Chapter 54

Aolang's target was clear: the wounds slashed by the stranger Long Sword User.

Whether the Long Sword should be classified as heavy or light weaponry has always been debated, but in fact, this weapon is remarkably balanced in all aspects except defense.

In the hands of an experienced Long Sword User, it maintains the attack speed and agility of light weaponry while delivering destruction comparable to heavy weapons.

Those long, narrow wounds on the Mud Dragon's legs—had they been made with a One-Handed Sword, even one a tier sharper, they would not have been so easily carved.

What he needed to do now was deepen the existing wounds, sever more leg muscles, until the Mud Dragon's mobility was critically impaired.

It must be said, if a Frontliner could pin the Monster down from the front, the Guerilla Hunters would have it far easier.

Like Aolang now, alternating Charged Slash and Wild Dance to repeatedly slice the Mud Dragon's leg wounds, while still allocating two-tenths of his attention to the front-line battle.

By observing the opponent's Equipment, he realized he might have misjudged slightly—the Long Sword User's strength was probably not as strong as he'd assumed.

Her armor was a hybrid set composed of Doglong Set and Great Bullfango King Set, commonly known as "Pig-Dog Set."

This armor set was highly popular among Two-Star Hunters, since it was easy to obtain and performed exceptionally well—possibly even half a tier stronger than the Yellow Velocidrome King Set he wore.

Her Weapon was a Bone Curved Blade forged from Dragon Bone, roughly equivalent in tier to his own upgraded Hunter Dagger.

Such Equipment was slightly shabby for a Three-Star Hunter, but perfectly adequate for a Two-Star.

Yet this Long Sword User's swordplay was exceptionally refined—she always struck key points just before the Mud Dragon launched its attack, interrupting it early and leaving the beast with brute strength it could not unleash.

A Two-Star Long Sword User with outstanding swordsmanship might have just been promoted to Three-Star and simply hadn't updated her Equipment yet.

Aolang entertained this hypothesis.

He withdrew his focus, concentrated his energy, and as his muscles tightened to their limit, the power gathered within him on the verge of spilling loose, he swung his One-Handed Sword with full force.

The blade sliced precisely into the Mud Dragon's leg, into the already mangled wound from repeated strikes.

Feeling the resistance of muscle gripping the blade, Aolang growled and pulled with all his strength.

The hilt transmitted the sensation of tendons being severed; the Mud Dragon's leg buckled, stumbling forward several steps before regaining its balance.

"Roarrrrr!"

The agonized howl echoed under the night sky.

The searing pain from behind ignited the Mud Dragon's rage—it abandoned its current opponent, spun around, and glared viciously at Aolang behind it.

Aolang immediately stepped back, a faint smile forming in his mind.

You exposed your wound weakness right in front of a more aggressive Long Sword User? Isn't that asking for trouble?

All I need to do is stay cautious, hold the Mud Dragon's attention from the front for a moment, and that Long Sword User will surely inflict even deeper damage...

Then he saw the Long Sword User abandon this prime opportunity, circling back to the front, attempting to reclaim the Frontliner position.

Aolang's expression froze for an instant.

Is she worried I can't hold the Mud Dragon's assault? Or does she think the previous formation was more stable and wants to maintain it?

Either way, this wasn't the time to argue—tactics often have no right or wrong, only personal style.

Since her style leaned toward caution, he'd follow her lead for now.

Leveraging his own agility, Aolang slipped back behind the Mud Dragon and launched a new assault on the wound.

The Long Sword User also deflected the Mud Dragon's counterattacks from the front, skillfully neutralizing every strike.

Realizing it was gradually being suppressed, the Mud Dragon growled, shook its body, and large clumps of mud fell off its hide.

"Fall back!"

"Retreat!"

Aolang and the Long Sword User shouted in unison.

Though this was his first time fighting the Mud Dragon, he had heard of this signature move.

