To put it bluntly, if a normal Kulu-Ya-Ku stood next to this one, it would barely reach its thigh.
That isn't an exaggeration; the scale was comparable to a human standing before a standard Kulu-Ya-Ku.
It didn't look like a Bird Wyvern at all. Instead, it possessed the imposing stature of a Brute Wyvern. Even so, this Kulu-Ya-Ku was still significantly smaller than the Savage Deviljho and the Azure-tainted Seething Bazelgeuse.
"What is happening to this world?"
The question flashed through Aiden's mind. If a small-stature monster like a Kulu-Ya-Ku could become this gargantuan, how massive would the naturally large monsters become in the future?
Once the apex predators at the top of the ecosystem were infected and evolved through Abyssal energy, would Hunters even stand a chance?
How was humanity supposed to protect itself?
Would this Abyssal energy eventually spread to the Old Continent through the flow of the Bio-energy veins?
Aiden stopped himself from spiraling. Certain thoughts, once entertained, would snowball until they became overwhelming. In the end, it wouldn't be a monster that crushed a person, but the collapse of their own sanity.
Without a doubt, the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro before them had also been infected by Abyssal energy. He had turned completely "Blue-fied," his body covered in a layer of beautiful, diamond-shaped blue crystals. It looked as though he had woven himself a suit of armor out of pure gemstones.
Those crystalline shards were arranged with remarkable precision, growing along the natural grain of his scales and feathers. Under the flickering light of the distant fires from the battlefield, they reflected a faint, ghostly blue luster, lending the creature a sense of mysterious majesty.
But truth be told, this "armor" didn't look particularly protective. It looked more like a gaudy, opulent decoration—the kind of thing you'd see displayed in a collector's gallery.
The diamond crystals had sharp edges but a polished, rounded sheen. Rather than a combat-ready carapace, it looked like a work of art painstakingly crafted by a master artisan over several months. On this Kulu-Ya-Ku, it only succeeded in making him look... very expensive.
The Jeweled Knight—that was the first term that popped into Aiden's head. It was said that the royal guards of many kingdoms wore armor encrusted with gems, but seeing the same concept applied to a monster felt incredibly surreal.
It was true that many monster materials fetched high prices in human society, but this gemstone armor didn't look like it had grown naturally from the Kulu-Ya-Ku.
"Why is the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro here?!" Seeing that the large monster had no intention of attacking, Erin rushed to the front of the group and shouted, "Get out of here, Bro! The fight over there is dangerous!!"
"She's right!" Sophia reacted immediately, following up with a shout of her own. "She's right! The battle between the Savage Deviljho and the Azure-tainted Seething Bazelgeuse won't end anytime soon! That Savage Deviljho hasn't eaten in a long time; driven by its hunger, it'll likely attack you!"
"Please, leave quickly, Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro!"
Now that they had confirmed he was one of their own—well, one of their dragons—Erin and the others couldn't just stand by and watch an ally of Astera meet a tragic end. Yes, this Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro was massive and likely the King of his species, but no one believed he could hold his own against a Savage Deviljho. They simply weren't in the same league.
"Kwah?" As if failing to understand their words, the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro simply tilted his head. However, the clarity in his eyes left no doubt that he understood them perfectly.
He just didn't care.
Unlike a normal Kulu-Ya-Ku, which would be startled by the slightest noise and flee in a panicked frenzy, the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro remained completely unbothered by the nearby explosions and the earth-shaking collisions of the behemoths.
He reached a foreclaw toward his side. After a few rhythmic movements, the group realized that on the other side of the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro's body, there was something they hadn't noticed before... uh, a satchel?
Is that a satchel?? That is definitely a satchel!!!
It was a dark cloth bag of considerable size, dyed in a low-profile color. The strap went over his thick avian neck and hung across his body, largely hidden by feathers and crystals. If the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro hadn't started rummaging through it himself, it would have been very difficult to spot.
Completely ignoring the tense expressions on the humans' faces, the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro fished a massive Rathalos egg out of his beloved satchel. Yes, Karl was certain he wasn't mistaken—that egg, several sizes larger than a Herbivore egg, was definitely a Rathalos egg!
