Challenging the Steel Dragon!!

The cycle of eating and being eaten, of survival and destruction, flowed without ripples, so ordinary.

Upon waking, many ordinary dragons would appear, or many would disappear, but it mattered not. Everything was merely a normal cycle, having no impact on the whole.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Elder Dragons, ordinary dragons were no different from beasts. It was akin to how humans thought of apes—Hey? This thing looks a lot like me?

The higher the ecological niche, the greater the gap between them. Elder Dragons looked down upon ordinary dragons still struggling on the food chain, while Forbidden Species looked down upon Elder Dragons... The gap between Forbidden Species and Elder Dragons was like the gap between Elder Dragons and ordinary dragons.

The closer one got to the peak, the more immense this gap became, to the point of being insurmountable.

Perhaps these intelligent Elder Dragons were proud of their uniqueness, but before the intelligence-gathering Dragon Slayer, the reasons for their pride were no secret.

Can you defeat an Elder Dragon?

Xingyan asked himself this question.

It's probably very difficult.

He already had his answer.

But if he swallowed this pride, how would he wield his blade in the future?

The rage of his nest being destroyed, the lingering fear of his Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers almost dying—Xingyan trembled with anger just thinking about that possibility.

If he kept running from Elder Dragons, when would he ever step onto the path of the Forbidden Species?

Even if he just slashed them twice and ran, could an Elder Dragon kill him instantly?

My body is no longer inferior to an adult Dragon Slayer. I also possess knowledge of dragons that ordinary Dragon Slayers lack, as well as a special carapace—Can you kill me instantly?

At worst, I'll just run. At least I can vent my anger by slashing them twice and see what the real Elder Dragons are like, preparing for the future.

No dragon could peacefully and amicably become a Forbidden Species... No, it should be said that no ordinary dragon had any hope of becoming a Forbidden Species... Only I... and only I...

To go from an ordinary Dragon Slayer to an Elder Dragon Slayer—this could only be achieved by drinking the blood of an Elder Dragon, by consuming its flesh and blood.

Before this step, no amount of consuming the flesh and blood of ordinary dragons would suffice. The gap between ordinary dragons and Elder Dragons was greater than the gap between humans and dogs; it was a gap at the bloodline level.

Some dragons were born in Rome, while others were born as oxen and horses... like herbivorous dragons.

From zero to one, Xingyan knew that he would eventually have to fight an utterly uphill battle, challenging an Elder Dragon in the body of an ordinary dragon.

The Steel Dragon was even considered one of the weaker types among Elder Dragons. If he really couldn't win, he could just burrow into the ground and wouldn't be unable to escape.

His heart was beating violently, hot blood surging from his chest to the ends of his body. Xingyan felt like he was burning.

Burning with excitement.

Xingyan even felt like laughing, because his current situation inexplicably reminded him of a joke:

A: "I want to become an Elder Dragon."

B: "Then go Hunt an Elder Dragon."

A: "If I don't become an Elder Dragon, how can I Hunt an Elder Dragon?!"

B: "Then go Hunt an Elder Dragon!!"

Haha, it was this kind of paradox.

The wind and rain obscured Xingyan's figure and tracks, so much so that when he got close enough to the two Steel Dragons fighting on the ground, they still seemed unaware of him—No, this was ignorance!

Two streams of hot white air sprayed from his nostrils. After confirming the distance was sufficient, Xingyan leaped out!

Flying Great Slash!!

Whether it was a Steel Dragon or a Rusty Steel Dragon, Xingyan had no intention of distinguishing his target. His slash was aimed at both Steel Dragons fighting together!

CLANG!!!

A massive sound, like striking a great bell, was the collision of iron against iron, the roar of metal!

There was no sensation of cutting flesh at all. Even through the veil of rain, Xingyan was certain that his slash initially landed at the base of the Rusty Steel Dragon's wing, close to its neck, before sliding down to cut into the abdomen of another silver-gray Steel Dragon.

But honestly, apart from an inward dent at the initial point of impact, this slash might have only left a white scratch mark on the metal outer shell, not even scraping the Rusty Steel Dragon's hide.

It was too damn hard, like two pieces of steel colliding. The recoil even made Xingyan's tailbone feel numb.

The damage wasn't high, but as a declaration of war, it was more than enough.

