Bear School Astartes

The Fierce Jackal Dragon has its own unique biological habits.

This monster is classified as Fang Dragon Species in the local ecology, characterized by a quadrupedal movement state.

The Fierce Jackal Dragon doesn’t feed by biting into the carcass of its prey piece by piece; rather, it swallows the entire captured prey whole.

Its skin on the front chest and abdomen possesses tremendous elasticity. A single herbivorous dragon is already quite large, weighing at least three to four tons.

Yet the Fierce Jackal Dragon just opens its mouth wide and swallows it whole.

Because of this, its belly swells unprecedentedly, resembling an inflated water balloon.

Even when walking on all fours, its enormous belly sometimes prevents its limbs from touching the ground.

The three people and a cat deliberately watch it devour its meal.

Because it’s evident that the round belly hinders the Fierce Jackal Dragon’s mobility.

”According to the survey group’s data, the Fierce Jackal Dragon’s attack methods change in this state, and its weight increases by three or four tons. Yet, I believe, compared to the decreased mobility, these enhancements are acceptable.”

Wende says this, while Lann, as the combat personnel, nods in understanding.

He’s in a good mindset; this outing aims to learn from the local hunters and adapt to the environment.

So, the two nod to Aibo. The non-combatant investigator hugs a big book, finds a hidden spot, and is responsible for recording the monster’s ecological behaviors during the battle.

”Let’s go!”

Wende shouts lowly.

As he walks from the edge into the clearing, he casually picks up some fruit from the ground and loads it into the launcher on his left arm.

The two and a cat approach the Fierce Jackal Dragon at a normal speed.

Just as Wende anticipated, the Fang Dragon Species that had expanded its stomach sack seven or eight times turns sluggish upon hearing footsteps.

After half turning around, it clearly recognizes the ’little things’ that nearly split open its chest and almost chopped off one of its legs.

Its large mouth opens, ready to roar in anger.

But...

”Pop!” *2

Two crisp, not so heavy striking sounds are heard.

The expected formidable roar turns into ’ow ow’ cries of pain.

Wende, while running at a pace that doesn’t drain his stamina, lifts his hand, firing a launcher. The unidentified fruit he loaded earlier strikes the Fierce Jackal Dragon’s face, producing firecracker-like ’crackling’ sounds.

Its other eye isn’t spared either.

Gaffi and Wende sync instinctively. As Wende raises the launcher, Gaffi has already taken out his boomerang.

Tipping his toes, even his tail spins a full circle before he throws it.

Synchronized with Wende’s launcher, it impacts the Fierce Jackal Dragon’s two eyes.

”You dare roar at me, you bitch!”

Wende roars, accelerating and taking down the Shield Axe from his back.

Lann, watching from the side, is stunned—this is his first time teaming up with Wende in normal combat with his throat in fine condition...

Wende’s language is filthy when he fights!

Wende leads the charge. This time, he doesn’t immediately transform the weapon into its high-power axe form.

Lann finds himself not fully understanding this weapon, hence doesn’t question Wende’s action.

The machete dances wildly in Wende’s hands. The temporarily blind Fierce Jackal Dragon can only attack and evade blindly out of instinct, but how could this possibly stand against Wende’s refined skills?

Every slash hits home, and as the hits accumulate, the machete seems to charge up, beginning to heat and glow red.

Moreover, Lann also notices that when Wende employs certain moves with specific postures... his body and equipment seem to emit a faint red glow?

A trick of the light?

”Mistaken, sir. I analyzed the lighting conditions here, and there’s no circumstance that could reflect such light. There’s an 84% probability it’s due to some unique local technology.”

Mentos promptly and accurately reports the analysis results.

Regardless, worst-case scenario, he’ll ask later after the fight.

Gaffi runs quickly on all fours, while Lann, due to his chosen route, is already near the Fierce Jackal Dragon’s tail.

Lann originally aimed to reach its flank during this moment of opportunity, but because of its temporary blindness, the Fierce Jackal Dragon’s erratic movements make them hard to predict.

