just as Li Fan was planning his next move, the Bazelgeuse suddenly spread its wings and took flight, an unexpected action that caught the team off guard.
What kind of move is this... Could it be!
"Scatter!"
Li Fan shouted and immediately released the silk threads bound to Naughty Fireball's claws.
Roar~
The Bazelgeuse roared, flying towards Little Fool with complete disregard for danger.
Little Fool turned and slightly ascended to evade, its body suddenly twisting, its neck tilting back for a moment.
A Blazing Inferno fireball was spat downwards.
Boom! A dazzling blue light flashed in the air.
The Bazelgeuse, engulfed in flames, retreated a short distance with a shaky posture.
But then it powerfully flapped its wings again, ascending higher.
Little Fool tilted its body back, raising its two claws to block.
What it didn't expect was that its objective had already been achieved the moment it got close.
The explosive scales generated on the Bazelgeuse's body glowed simultaneously.
But just as the opponent thought it had succeeded, the Gold Fire Dragon, its entire body flashing with golden light, vanished like a white streak.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Amidst the explosions, a cloud of black smoke spread in the air.
Naughty Fireball, diving downwards, entered the smoke, scattering the dust in all directions.
Spotting the Bazelgeuse's location, Naughty Fireball used its claws to forcefully stomp on its back.
Whoosh~ Boom~
Unable to maintain its flight, the Bazelgeuse crashed to the ground.
"It even uses a kamikaze truck-style attack. It must have gone through many life-or-death struggles."
As Li Fan spoke, he opened the blue and white capture sphere in his hand, and Little Fool reappeared.
Eudora, freed from her floating state, descended rapidly upside down, swinging her Great Wind God Great Sword behind her, charging up a Wind Blast Slash.
"Hiyah!"
Boom! A burst of air exploded.
The Bazelgeuse, which was just trying to stand up, was slammed back into the shallow pit it had created by its fall after a heavy blow to its head.
Eudora, using the generated airflow, completed a mid-air somersault and landed steadily, adopting a sword-wielding stance, intending to continue her attack.
However, upon hearing the cracking sound of the Bazelgeuse generating scales, she quickly sheathed her sword and retreated.
Thump... Thump...
The fallen Bazelgeuse seemed to realize that if it struggled to get up, it would be attacked again, so it simply burrowed its head into the ground, shedding a large amount of explosive scales to protect its surroundings.
At this point, Li Fan landed and, with Eudora to his left and right, slowly approached it.
"Stop your futile resistance. You can't win."
Li Fan said in a tone of persuasion.
Roar...
The Bazelgeuse let out a roar of unwillingness, indicating that it would never surrender to such insignificant creatures.
"Alright, then you can think about it for a while longer. Eudora, let's go up."
"I feel like its explosive scale generation speed is slowing down. Aren't we going to attack?"
Eudora asked, confused.
"Its wing membranes are severely damaged, and it can no longer fly. Little Fool and Naughty Fireball can handle it from here."
Li Fan informed her.
The diamond-shaped carapace of the Bazelgeuse indeed had an astonishing fire resistance; ordinary fireballs were basically like tickles.
After enduring three Blazing Inferno bombardments, only a few melted traces were visible at the edges of the carapace.
However, its thin wing membranes did not possess the same level of fire resistance.
Currently, they were covered in countless gaps, making it impossible for the Bazelgeuse to fly again.
"So that's how it is... It feels like we won without even fighting."
Eudora sighed and, while floating upside down, carried Li Fan into the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!....
In the high altitude, Little Fool and Naughty Fireball continuously launched Blazing Inferno bombardments.
Three minutes later, the valley was engulfed in the heat waves radiating from the flames, and the ground had slightly subsided due to the continuous bombardment.
The carapaces on the throats of Little Fool and Naughty Fireball had begun to melt slightly due to the excessive temperature.
Li Fan called a halt to the bombardment and, after the temperature in the valley had lowered to a bearable level, returned to the ground.
