An Espinas's horns and spikes are capable of secreting toxins directly.
While individuals in certain regions only secrete venom through their horns, this specimen was clearly not one of them.
It was hard to say whether the toxins of an Espinas or those of a Dreadqueen Rathian were more potent. The Espinas's primary method of combat was also "toxic predation," secreting both neurotoxins and hemorrhaging toxins simultaneously. Both were lethal; once a strike landed, the victim would be plunged into a hellish combination of Poison, Paralysis, and Bleeding.
Take the Thunderlord Zinogre at this very moment, for instance. Blood was gushing continuously from the wounds on its forelimbs, showing no signs of natural coagulation.
In stark contrast to the Thunderlord, the Blue Espinas appeared completely unscathed—at least, the Field Team Leader and his group couldn't spot a single wound on its body.
This was hardly surprising. An Espinas possesses formidable natural defense, characterized by its "thick skin and heavy flesh." Its entire carapace is exceptionally hard, to the point where it often won't even bother to stand up and retaliate when attacked by outsiders. This is simply because ordinary attacks cannot harm it; it usually just waits for other monsters to tire themselves out and leave on their own.
Of course, if the damage dealt by another monster reaches a certain threshold, the Espinas enters a state of extreme rage. Its spikes stand on end, and it becomes consumed by a murderous intent to hunt down and kill its enemy.
"ROAR!!!"
Ultimately, it was the Thunderlord Zinogre that lost its patience first. After all, it was the one suffering from the venom. The debilitating sensation of toxins ravaging its body was unbearable; if the stalemate continued, it might lose even the strength to flee.
With a thunderous roar, the Thunderlord crouched low, its four limbs compressing like springs before suddenly releasing. The golden electricity that had already illuminated a corner of the clearing flared even brighter in that instant, like a golden shroud being torn across the air. The Thunderlord transformed into a bolt of golden lightning, leaping before the Blue Espinas in less than a heartbeat!
Back Slam!!
Most of the Fulgurbugs resided in the gaps of the Thunderlord's dorsal carapace and within its golden fur. At this moment, they were already fully charged with golden electricity. What the Thunderlord was doing was essentially using its back—loaded with super-high voltage—to directly slam into and electrocute the Blue Espinas.
But it had a follow-up!
The Thunderlord never expected this slam to cause significant physical damage to the Blue Espinas. It had already tried earlier; simple strikes couldn't pierce that thick hide. Thus, it only hoped that the burst of current would cause the Blue Espinas a momentary bout of paralysis.
Sure enough, the moment it collided with the Blue Espinas, the Thunderlord felt a sharp pang in its back. It was the sensation of venomous spikes piercing through its dorsal shell. Simultaneously, a large number of Fulgurbugs died instantly upon direct contact with the Espinas's toxins.
Without a moment's hesitation or pause, the Thunderlord used its own weight to wrench itself free from the spikes. It immediately braced itself with its powerful left foreleg, using that leg as a pivot to spin its body rapidly. Its thick, broad tail, wreathed in electricity, lashed across the Blue Espinas's face. Through the momentum of the spin, the Thunderlord vaulted into the air and landed heavily back on the ground.
It wasn't over yet!!
As if intent on venting all its strength and electricity in one go, the Thunderlord looked like a Nergigante possessed. It reared its left foreleg high, its claws clenched like a fist, condensing a sphere of golden lightning so dense the sharp tips of its claws were barely visible—Charging—BOOM!!!
The massive, heavy punch smashed directly into the Blue Espinas's chest carapace and the Abyssal crystals embedded there. Amidst a spray of crystal shards, golden lightning nearly swallowed the front half of the Espinas's body. The Thunderlord's left foreleg remained pinned against the Espinas's chest; it even used its front claws to wrench at those venomous spikes!!
Still charging!!
"ROAR!!!"
Physical pain seemed to vanish in that moment, or rather, the Thunderlord ignored it entirely. Golden lightning stimulated its muscles, fully releasing the accumulated power—UPPERCUT!!!
CRACK! CRACKLE-POP!!!
