Bear School Astartes-Chapter 732 - 715. Impact!

A leaping black dot first appeared in the narrow blue sky above the valley, then... the black dot swiftly expanded!

"Damn! It's this move again!"

The three-man-one-cat team instinctively stopped their attack on the Molten Mountain Dragon the moment a roar erupted above, instead, they looked up with intense gazes.

At that moment, Wende, Aiden, and Lann dispersed in their respective directions.

Wende also grabbed Gaffi with a grappling hook on the way.

In the next instant... "Boom!!!"

A thunderous impact resounded!

The Extinct Dragon, whose body weight exceeded hundreds of tons!

Plummeting from at least five hundred meters high! Using its resilient body and recovery powers without any deceleration.

The force of this collision surely surpassed thousands of tons!

Under such ferocious force, the shell of the Molten Mountain Dragon was almost immediately smashed, sending a lava waterfall shooting towards the sky!

The self-sacrificial collision of the Extinct Dragon even altered the 'topography' of the Molten Mountain Dragon's back!

"Wuaargh!"

Though the shell wasn't pierced, nor was the internal body harmed.

Yet, the immense pressure alone, just pressing down quietly on the back, already made the elderly Molten Mountain Dragon suffer.

This was all caused in one blow!

And for Lann and his group, closest to the point of impact...

The Molten Mountain Dragon's hard shell seemed to have turned into a trampoline in that instant.

Though all of them, three people and one cat, managed to evade the point of collision using their reflexes and skills.

The following shockwave still launched them high into the air.

At least six to seven meters high.

And then they plummeted back down!

Lann's [Light Body Technique Breathing Method] instinctively activated the moment he was forced airborne.

His body's buoyancy in the air significantly increased under the technique's effect.

Although, due to his armor and enhanced muscles and bones, he couldn't yet move like the Iwami Ninja, leaping and landing silently.

But from six to seven meters high, as he was about to hit the ground, propping himself with one arm and stabilizing with a backflip was sufficient.

With this movement, his elbows and wrists bore enormous pressure, yet the enhanced bone strength held up to Lann's technical prowess.

However, the usually rough-fighting Hunters didn't fare as well.

Aiden and Wende took the full brunt of the six to seven meters fall damage.

"Ugh!"

"Cough, cough."

When the two were jolted upwards, they completely lost control over their posture, which led to a hard landing.

The air was 'squeezed' out of their chests.

Thanks to the Hunters' robust physiques, they only needed a moment to catch their breath, then stood up again clutching their chests.

Wende was cursing under his breath, giving Lann the assurance that the kid was alright.

And when the three stood up once more, on the central platform of the Molten Mountain Dragon's back, a gigantic, sinister demon-like figure was bathed in the dark red glow of the lava.

The Extinct Dragon.

This ancient dragon's entire forelimbs seemed shattered from the previous plummeting impact.

Floppily bent at unnatural angles.

But with the dull 'crack' sounds coming from beneath its flesh.

The smashed bones were resetting, the pulverized muscles were regrowing...

For the Extinct Dragon, as long as the pressure from the collision didn't cause the internal shattered bones to pierce through its resilient skin and flesh, protruding outside.

The impact was worthwhile.

Because the mass that wasn't lost from its body could almost be ignored in terms of its recovery.

So even though it fell from a height of five hundred meters, the Extinct Dragon's recovery time was similar to the start of their last encounter, where the fall distance was only two hundred meters.

In less than half a minute, the demon-like ancient dragon had already restored its powerful forelimbs.

Its bulging claws dug deeply into the Molten Mountain Dragon's shell.

The molten lava, not yet solidified due to the collision, was once again clawed out by it.

And those reptilian yellow slit pupils were fixedly staring at the three-man-one-cat team.

"It seems to have gotten smarter this time."

Aiden took out his [Spiked Sharp Sword] which could secrete sleeping gas, speaking in a low voice.

This kind of tyrannical murderous aura, pressing straight over like a storm... was clearly no longer targeting an individual.

While Lann held his [Flame Assault Crossbow] in one hand, he reached into his back Alchemy Pouch with the other, pulling out the [Pulse Scimitar] and tossing it to Wende.

"This guy's always been smart, it's just that now it's not as furious as when it first saw me."

Wende directly released the [Flower Launcher] he was holding, raised a hand to catch the tachi thrown over, and unhooked the empty ammo belt around his body.

Gaffi's little paws dragged the heavy crossbow to the side of the battlefield.

The Flying Thunder Dragon's electric needles amplified the static electricity on the blade handle caused by fur friction to the point of inflicting lightning damage.

Wende drew out the bone tachi, eyes fixated on the nearby Extinct Dragon.

The hostility between both sides exploded without restraint from the very start.

The Hunters had long determined that the Extinct Dragon would most likely come.

And for the Extinct Dragon, neither the explosively conspicuous Molten Mountain Dragon nor Lann, already recognized as a mortal enemy, was to be spared.

Thus, the line between hunter and prey blurred at this moment, only the strength of both sides could redefine each other's identities!

"Roar!!!"

A thunderous cry erupted.

The Extinct Dragon opened its mouth, the prelude of its roar causing the air at its mouth to ripple.

But immediately, 'bang bang bang' three shots fired.

Water cooling bullets shot out from the [Flame Assault Crossbow], precisely controlled to pierce into the Extinct Dragon's mouth.

The Extinct Dragon's head was not small, but its bulk was mainly supported by the pair of enormous horns, and its mouth wasn't particularly large.

Three water cooling bullets entered, the resulting spray gagged it directly.

The roar was interrupted.

Wende's eyes glinted, lowering his center of gravity as he lunged forward like a leopard.

Sparks of blue current flickered on the bone blade as he swung it towards the Extinct Dragon.

The ecological institute's judgment based on material was accurate.

The ancient dragon indeed had little defense against lightning damage.

Wende felt that although the [Pulse Scimitar] was much lighter in its axe form compared to the [Mud Flow Shield Axe], cutting through the bone spurs of the Extinct Dragon seemed slightly easier.

And after two slices, Wende's sharp hunting instincts told him that this ancient dragon was preparing to lunge forward.

No reason not to trust his brain's instinctive judgment based on its muscle movements.

With a 'ding,' the Extinct Dragon's menacing, protruding bone spur scraped past Wende, who shimmered with a pale red aura of Qi.

Yet it failed to harm the Hunter.

[Predator's Sense] succeeded!

But Wende didn't feel the excitement of upgrading to an Air Blade state... because the Extinct Dragon, after this lunge, directly ignored him and fled!

Even though the [Predator's Sense] was successful, the prey had escaped the attack range necessary for the [Air Blade Grand Spin] to elevate his Qi Blade state.

This would've been enough to raise the blood pressure of any Tachi User holding it.

Nonetheless, the Extinct Dragon's target was never Wende.

The pervasive hostility and murderous intent were merely a facade, its true aim was still Lann!

Perhaps out of hatred, perhaps due to the Extinct Dragon's straightforward combat experience, 'enemies become vulnerable in close range when launching ranged attacks' gained throughout its life.

In any case, this ancient dragon, after skimming past Wende, directly charged at Lann in a pouncing stance!