Chapter 51 - Battle Against the Purple-Winged Dragon

Once the boxes were opened, everyone could finally see the contents inside. Completely filled with weapons, the boxes contained swords, axes, and even spears that had an extremely attractive and powerful design. This was not like any other weapon they had ever seen.

Of the ten boxes that were brought, five contained this variety of weapons, while the other five were composed of bows, arrows, and some kind of strange tube. No one knew what that could be, but certainly Bullseye and a few other archers in the group felt excited when they saw those imposing bows and the different types of arrows.

After catching everyone's attention, Lin Beifeng spoke with a smile.

"It is with great honor that I present to you the prototypes of the weapons from one of the most promising Weapon Companies I have ever seen. UpWar will be sponsoring this beautiful hunt of ours, but I swear it's not advertising!" With the eloquence of a wealthy person, he began to explain what each of the things does.

While weapons spread into the hands of people, with some praising the good material and how they were made, the main point of the speech was about bows and arrows, as well as the cylindrical tube.

The bows that were brought, ten in total, were 7.5 (fitness measure) bows capable of shooting long distances and with strong penetrating power. Their string and body were composed of a type of metallic alloy forged with 1% Z-steel, but the way other minerals were added made their potential and power as great as any other bow that has 1.5% Z-steel. The name of this bow is Ivory, the first release from UpWar in such technology.

The arrows were not different in quality either. With three types of arrows brought to everyone, 25 of each in total, their different shapes indicated that they all had a different use.

The first arrow, called Nymph V1.0, was a common type of arrow that focused on the power of penetration upon impact, relying on the archer's skill and strong resistance to penetrate the target's body.

Another type of arrow, the Dreamsong V1.0, had a special type of structure that allowed aerodynamics to make it rotate during flight, giving it extra piercing power until it reached the target and pierced its vital organs.

And the last arrow was the most attractive, but also the most deadly. Named Midnight V1.0, its structure allowed for a strange type of behavior to silence any noise during movement, and its tip was specially designed to have a light penetration, but trying to remove the arrow would cause excruciating pain to the target.

All arrows were composed of 1.2% Z-steel, their potential also being enhanced by a unique alloy combination. Their strength and resistance were the same as arrows with 1.7% Z-steel from the Starry Group and others.

And finally, last but not least, there was the Blackout V1.0. Its cylindrical shape was just a disguise for an even more powerful weapon. Featuring shape memory technology, the main weapon was covered by a highly resistant casing that could be torn apart by pressing a simple button. Once the pressure was released, a long spear took shape, being light and sharp, perfect for throwing at enemies or using as a last resort weapon.

After everyone found out how amazing these weapons were and their superior quality, shock was an understatement to describe it. After all, as Lin Beifeng made it very clear, they would be paying for a 1% Z-steel weapon, but they would be receiving a 1.5% Z-steel one. This was something that many people would definitely choose to buy in order to arm themselves better in the Sanctuaries. After all, the difficulty for unlucky individuals to obtain a Beast Soul was very high.

Organizing properly the entire formation of two hundred and fifty people, everyone stood united in a circle, with archers on a small hill above, and the weaker ones were positioned behind and protected by Bastet and the mammoths. It was impossible to reach them without having to kill everyone there.

Selecting a group of elite shooters, the arrows and bows were distributed correctly and then another group was selected to draw the attention of the beast. As the positions were adjusted and everyone was eagerly waiting for the beast, a shrill roar engulfed the place, coming from the cliff. Shortly after, the group that would draw the attention of the beast came running towards the formation.

"ROOOOAAARRR!" With an angry roar, a massive, scaled, purple lizard with feathered wings soared through the sky, its imposing presence eclipsing the sun. One could see the creature's hideous face, filled with fury and a primal urge to destroy.

"FIRE!" Han Sen shouted suddenly, prompting all the archers to release their arrows at the beast. There was something in his voice at that moment, an undeniable command.

Swoosh! x50

With a clang of metal hitting metal, several of the regular arrows that were shot hit the scaled skin of the lizard and ricocheted off without leaving a single mark. But the same couldn't be said for the elite archers who used the different arrows from UpWar.

"ROOAAR! RRRR!" With arrows piercing through its scales and wings, its flight became destabilized and it had to land on the ground to regain stability. Blood started to trickle from the wounds, but it was as insignificant as a needle injection.

All those who couldn't shoot were on the ground, being commanded by Fist Guy to be able to attack the beast. Even though it was fierce, its large body made it difficult to maneuver, and everyone had a minimal chance of attacking without getting hurt.

Yang Manli summoned a white Beast Soul bow resembling a dove, along with a blue Beast Soul arrow resembling a swordfish. When she shot, the arrow pierced through the purple feathers and the blood started to trickle down the arrow. It seemed to have been much more effective than all the other shots.

"The beast is wounded and will try to escape! Stay away!" Qin Xuan also commanded everyone at that moment, with Fist Guy making all the attackers move away from the beast.

