Large patches of scales had already been torn from the club-like head of the Bazelgeuse brother.
Even the Bio-crystals coating his body couldn't stop that scalpel-like gnawing. He was forced to reveal the translucent carapace and raw, reddened flesh beneath. Black mixed with crimson—it was a gruesome sight.
However, the Bazelgeuse brother was no fool. Whether relying on his explosions or brute-forcing his way through with his body, the mature combat system he had developed through years of battle ensured the Savage Deviljho didn't have it easy either. Broken teeth and shredded meat littered the battlefield like some macabre occult ritual; at the very least, he hadn't allowed the Savage Deviljho to actually tear off a full chunk of his flesh.
In this meat-grinder of a brawl, the Bazelgeuse brother was ultimately at a disadvantage. His mouth wasn't particularly large, and his teeth weren't built for piercing. Usually, the meat he ate was either cooked by Grimalkynes or prey he had first blasted into manageable chunks with his blasting scales, eating the remains while they were still steaming.
Trading wounds for wounds in such a primitive, physical manner felt a bit archaic to him. As the exchange continued, more and more of the Bazelgeuse brother's blood spilled.
Even his blood carried enough heat to boil water. As it dripped onto the ground littered with Bio-crystal debris, it hissed faintly, sending up wisps of thin white steam.
The Savage Deviljho was like a shark sensing blood in the ocean. Even though it had been scorched a charred blue—or perhaps "singed cerulean"—by the explosions, it had no intention of retreating. Instead, it grew increasingly frenzied. Those eyes, already brimming with wild light, now shone with a brightness that made one's skin crawl. To this beast, pain and the scent of blood were the most potent stimulants.
BOOM!!
A Monster Charge!
The impact of the two titans colliding sent Bio-crystal dust leaping into the air. The atmosphere was thick with the smell of burning Dragon blood and the crystalline powder kicked up by the shattering earth.
But this time, the Savage Deviljho failed to knock the Bazelgeuse brother aside. This was because the Bazelgeuse had buried his body low.
Like an "Iron-Head Dragon" that knew no retreat, he lowered his head until it nearly grazed the ground. He arched his back, threw his center of gravity into his forelimbs, and at the moment of impact, detonated the blasting scales clustered around his neck. Using the resulting recoil, he funneled that explosive counter-force directly into his own tackle.
It wasn't a sophisticated tactic; in fact, it was incredibly crude—crude to the point of being unreasonable—but it was damn effective.
The battlefield within dozens of meters had long since been pulverized beyond recognition. Soil and crystal shards rolled outward like ocean waves. The remains of trees and plants that had previously been crystallized were either ignited by the intense energy, sprouting tongues of ghostly blue flame, or simply ground into fine powder that drifted away with the air currents.
The ground was completely transformed, scarred with craters and furrows of varying depths, looking as though it had been repeatedly tilled by some gargantuan machine.
"ROAR!!!"
Ghostly blue flames and shockwaves erupted from the point where the two monsters' bodies met. A roar filled with clear agony rang out—it came from the Savage Deviljho.
It was injured, and strangely enough, it had suffered internal damage.
After enduring consecutive shockwaves from explosions at such close range, the Savage Deviljho's ridiculously thick hide remained intact, but its internal muscles and organs weren't nearly as resilient.
In this scenario, that tough hide acted like the Maginot Line—it existed, but the vibrations of the shockwaves simply bypassed it, striking the most vulnerable parts of the body.
No matter how tough a Savage Deviljho is, its rectum is still soft... er, no, what I mean is, there's always a soft spot somewhere.
Cough!
"Kulu-ga! Kulu-ga!"
"Boss Kulu says his second brother is about to win," Sparky translated while glancing at the battlefield. "But the Savage Deviljho is pinning him down right now."
Just as Sparky said, the situation for the blue-tinged Seething Bazelgeuse seemed to be turning sour. The Savage Deviljho had used its sheer weight to flip the Bazelgeuse brother over and was now pinning his wings down, suppressing him with its massive, heavy frame.
