Ancient Dragon in Arknights

The voices of Azure Star and the follower cat gradually reached Neltharion's ears, and he was somewhat surprised—where did these voices come from?

"Hiss... why is my chest starting to ache?"

"Ah—damn it. What's going on!?"

The calls in Nesario's ears grew louder and louder, accompanied by unparalleled pain—he felt pain all over his body.

"Ah—! Ha...ha...what's going on?"

Nesario awoke with a start as the pain reached its peak. He looked around in disbelief—a stone hearth and dining table, a tent made of yellow canvas, a world full of crystals and rocks.

The receptionist, Azure Star, and the two Palicoes all looked around Neltharion with concern.

"Great! Neltharion, you're finally awake!"

"Phew... I made it."

"Don't move yet, the honey worms haven't fully taken effect."

Nesario looked at his body after being reminded by his follower cat—what he saw almost scared him to death: a huge blob of green slime enveloped his entire body, with bloodstains constantly appearing within it.

"This is a giant honeybee attracted by the honeybee-attracting incense. If it weren't for its powerful effect, you would already be dead."

"It wouldn't matter if I died..."

Nesario knew the magic of the honeyworms; the huge honey balls carried by those little insects were a miraculous cure.

He was probably still in the world of the New World when the Nergigante severely injured him, but Azure Star pulled him back from the brink of death.

"Weren't we on a battlefield back then? How come... how did you manage to dodge Nergigante?"

Neltharion couldn't believe it. How did Azure Star manage to evade Nergigante while carrying a heavily wounded man like himself? Was this what made her a respected hunter?

"It's just a Return Ball—an item made from a Smoke Ball and a Heartbeat Mushroom. The smoke obscures the monster's vision, while the Heartbeat Mushroom allows the Pteranodon to burst into its fastest speed to take us back to camp."

Guided by Azure Star—and sure enough, in a corner of the camp, there was a completely exhausted pterosaur, probably the one that had risked everything to save him.

"Thank you... for saving my life."

"You're welcome. Although you say you're fine, watching my companion die before my eyes would definitely give me nightmares tonight."

"You won't have nightmares, because tonight everyone is having a party to celebrate defeating Nergigante."

"Ok!"

While Neltharion lay on the ground recovering, Azure Star and the receptionist replenished supplies and analyzed the characteristics of Nergigante.

"In previous encounters, its thorns were severed by sword masters, but it remains unharmed. Powerful regenerative abilities and physical strength are probably what Nergigante excels at."

"Is victory only possible through direct confrontation...?"

"Every living thing has weaknesses; there are no perfect creatures. Think back carefully: were there any unusual circumstances during your hunts?"

"...Lightning. Yes! The greatsword made by the Kirin will attract lightning, and the Nergigante's horn was directly destroyed by lightning!"

With Nesario fully recovered, the hunting party regrouped.

This time, the two devised a more comprehensive battle plan.

Lightning—that's Nergigante's weakness; we must attack that spot.

"The Qilin's twin blades...aren't they just a pair of horns?"

"Most of the Qilin's power is stored in its horns. Therefore, they are the best choice for making weapons."

Heaven knows how many Qilins Azure Star has hunted—besides a greatsword, she even has twin swords made from Qilin.

According to the receptionist, Azure Star selects different weapons depending on the type of monster—logistics usually delivers a variety of weapons to the camp, waiting for their owners to use them.

Nesario was fortunate enough to be able to use the twin swords made by the Kirin.

"That guy's quills have all turned black..."

"And he was also enraged by the pain of losing his horn."

Neltharion and Azure Star found Nergigante without even using a Scoutfly.

This creature was now venting its fury, tearing apart crystals, rocks, and creatures—anything the Nergigante had passed through.

The black spikes covering the ground became Nergigante's most terrifying trademark.

"Everything will proceed according to the battle plan."

"learn."

After discovering Nergigante, the two exchanged a glance and, after confirming each other's will, went to their respective locations.

Azure Star fled to other places, leaving Nesario alone—she did not run away, but went to her battlefield.

"Now—let me have a go at you!"

Neltharion drank the buff potion and then charged towards Nergigante.

Sensing a familiar scent, Nergigante quickly turned its attention to Neltharion—the moment it saw him, the beast's chilling killing intent erupted.

"Roar!"

The two charged at each other, one human and one dragon. Nergigante raised its right hand high, as if to smash Neltharion into mincemeat.

Faced with such a crisis, Neltharion reversed his grip on his twin blades, and with the aid of immense strength and swift speed, he transformed into a dazzling display of blades.

With a spinning charge slash, Neltharion charged forward at incredible speed, leaving its own wounds on Nergigante's side with its Kirin Twin Blades and Razor Blade Tail.

