In front of them stood the lair of the evil black dragon, their target for this battle.
The players couldn't care less why the surrounding forest hadn't been burned down; the BOSS was right in front of them, and it was time for a life-and-death struggle!
"This is the territory of the great black dragon, Su Nian/Wotru Stupak! The place I rule!"
Just as the players were preparing to launch their attack.
A deafening dragon roar, like thunder rolling from the sky, came crashing down. The system automatically began translating the obscure Draconic Rhetoric.
"Welcome to my domain, you lowly worms!"
The sound of wings flapping echoed.
An eight-meter-long black dragon with a wingspan of about thirteen meters flew out of the lair and landed with a "bang" on top of it.
He stood tall and proud, his pale golden dragon eyes filled with majesty and murderous intent, as deep and terrifying as an abyss, pressing down on the players' chests, making it hard to breathe.
"Damn it! Is this the aura of an evil dragon?"
Yamaguchi Village Chicken's face was grim, but then he broke into a bright, crazed smile.
"Only by killing such a powerful enemy can the bloodline of the Yamaguchi family be elevated!"
"Challenging the strong has always been the pursuit of the Sakura samurai!"
Su Nian couldn't hear what the leading Sakura Island player was muttering about.
But that didn't matter.
The players were already trapped. He turned his head and ordered the gnolls and kobolds in the flame arrow towers.
"Flame arrow towers, free fire!"
Flame arrow towers?
The faces of the Sakura Island players changed.
This sounded like a defensive building in a game, and such buildings usually had great power and had to be taken down first.
However, the players looked around and couldn't find any flame arrow towers.
The only suspicious things were those five "big bamboo shoots."
Let's throw an identification spell to check.
[Ordinary vine, ordinary leaves]
Something's not right! Throw a few more.
[Flame Arrow Tower (Kobold Operated)]
As expected.
The Sakura Island players suddenly realized.
Those strange-looking big bamboo shoots were indeed the so-called flame arrow towers.
The players praised themselves for their cleverness.
"Yamaguchi-san! The flame arrow towers are those big bamboo shoots!"
"Yoshi! I understand!"
Yamaguchi Village Chicken nodded, looking unconcerned.
"We have nearly two thousand powerful warriors, and those are just five flame arrow towers."
"As the name suggests, flame arrow towers are just towers that shoot flame arrows."
"With shields from priests and mages, they're nothing to fear!"
No sooner had Yamaguchi Village Chicken finished speaking than a thick arrow as wide as a baby's arm whizzed past his ear and struck a nearby tree with a "thud."
Yamaguchi Village Chicken opened his mouth, swallowed, and with a change of expression, sneered:
"Everyone, as I predicted, these arrows are even more pathetic, aside from being thick and long, they have no advantages!"
The players exchanged glances; indeed, the flame arrow stuck in the tree trunk seemed very ordinary. So what if it was thicker? With so many of them here, what was there to fear?
However, a crisp "click" was heard.
A small opening popped open at the arrow's tail.
"Ssss—"
A foul green gas sprayed out like a fire extinguisher being activated, fanning out instantly.
"It's poison gas, get away! Cover your noses!"
Yamaguchi Village Chicken, experienced as he was, pulled a fellow player away as he shouted, moving before the gas fully spread.
But the kobold-operated flame arrow towers did not cease their assault.
Various arrows began firing from the five flame arrow towers, shooting towards the Sakura Island players.
Immediately, explosions boomed, poison gas raged, excrement and urine splattered, and fire rains occasionally fell from the sky, leaving the Sakura Island players dumbfounded.
Was this a [normal] flame arrow tower?
Sure it wasn't a rocket tower?
Amidst the explosions, Yamaguchi Village Chicken danced nimbly through the flames and smoke, spinning, leaping, and zigzagging, like a ballerina performing the swan dance.
Until he reached the cover of a large tree, he finally caught his breath.
Yamaguchi Village Chicken wiped the foul-smelling Origi-Splat from his face, suppressing his nausea, and with eyes wide open, shouted angrily at the chaotic Sakura Island players:
"Baka! Why are you running? Have you forgotten you're mages, priests? Can't you shield up?"
"Right, we're mages now, not ordinary people, quickly shield up!"
Under Yamaguchi Village Chicken's reminder, the Sakura Island players quickly cast shields on themselves.
Indeed, the splash damage from the flame arrow towers was greatly reduced, and as long as they weren't hit directly, they could mostly hold their ground.
The priest players, meanwhile, stayed in relatively safe positions, healing the mages and warriors.
Just as the players regained their confidence, thinking they could counterattack.
From the direction of the dragon's lair.
The black dragon took to the sky, diving towards them with overwhelming momentum and terrifying pressure.
"Everyone, alert! It's the black dragon!"
"Focus your attacks!"
"Roaaar—"
The long-prepared dragon breath sprayed out, sweeping from the front to the back of the Sakura Island players' formation as Su Nian dived swiftly.
Then, Su Nian began to climb, deftly dodging a few Fireball and Ice Spike spells.
Those he couldn't dodge were completely blocked by his thick scales, leaving not even a white mark.
From above, looking down, a small patch of forest in front of the dragon's lair was marked by a scar of foul green magma, like a wound on the earth.
Without giving the players time to react.
The second round of diving and dragon breath followed closely.
"Anna, use Illumination on the humans below, then I'll dive and breathe dragon fire. This time they're prepared, let's coordinate."
Su Nian instructed the little loli on his back as he flew.
"Anna will do whatever brother says."
Anna replied sweetly, a sugary smile on her lips. Her pink lips parted as she chanted, and with a soft gesture of her hand, several glowing balls of Illumination began to orbit around her.
"Let's go."
"Okay~"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
Though called Illumination, the effect was more like flashbangs, as light balls rained down on the Sakura Island players' formation.
A blinding white filled their vision.
The players lost sight of the black dragon.
But the sound of wings flapping grew closer, the dragon's roar echoed in their ears.
Dragon breath swept in.
How could they fight when they couldn't see the enemy?
The Sakura Island players screamed, some casting spells wildly, Fireball and Ice Spike spells flying everywhere, hitting their allies instead.
Others ran around in panic, crashing into trees, stepping into traps.
But it wasn't over.
From the bushes, a group of Fireflame Rabbits, armed with makeshift weapons, crept out.
They hadn't been blinded by the Illumination.
Seeing the humans running around like headless chickens, screaming "Aaaaah."
Bugs Bunny's muscular rabbit face twisted into a sinister grin.
His eyes flashed red as he turned to his fellow muscle-bound rabbits, raising a furry paw to make a throat-slitting gesture.
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