In the next instant, the sun-like ball of light suddenly collapsed!
——BOOM!!!
A firestorm covering half the canyon crashed down like divine punishment, plunging the entire ground into a molten purgatory.
Leon had already activated his evasion the moment the light began to gather. He kicked off a protruding rock between the crevices, leaping into the mid-air and rolling as he landed to narrowly escape the center of the explosion.
The waves of heat washed over the hem of his armor, the scorching temperature making his skin sting, but he had no time to worry about it. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Lunastra let out a furious roar and charged.
Leon gritted his teeth and leaped toward Lunastra, unleashing a Demon Flurry Rush that slashed directly into the side of her neck.
Amidst flying sparks, he used the momentum to slide around to her flank, landing a series of consecutive slashes where her wings connected to her body.
Just then, Teostra dove down, his massive frame slamming into the earth like a flaming meteorite.
The impact triggered another intense shockwave.
Leon leaped away from the center of the fray, his figure darting out like a swallow.
BOOM!!!
Rocks shattered and waves of fire surged as Teostra's massive body hit the ground, completely reshaping the terrain.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lunastra leaped into the air and spat out a fan of flames, intending to block Leon's path of retreat.
She was coordinating with Teostra to encircle him.
"Don't even think about trapping me!" Leon roared, accelerating abruptly. He pushed off the ground, performing three consecutive rolls to pass through the gaps in the flames and reach the area beneath Lunastra's belly.
Clutch Claw—Locked!
He hooked onto Lunastra's chest and unleashed another Heavenly Blade Dance, his body spinning like a runaway wheel.
"Hyaaaah!!"
Blades rained down like a storm, tearing through the scales and plating.
Lunastra let out a violent shriek and rolled backward onto her back, forcibly throwing Leon to the ground.
The moment Leon landed, Teostra pounced, his claws wreathed in fire as they swiped down at Leon's head!
CLANG!!!
Leon braced himself, crossing his dual blades to block, but the sheer force sent him flying several meters. He slammed heavily into a rock wall; pain flared through him as his armor cracked and his health plummeted instantly.
Fortunately, the Vaal Hazak Vitality quickly began to fill the void in his health, allowing him to spring back to his feet.
"I can still take this!" Leon's eyes blazed like torches. His target was Teostra.
A sharp glint flashed in Leon's eyes as he tracked the diving Teostra, his right hand snapping the Clutch Claw forward.
Click!
The hook accurately pierced a gap in the scales on Teostra's neck. As the steel cable went taut, Leon kicked off the rock wall, launching himself like a cannonball.
"Stay down for me!!"
Just before the collision, Leon kicked off the dragon's neck and vaulted onto his back, driving his dual blades deep between the spinal scales to anchor himself firmly.
Teostra roared, flames erupting from his entire body as he instinctively tried to buck the human off.
But Leon gritted his teeth and held on, his muscles tensing like iron cables. He struggled for control, reinforcing the Clutch Claw cable by wrapping it between the dragon's horns and its shoulder plates.
At that moment, Leon looked at Lunastra on the ground, and a bold idea flashed through his mind.
He stomped hard on the wound on the dragon's back, provoking Teostra into a blind rage. The massive beast lost its balance and lunged toward Lunastra with a roar.
——BOOM!!!
The two Elder Dragons collided violently, fire intertwining with fire in a blossoming explosion.
Stone fragments flew everywhere as the intense light soared into the sky!
Leon withdrew his blades at the moment of impact, using the rebound to leap high and carve a perfect arc through the air.
——Heavenly Blade Dance!
Consecutive slashes tore open wound after wound on both Elder Dragons before Leon landed perfectly on a high rock plateau not far away.
The ground below had become a literal hell of fire.
Having taken a direct hit from Teostra, Lunastra's existing wounds were torn even wider. Her left wing was broken, and she shrieked as she struggled backward, her surrounding flames scattered and her presence greatly diminished.
Teostra was in no better shape...
Blood trickled from his brow and his breathing was heavy. Fury seethed in his eyes; he clearly hadn't expected to be manipulated into attacking his own mate.
"Hmph. Even if you both come at me together, do you think I'll just let you have your way?" A hint of ruthlessness touched the corner of Leon's mouth.
He reached up to touch the edge of his cracked armor, his gaze sharpening as he stepped off the plateau.
Leon's figure flickered as he dove into the mist of fire, heading straight for the heavily wounded Lunastra.
He threw his Clutch Claw, hooking the edge of her broken wing and pulling hard. His body became a whirlwind, accompanied by a series of sharp 'swish-swish-swish' sounds as his blades formed a dense curtain of slashes.
Lunastra roared and struggled, but with her wing broken, she couldn't take flight and remained pinned to the ground.
——Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dozens of hits from his Blade Dance locked Lunastra in place. For the final blow, his dual blades crossed and plunged into her neck like a guillotine.
Boom!