Wait, which Rathalos nest did you steal that from?? The Rathalos pairs capable of settling in the Ancient Forest are all victors of natural selection. This meant the guy had not only successfully stolen the egg and evaded the tracking and pursuit of the parents, but he was also calm enough to carry it around as a snack.
And it really was a snack. The group watched as the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro jerked his head twice, pecked a hole in the shell with his beak, and then began to flick his tongue out repeatedly to slurp up the contents.
The group: "..."
The satchel—an item that clearly wouldn't appear naturally on a wild monster—further proved the identity of this Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro. In the entire New World, there was likely only one Kulu-Ya-Ku this unique. But—
You're seriously... eating right now??
And he was eating with such gusto. The bright yellow yolk was stirred up by the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro's flexible tongue and slurped into his mouth. The slightly bifurcated tip of his tongue daintily licked around the broken edge of the shell, scraping the inner walls clean of every last drop of yolk, unwilling to let a single bit go to waste.
While he ate, he kept his clear eyes fixed on the chaotic battlefield in the distance. He was as composed as if he were taking a stroll in his own nest, watching the fight like it was some delightful performance. He was enjoying himself immensely.
Occasionally, he would tilt his head and let out a few strange cries, seemingly cheering when he saw a particularly impressive display of violence.
"This... this is—" Aiden was utterly dumbfounded. He looked at the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro, then turned to look at the two behemoths in the distance who were already trading blows until dragon blood splattered and the ground shook, then looked back at the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro's leisurely eating habits. He started to wonder if he had stepped into the wrong reality.
"...Is this even allowed?" he muttered to himself, asking a question that struck at his very soul.
"Kloo-ga! Kloo-ga! Kloo! Kwah!"
The bird's mouth didn't stop for a second!
The Rathalos egg wasn't enough to keep the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro's mouth shut. Between slurps of yolk, he chirped incessantly, letting out a string of unintelligible cries. His tone rose and fell; he almost sounded like he was shouting profanities.
From time to time, he would cradle the egg against his chest with one claw, freeing up his other foreclaw to point and gesture toward the Savage Deviljho. His claw jabbed the air repeatedly in a rather arrogant manner.
They couldn't understand a word of it.
But the four humans and one cat shared a very clear realization: this guy was having a great time watching the show, and he had a very foul mouth.
That attitude, that specific "flavor" of personality...
"Are you... are you really not going to run, Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro?" Sophia walked up to his side, stood on her tiptoes, and worriedly patted the thick scales on his lower leg. "Aside from those two, you're the biggest thing here. The Savage Deviljho is very likely to target you next."
Small things like humans—lots of bone, very little meat—weren't even worth the Savage Deviljho's time. If it wanted to eat, it would go for something meaty and large.
"KLOO-GAA!!"
The Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro looked like he was getting a bit angry.
That "Kloo-ga" was louder than any of his previous cries. He took one final, forceful slurp of the yolk, his forked tongue easily swiping the last of the residue clean, and then he slammed the egg onto the ground!
Splat!!
A Rathalos egg wasn't like a Herbivore egg; in terms of size alone, it was several times larger. Naturally, there was more yolk, and even more egg white. Tossed violently by the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro, the already damaged shell shattered into pieces of all sizes. The remaining egg white splattered everywhere, the viscous, transparent liquid slowly oozing over the nearby Abyssal crystal shards.
Even after all these years, the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro still maintained his habit of only eating the yolk. If it weren't for the current special circumstances and the crude environment, a bird of his refined taste would never have eaten such a precious Rathalos egg in such a hurried, messy fashion.
Sigh, I guess I've really let myself go.
"W-What is he doing?" Sophia took a step back to avoid the egg white that nearly splattered on her, her face tense.
"Kloo-ga! Kloo-ga! Kloo!!"
After kicking the remains of the shell aside, the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro's massive avian head leaned right down into Sophia's face. His beak snapped open and shut as he let out a series of meaningless squawks. His breath carried the distinct, fishy-sweet scent of the dragon egg, blowing Sophia's hair back slightly.
