"This is my combined mode with Zhan Zhan!" Li Fan shouted with great momentum.
Regarding joint operations with monsters, research had begun as soon as Kuku joined, and various attempts were made during training. However, the results were not ideal. The main reason was that without prior deployment, it was difficult to achieve seamless attacks between humans and monsters. Moreover, there was no friendly fire immunity, and monsters had large bodies and attack ranges. Due to these considerations, it also had a certain restraining effect on both parties.
Therefore, mounted combat seemed to be the best solution. However, after attempts, while many monsters could indeed be ridden, achieving an effect of more than one plus one was somewhat strenuous during combat. After summarizing, Li Fan turned his attention to studying a combined mode primarily based on standing.
The advantage was that it could utilize the height of the monster's back to attack parts that were usually difficult to reach. When the combined monster was attacked and fell, one could quickly disengage, avoiding direct damage to oneself. The disadvantage was that it required a very high level of body balance, and very few monsters were suitable for this combined mode. This was because the monster's back must have sufficient standing space, and its movements must be relatively stable. Otherwise, if the monster performed a somersault, the enemy might be unharmed, but the person on its back would be thrown off.
Based on these requirements, Li Fan found that Zhan Zhan was very suitable as a monster for the combined mode in every aspect. Of course, its actual performance could only be tested in actual combat.
The opposing Zinogre had never seen such a scene. After a moment of hesitation, it did not retreat. After slowly approaching to a certain distance, it frequently shifted its steps laterally, searching for an opportunity to attack.
"Zhan Zhan, close in."
Zhan Zhan did not hesitate and used the same attack method as the opponent, lowering its head and charging forward. The Zinogre immediately lowered its head and shifted its center of gravity downwards.
*Bang!*
The heads of the two dragons collided heavily. Their four feet pushed forward forcefully, entering a state of stalemate. At this moment, Zhan Zhan's back vibrated slightly, but it remained relatively stable overall.
Li Fan released the Iron Bug Silk, gripped the Shield Crab Greatsword, and advanced slowly, aiming at the charging Zinogre's head and unleashing a series of slashes.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
With the sharpness of the Shield Crab Greatsword, it could not cleave through the shell covering the head, so a series of heavy blows echoed. The Zinogre became increasingly enraged by the impacts, but the charging Zhan Zhan gave it no chance to breathe.
*Clang!* The only remaining horn on its head cracked and fell off. Although this horn was made of keratin and had no practical function, the Zinogre immediately fell into a frenzy.
*Puff!* As its mouth bulged, the explosive ore accumulated in its mouth was spat downwards. Seeing the black liquid ore rapidly spreading on the ground, Zhan Zhan hesitated slightly. The Zinogre seized the opportunity to tilt its head back and retreat.
Just as it was waiting for the explosion, a *sizzle* was heard! The liquid ore was swallowed into Zhan Zhan's mouth.
"Huh? This is also possible?" Yudora exclaimed in amazement.
"If it's swallowed back into the mouth and reheated, it won't explode, meow..." Dilo attempted to explain.
"How do you know?"
"I was there when Li Fan taught Zhan Zhan, meow."
"Hmm... it seems he was well-prepared for this battle," Yudora concluded.
*Roar!* After swallowing, Zhan Zhan let out a roar, and flames flickered in its mouth. Although the magma sac was broken, the heating function was not completely lost. The Zinogre's movements immediately became cautious. It had clearly realized that Zhan Zhan's charge and rush just now were premeditated. If it got into close-quarters combat again, the hunter on its back would surely continue to slash with his sword.
*Bang! Bang!* The Zinogre tilted its head towards Zhan Zhan and began to circle.
"So experienced in combat... Li Fan suddenly felt a bit troubled. Compared to the tail blade, Zhan Zhan's casting thickness was clearly much inferior to the opponent's, not to mention the blunt impact from the side of the sword ridge.
*Whoosh~* The Zinogre suddenly leaped, and its scorching tail blade smashed down. Zhan Zhan knew it had no advantage in a tail blade contest, so it once again charged with its head. Li Fan, who had crouched down, grabbed the Iron Bug Silk and lowered his head sharply. The tail blade swept past horizontally from above.
*Clang!* Several flame-like spikes protruding from its back were cut off. Zhan Zhan gained an opportunity to get close, but the Zinogre turned its body and swung its tail blade, launching another slash. This time, the target was its head!
Li Fan turned sideways, facing the wind-whistling tail blade, and raised his sword to activate Foresight.
*Clang!* The horizontal sweeping spirit blade slashed heavily against the vertically descending tail blade. This seemingly futile act caused a slight deviation in the downward chopping angle.
*Crack!* One of the sharp horns on Zhan Zhan's head was severed, and the residual orange flame at the cut was still burning.