Wait, was it... washing his hair?
Dense, violent Dragon element energy was pouring from the Savage Deviljho's maw, washing over the Bazelgeuse brother's head like a waterfall—specifically over the parts where the carapace had been stripped away.
Is that even allowed?
"Gah!"
"You're saying Big Brother Bazelgeuse hasn't even shown his true power yet? Even looking like that...?"
"Kulu-ga!"
The voice was exceptionally firm. Even though his "brother" was currently being pinned down and having his face blasted with Dragon energy, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother still maintained absolute faith in the Bazelgeuse.
Under the bewildered gazes of Aiden, Eileen, Sophia, and Vanilla, Sparky and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother continued their back-and-forth exchange. The two of them were like spectators at a roadside theater, providing a running commentary on the intense wrestling match ahead, occasionally bickering over minor details.
Aiden looked away after only two seconds. He felt that if he kept watching, he might develop some mysterious misunderstanding... a misunderstanding about how this world worked.
"...Is this really okay?" Sophia asked in a low voice, looking worriedly at Sparky. "If I'm not mistaken, Sparky must have absorbed an excessive amount of Bio-energy to develop this special ability, right?"
"This is the only thing that could cause such an unknown change in us, especially since we just took off our masks—but the problem is, why so fast? It hasn't even been ten minutes, has it?"
"I'm a bit worried too," Eileen said, her brow furrowed. "We need to have a scholar check him as soon as possible. I don't know what's happening to my partner's body. If some hidden illness crops up, we're in trouble..."
"Yeah," Aiden nodded. "And more importantly, why is Sparky the only one who can understand Boss Kulu? If I remember correctly, the Commander said this talent was previously only seen in Grimalkynes."
"Why is that? We also inhaled an excessive amount of Bio-energy... Sparky only took his mask off a little earlier than us. Why is there such a massive difference?"
"It might be because of this," Sparky said, hearing his companions' discussion. He turned his head and pulled a dragon-scale necklace out from under his collar. The others were already familiar with this priceless heirloom.
"This is a piece of Asterion's carapace. I've worn it since I was a kid—it has to be because of this."
Despite having become a successful hunter before even setting foot on the New World, Sparky's tone was as firm as a Grimalkyne raised in a Glavenus tribe, possessing a fanatical faith in Asterion.
"That's actually possible, meow!" Sitting up from the ground, Vanilla scratched his belly. "I've talked to the local Grimalkynes, meow. Their 'Dragon-Chosen Warriors' apparently appear after consuming powdered carapace from an Aero-Glavenus—Meow! Come to think of it, doesn't that make Partner a Dragon-Chosen Human of the Aero-Glavenus, meow?!"
It all clicked! Everything lined up!
The history of the Glavenus tribe changed when the Dragon-Chosen Warriors appeared, so the new era of humanity must start with a Dragon-Chosen Human!
—But wasn't this change happening a bit too fast?
Or had Sparky already spent the last decade molding himself into a shape suitable for an Aero-Glavenus?
"Wait, meow!" Vanilla paused, his train of thought veering off into the distance, his cat eyes wide and round. "Does this mean we can just walk right up to the Aero-Glavenus, meow?! We have a Dragon-Chosen Warrior now! We're just like the Grimalkynes, meow!!"
Vanilla had made a groundbreaking discovery!
"That's right! We can do that!" Aiden slammed his right fist into his left palm, his eyes shining. "This way, the Commander won't have to worry about how to get the Admiral and us past the Glavenus tribe's defenses to meet the Aero-Glavenus. We won't have to—WATCH OUT!!!"
Aiden's voice cracked as he roared, lunging forward to flatten himself against the base of the broken tree roots. Before he could shout another word, the other three humans and the cat realized something was wrong and dove to the ground simultaneously.
Even the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother followed suit.
