The monster descended like a black star of doom, landing atop Zorah Magdaros's back without warning and looking down upon the crowd.
The hunters had never seen a creature like this before.
"What... what kind of monster is this?"
"An... Elder Dragon? Is it one too?"
"Nergigante is an Elder Dragon, and an Elder Dragon killer. It must have followed Zorah Magdaros here," Ramsey muttered grimly, immediately shielding the wounded behind him.
Long before setting foot on the New World, he had heard the researchers of the New World Research Commission mention "Nergigante."
Throughout the Commission's years of extensive research, they discovered that Nergigante shared a deep connection with the Elder Crossing. Though many mysteries remained, this was not humanity's first encounter with the beast.
In the next instant.
BOOM!!
Nergigante slammed its head down with sudden violence.
The headbutt struck Zorah Magdaros's shell with such force that sparks flew, and the entire back of the mountain-sized dragon shuddered violently.
The hunters, who had only just regained their footing, stumbled again. Some were even tossed aside, nearly falling into the sea.
"Scatter! It's about to attack!" Ramsey shouted, pulling a wounded hunter back.
Nergigante crouched low, its pitch-black wing membranes unfurling like blades before it suddenly pounced!
Its silhouette streaked across Zorah Magdaros's back like a bolt of black lightning. Its sharp talons tore through the rock, leaving smoking gouges in its wake.
"Argh!!" One hunter was clipped in the shoulder. His armor shattered, and he was sent crashing into a rock wall, blood spraying.
Ramsey spun around, bracing his Great Sword in front of him. He barely managed to block the follow-up swipe, but the impact sent him flying several meters until he slammed into a jagged outcropping.
He spat out blood and struggled to his feet.
Just then—
The black spikes all over Nergigante's body stood on end as it flared its wings!
Seeing this, Ramsey knew it was the wind-up for its signature move, the Heavenly Ruin of the Thorns.
"This is bad..."
Before the words could fully leave his mouth, Nergigante beat its wings and took to the sky, kicking up a gale. Its black spikes reflected a cold, lethal glint as it hovered high above, the air swirling violently around it.
"Get out of the way!!" Ramsey roared. "Everyone, find cover—!"
But they were on Zorah Magdaros's back; there were only a few rocky protrusions for cover. Most hunters could only huddle near rock fissures or leap toward the edge of the magma falls to hide.
A moment later, Nergigante dove like a falling meteor, its black wings spinning in a lethal, spiraling dance.
—BOOM!!!
The air seemed to be sucked out of the area as shockwaves exploded outward, sending black spikes flying in every direction!
The hunters who failed to evade in time didn't even have a chance to scream before they were blasted away. Their fates remained unknown.
Ramsey lay flat behind a rock as debris rained down, his arms wrapped tightly around the wounded hunter beneath him.
A high-pitched ringing filled his ears.
'Dammit... we have to take it down quickly, or the people at the Great Ravine...'
Ramsey looked up, his gaze locking onto the monster hovering in the air.
Nergigante stood like the absolute sovereign of the battlefield.
At that moment, Leon descended from above like a soaring arrow.
His dual blades glinted coldly amidst the flames as he landed in front of Ramsey.
"Leon..." Ramsey rasped. "We might... need a miracle..."
As soon as he spoke, he gripped his Great Sword once more.
"ROAR—" Nergigante let out a deafening cry, its black wings whipping up a fierce storm that forced Leon and Ramsey back several steps.
"Ramsey, if you can still move, let's take it on together." Leon's expression was grim. He gripped his dual blades and entered Demon Mode, his body low to the ground like a predator ready to pounce.
"I'm not dead yet..." Ramsey stood up, holding his Great Sword across his chest, his eyes burning with resolve.
In the next instant, Nergigante lunged with a furious pounce!
"Here it comes!" Leon kicked off the ground, moving like a flash of lightning. He crossed his blades and slashed precisely at Nergigante's foreleg.
—CLANG!!
The blades struck home, but they only left shallow scratches on the scales. Sparks flew.
"Too tough!" Leon used a Demon Flurry Rush to create distance, his feet flying as he performed a series of dashes to avoid Nergigante's counterattack.
Nergigante roared, swinging its massive tail in a wide arc!
Leon slid low, barely passing under the tail spikes. He followed up with a backhand slash that sent sparks flying.
He executed several more diagonal slashes in quick succession.
Meanwhile, Ramsey closed in from the rear, bringing his Great Sword down in a heavy Charged Slash against Nergigante's hind leg!
—CRACK!!
Black blood sprayed, and Nergigante's movements faltered for a moment.
"It worked!" Ramsey tried to follow up, but Nergigante's black wings snapped open, the force knocking him back. He hit a jagged rock on Zorah Magdaros's back with a heavy thud.
Simultaneously, the wound on Nergigante's leg began to knit back together, healing before their very eyes.
"The gap is too wide... we don't have a chance." Ramsey spat, blood trickling from his temple.
Leon breathed heavily, holding his blades in a reverse grip. "If we don't hold it back, more people will die," he replied coldly.
Suddenly, a system notification flashed before his eyes.
[MISSION LIST]
[MAIN QUEST: ???]
[PRE-REQUISITE QUEST: DEFEAT NERGIGANTE]
Reward: Unlock Main Quest
Before Leon could react, Nergigante pounced again, its hooked talons aiming straight for his face.
BOOM!!
Leon shifted his footing, narrowly dodging. His blades sliced through Nergigante's wing membrane, leaving a bloody trail.
Nergigante slammed into Zorah Magdaros's back, creating a massive crater.
Dust and smoke filled the air instantly.
Feeling the pain, Zorah Magdaros slowly lowered its massive feet...
The terrain shifted once again.
"Ramsey, now!!"
No sooner had he spoken than Ramsey surged forward with a charged dash, swinging his Great Sword in a wide sweep.
"Hah!!"
—BAM!!
The Great Sword slammed into Nergigante's left knee joint, but it failed to do any damage. Instead, the beast countered with a swipe of its forepaw.
Nergigante swatted Ramsey away with a single blow.
He was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing through a stone pillar before tumbling to the ground, where he lay motionless.
"Ramsey!!" Leon's pupils shrank, but he had no time to check on him. Nergigante had already turned its head, its crimson eyes locked onto him.
In the next instant.
Nergigante pounced with savage fury.
Leon didn't have time to retreat; he had to tank the hit!
—CLANG!!!
He crossed his dual blades, barely managing to block the pouncing forelegs. However, the pressure forced him to his knees. The ground beneath him cracked, and his bones creaked under the crushing weight.
"Ugh..." Leon suppressed the agonizing pain blooming in his chest. He was completely overpowered, unable to move an inch.
He could feel his bones snapping, one by one...
"System, allocate points—"
[ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH 25, AGILITY 23, CONSTITUTION 21, PERCEPTION 15. (UNASSIGNED POINTS: 7)]
[STRENGTH +1, CURRENTLY 26]
[UNASSIGNED POINTS: 6]
A violent surge of heat exploded within Leon. His muscles rippled, his bones popped, and as he gripped his swords, veins bulged like coiling dragons on his arms.
The moment his physical stats increased, his exhaustion receded like a ebbing tide.
His power surged. Leon exhaled a breath of hot air, his gaze turning cold as a blade as he slowly braced himself and stood up.
This duel with Nergigante was no longer just about protecting the hunters; it was his chance to unlock the main quest.
Leon had to seize it!