Before the state of the Nergigante could be confirmed, a thick beam of light swept across.
"Take cover! The energy blast is coming!"
Li Fan, who had just sat up, immediately lay back down on the ground.
Eudora dove forward, prostrating herself on the ground.
The Anjanath ignited several ghost fires that shot upwards, and the Dodogama activated its charge to escape.
Brother Lei climbed the crystal pillar, hiding behind the crystalline rock wall as cover.
The bewildered Zhan Zhan froze in place for a moment, then looked at the beam of light with determination and put his tail blade into his mouth.
"This can't be endured..."
Li Fan, lying on the ground, said as he opened a capture ball.
Before the beam of light swept over, he had already captured Zhan Zhan into the ball.
The Teostra, struggling to get up after falling, thought it had found an opening when the attacking monsters fled.
But before it could rejoice, it found itself enveloped in a bright blue light.
Hum~hum~sizzle...
As the thick beam of light swept past, the Teostra, with its head bowed, was spared direct attack on its torso. However, the tip of its left wing was directly dissolved.
Hoo~hoo~...
Deeply realizing that staying any longer meant certain death, the Teostra immediately flapped its wings forcefully, using the summoned storm to carry its body and take flight.
"Their flight direction is consistent, meow. They are indeed heading back to their nest."
On the throne on its exploding back, Delu lowered her binoculars and took out a signal flare, firing it towards the sky.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Blue signal flares, representing a call to assemble for attack, exploded high in the sky.
Martha, a recommended team member, was diligently observing and recording the astonishing anomaly occurring in the distance. Upon seeing the signal flares, she had no choice but to put down her quill and rush to the assembly point indicated by the flares with her partner, Aiden.
"Will there really be Elder Dragons passing through the assembly point given by the Commander?"
Martha asked with some curiosity as she ran.
"Of course, and most likely the Kushala Daora as well."
Aiden, running alongside her, said with great anticipation.
"It's true that everyone in the Fifth Fleet is an elite, but in such an unstable environment, launching a joint hunt for Elder Dragons, three of them no less, isn't that a bit too reckless..."
Martha questioned.
"Unstable... I think it's quite alright."
Aiden didn't notice anything unusual.
Boom~boom~boom~...
Feeling a violent tremor approaching from afar, the two immediately stopped and hid behind a rock wall.
Not long after, the Giga Golem sped through the tunnel below the hillside.
After watching it disappear into the distance, Martha asked helplessly, "This is what you call alright?"
"There have been no reports of the Serpent King Dragon's remains harming anyone. As long as we stay away, we should hurry. Otherwise, if the Kushala Daora dies too quickly, I won't be able to avenge my master myself."
Aiden informed her.
"Sigh... I wish I could have some of your optimism."
Martha sighed.
In mid-air, the Teostra was struggling to fly forward while carrying the Elder Dragon.
Bang~bang~bang...
A burst of cannon fire suddenly erupted from below, and more than a dozen conical shells, propelled by tail flames, attacked.
The Teostra immediately banked to dodge, but due to carrying the Elder Dragon and its wing injuries, it could neither ascend quickly nor move freely. As a result, its head and torso were hit by several shells in succession.
These conical shells did not explode immediately, but the hissing sound of their fuses burning continuously emanated from within.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
The armor-piercing explosive rounds began to detonate one after another.
Unable to maintain its flight posture, the Teostra, along with the Elder Dragon, plummeted towards the ground.
The first twenty-odd hunters to reach the assembly point were surprised by the severe injuries of the Elder Dragon and how easily the Teostra was shot down.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, they shed their invisibility mantles covered in crystal fragments and donned heat-resistant mantles to launch their attack.
The Teostra shielded the Elder Dragon, pacing back and forth and issuing roars to intimidate them.
However, upon closer observation, the dire condition of the Elder Dragon couple was further exposed. Especially the severely injured Elder Dragon, coupled with the continuous arrival of hunters deployed around the area, the investigation team members could already see an opportunity for a decisive battle and would not easily back down.
Click~click~...
Five heavy bowgunners collectively loaded ice shots.
The other hunters wielding melee weapons dispersed in various directions, attempting to close in.
The Teostra stared at the approaching hunters, constantly turning its head to change its defensive stance, but it realized that no matter which direction it defended, there would be blind spots.
Its right foreclaw, which was supporting its weight, shifted slightly backward, now touching the ground.
The hunters who noticed this movement immediately gained a crucial signal.
It was afraid.
Thump~thump~thump~...
Ice shots, exuding cold air, poured out from the cannons, and the hunters, brandishing various weapons, charged forward.