This clever bird-thing had actually hit the deck half a beat faster than Aiden's warning. He hadn't been hit by some unknown attack; he had simply flopped down with practiced, fluid grace. He even wiggled his long, thick neck, sweeping away the thick Bio-crystal dust on the ground in two or three strokes before burying his oversized bird head into the dirt.
Stay low! He was clearly a professional at this.
The reason they all reacted this way was simple: on the battlefield ahead of them, a sun was rising from the flat ground!
A blue sun!!!
BOOM—!!!
The explosion didn't sound like any blast they had ever heard before. Once a sound reaches a certain decibel, it ceases to be "sound" and becomes a physical pressure that vibrates from the ears to the skull, and even into the internal organs.
Skin, chest cavity, eardrums—the air itself gained actual weight in that moment, crushing everyone present from all directions. There was no doubt; this was the signature attack of the blue-tinged Seething Bazelgeuse, an explosion that could rival a Teostra's Supernova!!
Of course, compared to a Teostra's blast, the Bazelgeuse brother's "nuke" was much gentler—at the very least, it didn't incinerate the hunters nearby into ash.
But that intense light still left a deep impression on Sparky and the others. They couldn't even open their eyes to see what was happening. Even with their eyelids squeezed shut, the light pierced through, forcing their retinas to register a blinding blue-white—everything had become light.
Coursing energy, spreading heat waves, and a brilliant radiance.
Countless Bio-crystal fragments and powder were propelled by the shockwave, screaming through the gaps in the tree roots. Every shard carried enough force to kill. Driven by this power, they acted like a multitude of tiny knives scraping against the front of the roots, a continuous, rustling sound that mimicked heavy rain drumming on a tin roof.
No one dared to look up. They even reflexively held their breath, pressing themselves as close to the ground as possible, using the stump of the massive, broken tree as cover—but even then, the thick, crystallized roots were being ground flat by the debris.
After what felt like an eternity, the brilliant glow finally began to dim. Like a receding tide, it shrank from blinding to bright, then faded back into the normal range of light.
Natural colors finally returned to the world. Opening her eyes again, Sophia was surprised to find that everything seemed brighter, as if the forest had been washed clean by rain.
Well, except for the fact that the "rain" that had just washed the forest was a rain of pure light.
"Is everyone okay? Partner!" Eileen immediately looked around. "Everyone else, is anyone hurt?!"
"I'm good."
"Safe."
"No problems, meow."
"Kulu-ga!"
After a quick check, the realization that no one was injured brought a collective sigh of relief. Even the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother lifted his head out of the dirt and gave a squawk.
"ROAR-ANG!!!"
The Bazelgeuse brother's exhilarated roar drew their attention back to the battlefield. The front of the broken root that had shielded them was completely transformed; the previously jagged crystals and rough bark had been polished into an incredibly smooth, curved surface.
There were no protrusions left. The surface was so clean and reflective that it clearly showed their reflections under the sunlight, like a mirror.
"HUFF—ROAR!!"
The Savage Deviljho was also roaring, but the terrifying part was how close the sound was! And it was getting closer!!
"ROAR!!!"
It felt like an earthquake. With every step the Savage Deviljho took, the earth shuddered under its weight, sending crystal shards flying. When Sparky looked through the guard of his Great Sword, he saw the Savage Deviljho charging directly toward them!!!
"Dammit!!" Driven by instinct and the sheer force of the shock, Aiden immediately pushed Sophia away. "Run!! Don't look back!!"
Sparky made the same choice, his immense strength allowing him to grab Eileen by the arm and fling her outward!
There was no time to think, let alone prepare—"KULU-GA!!!"
With a panicked squawk, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's rear seemed to have a spring attached as he bounced up from his prone position and bolted!
The bird's reactions were fast, but based on the direction of the Savage Deviljho's charge and the target locked in those glowing red eyes, there was no doubt: the Savage Deviljho was coming for the Kulu-Ya-Ku!!
A massive chunk of meat was on the move!!
————
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