Ancient Dragon in Arknights

'Damn it...we don't speak the language, how can this big oaf understand me?'

Neltharion tentatively gestured his meaning—he pointed to the steel dragon in the distance, then made a fist with both hands, indicating: "Kill it."

Thump—! Upon seeing this, Nergigante slammed its paw on the ground, leaving several terrifying marks on the earth with its sharp claws. At the same time, it snorted, looking like it was beating a teammate who was still stubbornly arguing after losing a fight.

'Does this count as agreement? A united front has been formed?'

Thus, the second human-dragon collaboration was achieved in the New World.

Chapter 131 Hunting the Rusty Steel Dragon

With Neltharion's help, the pressure on Nergigante was significantly reduced, and a large part of the Steel Dragon's attack was taken over by Neltharion.

But right now, they can only hold off the enemy's attacks with one person and one dragon. Defending without attacking is a losing strategy! They must immediately switch from defense to offense!

Neltharion looked around and found no traps nearby, so the plan to knock down the Steel Dragon and then have the Nergigante finish it off would not work.

'If we rely on the launcher to knock it against the wall... that probably won't work either.'

The hunter course taught that if you want to use the launcher to knock back your target, you can only do so before the prey becomes enraged, because once a monster becomes enraged, it will start to attack wildly—in a state of high alert, they will not react much to pain.

"Forget it, I can only rely on myself. I have to create an opportunity."

With no sure way out, Neltharion had no choice but to take a risk. He decided to use himself as bait to attract the attention of the Steel Dragon. He was worried about whether the Nergigante could seize the opportunity. Although the creature seemed to be able to understand most things, could it understand coordinated attacks and teamwork among humans?

The assault begins! Neltharion's muscles instantly turn red, and his skin begins to emit white steam; his already incredibly sharp blades begin to burn and glow red, and incredibly sharp steel claws spring out from his fists; fully armed, Neltharion charges straight at the Ruststeel Dragon.

The Stainless Steel Dragon naturally wouldn't ignore such a threat. It took a deep breath—the surrounding airflow visibly gathered in its mouth, and accompanied by the grating sound of rusty iron, three compressed storms shot towards Neltharion.

Swish—! Swish—! Swish—!

Whirlwinds of debris, rust, sand, and air blades exploded around Neltharion several times, but Neltharion, who had been focused on his opponent, was naturally not hit by such obvious attacks.

He was like a crimson lightning bolt, flashing and twisting several times to dodge all attacks. Only a few unavoidable fragments struck him, colliding with the sharp blade tail with a clanging sound.

As they drew closer, Neltharion was able to make out the details of the Steel Dragon—its wings were the most severely decayed, especially the huge wounds on the membranes of its left and right wings.

"Is this the same one from last time?! No wonder it had such a bad temper, it's because of a grudge... You should still remember this move, right?!"

The grappling hook popped out—Nesario didn't choose to hook the Ruststeel Dragon's body directly, as that would inevitably cause it to fall. Instead, he aimed at the cliff face to one side.

The rapidly contracting steel claws instantly lifted Neltharion into the air, but he was still not far enough away from the Steel Dragon. In fact, being suspended in the air made him the perfect target—the Steel Dragon was already compressing air, preparing to unleash a storm to tear Neltharion apart.

The timing was perfect.

Nesario released the grappling hook—and under the influence of gravity, he plummeted toward the ground, though his keen sense of balance didn't tell him otherwise.

A strong wind howled—a whirlwind swirling around the steel dragon lifted Neltharion's body high into the air, and he began to dance in the sky; his tail was used to maintain his balance, and in the swirling wind, Neltharion flew freely up and down, gradually approaching the steel dragon.

"Although it can't achieve the same effect as the Insect Glaive, it can still manage to take off once."

The hunters' skills are truly ingenious! Ever since he witnessed the Insect Glaive's fighting style, Neltharion has been wondering if there's anything he can learn from it—his powerful physique allows him to leap into the air with a single bound.

Unfortunately, it cannot be used as a power source for a second change of direction—the end of the Insect Glaive has a special pneumatic device that allows the hunter to change direction in mid-air.

He had previously only developed simple moves like the aerial spinning slash, but inspired by the Insect Glaive, he has now mastered aerial combat.

