The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　The tail slammed against the shield with a metallic clang, and the powerful impact cleared away the ice shards from Edwater's body, though he could barely lift his arm after being hit like that.

　At the same time, Sereria charged toward the Scorching Dragon with the True Flying Dragon Blade [Double Blaze]. Just before she was about to collide with the Scorching Dragon, Sereria used Foresight Slash to dodge the smoke and snow brought by the Scorching Dragon's slap. She then quickly used Vertical Slash, Forward Slash and Spirit Blade Slash.

　As the Scorching Zero Dragon roared and raised its Zero Claw to strike at Sereria, Sereria seized the opportunity to use her Air Blade Great Spin to dodge the spreading ice pillars on the ground. Then, Sereria stepped on the ice pillars created by the Scorching Zero Dragon, crouched down, tensed her calf muscles, and jumped up to strike the Scorching Zero Dragon's head.

　The Scorching Dragon showed no intention of retreating. Instead, it shook its head and used its massive spiraling ice horn to block the True Wyvern Blade [Double Blade Burst] that Sereria was slashing down. Under Sereria's full-force slash, a large number of ice shards fell from the frozen horn. Sereria looked at the Scorching Dragon, who was completely unconcerned about her attack, and jumped down first and stood up to adjust her posture.

　Seeing the Scorching Dragon turn around indifferently, Sereria could only run alongside it again, intending to escape its charging path. However, considering the possibility that the Scorching Dragon might perform another high jump, she had to make sure that the distance between them was greater.

　Sibert and Edlinka had already found their positions and started firing. Their weapons seemed to be loaded with fireballs. The bullets fired from their crossbows released scorching flames as they hit the Scorching Dragon. But even when hit by a large number of fireballs, the Scorching Dragon did not show the slightest fear.

　The Scorching Dragon changed its target to Edwald again. It calmly changed its body direction and launched another attack on Edwald. Edwald had to dodge the attack with great force, which left him no time to switch from defense to offense. Edlinka was shooting at the Scorching Dragon to cover him.

　In desperation, Sibert threw a flashbang to disrupt the Scorching Dragon's attack path. Although its vision was lost due to the flashbang, the Scorching Dragon still remembered Edwater's position and continued to advance without paying attention. Edlinka's shots also had no effect on blocking the Scorching Dragon.

　However, it was precisely because he completely gave up the idea of ​​launching a counterattack from the beginning that Edwater was able to successfully dodge the creature. Cold sweat slid down Edwater's spine under his black belt suit. Although he was able to dodge the attack of the Scorching Dragon this time, each time it was a close call.

　If the Scorching Zero Dragon's attack had been any faster, or if Edward's movements had been slightly slower, he would have been caught in the charge, and the worst-case scenario would have been being trampled by the Scorching Zero Dragon's thick limbs.

　Before Edwater could even relax his stiff body, the Scorching Dragon changed direction again and attacked Edwater once more. Knowing that Edwater didn't have time to adjust his body's state, Sibert, who had just thrown the flashbang, immediately raised the Polar Star Sorrow Cannon [Libra] and fired at the target.

　Flameballs fired from the two crossbows struck the target one after another, releasing scorching flames, but the Scorching Dragon ignored the flames and moisture generated on its carapace and charged toward the target recklessly.

　While assisting Edward and Sereria, Sibet and Edlinka were also constantly testing their proposed flashbang resistance system, sonic bombs, and paralysis traps. So far, it seems that only flashbangs will cause the Scorching Zero Dragon to react, but the effective time is very short.

　Sonic bombs and Stink Bombs can be effective against Scorching Zero Dragon, but if you launch Stink Bombs rashly, Sibeth doesn't know what Scorching Zero Dragon will do. As for paralysis traps and pitfall traps, you can't use tools to dig out the right size for the traps here.

　Furthermore, the Scorched Zero Dragon's carapace is extremely sturdy, showing no fear of the hunter's slashes and shots, and launching its charge attack without needing to dodge.

