The cannons and Ballistae on the Hozan-maru were continuously unleashing ammunition onto the target at the fastest possible speed.
The distance between them was less than fifty meters, while the Jhen Mohran's body length exceeded one hundred meters. The Gunners on the Hozan-maru responsible for operating the weapons didn't need to aim at all. The moment the sailors assisting with loading the ammunition finished, they would immediately pull the lanyards and triggers.
The roar of cannons and the whoosh of massive ballista bolts cutting through the air were incessant.
High-explosive shells with a caliber exceeding thirty centimeters, each weighing nearly as much as an adult man... the power of such heavy artillery was beyond doubt.
Even a creature of the Jhen Mohran's size could not ignore the direct bombardment of heavy artillery at close range.
The shells whistled as they embedded themselves in its rock-like carapace. The explosives packed within detonated instantly, shattering large sections of the shell.
In some areas where the carapace was weaker, thick Elder Dragon blood could even be seen seeping out.
"ROAR..." The Jhen Mohran roared in pain, swinging its massive body in an attempt to put some distance between itself and the Hozan-maru.
The fleet captain immediately adjusted the helm to keep pace, maintaining their side-by-side course.
At this moment, Altaïr and the others finally arrived at the battlefield and joined the fight.
Like the other small Sandship teams circling the Jhen Mohran, they also set up their ship's only weapon, a Ballista, and fired Ballista Ammo at the target.
This was the latest model of Ballista from Val Habar, and its firing rate was far faster than the cannons.
Heavy ballista bolts, which an ordinary person could easily use as short spears, continuously struck the Jhen Mohran's side. Their pure steel heads pierced the rocky carapace, sinking in nearly halfway.
Under the rotating fire of a dozen or so Ballistae, over a hundred heavy bolts soon landed on the Jhen Mohran's back. Even though some were deflected by the thick rock-like shell, dozens of bolts were firmly embedded, and this number was constantly increasing.
Unlike the cannons, which shattered its carapace and made the Jhen Mohran howl in fury, the Ballista attacks were not even enough to be an itch.
Unless they struck a vital point unprotected by its shell, like its eyes or mouth, or happened to hit a wound created by a cannon, it was difficult to even make it feel pain.
The bolts that seemed to be deeply embedded had not actually penetrated its skin at all.
But the Ballistae on the Dragonship and the small Sandships continued their assault... this was all in preparation for the Mounting Operation to come.
The Jhen Mohran had spent a long time roaming the sand sea, and its seemingly rough, rocky shell had long been polished smooth by the sand, leaving few sharp edges.
Hunters would easily slip and fall if they tried to climb it with their bare hands. These bolts, firmly lodged in the Jhen Mohran's body, would serve as crucial handholds and footholds for them.
Looking at the Jhen Mohran, which was covered in so many bolts that it looked like it had grown a strange coat of bristles, the fleet captain at the helm roared, "The first phase is about done! Give the order! Have the fleet disperse and await further instructions!"
Elder Dragons were not mere beasts. The scholars of the Elder Dragon Observation Team and the Royal Paleontology Scriveners believed that many species of Elder Dragons possessed intelligence and sentience on par with humans.
Overly rigid tactics were useless against Elder Dragon species; they might even have their flaws exploited and be countered. Not to mention, this Jhen Mohran before them was an old rival. It wouldn't be easy to repel it with the same old tactics.
"Bwoo... bwoo..."
The command was relayed via horns and signal flags. The small Sandships surrounding the Jhen Mohran received the order and ceased their attacks, scattering in all directions.
At the same time, the cannons and Ballistae on the Dragonship corrected their aim, targeting the Jhen Mohran's head.
A concentrated attack locked onto its head was naturally more effective than an indiscriminate assault spread across its entire body, but it also had a very obvious drawback... it would easily enrage the Jhen Mohran.
In its enraged state, the Jhen Mohran's desire to attack would increase significantly, and this was precisely what the fleet Admiral and his crew wanted to see.
"Boom! Boom!"
Flames burst alongside gunpowder smoke by the side of the Jhen Mohran's head. The Ballista Ammo was also aimed specifically at its eye sockets in a volley.
The Jhen Mohran's head was blasted to one side. It couldn't help but open its massive maw and let out a furious roar that shook the sand sea.