Whoosh~ A massive storm mass suddenly descended from the sky, forcing the hunters to evade.
As the storm dispersed, the Kushala Daora, with its head held high, appeared.
Whoosh~roar~
Exhaling a misty white stream from its mouth, the Kushala Daora let out a low growl.
Then, it braced itself on its claws and adopted a fighting stance.
Drip~drip~...
Blood was continuously seeping and dripping from the cracks in its silver armor.
Roar! The Kushala Daora's head turned slightly to the side, and it let out a roar.
Looking at the silver silhouette, the Teostra no longer hesitated, picked up the Elder Dragon in its mouth, and attempted to take flight.
Whoosh~whoosh~...
Streams of swirling air gathered beneath it, providing lift for the Teostra.
Seeing that the most severely injured Elder Dragon might escape, the hunters immediately took action.
The Kushala Daora braced its claws on the ground, spread its wings, and stood up, letting out a roar.
Roar~
"Is it going to be a fight to the death..."
Li Fan, hearing the echoing roar, speculated.
"When do we go out?"
Eudora, in the large pit, asked.
"Wait until the blast ends or the Shanshan arrives. Otherwise, there's not much point in going out."
Li Fan informed her.
At this moment, the cave ceiling darkened, and a glob of transparent mucus landed on Li Fan's helmet.
The two looked up and saw Cheche, who had poked its head in.
Roar~
Cheche indicated that it had dug a bigger pit and asked if they wanted to go.
"Cheche, stop digging big pits. It's dangerous outside, hurry and find a place to hide."
Li Fan flicked off the saliva, saying with a helpless expression.
He had asked Cheche to dig a pit earlier to avoid attacks, but he didn't expect it to get addicted to digging. Roar~
After Cheche confirmed, it opened its mouth, and another glob of saliva dripped down.
"Is the Nergigante very strong right now?"
Eudora asked tentatively.
"Yes, it has mastered crystal resonance and is adapting to its critical state. Besides Shanshan and Huihui, no monster in hand can truly contend with it head-on. What's more terrifying is that it's still growing."
Li Fan informed her.
"Can the wounds inflicted by the Elder Dragon on its back be exploited?"
"It's best not to think about that. The energy eruption from the wounds is something even the Elder Dragon can't withstand, let alone humans."
Li Fan informed her.
"No wonder you were so wary of it before."
Eudora understood Li Fan's earlier concerns.
Boom~boom~...
At this moment, a tremor was felt. The team knew that Shanshan was about to arrive, so they climbed out of the deep pit.
A sky full of blue light and fire enveloped the two.
Looking at the unrecognizable, ghost-like alien landscape, Li Fan couldn't help but take a deep breath.
A blue light spot floated in front of him. Eudora reached out and lightly touched it.
Bang! A burst of sound exploded.
Feeling a burning sensation, Eudora quickly shook her hand to relieve the pain.
The Nergigante seemed to have sensed the approach of the Giga Golem and stopped its energy projection.
As the sky darkened, the ground vibrated more intensely.
The Nergigante turned its head from side to side, warily scanning for Shanshan's location.
A moment later, its body suddenly rotated.
On the surface of the largest crystal pillar in the mountain range behind it, a spiderweb-like crack suddenly appeared.
Creak~creak~...
The sound of swelling and cracking continued to emerge.
The Nergigante's two foreclaws simultaneously raised and slammed forcefully onto the ground.
Boom! Countless crystal fragments erupted.
The Giga Golem, Giga Golem, slid out of the giant circular hole blasted from the crystal pillar.
Bang! The Serpent King Dragon's skull heavily impacted the Nergigante's forehead, then quickly pressed down, causing the posterior bone joints to slide, encircling it.
As soon as the Nergigante looked up and saw itself surrounded by the Giga Golem, it immediately pressed its foreclaws, which were deeply embedded in the ground, down again.
The ground collapsed significantly, and the surrounding crystals where its claws touched erupted in a massive explosion.
Boom! Boom!
Two beams of blue light erupted.
Crash~
The massive Giga Golem was blasted upwards by several meters, then crashed down. Multiple joints cracked and dislocated, but its overall form did not change significantly.
The Nergigante was stunned. It couldn't understand why such a destructive energy blast had no effect when it hit the other party.
Sizzle~sizzle~...
The golden insect silk connecting the tubular bone joints tightened bit by bit, and the Giga Golem began to repair itself by re-aggregating.
Whoosh~whoosh~...
Wind pressure surged, and the Nergigante attempted to flap its wings.
Roar! At this moment, a whistle-like cry sounded, and a cyan light cluster descended directly from the sky.