"ROAR!!!"

The roars of the Steel Dragon and the Rusty Steel Dragon were similar, very high-pitched. After all, they were still Steel Dragons; the only difference was whether their outer shell was rusty.

The two Steel Dragons had undoubtedly noticed Xingyan, this audacious intruder. He was merely an ordinary Dragon Slayer, not even old, more like a cub, yet he dared to attack them?!

Enraged!

Inevitably enraged.

The anger of their Elder Dragon status being provoked, the anger of their bodies being injured. The Steel Dragon and the Rusty Steel Dragon even stopped their fight and turned their attention to Xingyan simultaneously.

"ROAR ROAR--!!" (Come on! You two bastards!!)

Not showing an ounce of fear, the bones of a Dragon Slayer knew no fear. Holding his sword tail vertically in front of him, Xingyan roared loudly.

"ROAR ROAR ROAR! ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR!!" (You destroyed my home and dared to hurt my brother! I will kill you!!)

Rage!!

Blazing Rage!!

A bloodlust surged, and Xingyan issued a provocation that even the Dragon Slayers, or perhaps even those beyond them, would hesitate to make.

Whether the Elder Dragons could understand the meaning of "asshole" was a separate matter, but Xingyan's intent was clearly conveyed.

"ROAR!!!"

The silver-grey Steel Dragon seemed enraged. It raised its head, preparing to attack Xingyan—but unexpectedly, the Rusty Steel Dragon let out a roar immediately after.

Under Xingyan's bewildered gaze, the silver-grey Steel Dragon, furious from Xingyan's attack and provocation, halted its charge. Instead, it retreated a few steps to the side.

What did that mean?

Weren't you two mortal enemies?

Xingyan was truly confused. If they weren't mortal enemies, why had the two Steel Dragons fought from sea to land, and from sky to ground, looking as if they wanted to kill each other?

But as the two Steel Dragons moved, Xingyan gradually began to understand.

The Rusty Steel Dragon, which he had struck the deepest moments ago, remained in place, adopting a stance as if waiting for him to attack. The other, the silver-grey Steel Dragon, flew back and landed on a high stone pillar, clearly intending to observe the fight.

Understood. Xingyan completely understood.

So, it was a 1v1 duel?

As expected of an Elder Dragon, a proud Elder Dragon. Xingyan was now convinced that Elder Dragons indeed possessed intelligence comparable to humans, as this kind of action was beyond what dragons that merely hunted for survival by instinct could achieve.

A higher form of emotion.

Then bring it on.

"ROAR!"

The Rusty Steel Dragon growled lowly, as if urging him to attack quickly.

Thrust!!

Its flexible sword-tail shot forward like a whip, and simultaneously, Xingyan sidestepped to the right.

BOOM!!

A Wind Pressure Cannon spat from the Rusty Steel Dragon's mouth landed precisely where Xingyan had been standing. However, Xingyan dodged it with the motion following his sword strike—this was known as a Shearing Slash!

He hadn't wasted the past year!

Accumulating Life Energy was merely a daily necessity. Xingyan had spent most of his time observing the Hunters who frequented the Great Sand Sea.

The Hunters who wielded greatswords, the Hunters who wielded longswords—he wanted to learn their methods of imbuing their weapons with their inner energy, in simpler terms, he wanted to give his sword-tail a red glow.

But unfortunately, perhaps due to the vast difference in physical structure between humans and dragons, no matter how much Xingyan pondered it, he couldn't imbue his weapon with his energy after a certain number of attacks like the Hunters, making the blade emit a faint yellow or red light.

Xingyan suspected this was also a form of utilizing Life Energy, a technique humans had developed based on their own physical structures.

In this world, all things possessed Life Energy, the only difference being the amount, whether it was actively or passively present.

In any case, this technique allowed weapons to become sharper, harder, and to store and release more power, which Xingyan envied greatly.

However, even though he hadn't mastered the Hunters' secret techniques, Xingyan hadn't gained nothing.

He constantly recalled the movements of the Hunters in the game from his memories, and referenced the actions of the Hunters he saw hunting in the Great Sand Sea in the real world... He pondered, and surprisingly, he figured something out.

WHOOSH--!

The Steel Dragon's tail, like a slender steel whip, lashed out with a sound that tore through the air, striking towards Xingyan—Ding!