Just as it was about to flee, its wings flapping upwards and coming together, a deafening and disorienting whistle sound was heard by everyone, and suddenly the two wings had a huge hole in them.

SWOOOSH!

"ROOOAAAARR!" Falling to the ground once again, the pierced wings had completely lost their strength and the beast would no longer be able to fly.

Impressed by this, everyone could see that it was Han Sen who had shot the beast. With his armor equipped and standing atop the black panther, he looked like a ruthless and imposing hunter. The bow in his hands was also as black as the night and the string was still vibrating slightly.

Nobody had seen him shoot, not even when he reached that position. The only one who witnessed the whole event was Qin Xuan, who was by his side at that moment. She saw when he pulled out the new bow he had obtained from Fist Guy, and a Sacred-Blood Beast Soul in the shape of an arrow materialized in his hand. With impressive skill, he shot the arrow, and she could barely comprehend the mystical movements he made.

"ATTACK!" With a serious face, Han Sen took his Beast Souls back to the Sea of Souls and summoned his spear. Jumping off the black panther, he joined the battle against the beast, only for none of his members to die.

Observing him enter the fight, everyone felt excited. After all, their all-powerful boss was a kind of martial arts god, and fighting alongside him on the battlefield would be an honor.

Now unable to fly, the beast used its enormous size, destructive tail, and sharp claws to fight against the humans who tried to attack it. As time went on, everyone realized that the only way to harm it was by relying on the distractions provided by Han Sen and Fist Guy, and attacking using the UpWar's Z-steel weapons.

"Step back!" Han Sen suddenly shouted, and everyone obeyed his command and moved away. At that moment, he saw Qin Xuan leaping onto the beast and transforming into a golden lion, biting its neck and causing a bloody wound there.

He also grabbed a cylindrical tube and pressed a middle button. With transformation sounds, an imposing spear appeared in his hand and he threw it at the back of the beast, piercing it perfectly and breaking its spine. The movements of the lizard's hind legs started to slow down, relying on the muscles' movement to try to escape despite the pain.

As everything was going well, people started to attack the beast again, eager to deliver the final blow and obtain the Beast Soul. However, no one really intended to keep it. As the main sponsor and the person who made all of this possible, Han Sen was more than deserving of it.

But he would obviously not let that happen. Relying on someone's luck was simply a nightmare and he would personally kill the beast when the time came. It was a thousand times safer, to be honest.

"The beast is dying, retreat and leave the main stage!" Lin Beifeng communicated with Yang Manli and Thumb, both agreeing with the idea he had.

Everyone quickly understood as well, and soon only Qin Xuan, Han Sen, and Fist Guy were engaged in the fierce battle. Everyone simply stepped back until they were with the others, protected under Bastet's enclosure. Now, they only needed a popcorn in their hands to make it a true open-air cinema, as everyone focused on watching their bosses fight against the powerful beast.

With such a powerful show of strength, everyone understood why the three of them were the leaders of the most powerful groups in Shelter.

Fist Guy relied on his vast experience in survival and the variety of Beast Souls he possessed to confront the creature. His main focus was the teamwork that allowed his power to rise.

Qin Xuan, on the other hand, demonstrated great fighting skills in her transformed form, almost as if it came naturally to her. Her immense strength was fully displayed as she effortlessly cut through the creature's scales with the lion’s claws.

And what stood out among them was Han Sen, obviously. It seemed like he was some kind of artist who could perfectly weave his attack movements and coordinate with the others, causing each attack from any of them to have the maximum effect on the beast. His movements were refined and trained to the extreme, and he seemed to attack and dodge as naturally as breathing. It was a masterpiece to watch.

"We're almost there, we just need one more attack and-" Qin Xuan exited her transformed form and was about to stab the creature with her dagger when a black shadow grabbed her and she felt a very strong impact wave on her back, but she didn't feel any pain afterwards.

BANG!

Absorbing all the shockwave, Han Sen directed the force straight towards the beast's head with his foot, a sound of bones breaking echoed and soon the notification sounded in his ears.

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

• Purple-Winged Dragon Killed •

• Purple-Winged Dragon Beast Soul Gained •

• Eat Purple-Winged Dragon meat to randomly gain zero to ten Sacred-Blood gene points •

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

But his attention was zero for that. Holding an arrow just inches from Qin Xuan's head, he looked at a figure on top of a hill, who also looked at him with surprise.

"Well well, I didn't expect you to be able to save this woman like that. It really ruined our plans..." Son of Heaven was looking at them with a disgusting smile, one that conveyed how much hatred and anger he felt towards the two.

With a raise of his arms, a group of about a hundred people appeared around them, completely surrounding and leaving them with no escape.

"Han Sen, I truly admit that I neglected you and that's why you have become a bigger threat than I would have liked. But now it's time for that." Smiling from ear to ear in a sickly way, he could already imagine the scenes that would unfold before him.

"It's time for all of you to go to hell."