　Just as Sereria and the others were wondering what the Scorching Dragon would do next, the Scorching Dragon used its left forelimb to leap into the air and landed opposite Sereria and Edward. Then, with the support of its hind legs, it stood up high, slightly raised its head, and exhaled its breath at Sereria with a superior air.

　It was an extremely cold aura mixed with ice shards and snow particles. The extremely cold aura exhaled by the Scorching Dragon even froze the ground. The collision of ice and snow created a large amount of smoke and snow, and countless snow chunks flew over Sereria's head. Because the smoke and snow obscured her vision, Sereria could only quickly increase the distance between herself and the Scorching Dragon and wait for its next move.

　But after exhaling its freezing breath, the Scorching Dragon stopped moving. Just as Edward raised his silver knight lance to distract the Scorching Dragon and get Sereria to a safe area, the Scorching Dragon suddenly spewed a scorching ray at Edward.

　A beam powerful enough to melt marble struck Edward's shield immediately. Edward had no time to dodge and could only take the intense heat beam head-on as before. The powerful force made Edward unable to withstand it and he had to retreat. Seeing this, Edlinka immediately jumped out from a safe place and started firing bullets at the head of the Scorching Zero Dragon.

　"Adeline!"

　Ignoring the rules of safe hunting, Sibert rushed out immediately. He had just taken out a flash bomb from his item bag when the Scorching Dragon seemed to have anticipated Sibert's actions. After Sibert appeared, it increased the intensity of its breath attack, and the intense heat ray instantly engulfed Edward.

　"Sebert, hurry and save Edward!"

　"it is good!"

　Sibert nodded. Under Edlinka's relentless fire, the Scorching Dragon finally stopped paying attention to the immobilized Edlinka and instead focused on a new threat. Sibert began to run at full speed. Although he was using a heavy crossbow, Edlinka should be able to dodge the Scorching Dragon's attacks.

　He trusted Edlinka's strength, and with Sereria by his side, he ran without looking back. As he ran, Sibert kept glancing at the distinctive body of the Scorching Dragon out of the corner of his eye, and then he saw Sereria half-buried in the snow, but it looked like she would be out soon.

　"Edward, Edward! Ah, it's so hot!"

　When Sibette rushed to Edward's side, she instinctively tried to pick him up, but the scorching protective gear almost caused her to drop Edward to the ground. Seeing this, Sibette immediately took out a cold drink, poured it into her hand, drank the whole bottle, and dragged Edward to a safe place.

　After Sibert poured two bottles of nutrient solution G and fed him a secret pill, Edward let out a low groan. He was still alive, but he had completely lost consciousness due to the impact and heat wave. His reaction and the sound just now were just subconscious movements of his body. But it was good that he was not dead.

　After rescuing Edward, Sibert looked back in the direction where Edlinka and Sereria were. Fortunately, Sereria had escaped and was helping Edlinka hold off the Scorching Dragon. Edlinka, whose distance from the Scorching Dragon had been reduced, had put away the Phoenix Fire Dragon Cannon [Eternal Flame] and was trying to create distance again.

　As Edlinka fled, she reached into her waist pocket and pulled out an object. The object, which was thrown in front of the Scorching Dragon, immediately emitted a dazzling flash, temporarily blinding the dragon. Sibert also closed his eyes in time.

　Once again, the Blazing Dragon used its hind legs to support its upper body because its sight had been taken away. Perhaps because its eyes were hurting from the intense stimulation, the Blazing Dragon kept twisting its body. Although it was only for a brief moment, Sereria and Edlinka were indeed in a very bad situation.

　Just then, a strange light began to flash on the chest of the Scorching Dragon. Sereria glanced at it and immediately knew that the Scorching Dragon was about to do something bad. Since the flashbang had bought them less than a minute of time, Sereria immediately took Edelinka and ran towards Sibert.

　"Retreat immediately! Get out of here! The Scorching Dragon has entered a berserk state!"

　Sereria and the others were a four-person team. Edlinka and Sibert were gunners, Sereria was the damage dealer, and only Edwater was able to take the lead. Since Edwater was no longer able to fight, at least one of the two gunners would become the new target of the Scorching Dragon.

