Boom! Boom! Boom!....
Amidst the crystalline fragments of the Gnawing Insects tumbling in the air, some were inhaled by the Abyss Dragon's massive maw, while others collided and detonated.
Explosive orange flames erupted wildly. The charging Arzuros, with its claws flailing, did not retreat, but instead plummeted diagonally.
Peng! The Abyss Hell trembled violently.
The Abyss Dragon's body sank slightly, its supporting wing-legs pressing into the ground.
Zeng! A white starlight flashed, and a red flame pierced through the smoke, shooting straight into the sky.
The Arzuros, tumbling back, flipped in mid-air to counteract the impact, then landed steadily on the ground.
Hiss hiss~
The spikes and scales on the back of its right claw, which had been swiped out, had all fallen off, and wisps of hot air rose.
"Detonating the Gnawing Insect crystals to obscure its vision, then moving its body forward, causing the Arzuros' attack to land on the crystals on its own back, thereby triggering the explosion... It seems this Abyss Dragon is very experienced in combat."
Li Fan was slightly surprised.
Because, based on the underground ecosystem, the Abyss Dragon should not have had much combat experience.
The only reasonable explanation was that it had lived on the surface for a long time, which would also explain the summons of the Elder Dragon.
"When it lived on the surface, it must have had the ability to threaten the entire ecosystem, like the Wind Dragon and Thunder Dragon. But it seems it wasn't hunters who stopped it then..."
"We're here, meow!"
Felyne, who had descended with Eudora using a glider, shouted.
The team had regrouped. Eudora asked with some surprise, "When did this Ice Wolf Dragon join?"
"The Ice Wolf Dragon hasn't joined the team. It's a warrior fighting for the ecosystem."
Li Fan introduced.
"Understood, just like during the Magnamalo Rampage."
Eudora immediately understood.
"Don't let Arzuros bear the brunt of the fight alone. Let's rotate."
Li Fan immediately employed a rotating swarm tactic.
The Abyss Dragon was nearly 50 meters long, a true behemoth.
As long as the monster's attack points were not too close and no wide-area attacks were used, friendly fire was unlikely.
"Be careful! Don't touch the Gnawing Insect crystals! This is it!"
Li Fan said, picking up a red crystal and throwing it forcefully at the ground.
Peng! The crystal, upon impact, immediately exploded, and a burst of flame erupted.
Roar~ Roar~...
The members of the Five-Dragon Night March let out a series of roars, indicating they understood.
"Elder Dragon, focus on the head! Chacha, the left wing-leg! Gold Lion, the right wing-leg! Juejuezi, the tail! Ice Wolf Dragon, the abdomen!"
Li Fan's fingers pointed in various directions as he assigned targets and monsters.
"Attack!"
Roar! Roar! Roar!...
As Li Fan waved his hand forward, the monsters charged like tigers released from their cages.
Roar~ Roar?
A surge of adrenaline rushed into the Ice Wolf Dragon's mind. It charged forward, but halfway there, it realized it didn't even know where the abdomen was.
Roar! Roar!
Chacha signaled not to worry about it, and to just claw at whatever looked displeasing.
Whoosh~ Peng!
The Elder Dragon, propelled by the ghost fire behind it, leaped forward, directly attacking the Abyss Dragon's everted mouth.
Puchi~ Puchi~...
Its four claws dug deeply into the forehead and neck, anchoring it firmly. No matter how the Abyss Dragon thrashed its head, it couldn't shake it off.
Swoosh~ Swoosh~...
With a swirling motion of its gun-blade tail, it ignited purple ghost fire, forming a fiery ring.
Cough~
An explosive orange fireball erupted from the Abyss Dragon's throat.
The Elder Dragon immediately disengaged its embedded claws, leaping backward to dodge. Simultaneously, its gun-blade tail stopped swirling and whipped out to its side.
Hum~
The spiraling ghost fire ring struck the Abyss Dragon's head.
At this moment, the explosive fireball detached from its mouth. However, unlike a normal breath attack, it didn't fly in a straight line, nor did it quickly fall due to insufficient propulsion.
Instead, it drifted in mid-air, moving slowly.
Boom!
The [Ghost Fire Suspended Circle Break] collided with the explosive fireball, causing a violent explosion.
The Abyss Dragon, caught in the blast, tilted its head back, while the Elder Dragon landed on all fours, unharmed.
Seeing the pillar-like right wing-leg stop thrashing.
The Gold Lion grabbed it with a powerful embrace, its sturdy arms encircling the wing-leg. Its feet, along with its body, spun rapidly to the side.
Awooo!
With a fierce roar, golden patterns appeared on its back, and even the black fur on its head turned golden.
Awooo! Awooo!...
With the Abyss Dragon covered in other monsters, Eudora didn't have a good attack angle. She decided to observe and familiarize herself with the Abyss Dragon's attacks.
