Xiao Shuai wanted to swing his head, using the tip of the impaled giant horn to inflict more tearing damage on his tail blade.
But seeing the explosive minerals accumulating in the Dragon Slasher's maw, he had no choice but to push back.
*Clang!* After the sharp horn was pulled out, a pierced hole appeared in the middle of the tail blade.
After creating distance, the two dragons faced each other, slowly shuffling sideways, entering another standoff.
After a while, Xiao Shuai raised his head, releasing the charge-up collision stance.
Seeing this, the Dragon Slasher retracted its tail blade behind it, letting it hang naturally in the sand.
"The two sides are no longer going to fight. It's our turn to make a move."
Li Fan lifted the camouflage net covered in withered leaves, stood up, and took out a flare from the Cat Rescue Team, igniting and launching it towards the sky.
*Bang!* The black smoke that exploded high in the sky quickly dispersed into the shape of a black cat's head.
Xiao Shuai glanced at the broken curved horn on the sand. Though unwilling, he dug into the ground with his clawed wings, head lowered.
A bulge appeared on the sand, and the smoke and dust drifted away.
*Hiss!* The Dragon Slasher's body temperature rapidly dropped, its dark red carapace on its back gradually hardened, and its orange-yellow tail blade slowly turned blue, its sharp metallic texture reappearing.
*Hoo~ Hoo~*
The Dragon Slasher lowered its head, breathing heavily at a slow rhythm, saliva dripping onto the sand from its fangs, appearing very tired.
The team was waiting for the rescue team, and also waiting for the Dragon Slasher to enter the cave.
Once it entered the cave, the Puff operation would no longer be restricted by the sandy terrain. Once the viscous fluid spread out, the Dragon Slasher would be no match for them.
However, things did not go as planned. The Dragon Slasher rested for a moment, then turned around and moved across the sand plain in the direction opposite to the cave entrance.
"It's probably going to forage. Let's monitor it from high up."
Li Fan didn't want to wait for the Dragon Slasher to finish eating before fighting, but the rescue team hadn't arrived, and it hadn't entered the cave. Since no advantageous conditions had been met, they could only track it for now.
By observing the circular puncture wound on its tail blade, Li Fan discovered that the interior was composed of a structure where molten metal on both sides was sandwiched with fleshy carapace, resembling an Oreo.
If the carapace and flesh were considered separately, then the defense provided by the tip of the giant horn piercing through was as many as five layers.
In the future, when encountering explosive five-star monsters, they would need to be more cautious.
Having directly and deeply felt the terror of the Diablos, Li Fan felt the need to be more steady. Otherwise, taking one hit from such an attack would be fatal, and even the Cat Rescue Team wouldn't be able to help.
Two hours passed. After brutally preying on three armored dragons, the Dragon Slasher continued to move forward.
"This... does it feel unsafe in the area and plan to change its nest?"
Li Fan speculated.
"If it's going to a new area, our deployment is not sufficient."
Yudora frowned slightly as she looked at the map.
"Don't say that. It's just a battle, it shouldn't be moving house."
Li Fan watched the solitary Dragon Slasher on the ground, feeling a bit dejected.
*Bang!* The black cat head pattern exploded in the distance.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, fired another flare at the current location, marked its position, and decided to say, "We can't drag this out any longer. Attack!"
Xiao Bendan swiveled its wings and rapidly lowered its altitude.
Ye Ye was released first. After lurking under Xiao Bendan for a moment, it flew towards the Dragon Slasher.
The sand was as hot as ever on Ye Ye's paws. After landing, it let out two soft chirps.
Regardless of whether the Dragon Slasher noticed, its ethereal blue wings suddenly spread, and its head continuously swung in a circular motion.
Sensing something unusual, the Dragon Slasher turned its head to look, immediately becoming alert.
Because it was this bird last time that made it fall into a daze, almost causing it to be knocked down by a Glavenus that was mid-air.
However, by the time it sensed Ye Ye, the Dragon Slasher was already enveloped by the hypnotic sound waves. Since it didn't know how to dodge or defend, the Dragon Slasher, which hadn't even begun to confront, felt its eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
Soon, its head plunged into the sand, and its entire body tilted to the side.
*Hoo~ Hoo~* Snot bubbles emerged one after another.
Xiao Bendan landed at a considerable distance. Li Fan recalled Ye Ye and released Sha Sha.
Lowering its voice, Sha Sha slowly approached within twenty meters and began to dig a pit in the sand with its crown carapace.
However, unlike the pit it was supposed to dig into, this sand pit was not dug very deep, only about half a person's height, and it was dug into a long strip.