　Moreover, even if they were to stay here, they would have to protect Edward while avoiding the attacks of the Scorching Dragon. Considering this situation, the most appropriate course of action at present is to retreat.

　“Roar, ahhhhhhhhhh!!”

　"It's already ineffective? Flashbang!"

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　Volume 1: 515 - The Battle of Scorching Zero Dragon (3)

　Just as Edlinka was about to help Sibert carry Edward away, she heard the short cry and hurriedly turned around to look. She saw that the Scorching Zero Dragon, which had been dizzy from Edlinka's flashbang, had regained its vision. Although it seemed to have been like this before, the duration was too short. The effect was probably just to distract it for a moment.

　Enraged, Scorching Dragon turned to face Sereria and the others. They couldn't put Edward down, but if they carried him, they wouldn't be able to escape from Scorching Dragon's clutches. Sereria kept thinking of possible solutions, but couldn't come up with anything, which made her increasingly anxious.

　Sibert and Edlinka beside him were the same. Right before their eyes, the chest of the Scorching Zero Dragon flashed with an unusual light again. The Scorching Claw and Zero Claw of the Scorching Zero Dragon slammed into the ground at the same time. The Scorching Claw released a wave of intense heat, and the Zero Claw released a chilling cold air, which immediately enveloped the surrounding area.

　At the same time, energy was constantly accumulating in the mouth of the Scorching Zero Dragon. The chaotic fire and ice energy mixed together and emitted a light that looked like it was about to explode. Although Sereria couldn't tell whether this was the Scorching Zero Dragon's Scorching Zero Blast, she knew that if she took this hit, she might really be going to meet Palico.

　However, at that very moment, a familiar Elf cat suddenly appeared in front of Sereria—it was Donnie!

　But at this moment, with a roar from the Scorching Dragon, all the energy it had accumulated was released immediately. In that instant, the atmosphere around the Scorching Dragon was frozen into huge blocks of ice. Just before the ice blocks were about to fall, Donnie quickly threw out a flashbang, but this flashbang only delayed the arrival of the fierce fire whirlwind by a few breaths.

　But a few breaths were enough. Donnie quickly took out the nutrient solution G and poured it on them, shouting for them to run. Then, just as the Scorching Dragon regained its sight, he threw out a flashbang again, taking the monster's sight away once more. Although a fierce whirlwind of fire swept in during this brief moment, Sereria and the others had already safely left.

　When Sereria and the others arrived at Mejepoltan, it was the third night after they escaped from the ancient tower. Only after confirming that the Scorching Dragon had not pursued them did Sereria and the others embark on their return journey.

　Because they had to take care of the unconscious Edward throughout the operation, they spent a lot of time on the journey, especially in the caves near the temporary camp, where they were delayed for a considerable period of time.

　After taking the still unconscious Edward to their parents' house and entrusting him to Edlinka's care, Sereria and Sibert hurried toward the meeting place. The night wind was always cold, and Sereria couldn't help but hunch her shoulders. Sibert took off his own clothes and gave them to Sereria to wear, then strode toward the meeting place.

　Since it was already night, all the doors and windows of the meeting place were tightly closed, and because there were very few people gathered there, it created a feeling of utter silence. Strange noises came from the wind that seemed to be coming from somewhere, and the candles in the room flickered incessantly.

　Sereria missed the hustle and bustle of the tavern during the day. If it were as lively as the tavern during the day, she could at least temporarily forget about her troubles. The failure to hunt the Scorching Dragon made the place here quite depressing.

　It wasn't a good time to drink hot tea, so Sibel ordered a hot deer milk with honey for Sereria. Although Sereria thought it was too childish to drink such a thing, Sibel wouldn't let her drink alcohol, so Sereria could only angrily use the warm deer milk to warm her slightly chilly body. It was only then that Sibel noticed that there was also a short old woman present.

　"Mother-in-law?"