Lunastra collapsed, her flames flickering out like a candle in the wind.
——Hunt Successful.
[TARGET KILLED: LUNASTRA (HIGH RANK)]
[DING! TALENT ACTIVATED: LONE WOLF]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 8000]
[LEVEL: LV.27]
[EXPERIENCE: 133,000 / 155,000]
[ADDITIONAL MATERIALS OBTAINED: KING ARMOR SPHERE X2, ANCIENT FEYSTONE X2, ANCIENT DRAGONBONE X2, LUNASTRA GEM X2, ELDER DRAGON LARGE GEM X2, LUNASTRA LASH X2, LUNASTRA HARDWING X2, LUNASTRA HARDHORN X2, LUNASTRA LARGE MANE X4, LUNASTRA THICK-SCALE X4, LUNASTRA CARAPACE X4, ANCIENT DRAGON BONE X4]
Just as Leon caught his breath, a terrifying atmospheric shift came from behind him!
——Teostra's flames erupted as his wings unfurled, charging straight at the human!
"You can't wait either, can you..." Leon licked his parched lips and slowly raised his dual blades, the red aura of Demon Mode igniting once more.
"Then come! Let's see who falls first!"
The wind whipped up fiery debris as the second round of the life-and-death battle between hunter and Elder Dragon began!
Leon stepped forward, his figure becoming a red-hot afterimage as he met Teostra's meteor-like impact head-on!
——Demon Flurry Rush!
Red light exploded from his blades and the shockwave rippled out. Like a demon incarnate, Leon collided head-on with Teostra's fury.
BOOM!!!
The massive blast sent rocks flying, and the heat wave seemed to set the air itself on fire.
Using the impact's momentum, Leon slid to the side, rushing past Teostra's belly and carving deep gashes into the hardened scales of his chest, sparks flying everywhere.
"ROAR——!!" Teostra bellowed in rage, spinning his body and swinging his tail like a whip wreathed in fire.
In that instant, Leon realized Teostra's attack patterns were very similar to Lunastra's.
His eyes focused as he pushed off the ground, rolling at a desperate angle. The tail flames brushed past his backplates, the scent of burning air filling his nostrils.
"Now's my chance!" Leon stomped the ground, leaping onto Teostra's back in a spinning motion and crossing his blades.
——Blade Dance!
The blades traced twin circular paths, carving bloody furrows into Teostra's spine one after another!
But Teostra was an Elder Dragon after all; his body was incredibly tough. These minor wounds weren't enough to bring him down. He wrenched his head around, dark red light pooling in his mouth.
'Fire breath?!' Leon's pupils shrank as he retreated instantly. The glow in Teostra's mouth grew increasingly violent.
BOOM——!!!
A massive stream of fire erupted from Teostra's mouth like a river from the heavens. The pillar of flame, dozens of meters long, completely incinerated the terrain ahead.
Leon barely managed to jump onto a stone pillar, but the fire grazed it, melting the base instantly.
"Damn!"
The pillar collapsed, and Leon fell with it. But just before he hit the ground, he kicked off the rock wall, using the leverage to spring upward.
——Clutch Claw!
The hook shot out and bit into the side of Teostra's neck. He launched himself like a bullet again, landing on the dragon's head.
"Time to end this!" Leon raised his dual blades, his Demon aura surging like a fountain of blood as his gold-and-red hunter's aura flared wildly.
The blades fell like thunder, carving dazzling afterimages into Teostra's head—too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!!
Driven by pain, Teostra let out a deafening roar, struggling to throw Leon off.
But Leon had already tangled the cable. The Clutch Claw held the horn fast. No matter how Teostra rolled and roared, Leon held on like a leech!
For the final blow, Leon struck with everything he had!
CRACK!!
The massive dragon horn snapped, and Leon's strike drove deep into the skull.
Teostra's body shuddered violently before he crashed into the ground, creating an enormous crater.
——Hunt Successful.
[TARGET KILLED: TEOSTRA (HIGH RANK)]
[DING! TALENT ACTIVATED: LONE WOLF]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 8000]
[LEVEL: LV.27]
[EXPERIENCE: 141,000 / 155,000]
[ADDITIONAL MATERIALS OBTAINED: ELDER DRAGON LARGE GEM X2, ANCIENT DRAGONBONE X2, TEOSTRA GEM X2, TEOSTRA HARDHORN X2, SEALED FEYSTONE X2, TEOSTRA HARDWING X2, TEOSTRA LASH X2, FIRE DRAGON THICK-SCALE X4, FIRE DRAGON HARDCLAW X4, FIRE DRAGON POWDER X4, TEOSTRA LARGE MANE X4, HELLFIRE MANE X4, TEOSTRA CARAPACE X4]
Leon landed steadily, panting like an ox.
Around him was scorched earth, the air thick with the smell of heat and blood.
He stood up unsteadily, looking at the two massive Elder Dragon corpses, his eyes still sharp and piercing.
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