Bear School Astartes

The footsteps of the Molten Mountain Dragon seem never to cease.

Even when assaulted with cannon fire and hit with various human-made damages, it merely pauses and gasps slightly.

The body, old and dying, has lost the wisdom of the ancient dragons, becoming muddled and confused.

Therefore, at the mouth of the valley, the hunters wrapped large red conspicuous cloth strips around sharp rocks where they had prepared a large amount of explosives and bombs.

These were meant to remind their allies of the chosen methods of attack.

The cloth strips snapped loudly in the fierce winds blowing through the valley.

Closer and closer.

Lann reassured this in his peripheral vision after a sweep.

Immediately afterward, spiral airflow wrapped around his legs, and he appeared at a new position two meters away as if dropped frames.

In the next moment, the spot where he originally stood was passed by a vicious dark shadow, which tore open the shell of the Molten Mountain Dragon, causing the magma beneath to rise up in orderly waves from the swift strike.

The four-limbed paws of the shadow clamped against the ground, ultimately decelerating successfully.

The Extinct Dragon now had almost no white spines visible on its body.

This dark spine state seemed greatly related to its nutritional reserves and mental state.

And after exchanging several blows with Lann, its mental state was further arousing.

Inexplicably, Lann felt that once this guy’s spines all turned black, it might become truly terrifying.

The Demon Hunter who dodged the flying strike inhaled a few small breaths before restoring a regular rhythm.

The [Acceleration Technique] is an ancient and profound technique among the hunters of Yan City.

Utilizing multiple experiences released through the [Old Hunter’s Leg Bone] as a medium, Lann was gradually mastering this skill.

But such a useful skill is not entirely advantageous.

The foremost issue is: it significantly drains stamina.

Usually, Lann used it casually. But now, he was carrying the super-spec large sword [Muddy Flow · Extinction] on his shoulder.

The load was magnified several times over.

At present, Lann had only completed a few procedures of the Interstellar Warrior surgery, with more augmented organs yet to be in place, unable to form a complete and stable augmentation system.

His endurance in high-intensity combat could be said to be Lann’s weakness.

The doubled load of the [Acceleration Technique] further exacerbated stamina consumption.

But there’s no use complaining; after all, the opponent is an ancient dragon.

A disaster-level creature.

The [Acceleration Technique] drastically increased Lann’s margin for error.

Besides, this battle was nearing its end.

Lann glanced once more at the cliffs marked with red streamers with his eye corners.

The Molten Mountain Dragon was much closer to those cliffs.

But when the Demon Hunter’s eyes turned back to focus on his foe, he was surprised to find... the Extinct Dragon had just turned its gaze back too!

Within the reptilian vertical pupils, aside from ferocity and rage, there was now a hint of... rationality.

’Is that cliff important?’

Lann almost thought it was an illusion, feeling as though he gleaned some information from the Extinct Dragon’s gaze.

”Oh crap...”

Lann blinked, somewhat dumbfoundedly remarking.

Yet the Extinct Dragon did not possess the bizarre thoughts and emotions of humans.

It perceived an abnormality in those cliffs, understanding with its intellect that change would inevitably occur when the Molten Mountain Dragon reached beneath those cliffs.

Thus, it now knew: time was short.

The power within the ancient dragon surged with greater intensity!

Its vertical pupils stared fiercely at Lann.

Time is limited... so let’s see if you can withstand my force!

”Roar!!!”

A loud shout.

Amidst a series of ’clattering’ sounds, the dense bone spines on the Extinct Dragon grew outward again!

And even the last trace of bone-white color was stained black.

No matter how hard it tried, it seemed impossible to subdue Lann, but the Extinct Dragon’s fury soared to unprecedented highs.

Within the visible time constraints, these furious emotions began to profoundly affect its physical state.

Ultimately, this ancient dragon entered an all-black spine state never seen before!

When all the bone spines were fully dyed, Lann suddenly felt the veins on his temples throbbing!

A sense of crisis!

Like facing an explosion directly!

On his retina, Mentos suddenly marked a critical red crisis warning.

The power of [Spirit Vision] was activated to the finest detail, revealing even the subtle muscle tremors on the Extinct Dragon’s limbs, indicating the direction of its next move to Lann.

Upon observing the movement trend for an instant, Lann without second thought dashed towards the rock wall behind him.

The shell of the Molten Mountain Dragon was a terrain with significant elevation differences.

The battlefield where a man and a dragon fought was already a rare expanse of flatland.

And the current edge was exactly a nearly twenty-meter-high rock wall.

Thanks to the half-solid state of the Molten Mountain Dragon’s body fluid during solidification, it didn’t smooth out due to gravity.

Exhibiting a volcanic rock’s unique rugged texture.

Mentos, in the instant Lann turned around, marked suitable footholds on the rock wall surface.

Lann seemed less like climbing a wall and more like leaping up a steep staircase.

As the [Light Body Technique Breathing Method] operated, strong leg muscles and the reduced self-weight allowed Lann to spring up the rock wall with the sword, rising up seven or eight meters high until he could no longer stick to the rock wall, finally backflipping away from it!

And at that moment... with wings flapping to ascend roughly ten meters, the Extinct Dragon, covered in black spines, plummeted down!

According to logic, Lann had even witnessed this creature falling and crashing from hundreds of meters above; these mere ten meters should be nothing.

But the deep-rooted sense of crisis told him... the all-black spine Extinct Dragon was completely different from before!

Sure enough, during the descent, the Extinct Dragon unsparingly braced its relatively fragile, spine-laden wings against its body.

Something never seen in its previous falls and impacts!

[Spine Extinction Spin · Heaven]!

An attack descending from the heavens!

Thanks to Lann foreseeing its attack pattern early, the Extinct Dragon’s strike did not directly hit Lann.

Instead, it collided with the rock wall Lann used for climbing and evasion.

The shell of the Molten Mountain Dragon shuddered intensely, this ultra-large ancient dragon that tolerated numerous cannon hits without concern suddenly uttered painful tremors and massive groans!

But Lann could barely hear now.

Because amid the impact, he experienced a bout of tinnitus. The monotonous sharp ’buzz’ filled the prior world.

Under the [Spine Extinction Spin · Heaven] of the Extinct Dragon, the entire rock wall instantly shattered into a pool of lava!

That’s the shape caused by the cooled outer shell of the rock wall being utterly smashed, releasing the once-encased magma in a rush.

The Extinct Dragon forcefully crushed a piece three or four times larger than its own size of the Molten Mountain Dragon’s shell!

And this attack wasn’t over.

The Extinct Dragon’s collisions often followed with subsequent spine barrages.

Previously, it seemed there was a pattern in the direction it shot the spines.

If the previous pattern were followed, after this collision, the Extinct Dragon should shoot spines towards the fan-shaped area directly in front of it.

But before was before, now is now.

As Lann flipped away from the rock wall in mid-air, the wall behind him had already been struck into a pool of lava.

Yet in mid-air, still amid tinnitus, Lann suddenly noticed a set of black dots emerging from the incandescent magma beneath!

”Phew!”

Like steel, yet like crystalline black spines, shooting straight through the magma into the sky!