A sound that existed only in Xingyan's mind, and at that instant, his body violently twisted and retreated!

Parry Slash!!

Not just an evasion, but a powerful horizontal slash forward after evading!!

This was no toothpick wielded by the Hunters; it was a colossal greatsword, thicker and wider than even a Great Sword user's weapon!!

CLANG!!!

The deafening metallic clang echoed once more. If anyone could witness this duel, they would surely doubt whether the Dragon Slayer's long sword-tail would break from such an impact.

Unlike in the game, the sword-tail in the real world, even without being superheated, could break under sufficient impact and pressure. After all, it was essentially a large Tekkai, and any blade could break or become dull.

Slicking back its sword-tail, Xingyan clearly saw two noticeable dents on its surface. Even his painstakingly forged greatsword had a small piece chipped off from the impact.

Steel Dragon, truly living up to its name.

When faced with monsters possessing such powerful defense, Hunters would concentrate their energy to reinforce their blades, enhancing their sharpness and hardness to prevent them from chipping. But Xingyan lacked such a technique.

He was like a brute with immense strength, strong enough, with a blade large enough, swinging with sheer power.

But the effect was undeniable. At the very least, the two dents Xingyan had managed to inflict on this Rusty Steel Dragon were something Hunters couldn't achieve even with their full effort—to put it simply, it was equivalent to landing two Dragonators on the Rusty Steel Dragon.

"ROAR!!!"

The Rusty Steel Dragon roared again. Visibly, transparent wind gathered, mixed with the falling rain, enveloping the Rusty Steel Dragon's body like a veil, protecting it.

"Roar? Roar roar! Roar roar roar!" (Are you stupid? You're already so rusty, and you're wrapping yourself in this watery wind? Are you afraid you won't suffer enough?)

As everyone knows, metal rusts more easily in humid environments, not to mention the strong wind. There's even a term for it: wind erosion.

Regardless of whether the Rusty Steel Dragon could understand his roar, Xingyan felt satisfied with his taunt. The Rusty Steel Dragon's action was, in his opinion, pure self-torture.

Whether it was his imagination or not, for a moment, Xingyan felt the Rusty Steel Dragon opposite him stiffen, while the Steel Dragon that had landed on the stone platform raised its head.

"ROAR!!!"

It was probably just his imagination. Xingyan couldn't afford to think about such things. The Rusty Steel Dragon had already whipped up a tornado in place. From its surroundings to its body, the violent vortex had become a storm, even a tempestuous black gale!!

Only by feeling it up close could one truly understand what a natural disaster was. Even with the Dragon Slayer's considerable weight, including its flesh, blood, and mineral-tipped tail, Xingyan felt he could barely stand steady.

This fierce storm was too powerful. Even as he half-crouched with his legs spread wide, the entire dragon's body still swayed slightly.

BOOM—WHOOSH!!!

With a powerful flap of its wings, two thick tornadoes rose from this spot, stretching from the ground to the sky like a waterline reaching the heavens. It even ripped apart the thick rain clouds high above.

Unlike the muted spectacle when the two Steel Dragons fought each other, vying for control of the wind, the Rusty Steel Dragon unleashed its full power as an Elder Dragon when facing Xingyan.

Wielding the gale, it lived up to its name, the "Soaring Dragon."

It turned out that those who could wield the wind were not just playmakers, but also Steel Dragons.

The howling wind made Xingyan feel as if he were in the middle of a typhoon, even his eyes stinging faintly from the effort of keeping them open.

If not for the Air Sac Carapace allowing Xingyan to breathe in another way, it would have been difficult to even inhale through his nose in the gale, as the air around him seemed to be accelerating.

The power the Rusty Steel Dragon displayed now far surpassed what the game could present to players. It was a power that seemed capable of destroying the entire world, to the point that the surrounding ground and rocks were being scraped away layer by layer by this razor-sharp wind.

It didn't leave any gaps for the Hunter to take cover in like in the game. To be honest, Xingyan couldn't help but wonder if this Rusty Steel Dragon had been throwing the fight with that silvery-gray Steel Dragon earlier.

Compared to this world-ending destructive power, the battle between the two Steel Dragons just moments ago was nothing more than a lovers' quarrel.