Chương 96: The Hollow Mountain’s Fury

March 17th, Age 1024. Morning came to us like a chilling dawn, fully embracing the upcoming danger. We had all slept badly because the Longrong's snoring rolled off the mountain like distant thunder. The noise never let the night settle, proving to us all that this beast was truly massive in reach. Troubling as it was, that same annoyance put more fire under us to kill it. We stood at the base of Changsoubaili, the Hollow Mountain. It was a colossal peak rising over three thousand meters into the sky.

Its slopes were carved with deep vertical grooves and hollow caves that looked like open wounds in the rock. At the base lay a massive vertical entry, a gaping maw of a cave, dark and threatening, with faint steam rising from inside. The mountain felt alive, breathing in sync with the thing that lived within it. We finalized the plan quickly over breakfast, which consisted of rice over meat with green and red vegetables in a watery brown stew base. We munched it down fast, as time was of the essence.

"We use the six spears," Zhuofing said firmly to us all, before Mo interjected.

"One on each limb to pin it down, if possible. That way we can fight it easier." Zhuofing continued, "Erumes and Xhife take the tail with one spear. Qixian takes one leg. Woushal's son, Woushi, takes another leg. Pongli takes the third leg. Guofon, the strongest from the Safety Delivery unit who did the overall best in the merchant trial, takes the last limb. Limit mobility first, that's the plan."

Mo interjected again, "Then we overwhelm it with our might," crushing a rock into dust and letting it sift through his closed hand to the ground. Guofon, twenty-seven years old and one meter seventy-five, with short hair gelled into a spiked side-comb, nodded. He uttered his promise to show the Agency that he represented their best, then punched his chest, rattling the short sword at his side. He was Shadow Attributed.

He could pour his Vestuto into a demon-like shadow mask and armor, then shadow-veil part of a target to build a special connection. Once fused like a tick, he sucked the Animo out of it. However, the energy did not flow into him; instead, it dissipated once inside his system, causing real damage to the target's soul. It came with a heavy stamina cost if he held onto a target for too long. After all, he had nearly beaten Woushal's son in the training recently, only losing at the very end. We agreed to said plan.

With our plan set, we entered the huge den of the Longrong. The moment we stepped inside, the beast woke. It spoke at once, its voice deep and mocking, like an old, washed-up master trying to sound wise.

"Not again… Just yesterday, I had some folks trespassing onto my territory, only to turn into a disappointed puddle. They provided little food and even less entertainment. I ate four of them. But now, so many of you… I can barely count. It seems it will be a fruitful day for my hungry teeth to gnaw at meat once more. Well, as old as I am, I can tell I will enjoy devouring every single one of you." We did not answer the beast's provocation, our minds completely focused on our assigned tasks.

We engaged with full Vestuto. The den beneath the Longrong was a grave that had learned how to be a house. The cave vaulted high enough for a thirty-meter body to coil, walls wet with old steam and black-green slime. Under the beast's belly the floor was not stone. It was a carpet of the dead. Human skeletons stacked in broken layers out of ribcages crushed flat, skulls kicked into corners, femurs snapped like kindling. Merchant banners still clung to some of the bones. Rusted spears. A child's sandal.

Half a wagon wheel jammed between two spines. Whisker-shed and iridescent scale-flakes glittered over the pile like mock jewelry. The air stank of rot, wet reptile, and iron so old it had turned sweet. Every time the Longrong shifted, bones clicked and powder rose. Every one of us transformed at once. Flame, smoke, water, earth, wind, shadow, and light attributes exploded across the massive cave, showing the beast that a powerful vanguard had come for its head.

The Longrong roared back instinctively, fully knowing it was in for a long fight. The high-decibel blast ripped through the air molecules, causing sharp ear pain and instant disorientation. We tumbled and fumbled, struggling to move in any direction. Only Mo could somewhat withstand the pressing effect. He drew the beast's attention and charged forward in his three-meter earth panda form. The Longrong mocked us further in that old-man drawl, since only one of us could withstand his initial attack.

