Ancient Dragon in Arknights

'So it's a completely new and unknown monster!?'

Although the guy in front of me looks almost exactly like the legendary Wendigo, this isn't Terra, so it's just a resemblance.

The malice emanating from this guy was almost overwhelming; the blood on his claws was still fresh. This guy was an executioner!

The flashbang's effect wore off quickly, and Neltharion and his minions launched a swift attack.

Sharp steel claws extended from his fist, and the sharp blade tail thrust forward along with Neltharion; all three attacks hit their mark—unexpectedly, this terrifying creature seemed rather clumsy, barely dodging or avoiding Neltharion's attacks.

"Successful!"

"Don't take it lightly!"

The companion cat's hunting experience told it that there are usually only two situations in which a monster does not dodge an attack: the first is that it is too weak to dodge; the second is that it has absolute confidence in its own defense.

*Crack*—Accompanied by the sound of a sharp blade piercing through a tree, Nesario indeed felt his attack hit, but the monster in front of him seemed to show no signs of pain.

"hiss--"

With a strange inhalation sound, the monster raised its claws. Its movements were so slow that Nesario could even predict the trajectory of its attack.

Thump—Nesario rolled away without regard for his appearance, and the monster's claws missed their mark.

"..."

"What just happened to you?"

"I have a bad feeling... there's something strange about the people around this guy."

"Be specific?"

"It seems like Originium Arts are involved..."

Nesario wasn't exaggerating. His exchange with the monster's forging seemed uneventful, but the moment the monster attacked, his consciousness went haywire. If it weren't for his strong willpower that brought him back to his senses, that attack might have hit him.

"Many ancient dragons also possess powerful abilities, and this guy in front of us might have some special abilities."

"I'll try again."

Nesario rallied, confident that it wouldn't be long before he could unravel the secrets of the monster before him.

"Roar--"

Just as the man and the cat were about to launch another attack, the monster suddenly roared.

With this roar, the surrounding trees began to stir, and the once tranquil forest seemed to come alive, with leaves rustling and shadows spreading.

"quack--"

As the bushes rustled, several thieves and a flock of black birds flew out from behind them. The birds began to swarm around the monster like a storm, while the thieves set their sights on Neltharion with ill intent.

"It can also command other small monsters?"

"A tricky enemy, meow."

"I'll leave Thief Dragon to you; I'll deal with that guy."

"Don't worry, leave it to me, meow."

Neltharion completely ignored the thief dragons surrounding him and charged towards the monster in the distance.

The thieves were "commanded" to kill Neltharion, so they naturally wouldn't let him leave. Their thin bodies began to unleash their power, and the others used their own bodies to knock him down.

"Your opponent is me!"

The Palico drew its special Palico weapon from its waist. Its light weight gave it great mobility. It kept leaping around the Thief Dragon, occasionally seizing the opportunity to plunge the blade into the enemy's body.

With no worries about his rear, Nesario practically turned himself into a human cannon, trying to knock the monster to the ground, which would be the best time for him to launch a fierce attack.

"Die!"

The technique used to deal with the spy last time was very effective, which allowed Nesario to master a move that only he could use: the Aerial Spinning Slash. He would activate his berserk mode, then jump and somersault while charging at high speed. The powerful momentum and explosive power would turn his tail into a vicious guillotine. If it hit a human body, it could probably cleave it in two.

'Let's see how you dodge with that slow body!'

clang--! !

The sharp blade struck the stone with a crisp, teeth-grinding sound, splitting the weathered rocks on the ground, but the original target had vanished.

"quack!"

The black flock of birds began to swarm around Nesario, tearing and pecking at him. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, then waved his tail to shoo them away.

With a whoosh, accompanied by the sound of birds flapping their wings and the gathering of black energy, the ugly monster "re-formed" not far behind Neltharion.

"Another damn energy conversion and short-distance movement!?"

Nesario thought of that damned spy; this monster and his abilities were practically identical.

"Nesario! Run!"

"Huh!? Why?"

The follower cat finished off the thief dragon in a short time. He had just watched the whole process from the side. As a Terran, Nesario was not surprised by abilities such as "energy conversion and short-range teleportation" because Originium Arts could do the same thing.

But the Hunter world doesn't have such abilities! Even the ancient dragons, powerful as if they were natural disasters, possess abilities that generally conform to the logic of physics. This terrifying monster before us displays a terror completely different from that of the ancient dragons!

"Our world doesn't have that kind of power! This thing isn't normal! Run!"

"*Columbian swear word*! What the hell am I fighting?!"

Nesario knew he had done something very bold due to a lack of information, but fortunately the battle had not yet reached its climax, and he could still escape while he was still alive.

