Bai Chen removed his helmet.
He wiped the golden blood from the corner of his mouth, then began unfastening his armor.
Against ordinary monsters, the Lagiacrus set(Drakesea set) could still block attacks.
But against the Nergigante before him, it offered no real protection—only weight.
Across from him, Nergigante watched suspiciously as Bai Chen stripped off his armor.
Soon, the chestplate and waist armor were gone, leaving only his arm guards, greaves, and armored boots.
The moment the weight vanished, Bai Chen felt it—
His speed surged again.
He set down the half-ton Basarios greatblade and instead drew the lightest weapon he had: the Hidden Pair Blade.
Skill: High-Speed Movement.
Skill: Bulk Up.
Secret Art: Limit Break – Aura Overdrive.
│ "Quick Attack!"
Bai Chen vanished in a blur, slashing across Nergigante's body.
The Grandmaster-tier Regenerating Spikes flared, blocking the strike completely.
The blade only left a shallow mark.
Seeing this, Bai Chen calmly tossed the sword aside.
│ "The equipment gap is too big."
Seeing that Bai Chen could not deal effective damage, Nergigante lunged.
A Nergi Smash rose high—
BOOM!
It smashed once more into Zorah Magdaros's back.
Bai Chen dodged instantly.
Nergigante searched for him—
—and a massive kick slammed into its face.
The Elder Dragon was sent skidding several meters back.
Bai Chen's Master-tier Titan Physique was no joke.
│ "If weapons don't work—then I'll use my body!"
│ "ROAR—!"
Nergigante howled and charged, claws reaching.
But every time it closed in, Bai Chen pulled away at extreme speed.
Bai Chen lifted into the air using telekinesis.
He crooked a finger at Nergigante in open provocation.
│ "If you want to hunt me, you'll have to catch me first."
Fury flashed across Nergigante's face.
It spread its wings and took off—
—but before it could gain altitude, Bai Chen slammed a kick into its head, smashing it back into the ground.
With nearly all excess weight removed, Bai Chen's telekinetic flight speed reached 30 meters per second—about 108 km/h.
High-Speed Movement, a Psychic-type skill, multiplied that speed by 1.7.
Limit Break – Aura Overdrive added another 1.4× to all attributes.
Ultimate Aura further amplified everything by 1.7×.
Final speed:
121 meters per second.
435 kilometers per hour.
Still far from supersonic—
—but more than enough to toy with Nergigante.
Nergigante shook its head, glaring up at Bai Chen.
│ "So this is the 'Most Evil Dragon'? This is all you've got?"
Nergigante roared.
Its Regenerating Spikes suddenly stood upright—
then fired like bullets toward the sky.
Bai Chen weaved through them at speed.
Below, Nergigante finally took flight, reaching Bai Chen's altitude, muscles tensing.
Bai Chen's aura surged violently as he kicked forward.
This time, Nergigante reacted fast.
It endured the kick and seized Bai Chen, attempting to slam him back to the ground.
But Bai Chen had no intention of letting that happen.
│ "Close-quarters combat."
His fists crashed into Nergigante in a rapid barrage, breaking its grip.
Bai Chen didn't linger.
He pulled the Elder Dragon upward, dragging the fight higher into the sky.
His goal was simple—
Stall Nergigante.
As long as Zorah Magdaros could be captured below, this fight had meaning.
Nergigante pursued relentlessly, but its flight speed lagged behind.
Whenever distance opened, Bai Chen seized the chance—
—another kick.
—another strike.
The damage was small, but it accumulated.
Below, the Commander and Karin stared upward at the aerial battle.
They no longer knew what expression to wear.
Was this… really a normal person?
Flying through the sky at invisible speeds.
Kicking Nergigante out of the air.
Radiating a red-black aura that no human should possess.
Karin finally asked, voice stiff:
│ "Commander… what exactly is Bai Chen? Could he be some ancient Elder Dragon that turned human?"
The Commander fell silent.
How would I know something like that…
│ "All I know is that he's a recommended hunter."
│ "A mysterious knight. Nothing more."
│ "Even among recommended hunters, this is ridiculous!" Karin muttered.
Her partner, Aiden, was also from the recommended group—
a genius hunter by any standard.
Yet compared to Bai Chen…
It was like a mortal standing before an Elder Dragon.
│ "Enough," the Commander said firmly.
│ "If Bai Chen can hold Nergigante, then we cannot waste his effort."
│ "We will capture Zorah Magdaros!"
He resumed directing the battle.
At the front, Basarios's condition was rapidly deteriorating.
A 39-level gap was insurmountable.
Even an elderly Zorah could cripple him with a single strike.
On Zorah's head, Zinogre was no better off.
He had discharged enormous amounts of Lightning—
yet had only shaved off part of Zorah's stamina.
He could no longer maintain his Supercharged state.
On Zorah's back, Tinkatuff and Indeedee had stopped mining entirely.
With Bai Chen entangled by Nergigante, they took over the task of destroying heat vents.
Time passed—second by second.
Ten minutes later—
Basarios finally collapsed.
His Gigantamax state ended.
No one remained to block Zorah Magdaros's advance.
Even in the sky, disaster struck.
Nergigante seized an opening—
—and smashed Bai Chen straight down from the air.
Man and Wyvern fell like meteors, crashing onto Zorah's back.
Bai Chen activated Protect for the fourth time, barely blocking the fatal blow.
Worse still—
Nergigante pinned him with its claws.
Bai Chen was slammed into the ground, unable to break free.
Jaws opened wide, fangs descending.
Just as it was about to devour him—
A Monster Ball at Bai Chen's waist burst open.
A massive figure erupted outward—
—slamming into Nergigante and sending it flying!
│ "ROAR—!!"
voice burned with near-maddening fury.
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