The flung mud clumps themselves carried little power, but once they stuck to a hunter, they clogged armor seams and severely hampered movement.

If the Mud Dragon followed up with a charge or Dragon Carriage now, there'd be no chance to dodge.

But countering this move was simple: just create distance. The mud couldn't be flung more than a few meters—so long as you didn't overextend, you wouldn't get hit.

After shedding the mud, the Mud Dragon moved more nimbly; its gaze locked onto Aolang once more, lowering its head and charging forward at speed.

Aolang slid backward in quick steps, creating a safe distance, preparing to dodge and counter at the last moment.

Yet at that instant, the Long Sword User again inserted herself from the side, blocking the Mud Dragon's charge path.

For a moment, Aolang nearly blurted out: "Friend, are you sure I'm not the one holding the Shield?"

Why does a Long Sword User have such a strong protective instinct? Your refined swordsmanship doesn't look like it came from a Long Spear User!

Wait...

Aolang thought of another possibility.

His teacher had told him that Long Sword Users possessed a technique called "Seeing Slash"—a refined skill that exploits the exact moment a Monster's attack leaves an opening, dodging it and instantly countering.

It was rare for a Two-Star Long Sword User to master this technique, but given her exceptional swordsmanship, she might have had a master's guidance and learned it earlier than usual.

So that's why she stepped in front of the Monster, waiting for that fleeting instant of vulnerability?

Aolang took a deep breath and activated Demonization with his sword and shield clash.

If she nailed the opening with her Seeing Slash and forced the Mud Dragon into a longer stun—or even knocked it down—

He would seize the opening without wasting half a second!

The distance between the Mud Dragon and the Long Sword User narrowed; she steadied her breath, lightly sweeping her blade as if relaxing her body.

At the instant the attack reached her, her body shifted from absolute stillness to explosive motion, spinning like a dancer with the blade, sliding backward in a graceful arc to perfectly evade the Mud Dragon's charge.

Seeing Cut!

"Beautiful!" Aolang muttered.

This Long Sword User was truly exceptional! The greatest challenge of Seeing Slash lies in that precise dodge—if the Seeing Cut succeeds, the Seeing Slash follows naturally!

Yet for some reason, at the very moment the Seeing Slash was about to strike, the Long Sword User's motion hesitated slightly, causing her aimed counterstrike at the eye to lag a fraction.

The blade struck the Mud Dragon's hardest surface—its skull—and as the beast lifted its head, the blade bounced off, leaving the Long Sword User herself exposed.

"Roar!"

The Earth Dragon turned its body in a fluid motion, its carapace bulging as its thick, hammer-shaped tail swept forward.

At this moment, Aolang realized it was too late to rush to support; watching the dangerous tail strike about to hit him, the Long Sword User gritted his teeth, tightened both arms, and used the part of the blade near the hilt to block the dragon's tail, striving to push it upward.

This block was quite timely, overturning Aolang's belief that "Long Swords cannot defend," but ultimately it was too sudden.

Unable to neutralize the follow-up impact, the Long Sword User was smashed away by the tail hammer, and that Long Sword flew from his grasp, landing to the side.

To prevent the Monster from continuing to pursue his companion, Aolang quickly stepped in front of the Earth Dragon.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" he shouted, turning his head back.

The Long Sword User's situation seemed dire; thrown far away, she tried to stand up but simply could not get up for the moment.

Facing the Earth Dragon, which advanced with surging momentum, Aolang felt cold sweat form on his forehead.

Letting him hold a One-Handed Sword to Zhou Xuan with the Earth Dragon was fine, but asking him to directly block the Earth Dragon's advancing steps was indeed too much for this light One-Handed Sword, and this small Shield that could barely protect half his body.

Why hadn't he thought to switch to a Great Sword before leaving!

His mind filled with meaningless thoughts of regret, Aolang's gaze inadvertently fell on that Long Sword lying to the side.

"..."