Crack~
A crisp sound of wing bone fracture was heard, followed by a large hole exploding on its left wing.
With one wing collapsed, the Nergigante could only return to the ground. The cyan light cluster traced a long arc in the low altitude before returning to the sky.
Clang~clang~...
The sound of bone scraping and colliding was heard repeatedly.
The Giga Golem, having completed its repairs, rapidly retracted its tubular body in a spiral motion. Sizzle~sizzle~...
As its body slid, the internally rapidly spinning fan blades began to attack the Nergigante from all directions.
Roar~
A roar sounded within its consciousness.
"Are you there? This king needs your assistance!"
"What... Speak louder, I can't hear you... My signal is bad..."
Li Fan responded.
Roar? Roar! Roar...
What do you mean bad signal? Hurry and help this king think of a solution, otherwise...
The Nergigante's roar abruptly stopped.
"Shanshan and Huihui are amazing! They will definitely be able to defeat the Nergigante at this rate."
Eudora exclaimed in admiration.
"I just hope the Giga Golem's weaknesses aren't discovered too soon."
Li Fan was not so optimistic.
Amidst the dense chopping sounds, the Nergigante was tightly entangled by the continuously retracting Giga Golem.
The safest attack method at this point was undoubtedly to continue tightening its body and applying pressure.
But the problem was that this was a skeleton without muscles. No matter how well Shanshan could replicate the Serpent King Dragon's movements, there was still a gap.
Creak~creak~...
Shanshan, inside the skull, was in a backward-leaning posture, trying to tighten the insect silk wrapped around its two hook scythes again.
But it really couldn't go any further.
Sensing a slight loosening of the entanglement, the Nergigante applied outward force with its two forearms.
Creak~creak~...
In the struggle, the Giga Golem began to shake.
Shanshan did not want to let it break free easily, so it raised its hook scythes high, wrapped a large amount of insect silk around them, and tied a tight knot.
Feeling the entanglement loosen further, the Nergigante thrashed violently, trying to break free.
Clang!
At this moment, the Serpent King Dragon's skull, suspended above its head, suddenly opened its jaw downwards.
In the pitch-black maw, the Nergigante saw a pair of compound eyes shining with purple light.
Hooking the bowstring with its bilateral hook scythes, Shanshan slowly moved backward.
Just as the bowstring was gradually tightening, a bright blue light suddenly appeared from below.
"No! Hurry and close your mouth!"
At this moment, Li Fan's urgent reminder reached its ears.
Shanshan immediately complied.
Click~
Boom!
As soon as its mouth closed, several torrents of energy surged in through its teeth.
A burst of blue light flashed from the two empty eye sockets of the Serpent King Dragon's skull.
Fortunately, the energy projection was so powerful that it caused the skull to tilt backward rapidly, allowing it to avoid continuous bombardment.
However, the molten orange glow that appeared on the bone surface from the projection was seen by the Nergigante.
It realized that although the Giga Golem could withstand energy blasts, it might not be able to withstand the high temperatures generated by continuous energy projection.
The Nergigante immediately lowered its head and focused its projection on a section of tubular bone surrounding its body.
Whoosh~whoosh~whoosh...
Under the scorching heat of the energy projection, large areas of the bone surface turned orange.
However, apart from the surface softening slightly due to the high temperature, there was no sign of damage overall.
The Nergigante began to try to suppress its head tremors, compressing and condensing the huge energy beam in its mouth.
Hiss~~~
The energy, constantly narrowing and projected in a beam, quickly burned through the bone.
Sizzle~
The tubular bone was pierced and cut in the middle. The section of the Giga Golem on one side of the break drooped downwards uncontrollably.
The other side, connected to the skull, slammed heavily onto the ground.
First, it was hit by an energy blast, and then it endured a fall and jolt.
Shanshan, inside the skull, was currently very angry.
It then approached the bundle of insect silk, cut the knot, re-hung the insect silk onto its two hook scythes, and prepared for a death match.
?
Sensing that the Giga Golem's control had suddenly become extremely light, Shanshan, tilting its head in thought, had a question mark appear above its head.
"Shanshan! Your Golem has been cut!"
Li Fan, who had run up, shouted from outside the skull to remind it.
Shanshan crawled out of its left eye socket, looked back, and jumped up excitedly.
Only about a dozen sections of the tubular body remained connected to the Serpent King Dragon's skull.
The vast majority of the rest of its body, although still entwined around the Nergigante, was being cut by energy beams.
"You first find a way to reassemble the Golem. We'll hold it off with Huihui."
Li Fan gave instructions.