The Thunderlord's sheer strength sent the Blue Espinas reeling, its entire body tilting as it stumbled sideways. The uppercut slid up from the Espinas's chest and slammed heavily into its lower jaw!
But even more terrifying were the three walls of lightning that completely engulfed the Blue Espinas and moved forward, as if "baptizing" the monster, charring its green carapace with a scorched, black hue.
To put it briefly, the Thunderlord's entire sequence of movements happened in a flash. Its actions were so rapid they were breathless, leaving the two humans, the dragon, and the cat watching from a distance in a daze.
Their eyes could only see a blur of swift golden light dancing across the earth, punctuated by flashes of blue radiance, but they couldn't distinguish the finer details. In contrast, Mirrorblade, possessing the unique visual capabilities of a dragon, saw much more.
"Growl?"
"Little Boss says it 'burst open' meow—what does that mean, meow?" Kankan asked.
"So... so strong," Arun said, dumbfounded. "That blue monster has no way to fight back; it's just taking a beating! Eh?"
Before Arun could finish his sentence, he let out a surprised cry.
The blinding golden lightning began to dissipate as the Thunderlord's assault came to a temporary halt, finally allowing the group to see the condition of the blue creature—and it was unexpectedly good?!
Under the Thunderlord's relentless barrage, the Blue Espinas had been tossed around like a ragdoll being torn apart by a crazed cat. But where a ragdoll would lose stuffing, the only things flying off the Blue Espinas were the Abyssal crystals coating its carapace and flesh.
Beyond that, the Blue Espinas looked almost unhurt. Only the chest, which had taken the brunt of the lightning punch, was slightly dented, and a few scales on its jaw had fallen off.
It could essentially be considered unharmed.
Conversely, the shapes of the Abyssal crystals covering its body or growing from its flesh had changed significantly from the start of the fight.
The Field Team Leader and the others finally understood what Mirrorblade meant by "burst open." When the golden walls of lightning from the Thunderlord's final strike expanded outward, passing through the crystals on the Blue Espinas's back and tail, they saw those crystals actively shatter and crumble. They transformed into a crystalline mist that swirled around the Blue Espinas, acting as a shield against the falling lightning.
Not only that, but as those crystals shattered, they acted like a barrage of sharp bayonets, reflecting back toward the Thunderlord.
"The Thunderlord's abdomen was pierced," the Field Team Leader said with a heavy expression. "It's going to lose."
An Espinas is not a monster known for quick reflexes or agility. After taking a "crackling" beating, it only now realized what had just happened, and it flew into a humiliated rage.
"ROAR!!!"
The Blue Espinas whipped its head violently. A lash of fire—a mixture of eerie blue and purplish-red—swept across like a long whip, before fanning out into a massive wave that rolled toward the Thunderlord.
What a flame... it was even more... cough! I mean, besides killing through venom, an Espinas possesses fire-breathing capabilities similar to a Rathalos. It can even spit venom and fire together, allowing the toxins to seep directly into the prey's body through the burn wounds.
But the fire the Blue Espinas spat was different. Although it was an invisible flame capable of incinerating trees, it felt "viscous" as it spread. Billowing clouds of purplish-red smoke rose constantly—without a doubt, this was toxic smoke produced by the evaporation of the Blue Espinas's venom.
"It's stuck, meow!" Kankan covered his nose and mouth even tighter, his voice tinged with fear.
They all saw the Thunderlord flinching back as if it had been electrocuted. Having just exhausted its physical strength, it was severely fatigued, to the point where saliva was leaking from its mouth... but upon closer inspection, one could see a faint purple ring around its muzzle. This was a sign of deep poisoning.
Such an attack would never have landed if the Thunderlord were in good health, but now, due to a combination of factors, it was completely unable to dodge the Crystallized Toxic Fire spewed by the Blue Espinas.
Yes, Crystallized Toxic Fire. That was what had terrified Kankan.
One of the Thunderlord's hind legs was caught in the fire. At this moment, the surface of its leg looked as though it were covered in frosting, but it was far from friendly. The viscous flames instantly molded into chunks of violet-blue crystals upon the Thunderlord's leg.
These crystals seemed to be scalding hot, as the Thunderlord roared in agony the moment it was struck—or perhaps it was the burn of the flames? Or the pain of the toxin?
