"Fire!" The guards received the order without hesitation and hurled the prepared fishing nets and scythes towards the dragon.
The scythes pierced directly into the dragon, but the decayed flesh of the dragon prevented further penetration.
Most of the nets landed on the dragon’s wings but seed to have little effect.
Samantha had anticipated this when planning the battle strategy, so she remained calm and instructed the guards to proceed to the second step according to the original plan.
"Pull!" The officer relayed the command without delay, instructing the soldiers to begin pulling the ropes.
These ropes were tied to the scythes and nets, and as they were pulled, the scythes embedded in the dragon were reclaid, while the nets hung on the dragon’s wings, forcing its skeletal claw-like wings apart.
The recoiled scythes hooked onto the decayed flesh, tearing off pieces, as if stripping a layer of skin from the dragon.
Seeing this, Samantha nodded in satisfaction and ordered the third phase of the operation.
A White Bear Knight who had been waiting raised his 75mm handheld recoilless rifle and fired at the dragon.
Confronted with the incoming shell, the dragon swiftly attempted to evade, but with its wings entangled, it barely avoided the vital parts, causing the shell to hit its body and explode violently.
As the smoke cleared, everyone anxiously looked on, only to see the dragon with so flesh blown away but its core largely unhard.
Samantha’s expression turned serious at this sight, but she remained undeterred, calmly issuing new orders: "Have all Steam Knights switch to armor-piercing rounds and proceed as planned!"
The Steam Knights quickly retreated, firing off rounds from their recoilless rifles as they withdrew.
The Steam Knights proved their worth across eras, maintaining steady firepower during rapid retreat, landing several shells on the dragon.
The explosions engulfed the dragon, even igniting the miasma on its body, making it resemble a "fire dragon".
Thanks to the knight’s skill and precision, most shells hit the sa spot, causing the dragon’s skin to rupture, finally drawing its blood.
"Good, it seems the dragon isn’t invulnerable. Everyone, prepare!" Samantha was elated, greatly boosting everyone’s confidence in defeating and killing the dragon.
To them, the greatest obstacle in slaying the dragon was its reputed near-impenetrable hide, impossible to harm with ordinary weapons.
After all, how can it be killed if it can’t be hurt?
But if its defense can be penetrated, even the mightiest dragon can die; the key is sufficient weaponry and continuous output.
Evidently, this was Samantha’s strategy. After successfully injuring the dragon and enraging it, the Steam Knights retreated to a preset ambush site, diving into cover and reloading their recoilless rifles.
The charging dragon fell into a pre-dug trap, plumting into the pit.
"Fire at will!" Samantha shouted as she herself fired a round into the dragon.
The gun’s power was limited, failing to penetrate the dragon’s defenses and adding only a black mark to its pale body.
But the ensuing barrage from other recoilless rifles packed more of a punch.
The 75mm handheld recoilless rifles with armor-piercing rounds could penetrate a ter-thick stone wall, let alone re flesh?
In just a few rounds, the dragon in the pit howled in agony, clearly suffering significant damage.
Yet it wasn’t enough to kill a dragon; it flapped its wings powerfully, taking out the guards pulling ropes while shredding the net tangled on its wings.
The dragon leapt from the pit, dragging its tattered corpse and bleeding wounds, launching rapidly at the firing Steam Knights.
The dragon inhaled deeply mid-air, its chest swelling, then spat out over thirty ters of pale fla before landing, sweeping all Steam Knights into the draconic inferno’s range.
The Steam Knights dared not stay amid the dragon’s breath and charge, quickly completing their retreat, so rolling away to evade the flas.
The dragon flas were devastating, scorching the surrounding land to cracking dryness, partially vitrifying, even igniting stone, visibly dangerous.
Several Steam Knights were engulfed by the flas, their armor lting away.
Fortune favored the Steam Knights’ design by Perfikot, allowing quick removal of burning armor pieces, avoiding further injury.
Those unscathed by dragon flas continued their relentless attack, maneuvering swiftly while firing rounds from their recoilless rifles.
The intense barrage made the dragon wail miserably, forcing it to land, sweeping its tail in an attempted area attack, but the Steam Knights had already retreated beyond its range.
With recoilless rifle ranges extending for kiloters, close combat would be foolish.
This approach restricted the dragon’s movents and assured damage was sustained. Otherwise, proximity wasn’t necessary.
Yet the dragon’s flesh flew under assault, making it struggle madly, launching fierce attacks reminiscent of an enraged beast, sweeping the battlefield faster than the eye could follow, snapping multiple large trees and scattering several Steam Knights.
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