Chapter 94: The Kill
For a hunter, what is the most critical element? Is it a strong, robust physique? Exquisite, high-level technique? Rich, seasoned experience? Or a wise, clever mind?
While these are undoubtedly vital, none can truly claim the title of "most" important. For a hunter, the most important thing is always courage. When facing a behemoth hundreds or thousands of times one's own size, only the courage to resist makes everything else possible.
The wind whistled past its ears, blowing the fur of the white Grimalkyne upward. A free fall should have brought the terror of death, but in this moment, it felt only an incredible sense of freedom.
Taking advantage of the Pink Rathian's full attention being fixed on Logan, the white Grimalkyne successfully landed on its back. Treading upon the hard, rough carapace, it charged rapidly toward the dragon's head.
Logan noticed the little fellow almost immediately. His brows twitched, surprised by its bold maneuver. But at this point, it was too late to say anything; he could only rush forward to support the play.
Static fields swirled around him, causing Logan's fur—originally draped like white clouds—to stand on end. His Spiral Heart pumped at full capacity, the blood flow roaring like a surging river. The metal dust within his cells, stimulated by the electric current, began to violently expand and contract. His entire body swelled a size larger, and his tightly interlocking scales were pushed apart, revealing the crimson skin beneath.
With a sudden kick from all four limbs, the lush algae and vines beneath him were instantly crushed into pulp, and even the rock below spiderwebbed with fine cracks. Propelled by the massive counterforce, his body leaped high into the air.
It was hard to imagine a giant beast weighing seventy to eighty tons leaping so high, resembling a nimble cat snatching a bird from the sky.
Logan extended his limbs mid-air, his flexible forepaws hooking onto the Pink Rathian's talons. His hooked claws embedded themselves deep into the gaps of its shell, and then, arching his back, he pulled upward with all his might.
The Pink Rathian, whose flight capability was already severely diminished due to its chest injury, suddenly sank uncontrollably. It had no time to worry about the slight sensation on its back. It snapped its head down, using the sharp, beak-like tissue at the front of its snout to peck fiercely at Logan's head.
Had Logan possessed ordinary horns, he might have used them to meet the attack. Unfortunately, while his pair of amber-gold "Azure Horns" were hard, they were actually sensory organs rich with nerves. A heavy blow to them would result in unimaginable pain.
Logan let go of his grip, allowing his body to fall backward. However, before he dropped, his long tail swung up with the momentum. The massive blade at the tip—like a meteor hammer—slashed violently into the Pink Rathian's belly.
This was the weakest part of the monster's armor; just beneath the belly skin lay the vital organs. The massive force drove the sharp axe-blade to instantly tear through the surface scales and slice open the skin below, nearly disemboweling the Pink Rathian.
The pain caused the Pink Rathian to let out a shrill, piercing roar toward the sky. Just then, a faint sound of footsteps reached its ears. From the corner of its eye, it glimpsed a white blur charging like a whirlwind, wielding two sharp longswords and thrusting them with all its might toward its eyes.
The distance was too short, the time too brief. The Pink Rathian couldn't even swing its head to dodge; it could only squeeze its eyes shut, pinning its hopes on its eyelids.
The sword tips struck the fine scales of the eyelids, blooming into a series of dazzling sparks. The white Grimalkyne pressed down with its paws, muscles bulging, even revealing two tiny fangs at the corners of its mouth.
Those pinkish-white scales ultimately failed to stop the sharp blades. They were pierced through, followed by the thin skin beneath and the fragile eyeballs.
"ROAR!!!"
Another agonizing scream rang out as two pillars of blood sprayed from the Pink Rathian's eyes. It whipped its head violently, flinging the Grimalkyne far away. Through its gaping maw, a molten, lava-red glow could be seen deep in its throat.
Mid-air, Logan performed a cat-like flip and landed steadily on all fours. Immediately after, a torrent of flames poured down like a broken dam, haphazardly striking the surrounding rock walls and platforms.
He flashed to the side, dodging a head-on fireball. With a thunderous boom, the algae in that spot was blasted to bits. The intense heat baked everything, quickly causing the dark green and pale red vines to wither and turn yellow.
Looking up, two sword blades remained lodged in the Pink Rathian's eyes; the nearly two-foot-long feather-shaped scales were embedded halfway in, completely pinning the eyelids to the eyeballs.
Logan wasn't sure if a monster with such formidable vitality could recover from such injuries, but this Pink Rathian clearly wouldn't get the chance.
Having lost its sight, it could no longer navigate. It flapped its wings wildly in the complex cave environment, repeatedly crashing its body into the stone walls. The seemingly fierce fire-breathing was, in reality, a manifestation of its inner terror.
At this point, Logan was in no hurry to close in, allowing the Pink Rathian to waste its stamina. He glanced toward the thrown white Grimalkyne and found it had used its agility to catch onto a patch of thick algae and was keeping a safe distance.
This little guy, Logan thought, if it were human, it would surely be a world-renowned hunter. Whether it was the precision in choosing the monster's weak points or the exquisite timing, it was outstanding. More valuable still was that spark of courage—truly a rare thing.
The Pink Rathian's death throes did not last long. Soon, it crashed onto a protruding platform, its head swaying side to side as it listened warily to its surroundings with its blood-soaked face.
After this brief rest, the electrical energy in Logan's body had been replenished. The static accumulating in the air began to bloom into tiny electric arcs. As he walked, he left a shimmering trail of light.
By now, Zhu Peiniang had finally climbed up, reaching Logan's side in a few leaps. Her golden shock-collecting shells opened, and current surrounded her, causing bright arcs of light to bridge between the two great beasts.
Using magnetic fields to lock onto the target, a thin arc first flickered through the air to open a path, followed by a massive surge of current.
A dazzling Thunder Light Cannon erupted from Logan's twin horns, striking the Pink Rathian directly in the head as it sat unable to dodge. The high-temperature plasma instantly vaporized the surface scales; the volume expanded rapidly, followed by a violent explosion.
"BOOM!!!"
A sound like a clap of thunder echoed, accompanied by lightning branching out in all directions. The strike directly demolished half of the Pink Rathian's head. Yet, its tenacious life force kept it from dying immediately; it still tried to flap its wings in a desperate attempt to flee.
However, the two great beasts were already upon it. Fierce attacks descended like a violent storm, one after another. Before long, they brought its suffering to a complete end.
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