Ancient Dragon in Arknights

"Ow—!"

With a painful roar, the dragon charged forward, but with the perfect guidance of the Palico and Neltharion, it found itself facing a rock wall.

Boom!

A sound that could make one's skull ache rang out, and the place where the dragon was struck shattered, while the dragon itself collapsed to the ground, its legs twitching.

Neltharion seized the opportunity to run to the head of the dragon and unleashed a barrage of attacks on its chin.

He kept the teachings of his follower cat in mind, striking four times lightly and then heavily, occasionally sheathing his sword. The sword in his hand grew hotter and hotter with each strike—the blade was ready!

"The katana's most powerful move is the Spirit Blade Helm Slash, which requires you to jump while stepping on your prey. Can you do it?"

While the follower cat was attacking, he was also teaching Neltharion. He was very satisfied with Neltharion's comprehension. This guy was learning and fighting from scratch. Although many of the combos had made him a little high-pressured, it still proved that he was a genius.

"Let me try."

Zhanlong is about to rise; the opportunity is only one moment away.

Neltharion showed no fear or lack of confidence. He raised his sword and thrust it forward, the sharp tip piercing the dragon's flesh. Neltharion then stepped onto its hard carapace and leaped up.

In mid-air—a hunter clad in ghost armor, his back to the sun, cleaves down amidst the sunlight.

As the blade shattered its shell, repeated explosions tore open the dragon's wounds, leaving its head covered in blood—if this continued, even a highly skilled creature would meet its end.

Even a cornered beast will fight to the death! Zhanlong is a powerful warrior; it will not run away, nor will it surrender!

It leaped back to create distance, bent its body—the scorching steel tail lay across its mouth, and its large, pincer-like jaws gripped the middle of the tail, as all the muscles in its body began to exert force.

Sharpening steel blades!

'Damn it, they actually used this move!'

Neltharion felt a phantom pain coursing through his body, the previous experience vividly replaying in his mind. This move was the Dragon Slayer's signature and deadly technique. Its power was enough to kill Neltharion instantly, and even using all the potions in his pouch was to no avail.

'Its tail is of limited length, and even with immense strength, its attack range is finite. If I dodge quickly...'

"Don't run away! Hunter! What you are facing now is the most powerful prey, and also the most admirable warrior!"

The cat's rebuke completely shattered Neltharion's initial thought of backing down, and he glanced at the cat distractedly—this guy was serious.

Then his attention returned to the enemy in front of him... Nesario will remember the scene he saw today even decades later.

A hideous monster with wounds all over its head, from which blood was gushing out, but there was no fear or retreat in its eyes.

Some of them possess the fury of wild beasts, and the fierce fighting spirit of warriors!

It staked everything on its next move! It was a move etched into its instincts, a move it had honed through countless trials and tribulations, a move that had never failed it!

If this move fails, life or death will be irrelevant!

"Damn it... I never thought I was inferior to a wild beast."

Nesario's slightly retreating steps stopped instantly. He steadied himself, lowered his center of gravity—his left hand gripped the sheath, and his right hand held the sword.

Iaido stance!

The two, one dragon and one man, faced off fiercely. Despite the racial barriers between them, they both understood each other's intentions at this moment—to decide the outcome with a single move!

The menacing scraping of steel rang out as the colossal beast before them began to unleash its full power; while Nesario, on the other hand, fell into a state of calm—his mind was as still as water, and the strength in his hand gripping the sword seemed to have dissipated.

'The opportunity is fleeting, a matter of life and death...'

Decided in an instant!

The blade, burning with fierce flames, swept across the earth, instantly cutting through and burning the surrounding vegetation, sand, and rocks; leaving behind whirlwind-like black trails on the ground.

Faced with this storm of fire and steel, Neltharion's figure appeared tiny, as if he would shatter at the slightest touch.

But the moment Zhanlong made his move, he also sprang into action. There was no grand display of power, no rampant sword energy—the only change was in his heart and muscles, which seemed to be burning.

A moment later, Zanpakuto and Neltharion stood back to back, both of them stopping their movements.

The wild battlefield was now silent—whoosh! The silence was broken when a sharp steel tail fell from the sky to the ground.

Thud—accompanied by the sound of the giant falling to the ground, Zhanlong was declared dead!

Nesario is the ultimate winner!

Chapter 42 Dragon Slayer Legacy

With the death of the dragon, Neltharion and his cat breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing completely and sitting on the ground without a care for their image.

Nesario took out the remaining potion and drank it all in one gulp. He was still in good health and had no injuries. This sip of potion was solely to calm his extremely agitated emotions.

What will happen next?

The follower cat stared blankly at the massive corpse lying on the ground in the distance. Among all the monsters discovered, the Dragon Slayer was one of the top types. Although it couldn't compare to the ancient dragons that were like natural disasters, a hunter who could hunt a Dragon Slayer could still be considered excellent.

Neltharion has absolutely no foundation; he just blindly rushed through. If he received hunter training from a young age like the other members of the survey team, I believe he could achieve great things! Of course, that's assuming he has the basic physical abilities of a hunter. He's far from that yet!

"What should be done according to the Hunter's Code?"

"Of course, we'll contact the base, then transport the prey back there. The scholars at the Ecological Research Institute want to study and investigate it, and its materials can be used by the blacksmith to forge excellent equipment. Imagine a weapon made from a dragon's tail."

That was an absolutely incredibly sharp weapon!

"Based on past experience... we'll leave this space soon and then wake up. Then... I'll start growing the features of the Dragon Slayer."

This is a bit troublesome. The Odogaron is relatively small, and its various characteristics are not too outrageous. Neltharion even enjoyed 18 years of normal human life.