As the trench-like sand pit was almost dug, Li Fan released the absolute main force, Puff.
As soon as it appeared on the ground, Puff's fur and scales were covered in sand.
Under the high temperature, the moisture evaporating from its body also made Puff extremely uncomfortable.
But seeing the Dragon Slasher sleeping on the sand, Puff narrowed its eyes slightly, without questioning anything.
"Puff, spray some water to reinforce the sand pit trench."
Li Fan directed.
Puff raised its neck, and a stream of water sprayed into the sand pit.
This reinforcement might seem insignificant, but it at least ensured that the sand layer would not collapse and refill when the battle caused ground vibrations later.
After the water injection and reinforcement were completed, Puff continuously secreted and released its foamy viscous fluid. However, even though the surrounding sand was soaked, it still couldn't slide quickly on it.
Without the enhancement of gliding mobility, it was undoubtedly a great disadvantage for Puff, which lacked thick carapace protection and had a slender body.
But the Dragon Slasher had just eaten, and the longer it slept, the better its condition would recover.
Fortunately, this was already in the team's plan.
"The main force of this battle will shift to us."
Li Fan informed them.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Yudora, who was tightening her arm guards, looked eager to try.
Dilu heard this and brought a small box. Inside, besides a red hunting horn, it was filled with bottles and jars of potions and fruits of various colors.
Li Fan and Yudora exchanged glances. As if competing in speed, they began to open the potion bottles and drink them.
Demon-drug, Hardening-drug, Dash-drug...
After drinking three bottles in a row, Li Fan grabbed a Power Seed and chewed it quickly.
Dilu opened a cloth bag, revealing shimmering crimson Demon Dust.
With a forceful upward sweep of her two cat claws, the entire team was enveloped in the dust.
Hah~ Hoo~ Hah~ Hoo~
Seeing Li Fan and Dilu breathing heavily, Yudora asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"The Demon Dust acts on the respiratory tract, so we can inhale more. Otherwise, it would be a waste."
Li Fan explained.
"Alright, then this blanket laid on the ground, is it for recycling and reuse next time?"
Yudora inquired.
"How could that be? With so much sand and dust, the dust would be contaminated by the time it falls. If humans inhale too much, they'll get respiratory diseases."
"Then this is..."
"This is for Puff."
"For Puff?"
"Yes."
Li Fan saw that the dust had mostly settled. He picked up the blanket and went to Puff, shaking it off.
Puff, looking somewhat speechless, lowered its gaze. However, after inhaling a small amount of the crimson dust, a surge of energy welled up from within.
"So the Demon Dust is also effective on Puff."
Yudora said in surprise.
"Not only that, but after fully absorbing it, the bubbles Puff releases will likely contain a liquid bubble with Demon Solvent. This should be applied to the skin surface to trigger it. If I can't reach it later, that task will be yours."
"Okay..."
Yudora also hadn't expected such a method to enhance strength.
Dilu hung the Demon Horn around her neck and began to flip through the sheet music, while Li Fan and Yudora slowly approached the Dragon Slasher.
The pierced round hole was currently the weakest point of the tail blade. Li Fan lightly stepped on the sand outside and inserted one of Ye Ye's feathers to serve as a target for Puff.
The two drew their weapons.
"If something happens to me, please continue to develop the investigation agency alone. I believe that with your ability, you will eventually be able to fulfill that hunting contract."
Yudora entrusted him.
"Don't be so serious. The Cat Rescue Team should be in position. If the timing is right, Xiao Bendan will also dive down to help. The Dragon Slasher should be the one at a disadvantage."
Li Fan encouraged.
Yudora pondered for a moment and nodded affirmatively, "Yes!"
Puff's four paws sank into the damp sand, but it still couldn't stabilize its body.
The cutting beam with its super strong recoil was definitely unusable, so it could only attack with a water beam.
With all preparations complete, Li Fan stood in front of the Dragon Slasher's head, holding his Zanpakuto vertically at his right shoulder, adopting a charge-up stance.
Yudora moved to the side of the tail blade, raising her sword from the side to charge up.
Dilu stood in the middle, puffed out her chest, took a deep breath, and blew the Demon Horn.
*Doo~♪ Doo~♪ Doo~♪....*
Ugh... that sounds terrible, but upon contact with the sound waves, strength seemed to surge even further.
Under the amplification of several forces, Li Fan felt unprecedentedly strong, as if a single slash could cleave mountains and shatter rocks.
