The current state of the Savage Deviljho was enough to make a grown man shudder and a child stop crying in terror.
It was a picture of madness, sickness, and mindless obsession. Its colossal maw was stretched so wide it looked as if it would snap shut on the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers and begin grinding them to a pulp at any second.
The beast was so focused, so consumed by greed, that its mere gaze gave Kael the terrifying instinctual feeling that he was the one being hunted—that he was about to be swallowed whole by that bottomless pit of a mouth.
Thick, corrosive saliva dripped in long, viscous strings from the Savage Deviljho's lower jaw. Even its spit was saturated with high concentrations of Dragon element energy. Each drop that hit the ground reacted violently with the accumulated Bio-crystal dust, letting out sharp, crackling pops.
In just a few seconds, the acidic drool had corroded a small stream into the earth, leaving behind a series of pits and hollows of unknown depth.
Despite having just endured a high-intensity battle, the black-and-red mist swirling inside the Savage Deviljho's mouth never dissipated. The Bazelgeuse brothers hadn't been able to disperse it, and neither had the blue "nuclear blast" it had just triggered. That draconic aura clinging to the Savage Deviljho had become a part of it, like an extension of its own flesh.
It was easy to see that the colors on either side of the Savage Deviljho's body had shifted. In fact, even the discolored side showed a distinct gradient—especially near the hind legs, where the thick hide had turned an eerie, bright brown, almost as if… it had been cooked through?
As an elite Hunter with extensive combat experience, Kael made the judgment with a single glance. Those were the marks left by the Savage Deviljho tanking the final explosion of the "Blue" Seething Bazelgeuse at point-blank range. Even if the outer skin hadn't ruptured, the underlying muscle and blood vessels were likely severely damaged.
"Cover the Kulu-Ya-Ku Boss!"
Aiden made the decision instantly. Once he confirmed the two Field Team Editors had fled to safety, he drew his weapon and stepped directly into the Savage Deviljho's path. It was an act of immense courage and decisiveness.
After all, he knew full well that a weapon like his—which hadn't been reinforced with the special materials unique to the New World—likely couldn't even pierce the Savage Deviljho's thick hide. Dealing any meaningful damage would be difficult, if not impossible.
But all he needed to do was buy time. Even a few moments would give the Kulu-Ya-Ku Boss a chance to escape.
Kael didn't need any prompting. Before Aiden's words even hit the ground, he had already charged forward. With long, powerful strides, he swung his Great Sword in a massive vertical cleave aimed straight at the Savage Deviljho's gaping maw.
His strength was incredible! He wielded that Great Sword with such ease and fluidity it was as if he were swinging a Long Sword.
In the blink of an eye, the Savage Deviljho—which naturally had no intention of dealing with the two "insects" buzzing in front of it—kept its eyes locked on the warm, steaming heap of flesh that was the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers. As it reached Kael, it simply lowered its head with brutish force and jerked upward—CLANG!!
The edge of the Great Sword slammed hard against the Deviljho's razor-sharp teeth. The screeching impact of metal on bone was ear-piercing, sending a tremor through the crystalline dust floating in the air.
The shock vibrated through Kael's hands. The Great Sword managed to bite halfway into a single tooth, but it could go no further. It was harder to extract than a blade stuck in solid rock; the edge was jammed tight.
With the raw, primal power of the Savage Deviljho arching its neck, Kael and his Great Sword were sent flying. He traced a long arc through the air before slamming into the ground in the distance.
Fortunately, the forest floor was covered in a thick, fluffy layer of Bio-crystal dust, which cushioned most of the impact. Kael rolled with the momentum and sprang back to his feet. Though the bones in his wrists ached, he was otherwise uninjured.
It was a defense that hardly qualified as a wall, but to be honest, after clashing directly with the beast, Kael felt that the Savage Deviljho's strength and speed weren't quite what he had imagined—its running gait even seemed a bit… staggered?
