High in the sky, several wingdrakes trembled within a flock of Radiant Fire Wyverns. Swept along as they flew forward, they had no way to break away and could only beat their wings with all their strength, keeping the members of the scouting group suspended below as they struggled to match the Radiant Fire Wyverns' flying speed.
"So hot~~ Is this what hunters mean when they say that when Radiant Fire Wyverns move out together, the sky is scorched like azure flames, meow? If this keeps up, I'm going to need a cold drink, meow!!"
Darren's Felyne clung tightly to Mia's shoulder and back, dressed in a butterfly mascot outfit. The transparent wings that served as decoration swayed constantly in the airflow.
"Haha, then you've got that wrong. What hunters mean by that line refers to the sight of Radiant Fire Wyverns collectively activating their Azure Flame state during battle. What you're seeing now is just their normal state."
Within the group, Noah heard the cat's comment and explained it with a chuckle.
After years of cooperative combat, the Radiant Fire Wyverns had long since formed their own set of battle patterns. The so-called Azure Flame mode was, in fact, a state where they collectively ignited their flaming wings and, through the circulation of fire-attribute energy from the same source, wove something akin to a domain—simply a battlefield suited for group combat by Radiant Fire Wyverns.
It could be said to be a weakened version of Logan's flame vortex.
While the scouting group chatted among themselves, even Noah—who was quite familiar with the Ancient Tree—failed to notice that above the Radiant Fire Wyvern flock, within the clouds, three Fire Wyverns with bodies far larger than ordinary Radiant Fire Wyverns were moving through them.
At the lead was Aki, her entire body gleaming with golden light. Her body, encased in metallic scales, appeared slightly bulky—but this was not actually the case.
It was not that she had grown fat or anything of the sort. Rather, after occupying the second position on the symbiosis pyramid for many years, she had finally, under the influence of Terastal energy and Ancient vitality, successfully crossed that threshold. As a Gold Rathian with Elder Dragon–level power, she became the Ancient Tree's second Elder Dragon, following Logan.
However, just like Logan back then, aside from a tremendous increase in vitality and life tier, the only additional gain was the ability to command life energy.
In terms of overall strength, there was no especially huge improvement—only that in a protracted fight, she could now handle two of her former selves like this.
Behind Aki were the Flame Wyvern couple who, over the years, had already kept a low profile, nesting in the canopy layer and quietly producing offspring.
It was just a pity that a Special Specie was still a Special Specie. Added to that, they were also affected by the Symbiosis trait: although their strength had improved and they could steadily control the violent flames within their bodies, their fertility—already low to begin with—was impacted again. Even now, there was still no movement at all from Scorching Heat Rathian, to the point that the two of them as a couple were already planning to go to the Elder's Recess and stay there for a while again.
Aki's group was the contingency Logan had arranged for this subjugation battle.
Nakarkos' mission had already been completed; the will of nature would no longer protect it. With Aki and the others joining in, no matter what, it would ensure that Nakarkos—whose strength had been constrained all these years—would be taken offline after this battle.
After all, aside from the hunters and the contingency Logan had arranged, Lunastra and Kirin were also nearby. With a lineup like this, even if this world did not have the existence of the "Sapphire Star," Nakarkos still would have no possibility of winning.
The Ancient Tree region was vast, and the vegetation was dense. For humans, most areas could be described as having harsh conditions. Aside from large numbers of large monsters, there were also quite a few kinds of poisonous small creatures.
If they traveled on foot, even hunters would need several days to get from the Ancient Tree to the western border.
But this time, with the Radiant Fire Wyvern flock clearing the way in the sky, they successfully arrived in just half a day.
At this moment, at the junction between the western side of the Ancient Tree region and the jungle swamp, one temporary camp after another was set up in scattered groups along the line on cleared open ground, and bursts of fighting sounds occasionally came from all around.
A signal flare shot up, and the members of the scouting group directed the wingdrakes to break away from the main body and fly toward the temporary command post.
As Little Loren revisited familiar ground, he looked at the jungle swamp on the other side of the defensive line with a solemn gaze; that area had left him with a deep impression.
Accompanied by a low roar from it, the Radiant Fire Wyvern flock spread out. Relying on their exceptional eyesight, they quickly locked onto the battles below and dove down with their flaming wings ignited.
This time, the order issued by the king was to drive off and intercept all creatures near the jungle swamp region that might affect the battle. Therefore, as long as a creature was judged to be an enemy, even if it was only an Aptonoth, they would decisively launch an attack—but if it was not, then even Loren could not command them.
Little Loren understood this point as well, which was why he did not rashly lead the Radiant Fire Wyvern flock straight into the jungle swamp in a moment of hot-headedness. Instead, he had them go to assist the hunters fighting below.
...
At the temporary command post, Noah quickly completed the necessary handover with the acting officer in charge. Nearby, the hunters responsible for security and for tallying support supplies could not help but cast sidelong glances at the equipment worn by the scouting group's hunters.
Any hunter capable of hunting a Fire Wyvern could be considered a top-tier hunter, and a hunter able to assemble a full set of Fire Wyvern equipment was the object of envy for countless others—a symbol of standing at the top of the ecological hierarchy.
Even though the Fifth Fleet was composed entirely of elites, the vast majority were still at the level of being able to hunt Fire Wyverns as a team. It was only natural, then, that they would feel envious of the scouting group's current equipment.
"The situation is basically like this. The location of the Dragon Graveyard has already been fully scouted, and Nakarkos' activity periods have also been largely confirmed. From here to the Dragon Graveyard, a route sufficient to transport equipment and support supplies has already been cleared. Shells, ballista bolts, ammunition for the hunters' weapons, and arrows have all been delivered in advance, and consumables such as medicines are being allocated by the Grimalkynes and Felynes."
"In addition, the whereabouts of Lunastra and Kirin have not yet been confirmed. However, based on the battle traces within the Dragon Graveyard, investigators infer that not long ago, they once again clashed with Nakarkos, and the intensity of the fighting appears to have escalated further. Both sides should have suffered injuries."
As the scholar laid out the situation piece by piece, everyone present gained a clear understanding of the current circumstances.
When it came to fighting an Elder Dragon, having or lacking siege support were entirely different levels of difficulty. Even without a weapon like the Dragonator, heavy cannons, ballistae, and fixed ballistae were more than enough to help hunters create a significant advantage when it mattered.
If something could be made a bit easier, no one would choose to play the hero in a life-or-death situation like this.
"I understand. Then please have the cat chefs make preparations and cook the cat meals in advance. Tomorrow morning, when the sun rises, we will commence this hunt targeting the master of the Dragon Graveyard—Nakarkos!"
Noah looked toward the members of the scouting group. Including the Ancient Wyverian girl, they all nodded solemnly in response.
...
The next day, the sky had only just begun to brighten.
The eight hunters responsible for this hunt quickly finished the exceedingly lavish cat meals before them. Over the next one to two days of hunting, aside from medicines, they would receive no additional food supplies.
Thus, one by one, they turned into bottomless eaters, devouring the basin-sized portions of food in front of them. Feeling the unique buffs granted by the cat meals, they closed the visors that matched their helmets.
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