*Puff! Sizzle!!!*
The water beam directly struck the tail blade. The sea-blue molten metal quickly shattered and peeled off. The Dragon Slasher, awakened from its slumber, sensed something unusual and instinctively raised its tail blade.
However, in the next instant, under the fierce impact of the Shield Crab Great Sword, it was heavily slammed back into the sand.
The startled Dragon Slasher immediately entered combat mode. Its thighs, pressed against the ground, exerted force, and it stood up, only to find a human holding a blade standing before it.
*Sizzle!* The tail blade scraped across the ground, creating a string of explosive sparks. The Dragon Slasher lowered its head and let out a fierce roar!
"Oh ho! That hunter is finished! Charge! Charge! Charge!...."
Meru Cat Eller, sitting on a tablet in the distance, seemed to have already foreseen Li Fan being roared at, dropping his sword, covering his ears, and suffering a heavy blow. She quickly directed the rescue team to charge forward.
The sound waves, sweeping across the sand, were completely nullified upon hitting the Courage Barrier. Li Fan retracted his sword and rapidly retreated.
"This... Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!...."
Eller hastily issued a retreat command.
The Dragon Slasher did not notice Li Fan's state, as it had already sensed Puff in the distance.
Puff patted the ground with its front paws, letting out a highly provocative low growl.
Although the scene appeared somewhat chaotic, Puff was undoubtedly the greatest threat at the moment.
The Dragon Slasher's throat bulged, heating the explosive minerals. Its body temperature rapidly rose, and wisps of heat emanated from its carapace.
After striding forward a distance, it suddenly turned its body, and its tail blade swung down vertically.
Puff exerted force with its four paws, awkwardly sliding sideways a short distance on the sand, narrowly avoiding the descending tail blade.
*Boom!* A scorched indentation appeared. The Dragon Slasher retracted its tail. When it tried to attack again, it unexpectedly found that Puff had disappeared.
Only a pile of large bubbles and a rapidly moving human hunter remained.
*Clang!* Feeling a heavy blow on its toes, the Dragon Slasher raised its foot and kicked sideways.
Yudora rolled to avoid it but did not stop attacking, continuing to swing her sword fiercely.
This chaotic scene made the Dragon Slasher agitated.
Seeing that it was about to roar again, Li Fan drew his sword and assumed the Courage charge-up stance again.
ROAR!!!
Courage was successfully infused. He retracted his sword and retreated again.
Recalling the faint blue glow that lingered on his blade, Li Fan felt that the Dragon Slasher's roar was indeed quite effective in charging the Courage gauge, but it was too slow for actual combat.
Moreover, if he didn't draw his sword, even if the Courage gauge was fully charged, he wouldn't have any Qi to use.
"Yudora! My turn!"
Hearing the shout, Yudora immediately retracted her sword and ran quickly.
"I'm here!"
With Li Fan's loud shout, the Dragon Slasher turned its head, and a flash bomb was thrown into its eyes.
*Whoosh! Golden light flashed!*
ROAR! The Dragon Slasher let out a low growl, took a slight step back, and then frequently swung its head, turning its body to adjust its orientation, clearly blinded by the flash.
*Clang!* The Zanpakuto struck the red scales on its leg, scraping off a faint purple electric spark.
Although it couldn't completely cut through the scales, as long as the distance was managed, it wouldn't bounce off. In terms of sharpness, it was already the highest among the greatswords Li Fan had used.
The only drawback was that the blade was too thin, leading to rapid wear.
After Li Fan made only three cuts, he already felt a subtle resistance during the slashing.
The Dragon Slasher, constantly twisting in place, quickly regained its vision. Upon realizing that the pain in its leg came from a hunter, it exerted force with both feet, leaped into the air, twisted its body, and slammed its tail blade down.
Ugh... Instructor Yintie was right, who could possibly withstand this!
Li Fan looked at the giant tail blade suspended high in the air, rolled to the side, and stood up, gripping the hilt and beginning to charge up Courage.
*Boom!*
Sand, flames, and explosive debris struck the Courage Barrier.
Although not a direct hit, the immense impact of the tail blade's descent caused the previously sturdy Courage Barrier to deform.
Thanks to the powerful impact, the Courage gauge was immediately filled.
The Dragon Slasher retracted its tail blade and was quite surprised to find the human hunter in front of it unharmed.
Li Fan, in a standard grip, held his greatsword horizontally in front of him and slowly approached it.
The Qi on the Zanpakuto merged with Courage, emitting a faint blue-green glow.
*Whoosh!*
Li Fan stopped and made a vertical swing in the air.