"Roooaaar...!"
Its anger provoked, the Jhen Mohran's body shuddered. Several hardened sand clumps shot out from the blowholes on its back, like globs of magma from a volcano. After reaching their apex, they came crashing down toward the Dragonship.
This was the Jhen Mohran's counterattack!
"Boom! Boom!"
Two of the sand clods struck the Hozan-maru's main deck and side, respectively. Faced with such an attack, a ship made of ordinary wood would have certainly had two huge holes smashed into it, and it wouldn't have been surprising if it lost its ability to sail.
But the Hozan-maru, built from mysterious Monster Bone and Yukumo Wood, was different. It steadily withstood the attack. Aside from a few planks being snapped and cracked, it was completely fine.
The fleet Admiral let out a few loud laughs, as if mocking the powerlessness of the Jhen Mohran's attack.
This outcome further enraged the Jhen Mohran. The muscles that allowed its enormous body to roam the sand sea tensed abruptly.
Its body, like a moving mountain, leaped up. It was like a great whale breaching the ocean's surface, tumbling through the air before crashing down toward the Hozan-maru.
Piloting a small Sandship and hanging back in the distance awaiting further instructions, Asa's jaw dropped. "Holy crap. When blowing its nose at us didn't work, it decided to just jump up and smash us itself, huh?"
Altaïr: "..."
He couldn't be bothered to comment on the man's analogy, his mind completely captivated by the battlefield where the Dragonship and the Jhen Mohran clashed.
The sand sea behemoth weighed tens of thousands of tons. If it landed a direct hit, everyone aboard the Hozan-maru, including the Dragonship that had been passed down for many years, would be crushed to dust. There was no other possibility.
Fortunately, the fleet Admiral was prepared.
"Everyone, hold on tight!" Amidst his still-resonant shout, he cranked the ship's rudder hard to the right.
The sailors on board coordinated, raising the stabilizers on both sides of the hull that hindered maneuverability. The ship made a sharp turn toward the spot where the Jhen Mohran had been before it leaped.
"Rumble!"
After hanging in the air for several seconds, the Jhen Mohran fell back into the sand sea, kicking up a colossal wave of yellow sand that nearly capsized the Dragonship, which had not yet had time to steady itself after its sharp turn.
At the critical moment, the stabilizers on both sides of the hull once again proved their worth. As they completed the sharp turn, the veteran sailors, needing no reminder from the fleet Admiral, immediately lowered the stabilizers on both sides of the hull. The streamlined stabilizers firmly braced against the sand's surface, steadying the Dragonship that was on the verge of capsizing.
After this exchange, the positions of the Jhen Mohran and the Dragonship had swapped. The Jhen Mohran, which was originally on the starboard side of the ship, was now on the port side.
The Jhen Mohran also seemed to have grown somewhat weary from its previous attack.
Propelling such a massive body into the air consumed a considerable amount of stamina. For a moment, its swimming speed in the sand sea seemed to have dropped slightly.
This was precisely what the fleet Admiral had hoped to see.
From enraging the Jhen Mohran and making it retaliate with sand projectiles, to deliberately taking the hit to show off the Hozan-maru's sturdiness and baiting the Jhen Mohran into leaping up to slam down... it was all to exhaust the Jhen Mohran's stamina.
For a period of time, the Jhen Mohran would be relatively calm due to its exhaustion.
This was the opportunity he had created for the hunters.
The roar of the cannons ceased, replaced by the long, drawn-out call of a horn signaling the boarding assault. Upon receiving the signal, the small Sandships converged like a shiver of sharks that had scented blood.
When they were just a few dozen meters from their target, Altaïr, who was manning the Ballista, pulled the trigger, firing the pre-loaded One-shot Binder.
Almost simultaneously, over a dozen One-shot Binders with massive barbs shot out from the Sandships on all sides, digging deep into the Jhen Mohran's back armor.
As the mechanical winches rapidly tightened, the sturdy ropes connected to the One-shot Binders instantly went taut, pulling the Sandships closer to the Jhen Mohran.
Serl lowered his faceplate, did a few hops on the spot to loosen his muscles, then turned his head and asked, "Are you ready? Don't push yourself too hard."
Altaïr let go of the Ballista's grips and grinned at him.
"I can't wait."