"Oh? You think you can challenge me with only one of you making it toward me? How cute. Come then, little ones. Let this old Longrong show you the true meaning of beastly power." It clawed three of our units in a single swipe totally ignoring Mo. Massive claws tore armor and flesh like paper. Men flew into the cave walls, their bones cracking sickeningly as they screamed on the cold stone and blood sprayed the rock. One of Mo's elites was cut almost in half before his body was severed into three pieces.

Another from the Safety Delivery unit had his chest caved in, sent flying hard into the den's wall. The third, a Golden Tooth brother I had trained with recently, lay twitching with wide eyes as life rapidly left him. Enraged that he was being ignored, Mo used his own claws to slash into the beast's nose with high velocity. The fight was brutal beyond words in just one of its attack. With that horrific situation unfolding, Shiqifan used her presence to deflect the remaining effects of the roar out of the den.

This provided us with sudden alleviation from our disorientation. Driven by a collective madness over our fallen comrades, we rushed forward with our spears ready, charging toward our planned locations. Xhife and I made it to the tail's end, creeping along the cave wall in a quick crouch. The roar still made balance a joke. The ground shook with every step the Longrong took. We crawled at times, using uneven rock for grip, but determination to kill it pushed us ahead.

Together we drove the first spear into the tail with everything we had. The shaft sank deep with a wet crunch. Black blood sprayed as the tail was pinned, though only partially, to the ground. Mo took on the primary tanker role after that opening exchange, mocking the beast at every opportunity while somehow withstanding its brutal claws. His three-meter earth panda form really took a heavy beating.

The worst of the claws and bites slammed into his stone-like flesh, causing blood to seep through to the ground, yet Mo stood defiantly against it. Then Woushal stepped up with his plan to take motion.

"I'll take the front out of the way, Mo! You should recover and rejoin on its side! Water Gate, activate!" He played his flute with such a powerful tone that a massive, red-bronze gate materialized right behind him. With that sharp note on the flute, shimmering blue water wrapped around the Longrong's head, trapping its mouth and part of its long neck within the gate's territory. The crushing water pressure constricted the Longrong, severely restricting its mobility.

The beast roared in surprise and anger, speaking in its usual drawl, "How can a human interrupt the great Longrong? I shall roar myself free!" However, only the water shook around the gate; nothing else happened.

"Now!" Woushal yelled.

"Everyone hit the neck!" The leaders poured everything into the assault. Zhuofing landed a devastating, accumulated gauntlet strike directly on the beast's throat. The recovering Mo used his massive claws to rip into the exposed neck, while Shiqifan's double-edged halberd carved deep gashes as her shield tanked the thrashing counterattacks. Meanwhile, Woushal's eight kraken arms pummeled the trapped head with his water chakrams, though they unfortunately only managed to damage the creature's whiskers.

The rest of us went for the spears to be sure to constrict more of its movements. Xhife and I were at the tail's end, fighting the tail, as it tried to break free from the constriction with powerful flaps. We held our ground with great Animo to ensure it would not free itself, knowing that if the beast regained its full range of movement, many more of our comrades would falter. Driven by the burning desire not to let them down, we desperately fought against its strength.

Even from inside the water trap, the monster's roar still made the world tilt. The ground shook with every movement the Longrong made. We dropped to our hands and knees more than once during the struggling battle. After one especially violent shake, Xhife was thrown to the ground and I was brought to my knees, forcing us to crawl before we could quickly regain control. Uneven rock cut our palms, and my heart hammered wildly. Staying focused was a fight of its own against this monstrosity.

"We have to pin it harder!" I shouted over the chaos, voice raw.

"For everyone we lost come on Xhife lets rip into it deeper!" Xhife, breathing hard beside me, nodded grim.