　The old woman was dressed in standard hunter's winter clothes and wore a straw hat, a style of clothing rarely seen nowadays. She was a famous hunter who had once cut off the horn of a Teostra. The hunters of Mejepoltan affectionately called her Grandma.

　"Oh, it's Xiaoxi and Liya! You've both grown up so much."

　"Grandma, I can drink alcohol. It was my brother who made me drink milk!"

　Sereria was the first to stand up in protest, but Sibert pressed her down again. "Sorry, Grandma, you're quite energetic too. By the way, did you come here specifically to participate in this discussion?"

　Although the Hunter's Guild of Mejeportan was in charge of the matter concerning the Scorching Dragon, it was also a matter concerning the masters of Mejeportan, so Grandma would definitely not ignore it, Sibert thought to himself.

　"Well, although I may not be of much help, at least I can do my part as an old man."

　"Thank you for your help." Sibert quickly expressed his gratitude. Even in the entire Mejpoldan, his grandmother was one of the wisest people. Since she knew many of the stories passed down by word of mouth, she would definitely be able to help.

　"How is Edward's injury?" the mother-in-law asked worriedly.

　"The injuries are not serious, but he has not yet regained consciousness and is currently recuperating at home."

　After confirming the situation of the Scorching Dragon, someone then spoke up: "While you were resting at home, we also discovered another troublesome matter."

　"Something troublesome?"

　"Yes, the assembly center has officially issued an evacuation notice, which means that instructions have been issued to the villages around the ancient tower, advising the villagers to leave the village and flee to a safe area."

　“While I understand the union wants to avoid accidental injuries or fatalities, going to this extent is…” Before Sibert could finish speaking, someone else interrupted him.

　“Building a human settlement in a natural environment where monsters frequently appear requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. But now we have to abandon this place. We don’t know when we can come back, or even if we can come back at all. The worst case scenario is that the villagers of these refuge villages will have to rebuild their homes in a place with high atmospheric pressure.”

　Sibert recognized the man; he seemed to be the village chief of some village. But as soon as he finished speaking, someone else began to explain, "Yes, but it's necessary. That's an ancient dragon, and the trouble doesn't end there."

　"Huh?" Now it was the village chief's turn to be puzzled.

　"The appearance of the Scorching Dragon also triggered another anomaly, as all the animals fled from the deep mountains because of its appearance."

　"What's wrong?"

　"Not only herbivores like herbivorous dragons have escaped, but also carnivores such as Velocidrome and Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, for some monsters with a certain level of strength, the situation has not yet reached the point where they must flee. But all the large monsters will become more active under the stimulation of Urodon."

　"You mean the Deviljho we encountered on the way back?" Sibert asked without hesitation.

　The man nodded vigorously and continued, "Currently, it's not just Deviljho that's appearing in the dense forest; Nargacuga and even Rathalos are starting to roam around frequently. What you encountered was probably just one of them."

　"These carnivorous monsters have all come out?"

　"Yes, that's the trouble I was talking about. Even if the villagers are sent to a safe area, if there are a lot of Deviljho and Nargacuga roaming around the village, then they are very likely to encounter them on the way."

　The man paused, then continued, "We simply cannot guarantee the safety of these villagers who are seeking refuge with their luggage, not to mention that there are elderly, young, sick, and disabled people in the group who have difficulty walking."

　"So, in order to ensure that the villagers can take refuge safely, should we deal with the monsters around us before dealing with the Scorching Dragon?"

　“We do need to find a way to clear out the monsters around us, but before that, I want to figure out why the Scorching Zero Dragon appeared at the top of the ancient tower.”

　"Hundreds of years ago, the person who chased the awakened Scorching Dragon to its doom seemed to be this village chief's ancestor." After saying that, the man gestured to the old woman next to him.

　"Huh, is this for real?!" Sibert asked in surprise.

　The mother-in-law nodded.

　“I heard that this old woman’s ancestors defeated the Zhuo Ling Dragon on this land, and the reason why people built villages here is because they followed in the footsteps of their ancestors.”

