Truth be told, the Admiral had indeed underestimated the Bazelgeuse a bit.
Well, to be fair, the Bazelgeuse had only just wrapped up a massive showdown with a Savage Deviljho not too long ago. Frankly, its wounds hadn't even fully healed yet, let alone giving it enough time to stockpile another wave of bioenergy.
On top of that, the white-spiked Nergigante below was the exact same one from years ago. After fleeing in pathetic defeat back then, it had hidden away in a safe haven to nurse its wounds, surviving and hunting ever since.
By all rights, given the same lifespan, the maximum energy capacity and physical strength a standard Flying Wyvern could accumulate could never compare to an Elder Dragon—creatures born as literal conglomerates of pure bioenergy.
This was especially true for a Nergigante, an apex predator sitting at the very top of the food chain, a specialized hunter that survived by tracking down and devouring other Elder Dragons.
But was our Bazelgeuse really just an ordinary monster?
A run-of-the-mill apex predator ruling its territory?
As early as forty years ago, the Bazelgeuse had already drunk Asterion's blood, setting off on its path of evolution. Back then, Asterion hadn't even realized his own flesh and blood could have such a profound effect on other living things.
Not only that, but the three dragons had lived together for so long, consuming countless discarded scales and carapaces shed by Asterion. Thanks to decades of adaptation and evolution—one could even say a trace of Asterion's lineage flowed through its veins—the Bazelgeuse hadn't been hideously corrupted like other monsters when it first came into contact with the Xeno-energy.
On the contrary, the Xeno-energy integrated into its body as naturally as if it were a native part of its anatomy. It achieved flawless mastery over its application, even skillfully wielding it as a brand-new method of attack.
Just like Mirrorblade, while monsters like Espinas, Tobi-Kadachi, and Anjanath were still passively adapting—unconsciously unleashing the excess Xeno-energy through pure instinct—only the select few who were close to Asterion could consciously and actively manipulate this energy, even exquisitely molding it into solid forms.
Well, it was just that the Bazelgeuse had always harbored a deep fondness for explosions. The focal point for the Xeno-energy accumulated throughout its body was its blasting glands; it never forgot that its blasting scales were its true foundation.
—And it usually stayed out of trouble, but when it did fight, it only played in the big leagues. The Bazelgeuse looked down on bullying ordinary monsters.
From the Savage Deviljho to this Nergigante, not a single opponent the Bazelgeuse chose for itself was a pushover; every single one was an absolute titan at the pinnacle of the food chain.
On the battlefield, the clash had reached a brutal, white-hot climax—a raw, primal collision of flesh and bone. The Bazelgeuse and Nergigante were completely locked together, rolling around like two rabid dogs.
Any notion of a Flying Wyvern's aerial superiority or an Elder Dragon's dignity was utterly thrown out the window. The two behemoths, both over twenty meters long, thrashed and tore at each other amidst a sea of eerie blue flames. Massive claws dug deep into flesh, and thick tails slammed together like battering rams.
Each beast attempted to use its immense weight to pin the other, but neither would allow itself to be put at such a disadvantage, making their thrashing all the more violent.
It was hard to say whether Nergigante's fangs or Savage Deviljho's were sharper, but one thing was certain: Nergigante's teeth could pierce the Bazelgeuse's blue-infused carapace. Under those devastating fangs and claws, the newly formed Xeno-crystal armor was peeled away as easily as sunflower seeds.
Biting and tearing, Nergigante sank its teeth deep into the Bazelgeuse's neck—or at least, the flesh where a neck should be—causing a mixture of blue and red blood to instantly spray outward.
"Roaaaaar!!!"
No matter how frantic the melee became, explosions were never out of the question. Getting into such close quarters with Nergigante was exactly what the Bazelgeuse had been aiming for. Granted, this Nergigante was indeed larger than the one from all those years ago, and they were clearly not the exact same individual, but a Nergigante was still a Nergigante.
