Back then, that battle could be said to have startled the Elder Dragons that were living out their old age in the Guiding Lands—while also maintaining the ecological cycle—into acting like frightened quail.
The New World revealed all of its hidden cards, gathering together all Disaster-level Elder Dragons that could be considered its very foundation, in order to intercept and kill that forbidden monster which, after being wounded deep within the New World, had fled to the Guiding Lands before it even had time to recover.
The final outcome of the battle was enough to make even Ruiner Nergigante tremble—they perished together!
That's right. Even the top-tier Disaster-level Elder Dragons, including Amatsu and Dalamadur, ultimately failed to escape. In the final clash of energy, they perished together!
If Disaster-level Elder Dragons—top-tier predators that are extremely difficult to kill—could only achieve mutual destruction when facing a wounded one of their kind, then was this current being, which only emitted a Disaster-level aura yet possessed the same malice, really so easy to hunt?
Ruiner Nergigante was only reckless, not foolish. It had been able to restrain itself from joining in under those circumstances back then—let alone now.
However, the will of the boss of nature forced it to stay, leaving it with no choice but to lie gloomily atop a massive Bioenergy Crystal, carefully honing its claws and fangs, quietly waiting for the battle that was about to arrive.
...
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A sound like a heartbeat jolted Logan awake from his slumber.
The transparent membrane retracted toward the corners of his eyes, and within those icy azure pupils, the pitch-black vertical slit contracted.
Logan slowly rose from atop Aki's figurine, the Terastal film on his body gradually enveloping him like nanotech armor.
The temperature was no longer confined to the Sunlight trait's maximum of sixty degrees. The Elder's Recess, which never saw sunlight year-round, finally felt the radiance of the sun today.
On the other side, in a volcanic lava cavern positioned exactly along a diagonal from Logan...
Kulve Taroth, who was soaking in a magma pool and enjoying a "hot bath" filled with bioenergy, crawled out slowly with magma constantly flowing over her body. As her four limbs stepped onto the ground, under the effects of the high heat, the basalt—tempered by countless years of magma scorching—melted into pools of lava pits in the heat.
The Mother Goddess of Gold was no longer languid either. Wearing a battle skirt forged of imperial gold, she strode out of the lava cavern one step at a time, unreservedly releasing her aura at full power, dividing the Elder's Recess with Logan and completely blanketing the entire Elder's Recess.
One after another, monsters made vigorous by bioenergy and Terastal energy were no longer as active as usual. Each of them huddled in its nest, watching the Radiant Crystal Butterflies filling the sky as their hearts trembled in step with the heartbeat transmitted by the omnipresent Bioenergy Crystals.
After these days of contemplation, Logan also understood that the pheromones transmitted by the Xeno'jiiva egg were real!
Before it was even born, the bioenergy stored within the egg truly could be plundered by Elder Dragons—this was also why, even up to now, the boss of nature was still concealing the other party's aura.
This was a treasure that the boss of nature had nurtured for countless years—He would not permit any creature to covet it!
...
The Confluence of Fates.
This place was composed purely of Bioenergy Crystals, located at the very center of the Elder's Recess.
It was also the place where the leyline energy of the entire Elder's Recess converged.
There was no scorching heat, nor were there omnipresent crimson flows of magma.
There were only the purest Bioenergy Crystals, which, under the illumination of the light source, reflected a scene as dreamlike as an illusion.
The hunter squad cautiously followed the fissures as they entered this region. Suspended high above was a massive azure cocoon, wrapped purely in solidified energy, hanging among the Bioenergy Crystals.
Bioenergy—normally impossible to observe with the naked eye—was now being clearly transmitted into the cocoon through an energy "filament web" extending from it.
Like a heartbeat, the enormous cocoon flickered with an extremely regular pulse.
An aura that made all living beings uncomfortable spread out from within the cocoon. One hunter clutched his rapidly pounding heart.
As he looked at that massive azure cocoon, it was as if he saw annihilation.
Yes—not death.
But annihilation that turned everything into a dead, hopeless wasteland.
This cocoon was the enemy of this world!!
No analysis was needed, and no speculation was required—this was the hunters' first reaction upon seeing the cocoon.
"Unbelievable. In a place so filled with bioenergy, a creature like this could actually exist!"
"He should be the true culprit behind all of this! Just as the Sunblaze Dragon said, he has already betrayed his original intent and set foot on the path of destroying nature."
Aiden drew his weapon, staring fixedly at the massive cocoon more than ten meters long. Beside him, the bow-wielding hunter took out explosive arrows, drew the bow, and began charging power.
The Wyverian hunter slowly raised a hand. The eyes that had been calm and unruffled now also showed a surge of excitement.
"Attack!"
The arrow shot through the air, tracing a streak of light as it struck the massive cocoon. In the next instant, an explosion rang out.
The cocoon's outer shell began to crack. Clearly composed of threadlike filaments, the cocoon shell now emitted a crisp sound like shattering glass.
Before the hunters could feel joy, the cracking sounds of the massive cocoon began to accelerate.
In the next moment, countless beams of pure bioenergy burst forth from the ruptured sections of the cocoon.
The bioenergy that was ordinarily cherished beyond measure was, at this moment, completely different—without the slightest trace of peaceful aura, it was filled with the intent of destruction.
The surrounding hard Bioenergy Crystals shattered under the beams formed by the converging bioenergy. Large chunks of rock fell amid violent tremors.
The hunters scattered in all directions, relying on their powerful reaction abilities to continuously evade the beams while also dodging the massive Bioenergy Crystal fragments raining down from above.
This barrage of beams came quickly—and ended just as quickly.
After the surrounding area had been completely devastated, a gigantic dragon head—with multiple crimson glowing organs, soft scales, and a translucent azure-blue complexion—slowly broke free from the cocoon.
In the next instant, the blue giant dragon—like a newborn hatchling—collapsed onto the ground, its body still covered in extremely viscous egg fluid.
The giant dragon's eyes had not yet opened. Its wings were softly folded together, and its scales were transparent, allowing one to clearly see the constantly beating heart inside, the blood vessels through which massive amounts of energy flowed, and the crystalline bones.
If one were to ignore the aura it was currently emitting, as well as its enormous size, anyone would know that this was a giant dragon hatchling that had only just been born and had not yet opened its eyes!
Darren and Aiden exchanged a glance and, without prior coordination, both prepared to rush forward.
But in the very next moment, this Xeno'jiiva—still regarded as a "hatchling"—spread its wings in an extremely short span of time. In less than three seconds, the bones of its wings had already become remarkably hard, and the wind pressure it released was enough to impede the two hunters' advance.
A pair of vertical pupils opened, carrying a hazy awareness of the world and an innate malice. The entire dragon visibly began to undergo rapid metamorphosis.
Blood vessels, bones, scales, and even its vocalization completed a transformation from blue to black within those brief three seconds. The scales gleamed brightly, and the spines turned pitch-black.
This was the not-yet-grown King of Elder Dragons—Xeno'jiiva!!
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