The most striking feature was the constant bursts of lightning from the Kirin's horns; the Nergigante's thorns even showed obvious signs of breakage under the impact of the lightning.

'As expected... the Annihilator Dragon fears lightning!'

Phase one of the plan has been achieved; it's time to move on to the next step.

Chapter 88 Territory Struggle

The wrath of the Nergigante is uncontrollable; it will surely pierce Neltharion with its thorns to quell its fury today.

Facing a Nergigante in this state is definitely not a wise move. What will Neltharion do?

Of course he ran away!

Faced with Nergigante's fury, Neltharion showed no remorse as a challenger. He sheathed his twin blades and quickly used all his strength to flee.

By turning his back to Nergigante and running away, Neltharion was practically unleashing his rage and hunting instincts, courting death!

His stamina and speed might prevent Nergigante from catching up immediately, but there is a huge gap in stamina between the two, and over time, Neltharion will eventually get tired.

boom!

A tremendous sound and impact erupted together—this was Nergigante's flying strike; it was the best proof of its rage. If Neltharion continued to stay here, he would surely die.

Fortunately, Neltharion had already escaped, and facing the receding aura, Nergigante charged straight at it without a second thought.

As a result, the small dragons by the roadside were in trouble. They saw a figure rushing into their territory and were about to warn the other party with a roar when a dragon shadow exuding extreme danger rushed over.

If you stay far away, you're fine; you're just too scared to move by the pressure from your bloodline. But those who are closer are in big trouble.

Countless jet-black spikes grew on its black wingspan, charging alongside its master and piercing through any stray creatures in the process.

The name Nergigante is quite fitting, for wherever it goes, it brings annihilation.

Hurry, hurry!

Nesario followed the trail of the guide bug all the way there. His plan with Azure Star was very bold, but it was indeed highly feasible.

The two sides must cooperate perfectly, otherwise they will be picked off one by one by Nergigante.

As the guidefyre's light grew brighter, Nesario knew that they were almost at their destination.

'Hold on! My body!'

Neltharion was beginning to feel exhausted. Although his previously severely injured body had been healed, the fatigue ingrained in his bones could not be erased. What he needed now was rest, not to carry the burden of mortal danger and the pursuit of monsters.

"Roar!"

A roar distinctly different from that of Nergigante rang out. Nergigante's voice carried a sense of majesty and ferocity, while this roar revealed nothing but cruelty and tyranny. The former was a king who loved conquest and slaughter, while the latter was a tyrant who had completely fallen into madness.

Upon hearing this roar, Nesario knew that Azure Star's plan was also proceeding smoothly.

"Then our priority now is to stay alive!"

Nesario tossed the white sphere at his feet, and in an instant—a burst of white smoke erupted, obscuring his previously clear vision.

Seeing this, Nergigante stopped in its tracks. Its target had disappeared from sight; it needed to find that damned bug first.

Just as Nergigante lowered its head to sniff the lingering scent on the ground, Neltharion had already donned his invisibility cloak.

This item was also supplied from Azure Star. This equipment is usually used by the survey team to help them investigate information about various monsters.

But in the hands of the hunting expert Azure Star, it can produce a different effect.

Thump, thump, thump—the sound of footsteps shaking the earth rang out, and from the increasing loudness of the sound, it was clear that something was approaching.

Nergigante raised its head and looked warily in the direction of the sound.

Thump—thump—roar!

From a cave, Azure Star fled at top speed. Judging from the slight sweat on her forehead, she had just been racing against some monster.

Seeing that Nergigante was staring at him with murderous intent, Azure Star guessed that it would definitely charge at him in the next moment, which was the key to the success of the plan.

"Roar--!"

As expected, Nergigante charged in!

It would normally be more cautious, at least to find out who the footsteps behind Azure Star belonged to.

*Pfft*—another smoke bomb. Azure Star also threw a bunch of smoke bombs on the ground. She hid in the smoke and quickly equipped her invisibility suit. The whole set of movements was smooth and fluid, as if she had done it many times before.

The Nergigante had had enough of having its vision obscured by the smoke. It propped itself up on its hind legs and then flapped its wings—the powerful wind dispersed all the white smoke.

Unfortunately, Azure Star was no longer there; she put on her invisibility cloak and vanished.

Boom!

As heavy footsteps sounded, the slowly approaching enemy finally revealed its true form.

Its enormous body is covered with hard scales, and sharp spikes adorn its back, tail, and other parts. What is even more striking is its unique body – it is uniformly thick all over, with thick muscles covering its entire body; its mouth is covered with spikes and fangs, and its gaping maw seems capable of devouring everything.

The Deviljho, the destroyer of the ecosystem! Makes its grand entrance!