The three-star black-tipped scarab might have been able to avoid Zhang Lie's attack, but countless regular black-tipped scarabs dissolved within the bloody river. Even so, Zhang Lie wasn't satisfied: his sole goal was to get rid of the three-star scarab. He had used all his abilities, and if he weren't able to defeat his target before the effect of the blood ant soulshard wore off, he would certainly perish.

A wolf's howl shook the ground. The moment the three-star scarab left the attack range, Zhang Lie shot toward it.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!" A blood-red dragon formed around Zhang Lie's arm, thrashing against the scarab as Zhang Lie unleashed his attack.

With a dull thump, the three-star scarab shot into the air like a shooting star, its three-meter-long body attracting the attention of hunters throughout the battlefield.

This was a rare opportunity! The captain in charge of the forces by the northern perimeter immediately reacted, commanding his subordinates to attack.

"Snipers, shoot that scarab! Blind it!" 

The twenty or so snipers gathered around the teleportation array and nearby buildings all aimed at the scarab, shooting at its dozen eyes.

The scarab sensed the danger immediately. The protrusions from its back immediately grew larger and longer, protecting its head from most of the bullets shooting in its direction.

However, the bullets that these snipers were using were no trifling matter. Termed 'godslayer bullets', they had been devised by the military specifically to deal with the Kez, and while many of the bullets were blocked, the scarab still lost three of its twelve eyes from the bombardment.

Unfortunately, the Kez were rather tough, and while this particular scarab had been injured, its injuries were far from life-threatening. In fact, the scarab became even more enraged after suffering an injury.

The pain of losing three of its eyes made it cry out, and its poison spikes shot out in every direction from its body, turning it into a ball of glowing green light.

"[The Boundless Blade: Dragon's Wrath]!" 

A blood-red dragon emerged from below, swallowing the glowing green scarab whole. Flashes of red and green light could be seen through its maw, but shockingly, despite the scarab unleashing its full power, it was still trapped within the dragon.

Corrosive water-attuned genetic energy was assaulting the scarab from all directions. Its exoskeleton began to crack, to soften, and even to slough off its body.

Under such life-threatening danger, the scarab became even more crazed. It released more and more spikes from its body and mouth, and the ball of green light trapped within the dragon's mouth grew brighter and brighter. 

With a gigantic eruption, the blood-red dragon dispersed into red mist over the northern perimeter. At the same time, the glowing green ball abruptly darkened—but the fight wasn't over yet. Amidst a gale of howling wind, a blood-colored figure broke past the curtain of mist and struck at the head of the scarab.

"Die!" Zhang Lie shouted.

By this point, Zhang Lie was right about to collapse, but there was only a small window during which the scarab would be defenseless after having shot out so many of its spikes. During this window, its offensive capabilities would drop significantly, and this would be Zhang Lie's only chance to kill it.

Otherwise, the scarab would kill him.

Zhang Lie channeled all of his genetic energy to Venombane, even going as far as to cancel his wolfman transformation, then shot toward the scarab like a shooting star.

The weakened scarab shot three last spikes toward Zhang Lie, hoping to deter him, but Zhang Lie ignored the spikes entirely. A layer of flexible silver armor suddenly appeared, protecting his body. Despite all three spikes hitting their target, none of them led to serious injuries. The first, which shot toward his head, didn't even make it past his white-grub armor, whereas the two that pierced his skin weren't able to penetrate his organs.

All this happened in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Lie crashed into the scarab flailing through the sky, then thrust Venombane through one of its empty eye sockets. Its screeching death throes shook the air. Venombane had struck its brain directly, and the scarab's head exploded as it corroded away. Its last cries shook the swarm of insects in the north, as well as the valiant hunters fighting on the ground.

The three-star black-tipped scarab was essentially the Kez's commander in the region, and its sudden death sent the swarm of insects into disarray, significantly reducing their offensive capabilities.

"Nice going, Zhang Lie!"

"He actually succeeded in killing it alone! Zhang Lie? Who's this fellow?"

"If he's able to take down a three-star black-tipped scarab at his age, I'm sure he'll grow to be a menace in the future!"

Cheers erupted from the defending hunters, and agonized cries from the Kez. However, after a temporary disruption to their lines, the Kez seemed to regain much of their coordination and immediately swarmed toward Zhang Lie.