Then again, not every Bazelgeuse could be called an Azure Seething Bazelgeuse. This Nergigante had certainly fought other Bazelgeuses in the Elder's Recess and tasted their explosive scales before, but our Bazelgeuse's scales successfully shattered its defenses, teaching it the true meaning of pain and injury.
Right before Nergigante's eyes, right beside its gnashing teeth, rows of eerie blue blasting scales suddenly lit up in rapid succession—and then violently detonated!!
A massive concussive force coupled with searing tongues of lethal blue flame blasted Nergigante squarely in the face. The explosion tore its flesh open, leaving the scales on half of its face blackened and peeling off. The powerful recoil finally forced the two colossal beasts to break apart temporarily.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the Bazelgeuse's back—which was protected by its Xeno-crystal carapace—as well as its relatively soft chest and abdomen, had been riddled with a dense thicket of thick, elongated black spikes. These spikes were wedged into its flesh like iron nails, sending agonizing jolts of pain through its body with every breath and movement.
This was highly problematic. The Bazelgeuse couldn't even risk ramming straight into Nergigante anymore; the sheer impact of two colossal beasts colliding would drive those spikes straight through its body, devastating its soft, vulnerable internal organs.
Only when the airship drew close enough did the hunters realize that amidst the sprawling landscape of eerie blue flames, thick black spikes stood driven into the earth everywhere, from the highest ridges to the lowest ravines. They had simply been obscured by the raging fires moments before.
Without a doubt, Nergigante had already unleashed its full strength earlier, and the coat of milky-white spikes that had just begun to sprout anew was the ultimate proof.
Calamity's Crash!
As time ticked away and Nergigante consciously accelerated the process, the spikes covering its body would gradually transition from a standard off-white to a pitch black—their fully hardened state. This ultimate move could only be unleashed when both its defensive and piercing capabilities had reached their absolute zenith.
The entire dragon would soar high into the air, then execute a spinning dive that tore across the entire battlefield like a metal storm ripping through the sky, driving its pitch-black spikes deep into its foe.
Now that the sprawling flames had finally begun to subside, a forest of dense black spikes carpeted virtually the entire battlefield, making it impossible for the Bazelgeuse to move even an inch without stepping on them.
To be perfectly honest, even Nergigante itself didn't understand why the mere sight of this dragon filled it with such unbridled fury, prompting it to unleash such a highly taxing trump card without a moment's hesitation.
It was utterly bizarre.
In a sense, Nergigante's habits and behavioral logic were quite similar to a Deviljho's. Both were highly pragmatic predators, spending their entire lives in a relentless pursuit of bioenergy. If the energy required for a fight outweighed the energy to be gained, they would immediately abandon the conflict and seek out easier prey to feast upon.
Under normal circumstances, that was exactly how it operated—but Nergigante absolutely could not tolerate the creature standing before it! Even though it had never seen a blue, exploding dragon like this in its life!
Even Nergigante couldn't comprehend why it harbored such an intense hatred for this glowing blue entity. It was an animosity etched into the very marrow of its bones, pulsing through every drop of its blood—a genuine, undeniable urge that demanded the absolute slaughter of its foe!
For its part, the Bazelgeuse wasn't about to back down from a fight. If anything, crossing paths with its old rival after all these years brought it immense joy. It was no longer the same creature it was decades ago; back then, it had required cooperative effort to defeat this spike-covered brute. But now? Even without Asterion's help, it could hold its own and fight it to a near standstill.
The Bazelgeuse even felt a twisted sense of exhilaration.
A body forged through a thousand trials! Power gifted by Asterion! Do you have that?!
"Roaaaaar!!!"
If there was one thing the Bazelgeuse never feared, it was a brutal, uphill battle. Come on then, let's see who falls first!
The Bazelgeuse felt like it could trade blows with this spike-covered bastard all day long!!