Indeed, it was limping. It leaned heavily away from the hind leg with the bright brown hide, and its movements were tinged with pain. Thanks to the distraction provided by Kael and Aiden, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had already turned tail, their bird-like legs blurring as they vanished into the dense forest.
They were gone. Those two always ran faster than anything else when their lives were on the line; even being chased by a Savage Deviljho hadn't hindered their expert escape skills.
Aiden was no amateur either. Seeing Kael get tossed aside, he didn't hesitate. He charged forward with his Sword and Shield, his blade flashing in the light as he unleashed a flurry of strikes against the Savage Deviljho. He moved with such speed it was as if he were wielding Dual Blades.
Unfortunately, he failed to penetrate the enemy's armor.
Aiden's blade bounced off the Savage Deviljho's thick hide like a wooden sword hitting a block of iron, leaving nothing but faint white scratches on the coarse skin.
"It's no use! Its hide is way thicker than the Deviljho I encountered before!" Aiden shouted while dodging an incoming attack.
There was a reason the Great Sword was often the weapon of choice for humans facing giant monsters; its sheer size and sharpness were its greatest virtues. Aiden made a snap decision to switch to a support role, creating openings for Kael to strike.
"Can you hold it, Kael?!"
"I'm fine!" Kael shouted back, slamming his Great Sword into the ground to use as a shield against the Deviljho's massive tail.
He was "fine" in name only. Kael hadn't expected that even with the first third of his blade buried in the earth and himself tucked behind it, he would still be sent flying by the Savage Deviljho's tail swipe. That cylindrical tail possessed terrifying power.
"If you can't hold, fire the signal, Kael!" Aiden yelled again.
"Right!"
There was no time for complex tactics or hesitation. Kael snatched an SOS Flare from his waist, expertly loaded it into his Slinger, aimed at the sky, and pulled the trigger.
Whiz—BANG!!
An orange-red light streaked into the sky and exploded above them. The bright glow hung suspended in the air, standing out vividly against the blue-tinted trees of the forest. Any Hunter within a several-mile radius would see the signal.
This was the standard SOS Flare used by Hunters. When faced with an emergency or an overwhelming monster, the flare would call for reinforcements. Generally, Kael rarely used such things; his habit was to gather materials, craft better gear, and set out alone. The times he had called for help could be counted on one hand.
But the situation was dire. They couldn't stand by and watch the Kulu-Ya-Ku Boss of the Glavenus Tribe be killed, and trying to handle this alone was pointless. Calling for backup was the only logical choice.
Besides, this was the perfect opportunity to pool their strength and hunt this Savage Deviljho. Whether in the Old World or the New World, Hunters never allowed an ecological threat like a Deviljho to run rampant. Once discovered, they had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.
That was common sense.
And then, there was the Bazelgeuse Boss.
The previous blue "nuclear blast" had clearly taken a massive toll on the Bazelgeuse brother. When the hungry Savage Deviljho gave up the fight to hunt his companion, the Bazelgeuse hadn't been able to recover in time. He could only watch helplessly as his "brother" fled squawking into the woods.
He was furious!
However, the waves of weakness and total body stiffness forced the Bazelgeuse to stop after only a few steps. That blue explosion was the first time he had ever released energy on that scale; he had no idea how to pace himself, nor the experience to control the output.
The Bio-energy and life force within him seemed to have been completely drained by the blast. His translucent, jade-like shell had lost most of its luster, turning dull and dark. Without that flowing radiance, the Bio-crystals covering his body looked dead.
He lay exhausted on the ground, panting heavily, his wings drooping at his sides, barely able to fold them back.
One could only say it was lucky the Savage Deviljho had lost all reason. Otherwise, it wouldn't have bothered chasing the Kulu-Ya-Ku; it would have simply pounced on the immobilized Bazelgeuse and devoured him on the spot.
Because the Bazelgeuse had dealt so much damage earlier, the Savage Deviljho's instinct to find "easier" prey had driven it to ignore him in its starvation-induced frenzy.