The tail, wreathed in flames, did not extinguish despite the gale. It stood firm in the storm and finally tore through the Rusty Steel Dragon's exoskeleton with a beautiful arc slash. The dragon, which had been so stable that it seemed to be hanging in the air, suddenly began to sway.

"As expected, the steel dragon's defense has weakened after rusting. But its aggression has become extremely dangerous."

Neltharion's coordinated attacks did not stop. As he fell, he immediately extended his claws and grabbed the Steel Dragon's body, followed by the launch of his grappling hook—Neltharion successfully leaped from near the Steel Dragon's tail to stand in front of it once again.

"Get down here!"

Neltharion gripped his last three flashbangs and punched the Ruststeel Dragon in the face. A violent flash erupted, and even with his eyes closed, Neltharion couldn't dodge the intense light.

"Roar!"

Neltharion's adventurous act was effective; the Ruststeel Dragon, which had been high in the sky and hidden in the storm, seemed like an invincible king of the sky.

But now, it was forced back to the ground. And the ground was clearly not its home turf.

Boom-!

With a sickening metallic creak, Nergigante punched Ruststeel Dragon hard on the head, its entire body nearly flipped over by the force of the blow.

As soon as Nesario landed, he began sharpening his Razorblade—the slash had left his tail covered in rust, which had dulled it.

Boom-!

A single heavy blow cannot kill an Elder Dragon, especially a ferocious monster like the Rusty Steel Dragon; the two dragons began to wrestle with each other, with the Nergigante trying to suppress the Rusty Steel Dragon; but the Rusty Steel Dragon was not stupid, it fought back fiercely, and the surrounding storm became even more violent.

Normally, Nergigante, known for its strength, could easily overpower Kushala Daora, rendering it unable to move. But now—due to its injuries, it was somewhat powerless and failed to defeat Kushala Daora in several rounds. Instead, it was gradually being suppressed by Kushala Daora.

"Even ancient dragons have veins, right?"

Nesario knew very well that with his size, he would hardly be able to play any role in this struggle. He was strong enough, but too small, and if he got too close, he would be knocked away.

So he resorts to insidious tactics—like targeting the steel dragon's ankles.

The rusty exoskeleton was shattered, revealing new, gleaming white scales beneath—these scales were not yet oxidized and their hardness had not yet reached its peak, so Neltharion had a chance to break them.

"Roar!"

How could the Steel Dragon not sense such a threat? It repelled the Nergigante and then planned to crush Neltharion to death with its body.

The massive creature pressed down, and Neltharion could even smell the rust. He quickly retreated to create distance—just as he made his move, the repelled Nergigante charged back with even greater speed, slamming the Steel Dragon aside. The two dragons tangled together and rolled several times.

Is it consciously protecting Nesario?

Chapter 132 Superficial Brothers

'At least you have some conscience; you know to protect your teammates.'

Neltharion was finally able to catch his breath. Ever since the raid began, he had been in berserk mode, and even now he felt somewhat exhausted from such exertion.

The two Elder Dragons were still locked in fierce combat. The Steel Dragon was very strong, but the huge opening it had just revealed was enough to kill it—it had exposed its entire side in order to kill Neltharion, a decision that allowed Nergigante to bite its neck in one go.

Its long, slender neck, already rusted and corroded, began to creak and groan under the bites of the Nergigante, producing a sickeningly loud sound.

Nesario knew the outcome was decided—immediately, he squeezed out the last of his strength and energy to begin his operation.

He and Nergigante were only temporarily teamed up. Would they become friends after fighting side-by-side? It's only a possibility, but the chances are extremely low. Neltharion doesn't really trust this powerful "teammate."

Because its previous behavior had been too bloodthirsty and violent—if its temperament were gentler and more rational, Neltharion wouldn't mind trying to befriend a dragon.

But now, they must begin to be wary of each other.

But before that, I'm going to accept my biggest reward!

The flames of greed burned fiercely in Neltharion's heart, just like the Nergigante beside him—the Steel Dragon was in the molting and regeneration phase of the Kushala Daora, at which time the Kushala Daora had accumulated a large amount of energy to grow its scales; the Nergigante knew that if it ate it, its injuries would definitely heal quickly, and then it could take revenge on the hunter and continue hunting!