Aiden reacted instantly, stepping in front of Sophia and raising his weapon to prevent the legendary monster from attacking—but his movement was met with a look of pure, lofty disdain from the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro.
"Ptui!"
It was definitely disdain. Aiden watched, slack-jawed, as the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro spat a glob of yellowish-clear slime right in front of him.
"Did I just... get spat on???"
Aiden began to question his entire life.
This guy did that on purpose!! He even knew exactly what that gesture meant in human society!!
He was way too smart!!
Is this something a monster is supposed to be able to do?! He knows what this means?!
"Calm down, Aiden. Put your weapon down," Sophia said, gently patting Aiden's back. "I don't think he intends to hurt us. He recognizes us as Hunters, right?"
"Kloo!" The Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro nodded.
"I understand now," Karl, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. "Did you come here with him? That Azure-tainted Seething Bazelgeuse—the two of you found the Savage Deviljho together."
"Kloo-kloo-ga, Gwah!"
"Why aren't you fighting together? Two dragons are always better than one."
"Kloo-ga! Kloo-ga!"
"He doesn't need your help? But what if he loses?"
"Kloo-ga!"
One human, one bird. One question, one answer.
The atmosphere suddenly turned quiet, leaving only the distant roar of the battlefield and the tremors of the earth. In this moment, Karl looked like a superhuman. Man and bird stared at each other; their tones were different, but their rhythm was strangely harmonious, as if two people speaking different languages had suddenly found the same frequency—understanding exactly what the other was expressing.
Meanwhile, his companions were so shocked they surrounded him.
"You can understand monster speech now, partner?!" Erin, being the energetic one, was the first to explode. She practically lunged forward, grabbing Karl's arm and shaking it vigorously. "You were just talking to the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro?! Like, actually talking?! You really know what he means?! We can finally know what monsters are thinking!!"
"Now is not the time for that!!" Aiden yelled, forcing himself to look away from Karl's face to complain. "Shouldn't the main point be why Karl can suddenly understand monsters?? This is a huge deal!! I thought only Grimalkynes could understand monsters!"
"I thought there would be some mysterious ritual, or he'd have to have some mystical dialogue with a Velkhana or something... How can Karl suddenly speak it?! He couldn't do it when we left this morning!!"
"Is that really the most important thing?" Sophia said, sounding a bit drained and helpless. "Shouldn't we be more worried about the fight between the Savage Deviljho and the Azure-tainted Seething Bazelgeuse? Since that Seething Bazelgeuse is an ally of Astera, we can't just sit here and watch him get beaten and eaten by a Savage Deviljho, can we?"
"The fight over there is getting more intense, meow. Both of them are getting serious now, meow," Vanilla said, pulling back his binoculars. "So, what is the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro saying, meow?"
"I don't actually 'understand' it perfectly; I can just vaguely grasp the meaning," Karl said, shaking his head as he organized his thoughts. "He is indeed the Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro, and the Azure-tainted Seething Bazelgeuse over there is the 'Bazelgeuse Bro.' They are actively looking for powerful monsters to fight. The Bazelgeuse Bro wants to become stronger."
"Become stronger?" Erin scratched her head. "Isn't he already strong enough? Even among 'Blue-fied' monsters, he's at the top. He wants to get even stronger?"
"Kloo-ga."
"The Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro says it's a hobby," Karl acted as the translator.
A... a hobby?
The group fell silent for a moment. Treating a life-or-death struggle against a top-tier apex predator as a "hobby"...
That kind of hobby, which could very well end in death on the battlefield, felt a bit too extravagant.
Explosion after explosion rocked the area, drawing even closer to their position. It was hard to tell whether the Savage Deviljho or the Bazelgeuse Bro had the upper hand, but physically speaking, the Bazelgeuse Bro was looking a bit ragged—his carapace had gone head-to-head with the Savage Deviljho's teeth, and the teeth had won.
The Savage Deviljho was practically a living pencil sharpener, making full use of its most lethal weapons: rows of dense, razor-sharp teeth, a massive maw that could unhinge to an incredible degree, and pure, raw biting force. To put it simply, it just opened its mouth and started shredding.
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