At this point, the Bazelgeuse had changed its position, trying to evade the bombardment by running.
However, due to its severe injuries, it was currently lying on its side on the scorching ground.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Li Fan asked.
The Bazelgeuse opened its mouth, and a puff of hot air escaped.
Roar...
"What did the Bazelgeuse say, meow?"
"It said 'never'... It seems there's no intention of compromising."
Li Fan said helplessly.
"What do we do next? Should we finish it off?"
Eudora tentatively asked.
"Let me think..."
Based on his past capture experience, Li Fan thought there might be another way: beat the opponent until it was dazed and then capture it.
But the problem was, judging by this Bazelgeuse's mental state, it could remain clear-headed until death without much issue.
Boom~
Just as Li Fan was pondering, a rumbling tremor echoed from afar.
"It's from Shanshan's side!"
Eudora immediately took Li Fan and flew up, observing from above the valley.
Flames, strong winds, and lightning.
They continuously appeared and disappeared over the sharp, crystal-like mountain range in the distance.
"What's happening, meow?"
Dill exclaimed, observing through the binoculars.
"Hmm... The Land of Dragon Crystals, the first Monster Championship."
Li Fan coined a name to describe the current scene.
His plan had succeeded. Shanshan's high-profile appearance had drawn the attention of all the local monsters to the mountain range at the core of the Land of Dragon Crystals.
The fact that the battle here was so fierce that no monsters came to participate was the best proof.
Seeing that the skeletal remains of the Serpent King Dragon coiled around the sharp mountain range were not severely damaged by the multiple attacks, Li Fan felt relieved.
He glanced back at the fallen Bazelgeuse below, which was also craning its neck to watch, seemingly wanting to see the battle situation through the valley walls.
"You're about to die, and you're still paying attention to this..."
Just as Li Fan was marveling at the Bazelgeuse's meddlesome nature, an idea suddenly struck him.
He whispered his plan into the cat's ear, and then the two of them and the cat returned to the ground.
"It's so spectacular, meow."
Dill said loudly.
"Yes, yes, I've never seen a Serpent King Dragon coiled around a mountain range in my life. It's a shame I can't see it."
Li Fan agreed.
The Bazelgeuse's eyes twitched, and its claws, lying on its side, retracted and tightened.
"So many monsters gathered, meow, who do you think will be the strongest?"
Dill asked, confused.
"I think Brachydios is good. Other than that, there shouldn't be any."
Li Fan replied.
"You guys..."
Eudora scratched her cheek, looking at the cat and the person with a bewildered expression.
"And Gold Lion, meow!"
Dill suddenly realized.
"That's right! How could I forget about Gold Lion? To be able to witness so many monsters fighting at once is truly a life well-lived. It seems the final winner can only be among them."
Li Fan slapped his thigh, deeming Gold Lion a strong contender.
Roar! The Bazelgeuse's body scraped against the ground, letting out a roar of unwillingness.
Its meaning was: "Stop talking!"
"Huh? Why aren't you dead yet?"
Li Fan asked with feigned surprise.
"Perhaps there's something it still yearns for, meow."
Dill speculated.
"Really? Do you have any unfinished wishes?"
Li Fan probed.
Roar...
The Bazelgeuse's roar suddenly softened.
"At least let you see before you die... Okay!"
Li Fan said, then called Little Fool over. Little Fool grabbed the Bazelgeuse's back carapace with its claws and carried it to the top of the valley.
Seeing the fierce battle in the distance, the Bazelgeuse, gazing intently, had infinite longing in its eyes.
However, there was one thing it couldn't understand: how could Li Fan and Dill confirm, from such a distance, that its most detested Brachydios and Gold Lion were participating in the battle.
"If you're willing to join, you can watch this scene forever."
Li Fan said, opening a diamond sphere.
The Bazelgeuse pondered for a long time. The moment its thoughts shifted, it suddenly turned into a white streak of light and flew into the sphere.