*Bang!* After swinging its tail blade, the Zinogre was hit on the outer thigh by Zhan Zhan's head-on charge before it could turn around, causing its entire body to tilt sideways.
*Puff!* A mass of liquid ore was spat out and attached to its paws. The Zinogre also wanted to swallow and heat it like Zhan Zhan, but due to adjusting its body balance, it was slightly slower.
*Boom!* Flames erupted! Black smoke billowed! The Zinogre's outer shell was indeed resistant to high temperatures, but it was not strong enough to withstand an explosion.
*Bang!* The Zinogre fell to its side. Zhan Zhan adjusted its distance and leaped up to use a Double Slash.
*Screech! Clang!* A horizontal slash cut across its waist, shattering the shell and spraying blood. During the second strike, the Zinogre fiercely got up and used its thickest part, its back, to block. Apart from cutting off a large number of flame-like spikes and leaving dents on its back, it did not cause much damage.
The two dragons pulled away again, breathing heavily. Both were covered in injuries, and it was impossible to tell who had the advantage. However, based on Li Fan's understanding of Zhan Zhan, he knew that due to the disparity in their tail blades, Zhan Zhan would have difficulty gaining an advantage in a frontal confrontation.
"Hmm... Sideways!" Li Fan said, quickly making a sweeping motion with his palm. Zhan Zhan immediately fell sideways, and Yudora and Dilo also lay flat on the ground.
Just as the Zinogre was bewildered, a *sizzle* was heard, and a stream of water shot out from behind it. The cutting ray swept in a circle, slicing through trees, grass, and stones, cutting anything it touched.
*Hiss!* The ray grazed the Zinogre's side for only a brief moment. But when the Zinogre stepped on the ground again, the shell on its side detached like loose tiles.
*Puff!* A cloud of blood mist erupted. The Zinogre's body sank, but it still managed to stand up. Realizing that it had to end the battle quickly, a look of determination flashed in the Zinogre's eyes, and it launched a near-suicidal attack.
Slash! Slash! Slash! ...
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* ...
Constant tremors and scorched dents covered the ground. Only when its tail blade's heat cooled down did both sides stop to catch their breath. At this point, Zhan Zhan had lost the sight in one eye and could only look at the Zinogre's movements from the side. Its steps were also a bit unsteady, but it still had no intention of retreating.
Li Fan, whose entire body was blackened by smoke, spat out the black dust he had inhaled and tentatively asked, "How about we rest for a bit?"
*Roar!* Zhan Zhan let out a cry of defiance. Li Fan was helpless. The Zinogre naturally enjoyed fighting, and confronting its own kind was a matter of instinct. To ask Zhan Zhan to retreat at this point would be like snatching a beehive from a bear's paw.
"Alright, since it's come to this, let's go all out with that move." The opposing Zinogre was indeed in a bad state, but if they continued fighting conventionally, Zhan Zhan would inevitably lose. Li Fan decided to take a gamble.
*Roar!* Zhan Zhan responded, stood still, and opened its mouth. The Zinogre initially thought it was going to heat and grind its tail blade, but instead, Zhan Zhan bit down on the descending Shield Crab Greatsword.
*Screech!* After chewing the blade a few times, Zhan Zhan raised its neck and tossed the Shield Crab Greatsword into the air.
"Ooh! Ooh! Oh! ... It's so hot." Li Fan, on its back, caught it and repeatedly flipped the hilt to barely hold on. At this moment, the sickle-shaped blade of the Shield Crab Greatsword had been heated to an orange-yellow.
"Hmm, the timing is just right," Li Fan commented, looking at the blade. Zhan Zhan's biting and grinding had two benefits: it could heat the weapon to a red-hot state and sharpen its edge. The difficult part was mastering the timing. For testing purposes, Li Fan had used the Jawblade Brax as an experiment in the Ancient Forest. Because the Jawblade's material strength was relatively average, it was sacrificed after only a few attempts. Fortunately, he had obtained some reasonably reliable data.
*Screech!* Zhan Zhan then began to grind its tail blade, contracting its body, even though there was not much remaining ore. Seeing this, the Zinogre also began to grind and bite without showing weakness.
"The combined technique is about to appear, meow! Iai Cross Cyclone Slash!" Dilo, watching from a pit in the distance, exclaimed with surprise.
"Iai... Cross... Cyclone Slash? Where's the cross?" Yudora, peeking out of the pit, was confused. The Zinogre's Iai Cyclone Slash involved a horizontal spinning slash. A single Zinogre didn't have two tails, so where did the cross slash come from?
"It's formed by Li Fan and Zhan Zhan together, meow." Dilo solemnly introduced.
"Oh! It's that powerful... The range won't reach, will it? I want to see!" Yudora no longer hid in the pit and instead poked out her upper body to watch.
