Ancient Dragon in Arknights

He came from behind, not only because he had plenty of energy, but also because he had ranged weapons, and he held most of the initiative in the battle.

"Boss, are you going to do this deal or not? If you are, I'll get to it. Two kids, they'll be easy to deal with."

The scavenger seemed completely oblivious to the verbal exchange behind it all, continuing to promote his business like a clueless fool.

But the fat man saw this as no different from coercion, and he had to make his own choice.

"..."

After much hesitation, he made his own judgment—the two brats, though ruthless, were only driven to desperation; but this scavenger was different. Who knew how many people he had killed or what he had done?

"Get them done quickly. I'll go with you, but the price has to be halved!"

"Tsk, fine, I give up."

The two slowly approached Nesario and Saria, and the situation suddenly became dangerous.

"*Colombian swear word*! I'll take you all down with me even if I die today!"

Nesario was filled with rage. He and Saria had been kidnapped here and faced life-or-death crises time and again. After a fierce battle, they finally saw a glimmer of hope, only to have it extinguished by this scavenger who suddenly broke in.

Scavengers... there are countless such guys in the wilderness, and a single gold coin can make them work themselves to the bone, but now, he has become Neltharion's nemesis.

Along with this surge of rage, Neltharion's chest began to glow faintly, and steam began to rise from his pores—this was his berserk state!

When fighting to the death, Odogaron would eat its stored food and then quickly digest it to achieve a short-term burst of power. In human terms, this would be like a stimulant that depletes physical strength.

However, it must be admitted that having such a stimulant during a battle can indeed significantly increase the chances of winning.

"Nesario! I'm with you!"

Saria's fighting spirit was also ignited; she had had enough!

Previously, he was bullied by Toby and his gang. Nesario finally managed to get rid of Toby, but now he's run into these bastards again.

The two little dragons charged at the enemy, but the scavenger paid no heed to the two toddlers' anger; on the contrary, he even diverted his attention.

The fat man was very close to the scavenger, and he never let go of the dagger in his hand.

His blood-blurred eyes remained fixed on the dusty figure not far away. As the figure drew closer, the fat man suddenly launched an attack!

Ignoring the worsening of his wounds, he gripped the dagger tightly with both hands and stabbed at the scavenger!

"Die to me!"

Puff-!

There was another sound of flesh being pierced. This sound had been heard many times today, and the fat man was particularly lucky to have suffered twice.

The scavenger did not use the bow and crossbow he was carrying, but instead used some kind of concealed weapon—his arm, hidden under his robe, had some kind of mechanism that resembled a small hand crossbow.

This hidden arrow successfully wounded the fat man and thwarted his long-planned ambush.

"It seems the young boss is a smart man. I really didn't intend to do this business from the beginning."

The scavenger quickly changed his target, aiming his crossbow at the two siblings—the crossbow only had one shot loaded, and then it would be close combat. Who should he attack?

Faced with the exact same dilemma as the fat man, he chose to ignore Saria and instead confront Neltharion, only to suffer a great loss as a result.

The scavenger was clever; he had already figured out which of the two siblings was leading the attack. Nesario was an absolute madman, bloodthirsty, warlike, and dangerous, but his weakness was also obvious: he was too small. If he were any bigger, no one here would have survived today.

Although Saria is not dangerous, she is Nesario's most relied-upon offensive weapon. Having a partner to cooperate with is far more effective than a powerful weapon.

Moreover, Saria is weaker—taking care of her first is a very safe option.

Although he would face the risk of fighting Neltharion in close combat, the scavenger was confident that he would win, as the brat was already at his last gasp.

call out--!

The crossbow bolt was fired swiftly, and Saria fell to the ground with a thud. Nesario was not paying attention to her condition, so he dared not make a judgment about Saria's current state.

But he cannot stop now; if he stops now, he will truly have no chance.

"kill!"

With its eight claws swirling like a whirlwind, Neltharion, in his berserk state, displayed the prowess of a killing machine.

Mad Dragon - Aerial Dance!

The scavenger was caught off guard, not expecting Nesario's attack to be so swift; the guy was fighting for his life.

Faced with the attack, he neither dodged nor avoided, letting the scavenger's dagger graz his body, hot blood spurting out; this reckless fighting style yielded rich results, the scavenger's originally tattered clothes were torn to shreds, and the number of bloodstains on his body became visibly more numerous.

"Get the hell out of my way, you brat!"

Left with no other choice, the scavenger hurriedly pulled something from his waist and threw it at Nesario.

Although Nesario was in a frenzy, he had not lost his mind. He knew very well that this thing was probably the opponent's trump card, and he could not be foolish enough to take it head-on.

So Nesario slammed on the brakes and changed direction, his leg joints forming a dangerous arc—he was sure to sprain it!

Boom!

The object thrown out was actually a homemade bomb! Its power wasn't terrifying, at least not at the level of a military hand grenade, but the impact was undeniable.

Nesario dodged in time, and the explosion that would have hit him head-on was now blocked by his side; however, the price was extremely high, with a twisted leg and his head still spinning from the blast.