Neltharion is even more so—the Nergigante's power was implanted into his body using a special method; normally, he obtains dragon power through hunting!

That's a Steel Dragon! An Elder Dragon! A Storm Dragon!

The King of Wind, who commands storms and torrential rains and is clad in armor!

Nesario didn't even dare to imagine what he would become after he seized its power—it would undoubtedly be an unparalleled force!

"So! Let me deliver the final blow!"

Neltharion's blade and Nergigante's fangs pierced the steel dragon's rusty and new scales together; under the threat of death, this ancient dragon that once dominated the skies unleashed unprecedented power, and a violent tornado rose from the ground, engulfing the man and the dragon within it.

Countless iron filings that fell during the battle were transformed into throwing knives by the raging wind. They pierced Nergigante's body and slashed Neltharion's skin, with the blood being swept into the sky by the wind before it could drip.

The man and the dragon stubbornly refused to back down, driven by their immense greed. Even though they were covered in blood, the sharp teeth and claws piercing the steel dragon's neck remained unshaken.

Finally, after several rounds of muscle spasms and convulsions, Steel Dragon completely lost its life.

"Roar--!"

"what--!"

Nergigante roared excitedly as it stepped on the corpse of Kushala Daora, while Neltharion roared back, also stepping on the corpse with one foot. Upon hearing each other's roars, both stopped and looked at each other.

The atmosphere froze for a moment—the dragon claw and boots were simultaneously withdrawn from the steel dragon's corpse. It seemed that both sides were still rational enough to shake hands and make peace because they were both exhausted...bullshit!

Nergigante suddenly sprang to its feet, raising its claws high before slamming them down—the excitement of defeating Kushala Daora had given it a huge boost of power, like a shot of adrenaline.

Neltharion dodged nimbly, then unleashed a barrage of attacks. Nergigante was not in good condition at the moment, so each attack tore off countless thorn fragments.

The man and the dragon shared the same thought: "Strike while the iron is hot and kill him!"

"kill!"

The invaluable steel dragon corpse was kicked into a pile of rubble, and a new round of battle instantly began; but compared to the thrilling and dangerous life-or-death struggles of the past, the movements of the man and the dragon were somewhat weak at this moment.

Normally, both sides would launch one attack after another, like surging waves.

But at this moment, Nergigante did not pursue after delivering a heavy blow, instead using bite and ramming attacks; Neltharion was the same. Normally, his movements were as swift and fierce as lightning, but now he would stop to rest after running a few steps, and in emergencies he would even use moves like rolling – neither of them had any stamina left.

At this moment, it's all about willpower! Whoever gives up first loses.

'No...this guy sees the Steel Dragon's corpse as his last resource. There's absolutely no way I'll back down...and it has regenerative abilities; I'll be the first to give in.'

Yes, Nergigante is large enough that even if Neltharion stabs or scratches it, the injury is like a scratch to a human. Neltharion is fighting a giant, and while Nergigante can endure many injuries, Neltharion only has one chance.

"Fight!"

After a struggle with his conscience, Nesario decided to risk everything.

'No child cries every day, no gambler loses every day!'

Faced with the impending bite of Nergigante, Neltharion gave up dodging, and his gaping maw, covered in sharp teeth, gradually approached—five meters, three meters, one meter!

It's now!

Neltharion slowly took a step to the left, and then his entire right hand, including his shoulder, was bitten and chewed up by Nergigante.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt that much, perhaps due to the adrenaline rush.

The remaining left hand is attached to a launcher, and the grappling hook above it has been launched, gripping Nergigante's head tightly, just like the steel claw on its hand.

"Let's see if your neck is tougher, or my life is tougher!"

Its fiery tail burst into flames as it lunged at Nergigante's neck—the intense battle had already destroyed the protective spikes in the area, and the newly grown spikes were no match for Neltharion's desperate attack.

*Pfft*—that's the sound of blood being scorched by high temperatures.

Under the threat of death, Nergigante went berserk. It knew very well what a fatal wound meant, and it tried to throw Neltharion away—but Neltharion's claws and hooks were firmly locked on its head.

Since we can't shake him off, we'll just have to crush him!