However, she couldn't understand the Gold Lion's attack method at all, so she asked, "What is the Gold Lion doing?"
"The Gold Lion seems to be... trying to suplex the Abyss Dragon."
Although it seemed incredible, based on the Gold Lion's movements, it was indeed trying to perform a suplex on the Abyss Dragon.
"The size difference is too great. This seems impossible. Why don't you guide it?"
Eudora asked curiously.
"Monsters perceive the world primarily through their own senses. So, for these monsters, bravely trying various things without risking their lives is the best guidance."
Li Fan shared his insights.
"I see."
Eudora suddenly understood.
Chacha, on the left wing-leg, was much more pragmatic, its claws relentlessly slashing, aiming to inflict more and deeper wounds on the monster's hide.
Juejuezi was participating in a group battle for the first time, and with the Abyss Dragon's entire back inaccessible, it was slightly unaccustomed.
Moreover, its previous attacks were launched while the Abyss Dragon was climbing upwards.
Fortunately, other monsters in the team provided support for its other parts. The swinging of its tail was not frequent, thus inflicting considerable damage.
The Ice Wolf Dragon was quite frustrated. In its upright stance, its two ice-infused claws repeatedly slashed at the Abyss Dragon's belly, which was close to the ground.
But after scratching for a long time, it only managed to scrape off a layer of old mud accumulated from the ground and some rock-hard skin keratin. It caused no substantial damage to the Abyss Dragon.
Roar...
This is indeed not a battle I can participate in...
Just as the Ice Wolf Dragon's fighting spirit began to wane.
It recalled Li Fan's introduction to it.
It was a warrior fighting for the ecosystem...
A sharp glint flashed in the Ice Wolf Dragon's eyes, and a surge of passion for fighting for the ecosystem coursed through its body.
It sensed the distance to the abdomen and realized that its current upright position was too close for optimal claw-slashing.
If the target were a small monster with thin scales and armor, a rapid slashing attack at this distance would be a good choice.
But now, to break through that old mud and keratin, the previous speed-focused attack method was clearly unsuitable.
The upright Ice Wolf Dragon took two steps back, its previously arched back bending further. Its outstretched arms swung backward in a wide arc.
Whoosh~ The airflow generated by its forward-swinging sharp claws crossed in front of its body, forming a transparent X-shaped blade.
Woooar!
"It's roaring 'Kaiser Sharp Claws'... Did the Ice Wolf Dragon learn it on its own?"
Li Fan, hearing the wolf's howl, said with some surprise.
Blood flowed continuously from the wounds on the Abyss Dragon's abdomen.
Roar~
As if unable to bear the pain of the swarm attack any longer, a muffled groan was heard.
The number of Gnawing Insects pouring into the abyss suddenly surged. These swarms did not condense into crystals on its back but instead interfered with the attacking monster team.
If it were just a few swarms, the pain from their clinging and biting could be ignored by the monsters. But when the number of attached insects increased dramatically, completely covering their bodies, even monsters like Chacha, who could fight despite pain, were finding it unbearable.
"Dilu! Prepare for retrieval!"
"Understood, meow!"
Dilu said, taking out two retrieval spheres.
"Juejuezi can fly away and use its controlled swarm to resist, so it probably won't need retrieval. The retrieval targets should be Elder Dragon, Chacha, and Gold Lion... Oh no, the Ice Wolf Dragon is also trapped... Let's have the retrievable ones retreat first, then have Arzuros suppress the Abyss Dragon, and the squad will go out to rescue it."
Li Fan pondered for a moment and laid out his plan.
Dilu opened the retrieval spheres, but none of the monsters responded to the call and flew back into the spheres.
"What's wrong, meow? Is the pain unbearable, so they're ignoring the call?"
Dilu analyzed anxiously.
"No, Elder Dragon is clearly conscious, using ghost fire to drive away the Gnawing Insects..."
Roar!
Just as Li Fan looked at Elder Dragon, which was the least affected, its head turned simultaneously, looking towards the team's position.
"Elder Dragon says we came together, and we'll leave together."
"But the Gnawing Insects are gathering more and more. Staying longer will only become more dangerous."
Eudora said worriedly, looking up at the sky, which was illuminated pink by the insects.
"Don't worry about that. The influx of Gnawing Insects will be effectively blocked soon... I believe in the monster team. Let's advance from the side and provide support as much as possible."
Li Fan immediately changed his deployment.
"Blocked?"
Although Eudora had already started running, she still looked somewhat puzzled at the pink sky filled with Gnawing Insects, until a brilliant blue star appeared from high above.
Roar!
A whistle-like cry sounded.
Whoosh! Boom!
At the top of the Abyss Hell, Valstrax decelerated and stopped abruptly, its generated shockwave rippling outwards in a ring.