The beast’s massive body, about ten meters long, rolls over with a small twist and can move a considerable distance.

But a tail is just a tail, let’s chop it!

Right in front of the fierce jackal dragon, Wende’s machete is carving one vicious gash after another into its yellow-green scales.

After a mad slash frenzy, Wende suddenly steps back lightly and inserts the machete in his left hand into the shield at his right hand.

Amid the sound of mechanical operation, the machete, once fiery, is drawn out again, now calm as if the energy has been transferred and stored into the shield.

Meanwhile, Lann swiftly climbs up the back leg of the fierce jackal dragon, reaching its tailbone.

With a heavy black ”Turbid Flow” raised high, his muscles and bones are activated to a highly reactive state under the breathing technique.

”Heartless Stream·Great Severing”!

The ”Turbid Flow” broadsword sweeps horizontally, leaving a fan-shaped black curtain in the air.

The not-so-sharp blade, as the vanguard, crushes scales and tears through skin, digging into flesh and blood.

Standing on its back to chop the tail, this execution-like stance effectively channels Lann’s power.

Following the blade, a turbulent airflow, stirred by the maneuver, rushes into the wound and continues its relentless cutting.

Even for the enormous size of the fierce jackal dragon, the bleeding from the tail wound is too excessive, like a fountain bursting out under the drive of the Qi Flow Blade.

A wound so deep that the tail’s thick bones are laid bare appears on the tail covered with yellow-green scales.

Yet, Lann frowns.

One can’t help but marvel at the exaggerated resilience of this world’s monsters.

”Turbid Flow” failed to sever the tail in one strike.

The tail, wracked by pain far surpassing any previous damage, makes the fierce jackal dragon’s wild thrashing even more violent.

But Lann, long before it became frenzied with pain, had already regained his composure and immediately devised his next move.

The Demon Hunter gracefully jumps down from the fierce jackal dragon’s back, then turns and shifts the greatsword’s position, resting it against the untouched opposite side of the tail wound.

This ensures accuracy in the blade’s position amid the fierce jackal dragon’s chaotic movement.

Then... ”Alder!”

”Boom! Splat!”

Not just with a magic seal, Lann paired his attack with the new equipment from the investigation squad’s projector they’ve used for the first time.

A stone propelled by the projector strikes directly on the robust wide blade of ”Turbid Flow,” and then the magic seal acts further on the stone.

The combined explosive thrust of the magic seal and the projector grants the greatsword immense power at point-blank range.

The opposite side of the tail, reduced to bare tailbone, now sees another gash carved out swiftly and cleanly, urged by the blade pushed by the magic seal!

With the sound of flesh separating, a large chunk of the fierce jackal dragon’s tail crashes to the ground.

The cross-section of the tail reveals a fascinating pattern of muscle and fat.

Suddenly losing a significant part of its tailbone and flesh, the fierce jackal dragon, overwhelmed by pain, loses balance.

Its claws scrape furiously at the ground but cannot prevent the tilt caused by the loss of balance.

Meanwhile, Wende, engaged in direct combat at the front, reveals a manic grin.

His shield unknowingly emanates a layer of stable yet unobtrusive pale red glow.

Next, he inserts the machete into the shield once more.

”Watch me unlock it, damn it!!!”

With an expansive motion, Wende grasps the machete handle single-handedly, swinging... no, flipping this three-meter-long great axe!

His movement, akin to a taut bow, brims with tension.

Single-handed swinging allows for greater rotational angles of the body, increasing the weapon’s swing power, though it complicates controlling the point of impact.

A horizontal sweep follows first, the transformed shield axe, with a whistling wind, slices through a fierce jackal dragon’s forelimb in its path, and its paw is vertically split open with a large slit!

And this is just the prelude.

When the horizontal swing throws the axe’s weight behind him, Wende’s taut body abruptly contracts forward.

Acting as the axe blade, the large shield traces a sweeping arc in the air, then crashes fiercely onto the side of the fallen fierce jackal dragon’s head!

”Super High Output Attribute Liberation Slash”!