BOOM!!

Nolan’s strike landed cleanly on Cannonyx’s head, forcing it downward from the impact. He did not stop. The moment he landed, he drove another punch into the boss’s torso.

THUMP!!

"Graarr!"

For the first time, Cannonyx let out a roar. It was pushed back slightly by the force.

Nolan’s eyes caught something, the carapace covering part of the boss’s body had cracked and stuck to his hand. That meant the monster’s hard shell was beginning to break.

A smile slowly formed on Nolan’s face. It was simple logic, behind every hard shell, there had to be a softer core. And that was exactly what he had been aiming for.

The boss turned its gaze toward Nolan with anger burning in its eyes. Its teeth ground together with a low and menacing growl.

"So, you finally start to notice me now? How was that attack? I can still give you two or three more," Nolan taunted.

The boss suddenly raised its left cannon arm and aimed directly at Nolan.

Nolan quickly braced himself, thinking the boss would release another charged blast. He raised his arms and guarding his head in a defensive stance. He expected a delay about a few seconds of charging before the attack came.

But he was wrong.

Click!

A sharp sound heard and in the next instant, a rapid barrage followed.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Multiple shots were fired from the monster’s cannon arm. Each one slammed into Nolan’s guard with heavy force and driving him backward step by step.

DUM! DUM! DUM!

Crack!

Nolan felt something as cracks began forming along the wooden armor covering his arms. But the assault did not stop. More than fifty shots were unleashed in a relentless stream.

Pain surged through his arms as the wooden layer thinned with each impact and splintering under the continuous barrage.

Suddenly, the attack stopped.

Click!

Another clicking sound was heard. Nolan frowned as he tried to locate where it came from. Then, suddenly, the boss fired again.

BANG!!

Nolan was shocked. This time, with a single shot, dozens of bullets burst out from its cannon arm.

"Root Frame, Hardened Form!"

He immediately covered his entire body with roots to brace for the impact. In an instant, his head, torso, legs, and abdomen were struck all at once. As the result, the force blasting him several metres backward.

"Guildmaster!" Lambert shouted. The hunters nearby began to lose focus.

"Cough! Cough!" Nolan pushed himself up from the ground as his root armor crumbling bit by bit. Blood start to fall from his mouth.

"Damn monster!! It can actually change its shooting form," Nolan cursed as he spat blood from his mouth. He had completely failed to anticipate this and it had put him in serious danger.

"Grrraar!" The boss growled, as if mocking him.

Click!

The boss raised its left arm. A light beginning to gather at the tip of its cannon as it was charging another powerful blast, just like the first one. Nolan was struggling to stand. Seconds passed, and the charge was complete. The boss was ready to erase him.

Suddenly, a small ball of light dropped right in front of Cannonyx and hovered for a moment, before exploding into a blinding flash.

"Overlight!"

Diana shouted. The intense brightness blinded the boss for a moment, causing it to lose balance. Its cannon arm was still charged, ready to fire.

But suddenly, Woodthera appeared. Roots burst from its body and wrapping around the boss’s arm, yanking it downward. The blast was released straight into the ground beneath it.

BOOM!!

The explosion tore through the forest, shaking trees and scattering leaves in all directions.

The impact was so great that it threw several flying Cannomites away, smashing them into nearby trees and leaving them injured.

After a while, the shockwave subsided. Lambert and Diana rushed to Nolan’s side and helping him up.

"Are you okay, Guildmaster?" Lambert asked as he supported Nolan.

"I am fine. Sorry for letting you see me in this state. It is quite shameful," Nolan said with a weak smile. His shirt was already torn, leaving only his lower garments intact.

"Don’t say that, Guildmaster! You dealt heavy damage to that boss by yourself. You are still the strongest!" Diana said. She had idolized Nolan since she was a child, and now, fighting beside him, she felt proud.

"Was the boss defeated?" Nolan asked. The dust and smoke from the explosion slowly began to clear. And from within it, a figure was still standing.

"Looks like it survived the blast," Lambert said.

The left side of Cannonyx’s body was badly cracked, its shell barely holding together. Suddenly, the boss’s eyes began to glow in the darkness.

"Graar! Graaar!" It roared in fury. Its four wings started moving again as it rose back into the air. Then, instead of aiming at Nolan’s group, it turned its cannon toward another group still dealing with the Cannomites. They had no idea they were being targeted.

ZIIUUUM!

Its arm began charging once more. Light leaked from the cracks in its body and seeping through the holes left by the earlier explosion. But its power remained unaffected.

"No!!" Diana screamed.

"You guys! Run!" Lambert shouted.

One of the hunters from the other group heard the warning. He turned, and froze. The monster’s cannon was aimed directly at him and his companions.

Nolan pushed Lambert aside and rushed toward the boss as he trying to summon roots to intercept it, but he stumbled and fell.

Woodthera attempted to act, but it was immediately knocked away by the boss’s leg. Cannonyx would not fall for the same trick twice.

"Grarr!" The boss seemed to smile.

Nolan’s face fell into despair as he failed to act. He already imagining the blast obliterating his companions.

Then, just as all hope seemed lost, at the very last second before the cannon fired, two figures burst out from the trees above.

"Crimson Fang!"

The figure shouted. One struck with a powerful rising kick while the other slashed upward at the cannon.

BOOM!!

The blast was deflected, shooting into the upper canopy of the forest before exploding dozens of metres away.

The two figures landed in front of Nolan and the others.

"Who... are you?" Nolan asked.

The figure slowly straightened and turned his head toward them. Red eyes gleamed through the darkness, giving him an enigmatic presence behind the mask.

"I am... your savior!"

Oliver and Husk had finally arrived.