"Come on!!!"
Facing the provocation of a tiny human, the Dragon Slasher's eyelids twitched slightly. It swung its body and was about to slash when it suddenly sensed that the explosive minerals accumulated in its throat had been heated to a liquid state. It then raised its tail blade, placed it in its mouth, and began to forge it.
Li Fan did not rush to attack. He took out a whetstone from his waist and began to sharpen the Zanpakuto.
The human and the dragon began to sharpen their blades.
"Oh ho! This hunter is not simple! Not only does he dare to face the Dragon Slasher head-on, but he's also fighting with the rare Courage style, meow!"
Eller exclaimed in admiration.
After being infused and heated by the liquid minerals, the tail blade's color quickly turned orange-yellow.
Li Fan tried to keep his mind calm and began to think.
To parry the tail blade with a Spirit Blade Slash, rather than the impact of the tail blade, the distance could not be too far.
Rolling was definitely out, as it wouldn't activate Foresight, and by the time he got up, the tail blade would have already fallen.
At this distance, the only option was to evade with a Kesa-giri first.
The Kesa-giri Li Fan was thinking of, also known as a displacement slash, was a slash that involved a sideways swing of the body, accompanied by displacement, often used when retreating.
The Dragon Slasher adjusted its steps slightly, retreated a little, and forcefully rotated its body.
*Whoosh~* The scorching hot tail blade cut through the air and slashed forward.
*Buzz!* The scenery within his vision distorted. Li Fan exerted force with his legs, leaped sideways, and simultaneously swung his Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him.
The tail blade with holes descended in front of him, and Li Fan's face was reflected in orange.
The Zanpakuto slashed diagonally upwards, resisting the descending tail blade. The dispersed Qi and Courage merged, exploding into a blue light cluster.
The orange giant blade and the slender Zanpakuto clashed, appearing completely disproportionate...
*Ding!* A crisp ringing sound.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
The tail blade was lifted, and the Dragon Slasher retreated several steps before regaining its balance.
Li Fan glanced at the blade and continued to advance with a calm expression.
The Dragon Slasher looked around as if questioning its existence, only to confirm that no other entity was assisting.
ROAR... ROAR...
"This move is called Spirit Blade Slash. Want to learn it? I'll teach you."
Facing the low growl, Li Fan appeared exceptionally composed.
The Dragon Slasher opened its mouth wide, liquid minerals filled its mouth, and black smoke swirled, with flashes of fire.
"Uh... I haven't practiced parrying head attacks. Can you continue attacking with your tail blade?"
Li Fan negotiated with a troubled expression.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The response Li Fan received was three bursts of liquid explosive minerals.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
After the explosive detonation, Li Fan's vision was filled with black smoke.
*Crick! Crick!*
A grating biting sound was heard.
"This is too much! ...The Iai Whirlwind Slash is coming! Evade!"
Li Fan said, sheathed his sword, and ran while waving his hands to disperse the black smoke.
Seeing the trench dug by Sha Sha, he ran over, slid in, and dove into it.
"Dilu is really fast."
Li Fan was somewhat surprised.
"I haven't left since I played the Demon Horn, meow."
Dilu said honestly.
"Alright... Where's Yudora?"
*Whoosh! Bang!* Yudora, clad in Shield Crab armor, also fell in.
"Dilu is really fast."
Yudora was somewhat surprised.
"I... I haven't left since I played the Demon Horn, meow."
Dilu thought, she had just answered this question.
"Alright... Where's Li Fan?"
"Below you, meow."
"Uh... why did you burrow into the sand?"
Yudora and Dilu helped Li Fan up together.
The team thus bent over, pressing against the sand layer, quietly listening to the sounds outside.
The Dragon Slasher's Iai Whirlwind Slash had an extremely wide range and no blind spots.
If the power was immense, based on what was seen, the heated tail blade could even sever the curved horns of a Diablos.
If it hit a human, Li Fan felt that even the highest-grade armor would risk being cut in half.
Furthermore, this move, apart from its slightly longer charge-up time, had no obvious weaknesses.
However, there was one prerequisite: the target of the attack must be on the ground.
Theoretically, one could evade by diving and lying on the ground, because no matter how much the tail blade was swung down, even at its lowest angle, it couldn't attack close to the ground.
But since Sha Sha was there, why not just dig a pit? There was no need to take risks.
The biting sounds and the sounds of the body twisting and tightening became sharper.
*Crack!* A crisp sound mixed within caught Li Fan's attention.
"It's reaching its limit."
"What's reaching its limit?"
Yudora asked, confused.