Tsk! Tsk! Tsk~
After two violent tremors, the Bazelgeuse seemed to realize that the capture sphere posed no threat to it.
It then gave up struggling and accepted the capture.
"As expected, a six-star monster..."
Li Fan opened his handheld device to check. The star rating confirmed his guess, and he then proceeded to view its detailed attributes.
[Bazelgeuse] Male (Unnamed)
HP: 671/8809
Status: Confused, Exhausted, Disoriented, Moderate Head Fracture, Widespread severe Blazing Inferno burns, Severe damage to both wing membranes.
Level: 89
Strength: 830
Agility: 593
Intelligence: 881
Skills: [Life Energy Field - Advanced] This monster constantly resides in areas with particularly abundant life energy, gaining more attributes.
Increased probability of inducing unknown mutations.
[All Regions] Can inhabit all regions.
[Unclaimed Patrol] Even in territories not its own, it pays extra attention to the movements of various creatures in the current area, patrolling regularly.
[Full Effort] Fights with full power against weaker enemies.
[Stubborn] Will not yield even after defeat.
[Curiosity] Wishes to visit and explore any ecological changes.
[Blast-Resistant Heatproof Shell] Covers the Bazelgeuse's back, possessing excellent fire and blast resistance.
[Blast Glands] Distributed on the Bazelgeuse's body surface, it can excrete body fluids containing explosive components through metabolism.
[Explosive Scales] Spherical scales formed by the secretion of body fluids from the Bazelgeuse's [Blast Glands]. They can detonate when shed and oxidized or subjected to impact.
When the Bazelgeuse's metabolism is at a regular level, [Explosive Scales] can regenerate quickly.
[Crimson Heat] A state achieved by the Bazelgeuse after increasing its metabolic rate.
The speed of [Blast Glands] generating body fluids is greatly increased, and the produced [Explosive Scales] enter an unstable state.
The detonation time is greatly shortened, but at the same time, the absorption of elemental attacks by the [Blast Glands] is significantly enhanced.
[Explosive Fireball] A high-explosive fireball formed by spitting out body fluids containing explosive components.
[Precise Dropping] Bazelgeuse has extremely precise control over the landing points of its shed [Explosive Scales].
[Dive Bomb] Bazelgeuse dives towards the ground while shedding a large amount of [Explosive Scales], bombarding the area.
[Blast Dive] Bazelgeuse spins rapidly in the air, evenly shedding [Explosive Scales] in a circular area, then charges and detonates all [Explosive Scales] in its path after confirming the target's location.
[Self-Destruct Charge] In the [Crimson Heat] state, Bazelgeuse detonates all unstable [Explosive Scales] attached to its body by colliding with enemies.
Description: Flying Wyvern monster.
Numerous sightings have been recorded in most known regions.
Extremely sensitive to conflict, its high danger level deters many hunters.
After reviewing the attribute details, Li Fan knew that the Bazelgeuse wanted to watch the battle, so he released it from the sphere.
"Let's call you 'Burst,' okay?"
Li Fan asked for its opinion.
Roar...
Focused on the battle, the Bazelgeuse didn't even think and immediately agreed.
"Then from now on, you'll be called Burst. Burst, have you noticed any foreign Elder Dragons visiting recently?"
Upon hearing this topic, Burst immediately perked up.
But perhaps due to being too excited, it immediately vomited two mouthfuls of blood.
"Perhaps you should go into the healing sphere for a while?"
Looking at its health, Burst's HP was slowly recovering, but Li Fan didn't want to take any risks.
Roar...
"When do we make a move... You're thinking too far ahead. I just want to understand the situation first."
Li Fan explained.
Roar... Roar...
Burst began to inform him intermittently.
"There are three visiting foreign Elder Dragons. Namielle has been deliberately targeting them, but the blue monster among them is incredibly strong, so it's been a stalemate... As expected, they're all here."
Li Fan speculated that the blue monster was likely the Arch-Tempered Velkhana.