Its radiant body arched upward like a butterfly tearing free of its cocoon, ripping the withered, ruined corpse apart.
Crystal-encrusted limbs braced against the ground. It raised its head and spread its broad wings, unleashing a blinding glare that was impossible to look at directly.
Having retreated with Isis, Altaïr raised an arm to shield his eyes from the piercing light. He squinted, trying to discern the creature at the heart of the radiance, but could make out only a hazy silhouette.
Even that hazy outline was enough to set alarm bells ringing in both their minds.
Four limbs and a pair of wings. This was the most typical body plan of an Elder Dragon.
"This isn't an opponent the two of us can handle," Altaïr murmured to Isis beside him. "Don't attack first."
Isis suppressed the urge to launch a preemptive strike while it had only just broken free of its "cocoon" and its body had yet to harden, then gave a slight nod.
Specks of light as numerous as the stars converged upon the mysterious Elder Dragon, condensing into countless clusters of crystalline energy by some process beyond human understanding.
The immense underground space, large enough to hold an entire city, sank back into darkness. Gently shaking its body as it grew accustomed to its new form, the mysterious Elder Dragon became the chamber's sole source of light.
As its control over its body deepened, the unbearable glare gradually faded, leaving only a starry shimmer draped across its form.
It looked pure and sacred.
That impression lasted only a few seconds. As the creature raised its head and revealed its full form, the faint goodwill the Hunters had instinctively felt toward something so beautiful vanished without a trace.
Fangs, claws, a head resembling a demon of legend, and a filthy black body that seemed capable of devouring everything: this was its true nature. The radiant scales and crystalline structures were merely armor it wore, or perhaps a disguise.
It was just like the microorganisms that formed the Black Haze. They could shine as brilliantly as the stars, but no light could conceal their cruel nature as they eroded living beings and corrupted flesh.
This was undoubtedly a ferocious Elder Dragon born for consumption and destruction!
The mysterious Elder Dragon's gaze settled on the two Hunters who had withdrawn into the distance.
The naked malice and bloodlust in its eyes told them that this fight could not be avoided.
Altaïr rested a hand on his sword hilt and said softly, "I'm more agile. I'll draw its attention while you get away and warn Mr. Gordon and the others--"
"Shut up." Isis's tone was unexpectedly calm and steady. "Neither of us could hold this thing off alone as the rearguard. It can fly, and it'll quickly catch whoever tries to run.
"Our only chance of making it out alive is to fight together and hold on until my dad and the others arrive."
After a few seconds of silence, Altaïr gave a slight nod.
Following a brief standoff, the energy crystals covering the mysterious Elder Dragon blazed with intense light once more. It reared its upper body and drew a deep breath.
A blazing white orb of devastating energy gathered in its maw, swelling into shape in the blink of an eye.
"Breath attack! Split up and run!"
With a low shout, Altaïr activated Demon Mode first and broke into a desperate sprint.
Both targets had been standing still. When one suddenly burst into a high-speed sprint, the mysterious Elder Dragon's gaze naturally locked onto the fleeing Altaïr, its head turning to track him.
Isis knew exactly why Altaïr had rushed out first. She ground her teeth in frustration and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Against a wide-area breath attack, staying together would be fatal.
If they split up and one of them was hit, the other could at least try to help.
Woom! The air gave off a low hum as it heated and vibrated. The blinding mass of energy in the mysterious Elder Dragon's mouth became a torrent of heat several meters across, sweeping down over the ground from above.
Wherever the breath passed, the thick stone tiles instantly liquefied and then vaporized. The material expanded violently, as though countless Large Barrel Bombs had detonated at once, triggering a chain of explosions with staggering force.
At the leading edge of the sweeping breath, Altaïr sprinted for his life.
Of all the living creatures he had witnessed firsthand, only the Guanzorumu that had nearly destroyed Loc Lac possessed an attack of comparable power.
As he ran at full speed, Altaïr constantly tracked the breath's sweeping angle and the distance between himself and the Elder Dragon.
One second before the terrifying torrent of energy engulfed him, he decisively raised his arm and fired the Clutch Claw.
At nearly the absolute limit of its range, the Clutch Claw latched onto a cluster of crystals on the elbow of the mysterious Elder Dragon's forelimb.
The rope retracted at high speed, yanking Altaïr off his feet and carrying him up onto the side of the mysterious Elder Dragon's forelimb.
The move was risky, but it freed him from the breath attack sweeping after him.
Unless this Elder Dragon was mad enough to destroy itself along with him, it could hardly turn its breath attack against its own body.
He also noticed that both of the mysterious Elder Dragon's front claws were dug deep into the ground.
The recoil from a breath attack this powerful was clearly tremendous. Just as Isis had to maintain a standard anti-impact stance when unleashing Dragon Blast, the mysterious Elder Dragon could not move freely at that moment.
With no time to hesitate, Altaïr drew Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] from his back and drove it viciously into the inner joint of the mysterious Elder Dragon's elbow.
Perhaps because it had only just been born and its scales and armor had not yet fully hardened, its flesh was surprisingly easy to cut.
The trident-shaped tip of the blade plunged nearly half a meter into the wound. Drenched in thick, dark red Elder Dragon blood, [Heaven Swallower] unleashed its most violent eruption of Dragon Element energy since it had been forged.
Crimson lightning flashed deep inside the Monster's wound. Stray arcs even pierced Altaïr's armor and scorched him. With a low roar, he threw all his strength and body weight onto the sword's hilt and wrenched it downward.
A massive, grotesque wound with ragged flesh peeling outward tore open across the forearm the mysterious Elder Dragon had planted against the ground.
The mysterious Elder Dragon's forearm spasmed from the intense pain.
Its balance gave way at once, ruining the stance required to maintain the breath attack. Its body lurched uncontrollably backward, sending the devastating torrent of energy sweeping upward and tearing a breach nearly a hundred meters long through the dome.
Sunlight poured through the breach, illuminating the underground space that had been sealed for thousands of years.
The mysterious Elder Dragon abruptly froze. It raised its head toward the breach and the open sky beyond.
Whoosh! Its massive, broad, crystal-covered wings unfurled. A powerful beat sent wind pressure surging across the chamber, immobilizing both Altaïr, who had just landed after his attack, and Isis, who was sprinting over to support him.
Altaïr raised a hand to shield his eyes as he watched the mysterious Elder Dragon beat its wings and prepare to take flight. The latter half of the Ancient Wyverian's maxim flashed through his mind.
"...Born from the crevices of hell to bring calamity upon the land."
"Don't let it get out of here!" Altaïr roared, struggling against the wind pressure as he tried to interrupt the mysterious Elder Dragon's takeoff.
With a roar, Isis pulled the trigger and launched into a Blast Dash, punching through the wind pressure on a burst of cannon fire. She flew straight at the mysterious Elder Dragon and swung her blazing blade at its chest with all her strength.
She had used the same maneuver against the Ghost Dragon only moments ago. It was perfect for giving chase or interrupting an opponent's movements.
She had overlooked one thing, however. The bipedal, two-winged Ghost Dragon had a fundamentally different limb structure from this quadrupedal, two-winged Elder Dragon.
Still beating its wings to continue its takeoff, the mysterious Elder Dragon raised a foreclaw and swatted Isis out of the air while she had nothing to brace against, smashing her into the ground.
... ... ...
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