"ROAARR!!"
With a display of sheer Dragon tenacity, the Bazelgeuse brother stumbled forward a few steps. He flapped his wings, forcing his shaky body into the air, and began hobbling through the sky in the direction the Kulu-Ya-Ku had disappeared.
His flight was unstable, his wingbeats uneven, and he looked ready to fall at any moment. It was pure willpower keeping him airborne; he refused to let his brother die.
Fortunately, the Research Commission had poured a massive amount of resources into this Crystallized Forest. Despite the hundreds of Hunters from the Fifth Fleet being scattered across the vast terrain, Kael and his group were currently near the territory of the Glavenus Tribe.
Many Hunters, including the Admiral, were active in this area. All of them were looking for a chance to make contact with the Aero-Dragon—they had spotted it several times flying overhead with a hatchling, leaving two long, white trails of fire in the sky like streaks of smoke.
They seemed so close, yet the Hunters on the ground could never catch them. Each time, they could only watch as the two figures vanished over the horizon.
Naturally, these "local forces" also included the New World natives—and the local monsters.
When the Bazelgeuse brother finally tracked down the Kulu-Ya-Ku, he arrived just in time to see Mirrorblade slam his sword-tail into the Savage Deviljho.
The Savage Deviljho's resilient hide had finally met its match. Mirrorblade's tail was perfectly designed for opponents who were tough, but not impenetrable.
Kael and Aiden watched clearly as a flash of blue light swept past. A deep wound opened across the Savage Deviljho's chest, and dark red, steaming blood erupted from the gash. As it hit the Bio-crystal dust on the ground, it crackled even more violently than the monster's saliva.
It had been a while since they had last seen him, and Mirrorblade's mastery over Bio-energy had clearly reached a new level.
After being pinned down and thrashed by Asterion, Mirrorblade had taken the lesson to heart. He had abandoned his mother's style of molding Bio-crystals into a heavy, club-like tail and had brought back the serrated edge.
But this time was different. The Bio-crystals were molded onto every single scale of his serrated blade. They were thinner, sharper, and arranged in dense, even rows that shimmered with a ghostly blue light. His entire sword-tail now looked as if it were lined with fine, razor-sharp gemstone teeth. It was wider, thicker, and far more dangerous—it could even fire blade-waves from a distance!
As solid matter condensed from Bio-energy, the Bio-crystals were the perfect conductors for that very power.
As Mirrorblade swung his tail, the Bio-energy within his body surged through the sharp crystals at the edge, launching outward as crescent-shaped slashes. These projectiles were stable, razor-sharp, and could travel the length of Mirrorblade's entire body.
Though it was intangible energy, once released in this form, it possessed actual mass. It pushed the corrosive nature of Bio-energy to its limit, capable of cleaving straight through solid rock. Most importantly, these Bio-energy slashes were actually strengthened within the Crystallized Forest.
In areas rich with Bio-energy, Mirrorblade's slashes would continuously absorb and attach the ambient energy floating in the air as they traveled, gaining power far beyond their initial state.
The deeper they went into the forest, the more pronounced this buff became. The area they were currently in happened to have one of the highest concentrations of Bio-energy in the entire forest. Every slash swelled in size as it flew, hitting its target with enough force to leave deep gouges in the massive trees.
It was a marvelous transformation. Mirrorblade, a close-quarters brawler who had spent years clashing tooth and nail with other monsters, had somehow gained a potent ranged attack.
From this day forward, he would never again have to stare helplessly at flying monsters harassing him from the sky.
WHOOSH!!
Swinging his sword-tail with a rhythmic roar, Mirrorblade sent wave after wave of ghostly blue energy slashes whistling toward the Savage Deviljho. Every hit left a visible wound. While the depths varied, not a single strike was ineffective. The barrage forced the behemoth to retreat step by step. The eyes that had been locked on the Kulu-Ya-Ku were forced to refocus on Mirrorblade, and the beast let out a low, guttural roar of fury.
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