"Zhan Zhan, the opponent's first strike will definitely be a sword ridge strike, intended to make you lose the power of your spin. Once your attack is no longer a threat, the second strike will be adjusted to a horizontal slash, using its sharp edge to deliver a heavy blow. Therefore, we must heavily wound it with a slash before the first strike is even delivered, and end the fight directly." Li Fan bent over, staring intently at the Zinogre, and gave his deployment.
Even with the same Iai Cyclone Slash, different attack strategies could produce vastly different results. Zhan Zhan was now at a disadvantage in any direct blade-to-blade confrontation. Therefore, Li Fan was convinced that the best approach was to inflict a heavy blow first.
As Li Fan stood holding his sword, *whoosh!* Zhan Zhan, with its body tensed, released its tail blade first. This move truly caught the Zinogre off guard. The Iai Cyclone Slash could indeed be released before it was fully charged, but the problem was that its power would be reduced. Moreover, Zhan Zhan's tail blade was already at a disadvantage. If it took this hit, the more powerful subsequent Iai Cyclone Slash could very well put Zhan Zhan to death.
Seeing the hope of victory, the Zinogre tensed its body and rotated slightly, intending to block with its back, which still had some shell remaining. However, to its complete surprise, Zhan Zhan spun and slid, its tail blade slashing horizontally across its body, while the hunter on its back simultaneously leaped into the air.
*Whoosh~* The Qi vents, blocked by solidified metal debris, burst open. Scorching Qi erupted as the Shield Crab Greatsword was swung with great force.
"Iai Cross Cyclone Slash!" Li Fan shouted, and the Shield Crab Greatsword descended vertically.
*Whoosh!* Zhan Zhan spun and slashed horizontally across the Zinogre's flank, creating a horrifying wound. The spirit blade, carrying scorching airwaves, then intersected with a vertical chop. The intersection point of the two blades was precisely the Zinogre's abdomen.
*Puff! Puff! Puff!* ... As the Qi exploded, several bursts of blood mist erupted. The Zinogre stopped its charge, its eyelids slowly closing. Just as only a sliver remained open, its eyes suddenly widened. Its body, tensed to the extreme, and its biting tail blade, began to creak again.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!* A gust of air exploded, and the Zinogre spun and charged forward with a speed that was almost instantaneous.
*Roar... Roar... Roar...* The Zinogre, continuously vomiting blood, panted heavily for a moment, then looked back, realizing that behind it, there was only a hunter lying on the grass.
*Thump... Thump... Thump...* The Zinogre dragged one foot on the ground and, with heavy steps, began to move towards the direction of the Ancient Forest.
Li Fan got up and found the healing sphere containing Zhan Zhan, placing it on his shoulder strap. To be honest, he hadn't expected the Zinogre to be able to release the Iai Cyclone Slash even after suffering such a heavy blow. If he hadn't been able to retrieve Zhan Zhan into the sphere, Zhan Zhan might have died.
*Whoosh~* A gust of wind pressure struck. Little Fool landed quickly and lowered its neck.
"No need to chase it, it won't last much longer." After the monster fled, its injuries could indeed be greatly alleviated through sleep. However, unlike in the game, this injury had limits.
*Bang!* Two minutes later, the increasingly slow Zinogre fell to its side in the grass. Deep red blood flowed out from beneath it.
*Whoosh! Clang!* A cat paw signal flare exploded in the sky. In the early morning, a team of Melynx transporters appeared.
"Oh ho! You didn't lie to this meow, it's indeed a big deal." The Melynx leader's eyes lit up upon seeing the Zinogre's corpse.
"Transport it to Honeday Village, name your price."
"Is it to be transported to the border, or directly to the village, meow?"
"To the village."
"Uh... 54,000z, meow."
"That's too expensive."
"It's like this, esteemed guest. To transport this Zinogre, only the Melynx of this tribe are not enough, meow. And it's not just Melynx involved, some parts also involve humans."
"What about the time?"
"At least 20 days, meow."
"Alright, payment upon delivery. If the Guild finds out midway..."
"I know, meow. It will have absolutely nothing to do with you. No one wants to offend a hunter team that can hunt a Zinogre," the Melynx said, rubbing its paws.
With the transportation arrangements settled, and with the help of many monsters, the cleanup of the battle site was completed. As dawn approached, Li Fan returned to the village. Believing that after the two Zinogres fought, one going to the Ancient Forest and the other escaping to an unknown destination was the most reasonable explanation, he wrote a tracking report accordingly. The Guild branch was overjoyed upon receiving it, and Li Fan and Yudora each received a reward of 10,000z. After buying two books related to Honeday Village, Li Fan returned to his small wooden cabin and began to study earnestly.
There were legends of the Wind Serpent Dragon and Thunder Serpent Dragon, so why was there so little information about Wirebugs? Li Fan wondered after finishing the books.