Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Elsewhere, a strange fellow like Nesario would probably be labeled a "monster" or an "outcast" and subjected to disdain.

But the investigation team exclaimed, "Holy crap, bro, you have dragon horns and a tail! That's... oh, no, that's so cool!"

Look! Even the famous Azure Star is curiously stroking Nesario's tail.

"Um... hello everyone, my name is Nesario, and I'm a rather unique hunter from another world."

"Oh! Hello! We are hunters from the Fifth Fleet of the Survey Corps! Nice to meet you!"

"And our second generation group too!"

"Where is the Fourth Generation!?"

"..."

"Hello, my name is Azure Star, welcome to the investigation team."

Finally, after stroking Nesario's tail from top to bottom, Azure Star introduced himself.

Her voice was... very girlish? Nesario even thought her voice was cuter than Rita's and the others'.

But those clearly defined muscles on his body are no joke; they're a sign of his fighting prowess!

"that......"

'What should I say? Hunter experience? No, everyone here is a seasoned hunter; I'm the weakling. The customs and culture of that other world? Scholars might be interested, but Terra... talking about that shitty place will only make the research team speechless.'

Nesario finally remembered his lack of social skills. Because he had made a few friends with Rita and become familiar with the Glasgow gang, he began to think he was eloquent.

But in reality—no! Rita and the others were drawn to Nesario, leading to a two-way journey. As for the Glasgow Gang... that was purely a case of superiors dominating subordinates.

Nesario was a top student at the Royal Guard Academy, so he naturally didn't feel nervous facing a group of gangsters.

But now, surrounded by experienced hunters and knowledgeable scholars, Nesario was at a loss for what topic to bring up.

"Go report to the Commander-in-Chief first; my mission hasn't been completed yet."

Azure Star stepped forward at the opportune moment, and after a brief period of merriment, everyone returned to their posts to continue working; while Nesario went with Azure Star and her host partner to find the Commander-in-Chief.

"Commander-in-Chief, the mission is complete. The anomaly in the forest has been eliminated, and the monsters that inhabited it have calmed down."

"Thank you for your hard work. Geralt and Neltharion have already dealt with the culprit. Now we just need to monitor the aftermath periodically."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it."

It seems the Commander-in-Chief values ​​Azure Star highly; the way the two talked didn't seem like superior and subordinate, but rather like trusted comrades-in-arms—this atmosphere seemed to be the same among the members of the investigation team.

"By the way, you've heard about what happened to Neltharion, right? What are your thoughts?"

"Hmm... I'd like to have a friendly spar with him."

Nesario: ?

"The fastest way for me to understand things is through battle, especially for someone as special as you."

"Ah ha ha..."

A friendly competition has begun!

Many members of the investigation team gathered around. They had all heard about Nesario and were curious—whether the monster hunters from the other world were stronger, or the monster hunters on their side were stronger.

At the exit of the investigation team's base was a large open space, where many people were gathered to watch the spectacle.

"Then, the battle begins!"

The Commander-in-Chief acted as referee, and at his command, Nesario and Azure Star charged toward each other.

Nesario used his own body—that is, his claws and steel blades—and he knew that Azure Star was a proper hunter, and that the rudimentary skills his companion had taught him would definitely be seen through.

The only way to break the deadlock is to use non-hunter techniques.

Azure Star uses a one-handed sword, holding the sword in her left hand and a shield in her right—a very familiar combination. Back then, both Angelia and Rita planned to use this move against Nesario.

He believed the outcome would be the same this time.

Claw Attack! Blade Whirlwind! Double Blade Slash! Wild Dragon Dance!

Neltharion didn't activate his berserk state; that mode consumes energy too quickly, and he might "wake up" prematurely.

As time went on, Nesario found that his attacks were being anticipated.

Initially, his attacks would cause trouble for Azure Star, leaving several scars on her shield—but as the rhythm of the battle gradually became fixed, Neltharion's attacks could be anticipated in advance.

The claws are dodged with a sidestep, and the tail whip is blocked or evaded. This feeling... is just like that of prey facing a hunter!

'Damn it! How could I be so stupid!'

Hunters are familiar with each other's martial arts, but there are still gaps between different weapons; but there are no gaps in the ability to hunt monsters!

Neltharion is just a composite monster, isn't it? Once you get familiar with the attack rhythms of Odogaron and Glavenus, it's easy to deal with!

'I am now the monster being hunted!'

When their eyes met again, Nesario saw the spirit of the hunter in Azure Star's eyes!

Her wandering gaze seemed to be assessing which part of her flesh was of better quality!

Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Sparring Match

The next strike will decide the outcome.