"What a monster! But look at how you're hiding now!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the scavenger rushed over. Nesario's mobility was impaired, and he would no longer have the upper hand in the ensuing battle.

What are you planning to do to my brother?

Saria's voice rang out, and the woman who had been lying on the ground was now rapidly attacking—her fists seemed to be gleaming! ?

Chapter Twenty: Victory

"What the hell!?"

The scavenger quickly distanced himself from Saria as she charged towards him. The homemade bombs were very troublesome to make and of inconsistent quality, so he didn't have a second one.

Upon seeing Saria's shimmering hands, the scavenger's alarm bells went off immediately; he had some knowledge of Originium Arts.

In the wilderness, most of the imposing figures are infected individuals who possess powerful Originium Arts. They sacrifice their lives for immense power, then use that power to seize everything they desire. However, this method is not a long-term solution.

More power requires pushing your body to its limits. Those famous figures in the wilderness are like weeds; one batch dies and another grows. No one will remember their past glory.

'I don't know what effect this brat's Originium Arts will have. Should I dodge it?'

After a brief moment of thought, the scavenger decided to keep his distance.

Saria was injured in the shoulder by the crossbow bolt, and the more dangerous Nesario had lost most of his fighting ability. Meanwhile, Saria still had a crossbow in his hand, which he could use to attack again after a little reloading.

Victory is already in our grasp!

"..."

Saria noticed the scavenger's hind legs and quickened her pace.

How does she use Originium Arts? Keep in mind that she is not an Infected, and she needs a staff as a medium to cast Originium Arts.

The small spellcasting unit that Nesario had given her before was not powerful enough to drive the spells, and she should not have the means to use Originium Arts.

As the saying goes, what you don't have, others may have.

The tall, thin man who had been killed by Neltharion earlier was also a warlock. He caught the two siblings off guard with his Originium Arts of wind manipulation, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a sorry state.

After Nesario killed him, Saria kept thinking about the staff, as she had a talent for Originium Arts—this staff might be able to turn the tide of the battle.

As it turned out, her idea was entirely correct. Neltharion alone could not resolve the situation, and Saria had just taken advantage of being knocked down and not being noticed to pick up the staff.

She was unsure what her Originium Arts were. Exploring one's Originium Arts usually required a specific safe environment, but the current situation did not allow for such a luxurious requirement.

Saria, desperate as she was, picked up her staff and cast a spell on the scavenger—but this time it seemed to have no effect.

Ultimately, when Neltharion was defeated, Saria was forced to unleash her full potential under pressure.

A layer of silvery-white substance began to emerge and condense on her fist. Because Saria's use was too rough and inexperienced, her spells were full of flaws.

Her palms were even somewhat affected by these things, but it was enough that they worked.

"Go to hell!"

Seeing Saria rushing towards him, the scavenger knew he couldn't dodge. He slashed his dagger down at Saria, who, unarmed, was bound to dodge.

Click!

Saria neither dodged nor evaded. Her fist, which was covered in an unknown substance, collided violently with the dagger. The sound was not that of steel clashing, but rather like the sound of marble being struck.

"what!?"

The scavenger was astonished, but his attack was indeed ineffective; Saria appeared unaffected, and the blow had not even touched her flesh.

Saria wouldn't miss her chance; her fist slammed into the opponent's chest—the scavenger, with his chest wide open, naturally couldn't dodge and took the full force of the punch, followed by a sharp, piercing pain.

'Ribs? How could that be!?'

It's unknown how much combat experience the scavenger has, but he certainly has a lot of experience being beaten up.

Based on what he just felt, he knew for certain that his ribs were definitely cracked.

This kid in front of me is quite strong; his fists are as hard as stone now. But could he really crack my bones with one punch? I'm not calcium deficient...

After delivering the first punch, a second punch followed immediately. Saria wanted to finish this guy off in one go.

"Don't blame me for being despicable."

"!"

Saria's movements were forced to a halt. The scavenger's counterattack came swiftly, but this time he didn't use a knife; instead, he extended his fist. Saria intended to trade blows, but the scavenger was no saint; he despicably chose to punch Saria in the spot where she had previously been wounded by an arrow.

To stop the bleeding, Saria didn't pull out the arrowhead, but instead broke the shaft off.

The arrow, which was originally embedded in flesh, was jolted and twisted by the impact; this kind of pain was extraordinary.

Saria's patience had reached its limit. Even though she didn't shed a single tear, her biological instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm was already kicking in.

'Don't forget about me! You bastard!'

At the same moment, Neltharion attacked. A twisted leg doesn't mean the leg is broken. Neltharion used his healthy leg to force his way through and climbed onto the scavenger's back without a care.

The eight claws transformed into the strongest hooks, firmly anchoring themselves to the scavenger's body. But that wasn't all; Nesario, disregarding everything, bit down hard on the scavenger's sand-covered neck.

One of the most distinctive features of the Odogaron is its terrifyingly large, meat-grinding mouth. Unfortunately, those protruding fangs are not suitable for humans, so Nesario cannot acquire this feature, but he can strengthen his jaw muscles accordingly.

"Aaaaaah!!! Get out of my way!"