Chapter 317: Strike!
“Haaah… hahahaHA!!!”
As the cannonball exploded in a burst of flame against the torso of the Old Mountain Dragon standing upright, Kempe erupted into a joyous laugh.
“Next up, time the Strike Dragon Gun just right! And our retreat too!”
“Captain! Queen Mantis is back, she’s flying… so fast.”
The female bow user hadn’t even finished her sentence when golden threads followed by golden streaks wrapped around the Ruin City, signaling its master’s imminent return.
“Looks like we need to retreat early. Hubble’s crouched on the Strike Dragon Gun base; Queen Mantis won’t notice him right away.”
Kempe’s gaze left the still-advancing Old Mountain Dragon and glanced at Queen Mantis on the landing platform while backing away, assessing the situation.
Retreating isn’t about turning your back to monsters; we need to hold them off and cover the retreat.
Or maybe, we could stay a bit longer on Ruin City?
Because Queen Mantis merely glanced at them before lifting the steel trapdoor and diving into the core.
The fear of almost being bisected returned with that glance, then dissipated as quickly as it came.
“Should we still retreat?”
The Katana Warrior was already poised at the edge of the Ruin City platform, ready to leap, but turned back to look at Kempe.
“Keep loading and keep blasting!!!”
Kempe looked at his comrades’ determined eyes and reignited his fighting spirit.
“Alright!”
Without hesitation, the two companions returned to their positions, pulling out more cannonballs from Queen Mantis’s silk bag and reloading.
Why does Queen Mantis store all her cannonballs in a silk bag nearby?
Who cares? Just blast!
Kempe raised his telescope, scanning through the flames for the Old Mountain Dragon, then looking behind it to find the black dragon it had been battling.
But there was nothing. That thing appeared suddenly and disappeared just as fast—strange.
And Queen Mantis? She went silent after entering Ruin City.
He started peering downward, growing curious about Queen Mantis.
But the core was covered with both steel beams and silk threads, and they’d already tried prying open the trapdoor—it was impossible, and not suitable for now.
What exactly is Queen Mantis thinking?
Jié Jié estimated the speed of the Old Mountain Dragon, the length of the Strike Dragon Gun, and her own attack range.
Two minutes, yes, even with the increased speed, the Old Mountain Dragon would need two minutes to reach Ruin City.
That distance might be two minutes for the Old Mountain Dragon, but for the aftershocks of an Ultra-Large Monster battle, it’s practically right on top of us.
The silk threads tightened involuntarily, putting Ruin City’s structures into a defensive stance.
Since Ruin City can’t avoid being dragged into the fight, let’s stain it with the blood of the Old Mountain Dragon using its most powerful weapon.
“Click click.”
As the silk threads gathered in, Ruin City seemed to breathe anxiously and excitedly, like a virgin boy who’s about to lose his innocence to a big sister.
Just imagining it gets you hyped.
As for that Great Sword wielder hanging off the side of the Strike Dragon Gun? He’s just an accessory.
Pushing aside the window, Jie kicked the hunter off, sending him down to observe the Thunder Wolf Dragon in the shadows.
The booms from above continued as the reckless hunters hadn’t retreated yet… which seemed pretty good.
Facing a natural disaster, will monsters and humans unite to futilely resist?
Jie slashed through the floor’s silk threads and kicked them down, preparing to immediately help Ruin City counterattack after firing the Strike Dragon Gun.
Time ticked by second by second, and the earthquake caused by the approaching Old Mountain Dragon grew stronger.
But Ruin City stood firm with its massive footplates and thick tail touching the ground.
Until the moment the Strike Dragon Gun was about to fire.
“Hubble! FIRE!!!”
The Strike Dragon Gun roared to life, or perhaps Chief Hunter’s cry matched Jie’s judgment.
The serrated gun tip spun at high speed, the retracted barrel shot out amidst thunderous noise, charging straight toward the Old Mountain Dragon’s abdomen.
But even injured, the Old Mountain Dragon’s shell remained tough. The gun grazed it, creating cracks where the teeth dug in, tearing significant wounds as they rotated at high speed.
“GRRRRAAAHHH!!!”
The Old Mountain Dragon roared, its body beginning to arch backward, ready to crash down like a mountain.
Queen Mantis fell into the fissure created by the earthquake.
The four pieces torn apart by the quake floated up, scattering outward.
A Giant Halberd Dragon rose from underground, brushing past the Strike Dragon Gun and colliding with the Old Mountain Dragon.
“My goodness…”
The hunters jumping off Ruin City watched as the black dragon burst out of the ground, pupils dilating, nearly falling into the fissure in their confusion.
Kempe climbed out from the fissure’s edge, exchanging glances with his companions as they began retreating toward the rear of Ruin City.
While retreating, he couldn’t help but raise his head, but the main structure of Ruin City blocked his view, allowing him only to see monsters pushing the Old Mountain Dragon back, then turning to tear at Ruin City.
Unbeknownst to him, Jie was merely checking on Ruin City’s condition and tearing open the silk bag containing gunpowder.
Kempe saw Ruin City swaying under the pressure of the dragon, wondering where Queen Mantis was—had she escaped long ago, or was she going to perish with her nest?
Unbeknownst to him, Jie had hooked the Strike Dragon Gun from Peak Mountain Dragon and pulled it out, causing Ruin City to groan despite his carefulness.
Kempe couldn’t see any more because he turned his attention fully to evacuating from the earthquake.
Wooden barrels shattered in the giant mouth, gunpowder and saltpeter were swallowed with saliva, then ignited by rising flames, combining with secreted heavy oil to become part of the breath weapon’s power.
The red rays burned the flesh of the Old Mountain Dragon, raising a hint of meaty aroma.
With the head twisting, the breath weapon traced lines of scorching marks on her body like a pen.
Thinking of writing a “correct” character, but the performance was really lacking.
Interrupting the breath weapon for a pounce, the fiery wing claws swept toward softened areas, causing destruction.
Whether from previous battles, angry quick movements, or each effective cannonball explosion, the Old Mountain Dragon’s stamina was being drained.
And aside from the wing claws, Jie’s two forelimbs also held the Strike Dragon Gun, finding gaps to stab the Old Mountain Dragon repeatedly, inflicting secondary injuries on the exposed flesh beneath the broken shell.
“BOOM!”
The Old Mountain Dragon collapsed again, its limbs clawing at the ground, but it no longer had enough strength to either stand up or dig through the ground to escape.
Only after confirming the Old Mountain Dragon was unconscious did Jie relax his suppression and begin collecting materials dropped during the battle.
The totem of the Old Mountain Dragon gradually filled up until it glowed with light.
Next was obtaining the Dragon Jade. The wing claws gestured repeatedly over several energy nodes perceived, finally choosing the one on its back that caused the least damage.
The Red Jade of the Old Mountain Dragon has been obtained!
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