　Unexpectedly, she heard about the village's origins and the secrets of the Scorching Dragon. All of Sibert's thoughts immediately focused on her grandmother's ancestor: how exactly did he defeat the Collapse Dragon? What kind of weapon did he use? Did he have any companions?

　Hundreds of years have passed, and the Scorching Dragon has awakened again. Perhaps the same thing happened hundreds of years before the old woman's ancestor defeated the monster.

　Nature always cycles over unimaginable long periods of time; for example, monsters like the Fortress Crab may stay in the same place for decades.

　If the Scorching Dragon also possesses this characteristic, then figuring out how to deal with the awakened Scorching Dragon becomes the task of the people living in this era. Perhaps Grandma's ancestors thought the same way.

　"Of course, we must also do something about the monsters that have appeared around us."

　"Even so, it would be even more unrealistic to divide the already small number of people into two groups, with Sereria and Sibert responsible for dealing with the Collapse Dragon, and Edlinka and Edward responsible for dealing with the Snow Lion King."

　"Therefore, this matter cannot be left to you. The task of defeating the Scorching Dragon is everyone's responsibility. You only need to consider how to build your own team and how to deal with the Scorching Dragon."

　After saying that, the man stood up and took the initiative to take on the task of hunting Rathalos. The other hunters also stood up to show their willingness to do their part. Seeing more and more hunters joining in, Sibert solemnly said, "I understand. Then I'll leave it to you."

　On the morning of the third day, when Sereria and the others returned to the top of the ancient tower, the Scorching Dragon was resting not far away. Although Sereria had not yet officially started the subjugation operation, the amazing sense of oppression still lingered on her skin, making her feel a little painful.

　Sibert glanced back at the entrance at the top of the ancient tower; the truck hidden there was safe and sound.

　Following the advice of her grandmother, perhaps the key to the success of this hunt was the large bomb G hidden on it. After putting their minds at ease for the time being, Sereria and the others exchanged glances and walked towards the Scorching Dragon again.

　Just then, the Scorching Dragon suddenly opened its eyes and raised its scorching claws to strike towards Sereria. Fire elemental energy wrapped around the Scorching Dragon's scorching claws, creating a pillar of extremely high temperature where its forelimbs swung.

　"It's this trick again!"

　Sereria and Sibert ran to the right, while Edlinka and Edward ran to the left. The Scorching Dragon then accelerated its run, targeting Sereria. Its massive body continuously stirred up pillars of flame and freezing air. Sereria and Sibert watched the freezing air rushing towards them like a white tsunami and ran forward desperately.

　The weight of their weapons and armor slowed them down. These details, which were usually unnoticed, became the culprits that reduced their stamina when they were running at full speed. The protective gear on their legs rubbed against each other, making a creaking sound.

　Their breathing rate was also incredibly fast, and their bodies seemed like they could fall over at any moment. But if they stopped, they would be caught in the fierce breath of the Scorching Dragon, and could be seriously injured as a result. Even though they had used all their strength, the distance between them and the Scorching Dragon was still shrinking.

　This terrifying pressure pressed against their backs. Just as they were about to reach safety, Sereria lunged forward, followed closely by Sibert. The intense heat rays almost grazed their backs, nearly blasting the already damaged wall into pieces.

　Edlinka and Edward took the Polar Star Sorrow Cannon [Libra] and the Phoenix Fire Dragon Cannon [Eternal Flame] off their shoulders, loaded Lv3 penetrating rounds and Lv3 armor-piercing high-explosive rounds into the magazines, and began searching for their target. At this moment, the Scorching Zero Dragon was shaking its head, looking for Sereria and Sibert's whereabouts. From behind, its thick, heterochromatic tail swayed back and forth behind it.

　The tail eventually became the target of Edlinka and Edwater. They tried to fire when the tail was in a straight line with the body. Unlike regular bullets, piercing bullets do not stay at the point of impact, but instead rush forward, just as their name suggests, piercing through flesh and causing multiple damage to the target. Therefore, the larger the target, the more damage is caused.

　"Your opponent is here!"

