Fierce Battle

"Roar──!"

A roar with a faint hiss of a snake echoed through the air.

As the roar rang out, all the monsters nearby went on high alert.

The roar was not only a warning; it was also a command for the other monsters to gather.

Fang Yi rode his shield at high speed toward the edge of the building. The moment he drew near, he saw the flood dragon inside turning its head to stare at him.

At the same time,

his Double Pupil Eyes scanned the area, revealing the large number of beasts converging nearby.

"Boom──!" The flood dragon inside the building suddenly thrashed.

The artificial lake's tranquil surface surged into violent waves. Mud and debris on the bottom churned and rolled toward the surrounding banks. A few seconds later, the enormous dragon tail emerged into view.

"Boom──!"

"Boom──!"

"Roar!" At that moment, a horde of beasts rushed into the building.

Fang Yi rode his shield straight toward the flood dragon. Seeing the human's audacity, the dragon gaped its enormous jaws──"Roar!"

With an angry bellow, it lunged to bite him!

Fang Yi dodged on his shield in the instant the attack came. While the dragon was still recovering from its forward lunge, he unleashed a punch charged with Triple Dark Force!

"Bang──!"

His Fist Armor struck the dragon's enormous scales, and a ring of wind exploded outward.

The flood dragon's body lurched toward the edge.

Its not-yet-fully-evolved snake eyes widened in shock. It hadn't expected this human to be so capable.

It immediately turned and snapped at him again.

At the same time, it whipped the rest of its body along the edge of the corridor, ready to seize an opportunity to coil around and strangle the detestable human before it!

Fang Yi stood on the building's concrete floor, controlling his shield as it darted around him. He repeatedly struck the dragon's body and parts of the surrounding reinforced-concrete walls.

The man and the flood dragon battled inside the building.

The commotion destroyed numerous stone walls and objects inside in an instant.

Black-lined Snakes and all sorts of monsters had gathered in the corridors and elevator shafts on the lower floors. They all obeyed the Lord-level flood dragon.

As Fang Yi fought it, he kept a close eye on the building and the floors below.

Several Advanced Beast Generals had gathered near their floor and at the building's entrance──"The time is right."

Fang Yi immediately focused all his strength on controlling his shield and began destroying the nearby load-bearing pillars!

The building was already on the verge of collapse—an extremely dangerous structure even by the standards of condemned buildings. The Lord Monster had made its home there mainly because it was the largest human structure nearby. From there, it could observe the surrounding area, and the vast open space inside—pierced through in several places—offered a place to hide.

There was also a huge tunnel inside the building.

Even if humans attacked it with heavy weapons, it could instantly escape through the passage inside and burrow underground.

The advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

Therefore,

the risk of the building collapsing seemed exceedingly low.

Most of the other monsters were gathered below, in the relatively sturdy parts of the building. Even if it collapsed, they wouldn't suffer many casualties.

But things were different now. Fang Yi's battle with the flood dragon had drawn many monsters from the nearby residential blocks into the building.

As he fought, Fang Yi also destroyed the building's supports.

With his Double Pupil Eyes analyzing the area, Fang Yi finally broke the core load-bearing pillar with a punch. His shield immediately returned to him, briefly blocking the flood dragon's charge.

"Rumble──!!"

"Clang-clang──!!"

The shaking floors suddenly lost their support. Bricks and chunks of concrete flew everywhere, while the steel reinforcement inside the building snapped and bent, emerging completely from the concrete walls.

Falling stones and floors that could no longer support the structure above crashed down around them.

Below, the monsters gathering around the building looked up──"Splat!"

Many beasts were crushed into pulp beneath massive falling stones and broken floors.

Several Advanced Beast Generals were among them. Even if the debris didn't kill them, it would certainly hinder them and slow their advance.

Above, inside the building's collapsing floors,

the man and the flood dragon fought while dodging falling rubble, gradually moving from the upper floors to the middle and lower ones.

"Impressive for a Lord-level monster. Tough hide, and a vicious punch. Now this is a worthy opponent..."

Fang Yi looked delighted. For the first time, he felt the exhilaration of such a thrilling battle.

By contrast,

the Black-lined Flood Dragon looked perplexed. Although the human before it was lower-ranked,

every attack it launched seemed to be seen through in advance. Combined with the human's terrifying footwork, none of its attacks could so much as touch him.

And although its scales protected it, many had already been shattered by Fang Yi's blows, and blood seeped from the wounds.

This human... wasn't normal!

Outside the building where the fierce battle raged,

several kilometers away, on a rooftop,

a sniper from the Goshawk Squad watched the collapsing building through his scope.

"Boss, there's a lot of commotion over there. Looks like that rookie named Fang Yi caused it."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the Goshawk Squad's captain approached, carrying a pair of antlers. "Interesting. What monster is that rookie fighting? How could it cause such a commotion?"

After more than ten seconds, the sniper's pupils suddenly contracted!

"Boss, I see it! The monster at the bottom of the building is a Black-lined Snake—no, it should be a Black-lined Flood Dragon! It's a Primary Lord-Level Monster!"

His words immediately drew the other squad members closer, all wearing expressions of disbelief.

"Seriously?!"

The Goshawk Squad's captain looked just as incredulous. He hurriedly asked for details and took the binoculars.

After watching for a few seconds, he too saw the enormous flood dragon thrashing about.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"This trip was worth it!"

His excited laughter rang out again and again.

A Primary Lord Monster could fetch at least around a billion when sold. The Black-lined Flood Dragon's Poison Sac and fangs, along with its other parts, were worth even more than those of an ordinary Primary Lord Monster.

But the sniper said worriedly, "That rookie's been fighting a Lord-level monster for so long, and he's all alone. He must be pretty impressive too... Besides, he's a genius from the Limit Dojo. It doesn't seem right for us to swoop in and steal the kill, does it?"

The other squad members' expressions darkened.

However,

the Goshawk Squad's captain merely patted them on the shoulders, still smiling as he said,

"What are you afraid of? Is it so unusual for a genius Martial Artist to die at the hands of a Lord Monster? And that's not even counting the Lord Monster. The injured Advanced Beast Generals nearby are worth a fortune too!"

The Goshawk Squad's captain leaned down slightly and spoke into the sniper's ear. His voice was calm, yet seemed to hold an almost magical power:

"Everyone can take home over a billion from this haul... and that's without counting the materials from the dozens of other monsters."

Then,

the other squad members all held their breath.

That was more money than most people could refuse. After all, people would risk their lives for wealth, just as birds would risk theirs for food.

"Fortune favors the bold!"

At that moment, everyone made up their minds.

In a corner the Goshawk Squad could hardly notice, several monster silhouettes quietly slipped around its flank.

They headed toward another residential block...