The Field Team Leader and his team couldn't be sure. They only saw that the Thunderlord was in immense pain. However, the more pain a monster feels, the more its primal ferocity is triggered. The desperation to survive forced the Thunderlord to erupt with golden current once again. Its golden fur stood on end like needles, and its claws struck the ground like massive guillotines. Every palm strike brought forth a soaring pillar of lightning, forcibly scattering the Crystallized Toxic Fire closing in on it!
This fire was truly unique—formless yet tangible. It was undoubtedly mixed with a vast amount of Abyssal crystal powder, which, combined with the venom, created that viscous sensation.
The two titans engaged in the most primitive and brutal melee within the clearing they had carved out of the forest. Such a brawl was undoubtedly disadvantageous for the Thunderlord.
Its carapace was not as hard as the Blue Espinas's; its body lacked the myriad of sharp spikes; and it didn't possess the potent venom capable of destroying a rival's body and mind. Meanwhile, the damage dealt by its electricity was not lethal to the Blue Espinas—in fact, the damage was quite low.
"This is too brutal..." Arun could hardly bear to watch. "Why doesn't it run away? Usually, even if a monster loses a turf war, it can escape, right? I don't remember Zinogre being some kind of bloodthirsty warmonger."
"It probably can't run anymore," the Field Team Leader whispered. "At first, it might have been fighting for its pack, but once it got injured, escape became impossible. That blue monster has wings."
It was a simple logic: those who run on the ground are no match for those who fly in the sky.
THUD!!
As they spoke, the Thunderlord and the Blue Espinas continued their violent struggle. Or rather, the Blue Espinas refused to let the Thunderlord go, engaging in a suicidal entrenchment. The Thunderlord seemed to have abandoned all hope of survival, its sharp teeth tearing at the carapace on the Espinas's neck—it even lost a tooth in the process!
The blood spraying from the Blue Espinas's wounds was tinged with an eerie blue. Abyssal crystals seemed to have permeated every part of the Espinas's body.
"Growl."
Mirrorblade suddenly let out a low growl.
"Little Boss says prepare for combat, meow," Kankan translated quickly, but he couldn't help but look up at Mirrorblade. "Are we really going to fight, meow? I feel like that monster is really weird, meow. What if you get infected and turn blue too, Little Boss, meow?"
"I agree," the Field Team Leader said, looking up seriously. "This is the first time we've discovered a monster so deeply 'blued.' Let's go back and inform the others first. I don't think this is a monster a single squad can defeat."
"ROAR!"
"Little Boss says—he says he's a monster too, meow," Kankan stammered slightly. "Everyone is a monster; how will we know who's stronger if we don't actually fight, meow?"
"Low growl."
"And after all this time, meow, the scholars would probably want to study a fully 'blued' large monster, meow," after translating for Mirrorblade, Kankan added nervously, "But Little Boss, what if you—"
"You aren't a monster," the Field Team Leader interrupted Kankan, staring into Mirrorblade's massive orange dragon eyes with absolute sincerity. "You are my partner, an indispensable member of my family. We promised to explore the secrets of the New World together, didn't we?"
"Exactly!" Arun nodded vigorously. "Fighting just to see who's stronger is meaningless, right? Getting infected and turning blue for a reason like that is just too—"
Opening his mouth, Arun didn't know how to finish the sentence.
Mirrorblade... he looked at his team members, and at his cat. His hard, scale-covered jaw moved slightly, as if he were smiling.
"Growl."
With a low grunt, without waiting for an answer, Mirrorblade turned and began walking out of the forest where the group was hiding. He slowed his steps as much as possible, ensuring his heavy weight wouldn't create too much noise during his approach.
In truth, such caution wasn't entirely necessary. Given the current intensity of the battle between the Thunderlord and the Blue Espinas, they likely wouldn't notice anything from the outside world.
But Mirrorblade was naturally cautious. Appear quietly, prepare for battle in silence, skip the probing attacks, and go straight to full power. He tensed his body, accumulating strength and focusing his spirit, preparing to slash with the most powerful strike he could currently muster.
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