"For my father… for all of them, so they can succeed!" Together, we drove the first spear into the tail with everything we had left. A wet crunch echoed as the blade bit deep, and black blood sprayed across our faces and armor. The Longrong screamed in pain so loudly that the sound vibrated deep within our bones, but we finally managed to drive the weapon all the way through. The wooden shaft trembled in my hands as the beast thrashed wildly.

Still, we held on, our muscles burning and our sweat mixing with its dark blood. Qixian pinned one leg with ferocious precision. Her Darkness Wings Vestuto sludged her into position, and she rammed the spear home. Woushal's son pinned another leg, driven by pure determination to succeed. Pongli took the third limb with thunder-enhanced strength, lightning cracking fiercely along the shaft. Guofon took the last leg.

His shadow-veil made him almost invisible when he struck the final limb, holding it in place as he began sapping some of the beast's Animo into his system. With spears now driven into every target and its head still imprisoned within the water gate, the immense pain and anger triggered something primal deep inside the Longrong. It evolved. Two horns burst violently from its back, crackling with a thunder attribute it had never displayed before. Its eyes glowed brighter with unbridled fury inside the water gate.

Power surged through the massive body like lightning flowing all through its veins. The roar that followed was so loud and so full of rage it felt as though the nation of Zhenhai itself were screaming along with it. The air warped. The ground cracked further under our feet, though it was a localized tearing rather than an actual earthquake. We all felt the shift. Anger had awoken something ancient in the monster. Pain had become a new, deadly strength to it. Woushal's son had only just helped pin the leg.

He watched the evolution happen in front of his eyes. Determination tore into shock. The Longrong broke the Water Gate with brute force. The portal shattered like glass under pressure. The beam that followed was a concentrated lance of raw power. Scorched air trailed behind it. A massive frontal beam of thunder hit Woushal directly. Nothing left of the man but scattered ash drifting in the cave wind. The Water Gate died before it could save him.

His son stared at the empty space fully knowing this time there was no survival for his father.

"FATHER!!!" The scream broke. Sorrow and fury. Tears cut through blood and dust. Zhuofing the Dirty Finger, the man who had always treated Woushal as his greatest rival, completely lost control.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" His gauntlets overloaded, surging past their already sustained one-hundred percent capacity. The accumulated damage ripped past one hundred, then one hundred ten, and finally skyrocketed to one hundred thirty. His own arm trembled violently from the sheer magnitude of the overloading power. Metal and jade plates cracked, on the very verge of exploding. He ignored the danger, slamming a one-hundred-and-thirty percent strike straight into the Longrong's throat.

The resulting explosion shook the entire den, forcing the winds outside to skyrocket into the upper atmosphere. The rest of us attacked with renewed fury. Woushal's death would not be free of cost. Shiqifan took the tanker role at once. White Presence Vestuto. Armor glowing like an angel of war. Shield high. Worst of the hits landed on her.

"Keep pushing!" she shouted.

"Don't let his death be in vain!" Six minutes after Woushal died, we continued drilling our weapons into the beast, desperately holding our positions. It had bleeding wounds all over its body, yet the Longrong ruthlessly fired the devastating beam once more with that exact same terrifying intensity. Luckily for us, the beast was hurting. Black blood poured from the deep cuts everywhere and from the thick spears rammed into its limbs. Its movements had become significantly slower overall.

Sadly, though, it was smart enough to realize that the spear-users were the reason it could no longer move freely. Every time it tried to break loose, its limbs were forcefully denied. Suddenly, those glowing eyes locked onto Guofon with murderous intent, the charged beam ready to fire.

"You… little pests… always poking me with your toys!" It spat with old-man mockery, even while it bled.

"You think pinning an old Longrong like me will work? How foolish! I'll start with you, the one who keeps stabbing my leg like a pathetic little insect!" We tried to dodge, but the beam was too fast. It was too precise, striking the exact location where Guofon ran, as he was the designated target. Shiqifan jumped in front of him without hesitation. White Presence blazing. Shield raised with everything left.