This dragon-slaying technique doesn't look like it'll work!

Covered in heavy armor, with a unique body-to-tail ratio and a steel tail like a giant sword... Neltharion seems to be completely turning into a monster.

"Well then, the hunt is over. Let's return to base. Partner—we'll talk about that later."

"Oh... I'll also ask you for hunter knowledge."

The follower cat, Bi Nesario, went ahead of him. His originally solid body began to become illusory, turning into a faint light and dissipating like a bubble—it looked somewhat frightening, as if he had been directly erased by some transcendent power.

But he simply left this world and returned to his sleep.

Neltharion then began to dissipate as well—his consciousness sank into chaos until the light returned.

He had already arrived at that magnificent and sacred hall, where countless dragons stood in various poses, roaring, spreading their wings, and raising their heads. They were all stone statues, waiting for the arrival of his soul.

Neltharion walked toward the section for the Beast Dragons, and sure enough—among the many snow-white statues, a red and blue steel figure stood out conspicuously.

"The Dragon Slayer Inheritance has been obtained."

Neltharion slowly walked up to his worthy opponent, his eyes seemingly following Neltharion's every move, until finally—man and dragon faced each other.

Nesario reached out to touch it—it felt hard as steel, but underneath it was burning hot.

Unique memories began to slowly flood Neltharion's mind; they were a gift from the dragon slayer.

Tail-whipping techniques, techniques for swallowing and spitting lava fragments, methods for routine tail maintenance, methods for courting female slayers... what a bunch of nonsense.

Nesario put this messy stuff aside for now, and was more concerned about what changes the Dragon Slayer could bring to him.

With a thought, Nesario's own miniature model immediately appeared in his mind.

'Because we've grown up and our willpower is stronger, our demonstration methods have become more advanced?'

Nesario naturally agreed that it could be made more accessible and easier to understand.

The first change in the miniature model is to the most powerful part of the Dragon Slayer – its powerful core.

While the dragon's tail is what makes him famous, the core strength that allows him to wield this deadly weapon is not to be underestimated—powerful hind legs capable of supporting his entire body and leaping; and a resilient waist that allows him to swing his tail while maintaining balance. With this enhancement, Neltharion's power will reach a new level.

Then there's Glavenus's powerful cooling system. Its thick carapace isn't just for defense; it also serves a crucial function: heat dissipation. The flame sacs in its tail and throat generate extremely high temperatures. Excessive heat could harm it, so to avoid self-destruction, Glavenus evolved a highly efficient cooling system.

Neltharion couldn't grow that many shells; a humanoid body carrying heavy armor would hinder movement. Therefore, Neltharion's cooling system was buried under his skin.

Speaking of the Dragon Slayer's Flame Sac... Neltharion was lucky; the one he encountered possessed a noble samurai spirit, always fighting with a sword and never once using ranged means—that is, spraying lava blasts.

'It hasn't seen the bizarre Ashina swordsmanship yet.'

Human throats are too small to hold much lava, so Neltharion gained enhancements to his esophagus and stomach. Neltharion can now eat extremely hot foods and digest ores, coal, and other similar substances.

'Finally, there's the most famous technique for sharpening Dragon Slayer's blade...'

Neltharion watched intently—only after the miniature model demonstrated "Dragon Form: Steel Blade Sharpening" did Neltharion truly understand how to use this move.

The sharpening of the Razor Sharp requires the hard jaws and sharp teeth of the Gatling Dragon, which Neltharion naturally cannot do, so—his claws were strengthened!

Odogaron's bone claws can also evolve into steel claws after Neltharion eats ore. By interlacing the steel claws with its tail blade and rubbing them together, it can achieve the same effect as sharpening a steel blade.

Of course, Neltharion couldn't completely replicate the massive steel tail of the Dragon Slayer—the fragility of the human body!

By feeding on iron ore and high-energy fuel, and then mixing and digesting them, Neltharion's horny tail will gradually shed and change.

The tail, which was originally characterized by its thickness, will become thinner, but its length will increase, and the blade-like steel edge will be at the rear of the tail.

"The dragon-slaying tail is like an invincible greatsword, while mine... is truly a katana that has come to life."

Yes, judging from the size, the tail of the Great Jaggi is more worthy of the word "jaggi," while Neltharion's is at most a katana; it should be renamed "Dragon Slayer."

"But it doesn't matter anymore. From this day forward, I am the Dragon Slayer!"

Odogaron: I'll return to Tier 0 once I upgrade my dragon attribute.

Nesario slowly exited the Dragon Palace space, his consciousness seemingly rising from the deep sea—he awoke the instant he broke through the surface!

"yawn......"

Nesario threw back the covers and then lifted his head from the Vaivam special pillow.

I glanced at the tail draped over the edge of the bed—nothing had changed.

"Sigh, ore is easy enough, but where are we going to find coal? Chewing Originium will give me Oripathy..."

Upon returning to the continent of Terra, Nesario instantly realized the difficulty: the path to evolution and upgrade was long and arduous.

Chapter 43? Evolutionary Delay Syndrome? (Childhood reference)

"Welcome to my course. This semester, you will learn about the use and maintenance of standard-issue weapons, as well as related mechanical engineering. Weapons are a soldier's most reliable partner; you can always trust the weapons in your hands."

The teacher was a middle-aged man in his forties. He looked rigid, serious, and never smiled, the classic image of a strict teacher.

Since the entrance aptitude test is over, there are other classes scheduled for this afternoon, such as today's lesson on weapons use and maintenance.

Everyone was attentive in the first class, but Nesario wasn't. His mind was filled with mineral and energy solutions, but he hadn't studied this subject professionally, so no matter how much he thought about it, he could only come up with a general direction.