"The Dragon Slasher's tail blade, ever since it was pierced by Xiao Shuai's sharp horn, the cracks have been deepening. After being attacked by the water beam, to enhance its tail blade's attack, it was heated again. And now it's releasing the Iai Whirlwind Slash... It probably won't last much longer."
After explaining, Li Fan glanced at the Fierce Battle Ball on his shoulder strap, which had a crossed sword graphic.
"Uh... I also landed a charged slash... on it."
Yudora couldn't help but remind him.
"Yes, that's also very important."
*Whoosh~* A shining orange light streaked across the sky, stirring up a circle of flying sand.
"Attack!"
Li Fan shouted, and the two of them crawled out of the sand pit together.
Burned black mineral residue covered the ground, and a few flames still flickered.
On the other side of the black smoke, the Dragon Slasher turned its head, stared at Li Fan for a moment, then looked at its tail blade, which was covered in cracks, and continued to walk forward.
*Clang!* The sound of the Zanpakuto being unsheathed seemed to have a magical effect, causing it to stop its steps.
The Dragon Slasher turned its head again.
At this moment, Li Fan, mimicking the Dragon Slasher dragging its tail blade, dragged his Zanpakuto behind him.
ROAR... ROAR... ROAR!!!
The Dragon Slasher panted heavily twice and let out a fierce roar.
The crimson light that had dispersed under its skin re-condensed and reignited.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
Watching the charging Dragon Slasher, Li Fan held his sword horizontally in front of him and sighed, "If only I had learned the Iai Slash, I would have made you lose convincingly..."
*Whoosh!* The Dragon Slasher leaped up, its scorching hot tail blade twisting and slamming down.
*Ding! Crackle!*
Half of the tail blade spun several times in the air and vertically plunged into the sand.
*Whoosh~*
The faint blue glow that had surrounded the Zanpakuto dissipated.
Li Fan wanted to engrave the feeling of this parry into his memory. He maintained his sword posture for a long time before sheathing his sword.
The Dragon Slasher, falling backward heavily, struggled a few times at a very slow frequency. After getting up, it stared at the broken half of its tail blade and made no further move, its soul seemingly having departed its body.
"Speed, force, direction, always the same. Your slashes can't hurt me."
The Dragon Slasher heard a voice and looked around.
From behind a piece of sandstone, Li Fan poked out half his head and shouted, "Why don't you become my disciple? Except for the Iai Slash, I've basically mastered everything else, and my skill level is top-tier among hunters."
He also wanted to stride forward majestically, approaching with great presence.
Unfortunately, his Courage gauge was depleted. If the Dragon Slasher was still unconvinced and took a bite, it would be too much of a loss.
The Dragon Slasher lowered its head dejectedly, its attitude unclear, but its fighting spirit had clearly dissipated.
"It seems that the blow that broke its tail blade has really affected the Dragon Slasher greatly, meow."
Dilu felt that the Dragon Slasher's condition was actually alright, but its attitude showed no desire to resist.
"Let's try to capture it first. Perhaps its mindset will adjust and it will be fine."
Li Fan finished speaking and threw the Fierce Battle Ball forcefully. It rolled to the Dragon Slasher's feet.
*Tsk! Tsk... Tsk...*
With tremors that became weaker with each one, the capture of the Dragon Slasher was achieved.
[Dragon Slasher] Male (Unnamed)
Health: 3209/5800
Status: Severely fatigued, tail blade root broken, despair, frustration, dejection, oppression.
Level: 51
Strength: 304
Agility: 240
Intelligence: 161
Skills: [Tail Blade Fracture] This Dragon Slasher is in an extremely negative state.
[Fighting Spirit] This monster enjoys combat.
[Mineral Sense] Can easily detect the location of mineral veins.
[Furnace Sac] A throat organ of the Dragon Slasher that can generate high temperatures to liquefy metal.
[Explosive Spray] Sprays liquid explosive minerals in clumps from its mouth, with a short range.
Causes a powerful explosion after a short delay.
[Red Heat Infusion] Can be infused with liquid metal through grinding, causing the tail blade to rapidly enter a red-hot state.
[Iai Whirlwind Slash] The Dragon Slasher tenses and twists its body, charging for a considerable time, then rushes forward with a spinning tail blade, attacking over a wide area.
Description: A wyvern-type monster.
Possesses agility disproportionate to its massive size.
Often appears in hot regions, and will search for mineral veins throughout its life to smelt its tail blade.
Also known as the "Scorching Blade" for its skillful use of its giant tail blade in combat.