Nesario felt that if this continued, he would be exhausted and powerless.

Rather than be slowly worn down to death, he would rather fight to the death!

Berserk mode activated!

Nesario's chest began to emit a faint red glow, the color of his blood. His hot blood began to surge in his veins, and relentless, boundless power began to flow from his heart into his limbs.

"Whoa! What's that!?"

"A speed-enhancing drug?"

"It looks more like a demon transformation..."

"No, that's the berserk state of the Odogaron; when the Odogaron is about to die, it will rapidly unleash its full power by eating, thus turning the tide of battle... Most of you probably haven't seen anything like that. In this state, the Odogaron can even fight against Ancient Dragons!"

A woman with dark skin, wearing goggles and a full head of white hair walked out from the crowd. She looked very shrewd and capable, and the hunters around her listened patiently to her explanation. This was the Wilderness Master—one of the legendary figures in the survey team.

"Auntie! Are they in danger?"

The receptionist was a little worried. The berserk mode of the Odogaron was a skill that was only used when facing a life-or-death crisis. Were Neltharion and Azure Star really going all out?

"No... He also fused with the Dragon Slayer in addition to the Odogaron. Given the Dragon Slayer's vitality, this injury is nothing. So... I think that berserk mode is just a state upgrade for him, similar to 'Demon Mode'."

"As for Azure Star? You and I were both there when she was fighting the Odogaron."

Master Yuanye's judgment and knowledge are top-notch; with just a little information, she was able to analyze some of Nesario's characteristics.

As for the outcome of the battle between Nesario and Azure Star? That's an easy question to answer... Azure Star isn't using her full strength at all. True hunters don't fight like samurai.

If it were a true life-or-death battle, Azure Star would use every means at her disposal.

Turning our attention back to the dueling arena—Nesario had already brought his tail across his body, his two pairs of steel claws locked together, sparks and flames flashing on the blades.

"Watch out! This move is incredibly destructive!"

Although Nesario knew that his opponent probably had a way to defend against this move, he was afraid that if he accidentally hit him, he wouldn't be laughing.

Azure Star held her shield horizontally in front of her, her posture making it clear that she was telling Neltharion to come at her!

Razorblade Great Spin!

Amid the hunters' gasps, Neltharion suddenly spun around, the immense momentum sending his tail sweeping out a slash that could cut through steel and iron. In an instant, the flowers and grass on the ground turned to ashes, leaving Neltharion with a mark that belonged to him in this world.

'Where are the people? '

Nesario dared not be careless. After spinning around, he immediately focused his gaze on Azure Star, but she had vanished!

"above!"

Nesario's combat intuition was incredibly sharp; almost instantly, he guessed the location of Azure Star.

"High ground, low ground"—while this is the rule of engagement for ranged weapons, it also applies to close combat. The gravitational potential energy of a falling object from a height can be comparable to the bombardment of a heavy weapon, so it's best to avoid it.

Nesario rolled to the side, and in the instant he dodged, a shield slammed into the ground from above like a warhammer.

'Won't my horn break off with that?!'

Having created some distance, Azure Star also recovered from its slamming stance. The two faced off again, with Neltharion currently at a slight disadvantage, but this exciting exchange was already worthy of applause from the crowd.

"Wow! So cool! So powerful! That's a dragon-slaying move, right!?"

"Didn't they say their tail is like a dragon's tail?"

"But I didn't expect that they could even use those moves!"

"..."

Hunters are not butchers. When dealing with numerous monsters, the correct process is to paralyze, hypnotize, capture, harvest materials, study the ecology, and release them back into nature.

The mission has always been to study monsters, understand the ecology, and then help humanity survive better.

Hunting is not the same as killing; every hunter must understand this.

So when hunters see familiar moves appear on a human, they are incredibly excited. It's a testament to the boundless vitality and creativity of nature!

How did you dodge that?

"It's just a simple trick with a one-handed sword: take a step back, then step on your tail and perform a Dragon Slash."

"No wonder I felt my tail sink just now..."

However, the treatment wasn't perfect. Azure Star looked at the shield in her hand—there was a deep melt mark on it; the shield, made of steel, had reached its limit. A few more hits and it would probably be completely ruined.

"One more."

"Come!"

Neltharion already had a plan in mind. He quickly lowered his body and attacked Azure Star. Azure Star's shield was ready, and Neltharion's claws would definitely not be able to break through this defense.

As expected, Neltharion's claws hurtled straight toward the shield—Azure Star was prepared to defend against the impact, but just before it hit, Neltharion's claws suddenly retracted.

"!?"

"Victorian Military Combat Techniques!"