"Take cover!"
Seeing the powerful shockwave rolling in, all the participating members on the battlefield immediately took cover.
The Gnawing Insects converging from all directions were blown away and retreated rapidly.
Chirrr~
Its left gun-wing rotated, spraying downwards to maintain suspension. Its right gun-wing inverted and joined, its nozzle pointing forward.
Hum! Hum!...
A beam of azure light, formed by the convergence of three nozzles, swept in a circular motion.
Hiss~ Hiss~...
As large numbers of Gnawing Insects escaped the shockwave, they instantly turned to black ash and dissipated in the air.
Inside the command post, whose tents had been overturned by the impact, Garon, covered in dust, slowly stood up and observed.
"Facing such a monster, how did Li Fan manage to inflict such heavy damage back then..."
The appearance of the Valstrax deeply shocked him.
Leading the Elgado against the Raging Brute Wyvern for years was already a commendable feat.
But according to combat reports from multiple agencies, Li Fan had single-handedly severely injured the Valstrax at the top of the Sky-Piercing Tower, even rendering it unable to fly.
Chir~ Chir~ Chir....
In the Ice Wolf Dragon's perception, the world was covered by the flapping wings of the Gnawing Insects.
The endless pain from their bites caused its consciousness to become disoriented.
But even on the verge of death, it still wanted to resist.
Whoosh~ A flash of purple fire, and the Gnawing Insects circling in front of it were all ignited by purple ghost fire, falling towards the ground.
After releasing [Ghost Fire Suspended Circle Break], Elder Dragon charged forward.
The Ice Wolf Dragon's vision cleared again.
It saw the Gold Lion spitting electric beams, and Juejuezi creating explosions with black mist.
And Chacha, rapidly spinning in place, dispersing the Gnawing Insects.
Chirga~
A slight biting sound came from its nape. Elder Dragon, carrying the Ice Wolf Dragon in its mouth, quickly ran out from under the Abyss Dragon.
Zeng~ Boom!
Chacha's excessive spinning in place caused its claw tips to scrape against a fragment of Gnawing Insect crystal.
This immediately triggered a series of explosions, and the toes of its front claw were in excruciating pain.
Chacha didn't care about this minor injury, but the explosion of the Gnawing Insect crystal suddenly gave it an idea.
It dug its claws into the ground, lifting up rock layers along with the Gnawing Insect crystals on top.
Swoosh~ Boom!
An explosion occurred in mid-air, and a large number of Gnawing Insects fell.
Seeing that the throwing effect was excellent, Chacha changed its method, continuously digging out blocks of rock containing crystals and throwing them.
Soon, a path for the Ice Wolf Dragon to retreat was cleared.
At this moment, the Abyss Dragon turned its head and began to climb, following Elder Dragon.
However, after taking just one step forward, Arzuros swiped its face.
Boom! With a dull tremor, the two dragons collided, engaging in close-quarters combat.
The Ice Wolf Dragon was carried to its front. Li Fan quickly crouched down to examine it.
Noticing an orange-yellow sheen appearing on its previously ice-blue carapace, Li Fan was stunned.
"Its condition is very poor, but its injuries don't seem to be worsening..."
Li Fan said, taking out a healing sphere to attempt capture.
The Ice Wolf Dragon turned into white light and flew into the sphere.
Tsk~ Tsk~ Tsk~
It was successfully captured with almost no struggle.
Quickly scanning its stats on the handheld device and confirming that its injuries were not worsening, Li Fan saw [Quirk Overcome] in its skill list, confirming his previous conjecture.
This Ice Wolf Dragon was a native five-star monster, and it was incredible that it could achieve Quirk Overcome like an Elder Dragon.
Li Fan believed that Quirk Overcome might not be exclusive to Elder Dragons, but at least it should have some mutation-related ability enhancements.
As for ordinary Ice Wolf Dragons, achieving Quirkiness was already very impressive.
Puchi~ Puchi~...
Countless small streams of blood gushed from the gaps in Elder Dragon's carapace.
Elder Dragon gritted its teeth, igniting ghost fire to burn its entire body. A few exploding Gnawing Insects immediately fled.
"Everyone's condition isn't good. Let's retrieve them quickly!"
Li Fan said, raising a retrieval sphere along with Dilu.
Elder Dragon, Chacha, and Gold Lion immediately flew into the spheres.
The Gnawing Insects hidden beneath the carapace and scales were suddenly exposed to the air.
Before they could figure out what was happening, Eudora's Dragon Fireblaster slash came down, striking the ground in their area.
Boom! The impact of the sword slash annihilated a large number of Gnawing Insects.
Roar~ Roar~...
Sensing that the influx of Gnawing Insects was decreasing, the Abyss Dragon let out continuous low growls.
Li Fan heard the meaning: Why, why are you stopping me.