"Hoohoho-"

The stag-headed monster did not give chase directly; it was too slow to do so. Instead, it used its most proficient magic.

The humanoid monster bent down and plunged its terrifying claws into the ground. Then, the soil was overturned, and tree roots burst forth from the ground, arranged in close rows, crisscrossing and blocking all escape routes like a cage.

"Nesario!"

"I'll cut it off!"

Nesario was still unsure of the opponent's full strength, but the combination of that energy-based skill and the ability to manipulate nature would make killing it extremely difficult.

Neltharion is proficient in physical methods; if his claws and tail cannot reach his opponent and cause effective damage, he is doomed.

Before we can gather all the intelligence, let's retreat tactically from this battle.

"The Seal of Igni".

Accompanied by a deep incantation, a burst of flames suddenly attacked from the side.

The scorching flames burned open the previously blocked road, and the tree roots that broke through the soil seemed to be afraid of the strange flames.

Help has arrived!?

Chapter Seventy-Four: The Witcher and the Hunter

"A deer-headed spirit? It seems the strange changes in the forest were caused by you."

As the flames died down, a man dressed in very unusual clothes slowly emerged from the ashes.

His face was covered with scars, and his skin looked weathered, but his snow-white silver hair was incredibly smooth and made him look extremely holy. He wore medieval-style chainmail, gloves and boots commonly worn by hunters, and the only weapons he carried were two swords—a steel sword and a silver sword.

"Um... are you a hunter here?"

According to the follower cat, hunters wear equipment made from monster or ore materials, so their clothing style is very wild; just like Neltharion at this moment. However, the uncle in front of them can hardly be called wild; at most, it can be described as retro.

"I am a witcher, but you... are you a hunter?"

The silver-haired man sized up Neltharion and, after seeing his armor, made a rough guess about his identity. The only thing that made him pause for a few seconds was Neltharion's unique tail, claws, and horns.

"Yes, my name is Nesario. I'm a hunter who just arrived here."

As he spoke, Nesario dodged the branches that were coming from all around him. If he had been tightly entangled by the branches, he would probably have been twisted to death.

“My name is Geralt, the Witcher. This guy in front of me is my job.”

After saying that, Geralt waved his hand and released a fan-shaped flame. The scorching flame seemed to possess magic, and it wiped out most of the black flock of birds in one fell swoop. The thief dragon that touched the flame also died quickly. Even more noteworthy was the stag spirit—this guy began to struggle violently after being burned by the flame.

With a whoosh, Geralt began his performance like a master swordsman, drawing his silver sword. Compared to Neltharion's dazzling, spinning top-like combat techniques, Geralt's moves were more "rigid."

Slashes, forward slashes, reverse slashes—his moves were all the most basic sword techniques, but each attack landed precisely on the monster's most vulnerable spot. Combined with the advantage of using silver weapons, Geralt managed to damage the Leshen in just a few moves.

With a cacophony of birdsong, the deer-headed spirit vanished once more, transforming into a black aura that fled into the depths of the forest.

"Don't even think about running away."

Geralt finished speaking and gave chase, but... his speed was hardly impressive.

"Let me help too."

Nesario spotted a vine falling from a tree, leaped up, grabbed it, and began moving with the agility of Tarzan. There were many places in the forest to use as leverage; this was a skill that every hunter had to learn.

"...Young people are so full of energy."

Geralt sighed and continued on his way. The Witcher's control over the trail was just as good as that of a Hunter, and he would never lose track of his target.

A strange creature, two people, and a cat chased each other for a long time in the forest before finally stopping on a flat area.

"Instead of choosing the more advantageous forest terrain, they chose flat land instead? They're asking for trouble!"

Nesario didn't learn nothing either; Geralt had just used a fire spell similar to Originium Arts—and the effect was quite significant.

Trees fear fire, even trees that have become sentient!

Sharpening the blade!

As the steel tail slashed rapidly across the ground, the blade glowed and heated from the intense friction—a burst of flame shot out from Neltharion's steel tail.

The flames began to burn, but they had no effect on the stag-headed spirit, who created a wall of trees to block the attack.

The stag-headed spirit was furious at Neltharion's act of throwing fire—he waved his hand, and the flock of birds surrounding him quickly attacked Neltharion.

This attack may seem ordinary, but it actually harbors deadly intent. The flock of birds is scattered, making it impossible to completely intercept the attack; and their agile claws and beaks can peck at the eyes and flesh in an instant when the bird is not paying attention.

Neltharion stretched out his claws, and the raging dragon danced wildly!

The eight claws created a wall with rapid slashing, and the flock of birds flying in was quickly dismembered and torn apart by the dense slashes.

"Nesario! Your feet!"

"!"

The flock of birds was just a smokescreen; the real attack came from the stag spirit himself.