　If Sereria and the others, who had crawled under the Scorching Dragon, were discovered by the Scorching Dragon, they would likely be attacked by the dragon's roar again. To avoid this, the best course of action was to draw its attention to Edlinka. Edlinka then pulled the trigger of the Phoenix Fire Dragon Cannon [Eternal Flame].

　Clusters of flames continuously spewed from the muzzle, and Lv3 piercing bullets were fired one after another. This heavy crossbow could only fire Lv3 piercing bullets in addition to regular bullets. One bullet after another accurately hit the tail of the Scorching Zero Dragon and pierced deep into its body.

　However, the damage to the Scorching Dragon seemed minimal. The Scorching Dragon's tail twitched slightly from the impact of the bullet. After adjusting her firing position, Edlinka pulled the trigger again. The recoil that occurred every so often made Edlinka's arm tremble, and the bullet accurately pierced through the Scorching Dragon's tail time and time again.

　Beneath the body of the Scorching Dragon, Sereria and Sibert brandished their weapons and launched a relentless attack. Perhaps enraged by the hunters' assault, the Scorching Dragon leaped out again and unleashed a barrage of freezing air and intense heat at them.

　Having experienced this situation several times before, Sereria and her companions were no longer as helpless as they had been at the beginning. They skillfully moved to dodge the Scorching Dragon's breath. Seeing that this move was ineffective, the Scorching Dragon raised its body again.

　"Oops!"

　Edward shouted, taking his eyes off the scope. He took a deep breath, aimed at the Scorching Zero Dragon's body, and pulled the trigger. If it could act cowardly like other monsters after accumulating a certain amount of damage, he might be able to stop its next move.

　"Stop! Stop right now!"

　Edward pulled the trigger with all his might, as if in prayer, but the Scorching Zero Dragon turned the air into a deafening roar after taking a deep breath. The Scorching Zero energy hidden within its body was released all at once, and the burst of energy continuously emanated from the mane on the back of the Scorching Zero Dragon, like outstretched wings.

　The fierce roar spread the elemental energy in all directions, flames swept across the ground, and ice crystals that exploded into the air fell down, forming a deadly attack with no blind spots. Of course, this was not the most troublesome thing. The most troublesome thing was the fog that appeared afterward.

　However, the four of them had already devised a strategy to deal with the Blazing Zero Blast before setting off: to hide under the Blazing Zero Dragon. When Edward conveyed the news that the Blazing Zero Dragon was about to use the Blazing Zero Blast, the four of them were already subtly approaching the Blazing Zero Dragon.

　After the Scorching Zero Blast ended, the Scorching Zero Dragon slammed its foot into the ground with a thunderous roar. Its four legs, which resembled giant rock pillars, pounded the ground relentlessly. In an effort to drive Sereria and the others away, the Scorching Zero Dragon even began to sweep its tail.

　Edward once again aimed at the head of the Scorching Zero Dragon and pulled the trigger, but the accurately hit Lv3 penetrating bullet only knocked off some fragments of its carapace and failed to penetrate the Scorching Zero Dragon's body.

　Was it the wrong angle? Edward picked up the Polar Star Cannon [Libra] and started running to create distance. The Scorching Zero Dragon's neck suddenly turned as Edward moved, and it began to pant heavily. Edward immediately stopped and turned to run towards the Scorching Zero Dragon, while quickly taking out a sonic boom bomb and throwing it forward.

　The sphere exploded upon contact with the carapace of the dragon's head, producing a tremendous noise. It struck the Scorching Dragon, which was preparing to unleash its breath attack, as if its head had been struck by a heavy hammer. The ice elemental breath that was about to be emitted from its mouth was also directly shattered.

　The Scorching Zero Dragon shook its head and looked in the direction of Edwald. At that moment, Sibert raised the silver knight lance high and rammed it into the Scorching Zero Dragon's jaw, as if it were the grand finale. With this attack as a signal, Sereria, Edlinka and Sibert all moved away from the Scorching Zero Dragon, which had stood up again.