In the afternoon, Lei Luo led the knights to "visit" the irritable mother on the Blackwater River bank.
The afternoon sun was somewhat lazy, but the air around Blackstone Town carried a hint of tension.
Old Buck's rat-catching operation was proceeding in an orderly manner, with excavated pits and simple traps visible everywhere on the outskirts of the town.
The air was filled with a faint earthy smell and the scent of a special rat-repellent herb.
Every high-tier magical beast is a valuable asset and a powerful aid for any lord.
The Ironclad Rhinoceros is a third-tier magical beast, with combat power comparable to a third-tier Earth Knight.
While Pegasus are good, their whereabouts are erratic and they are extremely difficult to capture. Lei Luo arranged for two knights to patrol the forest edge in shifts, only able to wait for an opportunity.
Although the Ironclad Rhinoceros has a violent temperament, its powerful defense and charge capabilities, if nurtured from a young age, would undoubtedly make it a mobile fortress on the battlefield.
Half an hour later, the group, lightly equipped, left Blackstone Town and headed south.
The Blackwater River is not wide, winding and twisting, forming this fertile and lush riverbank south of the Black Stone Mountain Range.
The terrain on the south bank gradually rises, and the vegetation becomes denser, consisting mostly of low shrubs and drought-resistant grasses, with a few twisted Black Iron Trees growing tenaciously here and there.
A faint musky smell hung in the air, a scent characteristic of large magical beast activity areas.
Bolin, experienced, walked at the forefront, occasionally stopping to observe traces on the ground and movements in the surroundings.
"My Lord, look here."
Bolin squatted down, pointing at a series of huge hoof prints on the ground.
The hoof prints were deeply embedded in the mud, with clear edges, obviously left not long ago.
"It's an Ironclad Rhinoceros," Bolin also leaned over for a look, his expression grave, "Judging by the freshness of the tracks, it should be nearby."
Lei Luo nodded, signaling them to continue forward, while simultaneously raising his perception to its peak.
After breaking through to a formal knight, his five senses and mental power had significantly enhanced; any rustling of leaves or even subtle elemental fluctuations could not escape his detection.
After another few hundred meters, passing through a dense thicket, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
It was a relatively flat Valley area, with some large rocks scattered near the riverbank.
And in the center of the Valley, a colossal creature was lying there, resting.
Its body was like a moving hill, covered entirely in thick, rough, black metal-like scales, reflecting a dull, dark light under the sun.
Its head was enormous, and a thick, incredibly strong horn, its tip glinting with a cold light, stood above its nose.
Its four limbs were thick and powerful, like four towering stone pillars, supporting its heavy body.
It was indeed the third-tier magical beast, the Ironclad Rhinoceros!
At this moment, the giant beast seemed to be dozing, its heavy breathing sounding like bellows, each breath bringing a wave of heat that gently swayed the surrounding grass blades.
And beneath its belly, two Xiao Rhinos, smaller in size but also covered in black scales, were nestled beside their mother, playing.
Their scales were still relatively tender, a grayish-black, and their horns were only just beginning to form, making them appear somewhat endearing.
Lei Luo's gaze moved back and forth between the Ironclad Rhinoceros and the two young ones; his heartbeat also quickened slightly.
After observing for a while, Lei Luo noticed that although the mother rhinoceros appeared to be dozing, its ears occasionally rotated, clearly maintaining a high level of vigilance.
Any slight disturbance could startle it.
Just then, a second-tier magical beast, a Demonic Hyena, inadvertently poked its head out from the nearby bushes, drooling as it stared at the two playing Xiao Rhinos.
It had just emerged from the bushes and hadn't even had time to clearly see its surroundings when the Ironclad Rhinoceros, which had been lying down, suddenly opened its eyes!
They were a pair of blood-red eyes filled with tyranny and madness!
"Moooo—!"
An earth-shattering roar suddenly erupted, and the entire Valley seemed to tremble.
The Ironclad Rhinoceros's massive body instantly transitioned from lying down to standing, with almost no delay.
It locked onto the poor Demonic Hyena, its four hooves pawing at the ground, creating several deep pits in the hard earth.
The next second, it moved!
Like an out-of-control heavy battering ram, it charged at the Demonic Hyena with an irresistible momentum!
Its speed was astonishing!
Completely disproportionate to its massive size!
Its heavy body thundered across the ground, creating a booming sound, and the ground itself vibrated slightly.
From initiation to nearing its target, it was almost in the blink of an eye!
The second-tier Demonic Hyena had no time to react and was directly struck by the charging Ironclad Rhinoceros!
"Pfft!"
With a muffled thud, the Demonic Hyena was instantly smashed to pieces like a fragile rag doll, bloody and mangled, unable to even let out a scream.
The Ironclad Rhinoceros continued its momentum, charging for tens of meters, smashing several waist-high rocks along the way before slowly coming to a stop, shaking off the blood and minced flesh from its head, and letting out another intimidating roar, as if proclaiming its sovereignty.
Lei Luo and the others, hiding behind the rocks, watched with pounding hearts and cold sweat dripping.
"Oh my heavens..."
Bolin swallowed, his face somewhat pale, "This speed... it's comparable to a warhorse at full charge, no, even faster! And this impact force..."
Bolin also looked horrified: "If you were hit head-on by that, even wearing full heavy armor, you'd probably turn into a puddle of mush."
Both Great Knights were seasoned veterans of many battles, but facing such a direct display of terrifying power from a third-tier magical beast, they couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.
They knew very well that at their speed, they simply couldn't dodge the Ironclad Rhinoceros's charge.
Lei Luo's eyes, however, grew brighter and brighter.
Fast!
Astonishingly fast!
But this speed seemed to be linear.
Lei Luo's mind raced.
The Ironclad Rhinoceros's charge was incredibly powerful and fast, but just now, when it smashed the Demonic Hyena and the rocks, it barely changed direction.
This kind of charge, relying on massive weight and brute force, would inevitably lack flexibility in turning.
Moreover, it seemed to be easily provoked, especially when its young were involved.
"Its speed is indeed fast, but it's not unmanageable," Lei Luo said in a low voice.
Bolin and Bolin both looked at Lei Luo with some surprise upon hearing this.
In their eyes, that scene just now was almost a display of despair, yet their Lord actually said it could be dealt with?
"My Lord, what do you mean?"
Bolin asked, unable to think of any way to block or dodge that kind of charge in a single round.
"We don't need to block it, nor do we need to dodge it."
"We'll make it run away on its own."