"Not going to let our most promising member die, while i am here!" The beam hit her fully, and even her ability could not stop the devastating breakthrough. She disintegrated in an instant, dissolving into a brilliant flash of white before a heavy silence settled over the den. Her remaining shield clattered to the bone-covered floor, still glowing faintly with the last of her Presence, as if it refused to accept that its owner was gone. The cave went quiet for a split second.

Another leader gone, this mission for the pearls has turned into a nightmarish situation. The only good thing was that the Longrong stopped speaking for a moment in its annoying tone. That meant it was in a bad position as well, with its wounds having taken a massive toll. Its words turned into heavy gasps for air as it struggled to recuperate its damaged throat. Pissed beyond measure and bleeding from every damaged spot, it shook the spears even as we held them with greater might.

It broke free anyway, limping badly now as it clawed wildly. Its voice came back, laced with even more venom.

"You insects… you dare wound me like this?! Fine! I'll crush every last one of you and pick my teeth with your bones clean!" We hit it with everything left now knowing it was us or it. I grabbed one spear while Xhife took another lying nearby, both of us formulating a new plan. Mo and Zhuofing alternated in the tanker roles, though Zhuofing's body was heavily injured, as the one-hundred-and-thirty percent strike had taken a severe toll on him.

Only Mo had recovered enough to handle the situation, rolling toward the Longrong's throat and striking the front where it bled heavily. I shouted to Zhuofing, proposing a spear strike through the monster's eyes. Unable to truly make out what I meant through the chaos, he simply nodded. Xihua, who was actively supporting the remaining elites to keep them alive, jumped in. She offered to hurl me and the spear forward to secure the throw. In the end, however, we failed.

The shaft missed its mark, falling straight into the beast's gaping mouth when I had been aiming for its eye. Mo fought the claws head-on, his three-meter panda form taking heavy hits. Zhuofing, still struggling with the overload, saw the opportunity we had just created. Even with his mind blurred by pain and exhaustion, he thought of his children and ran forward. Air-walking toward the beast, he ripped the spear from its open jaws and hurled it deep into its uvula. The monster choked violently on its own blood.

Hurting worse than ever, the beast spat blood as its mouth slammed shut, smacking Zhuofing away before huffing frantically for air and rest. It tried to talk into a retreat.

"Bygones be bygones, little ones… this old Beast is feeling merciful today…" Too late. We wanted the head. In a desperate last resort, the beast tried to climb a cave wall to blast us with its beam again, seeing that we had no intention of letting it escape alive. Massive claws dug into stone. Rock cracked. Bleeding body hauled upward. Horns crackled with the last of the thunder. We were all wrecked with our limited amount of Animo. Many barely standing. Almost no real combat left, still marching towards it.

Animo drained. Bodies at the limit. We watched exhausted as it lined up one final sure-kill from above. But It never got the chance. Too much blood had been lost. The thick spears and the overwhelming damage had finally done their work. Black blood ran like rivers, turning the ground into a massive, muddy puddle. Its grip failed, its claws slipped from the rock, and the colossal body crashed into the ground like a heavy load. A last furious roar shook the mountain.

The Longrong dropped with a thunderous crash, making the entire cave floor jump. Dust and debris filled the air as fresh cracks spiderwebbed across the bone-strewn stone. The beast twitched once, its glowing eyes dimming as its massive chest rose and fell a final time. Then, it went completely still. Silence settled over the den. We had done it. For a moment, none of us moved, and then the reality hit us like a wave. We had killed the Longrong. A raw, exhausted cheer tore from our throats.

Some dropped to their knees in relief, while others raised their weapons and screamed in victory. The celebration was bittersweet, as we mourned our losses in the very same breath. Woushal and Shiqifan were the true heroes of this fight. Their sacrifices turned the tide when everything seemed completely lost. Without the Water Gate, and without that selfless shield, we would have been entirely wiped out on the skeleton floor.

Their names would be remembered forever, because without them, we would not have succeeded.