The two titans briefly separated before crashing into each other once more. Right at that moment, a roaring shout echoed from the heavens—"I've got your back, Bazelgeuse Bro!!"
You really had to hand it to the Admiral. Though he was born and raised in the Old World, after living in the New World for so many years, he had fully evolved into something of a "Super New Worlder."
Frankly, it was hard to imagine a normal human pulling off such a stunt. The moment the airship pushed through the gale-force winds and hovered directly over the two battling monsters, the Admiral didn't hesitate for a single second, nor did he waste any breath. He didn't call for a Wingdrake, nor did he grab a safety rope. Instead, he planted a foot firmly on the ship's railing and, using the recoil to launch himself like a cannonball, leapt straight down from the airship hundreds of meters in the air!!
He was committing suicide.
Cough, cough! Just kidding. The Admiral wouldn't dream of dying before completely uncovering the secrets of the New World. However, his sudden, insane stunt left the other hunters—who were currently using their Slingers to latch onto Wingdrake talons for a standard descent—completely frozen in shock.
"Admiral!!!"
Forgetting all about taking off, the hunters rushed to the edge of the railing to peer downward. They stood jaw-dropped, entirely powerless to stop him.
"It's too dangerous, Admiral!!"
The warning came far too late. To the Admiral, his companions' cries were nothing more than passing clouds, long since left in his wake.
The airship was cruising at an altitude of roughly a hundred meters. From this height, the Admiral plummeted at terrifying speeds, hurtling toward the ground like a human meteor. He had no parachute, nor any tools to adjust his posture or break his fall. There was only the ferocious roar of the wind, slicing past his ears like daggers!
Yet, diving like a raptor, the Admiral's eyes shone with a terrifying brilliance. As the ground rushed up to meet him, his right hand suddenly reached behind his back—Clang!
Draw!
In mid-air, with absolutely no leverage, he used his terrifying core strength to forcefully twist his torso. The Admiral brought his Switch Axe—a weapon nearly as wide as his entire body—up to his chest, locking both hands tightly around the hilt as he channeled his strength.
He didn't choose to slash, nor did he choose to thrust. Instead, he hung his entire body weight behind the weapon, aiming the heavily spiked axe blade straight down—CLANG!!
This thunderous, earth-shattering strike landed dead-center on Nergigante's massive horn, which it had just exposed as it reared up its front body!!
Carrying the immense gravitational potential energy accumulated from a hundred-meter free fall, the cataclysmic impact of the Switch Axe colliding with the rock-hard horn nearly wrenched the weapon right out of the Admiral's grip.
The tremendous shockwave generated in that instant was so violent that it actually split open the heavily calloused webbing of the muscular powerhouse's hands. Unable to fully withstand the sheer force, blood instantly sprayed outward—but he dug deep and pushed harder!
The word "letting go" simply did not exist in his vocabulary. The Admiral's eyes blazed with pure, unadulterated fanaticism. Gnashing his teeth, the veins along his neck bulged like coiling dragons!
Looking exactly like a Rajang in human form, the Admiral roared at the top of his lungs like a Fanged Beast. And his assault was far from over. The jagged, thorned blade of his Nergigante Switch Axe scraped violently against Nergigante's massive horn, sliding further down and plunging deep into the base of the dragon's right wing as he continued his descent!!
Right now, Nergigante's body wasn't covered in hardened black spikes, but rather the fresh regrowth that had sprouted immediately after it unleashed its Calamity's Crash. Though sharp, they were far from fully hardened, which was precisely why a barrage of dense, snapping cracks filled the air.
Much like a sickle reaping wheat, the tender white spikes were sheared away one after another, showering the surrounding area like a deadly rain under the sheer momentum of his descent.
He violently drove his weapon into Nergigante's back and dragged it along as he slid. In this process, the things acting as a cushion for the Admiral—absorbing a lethal amount of kinetic energy from his high-altitude plunge—weren't just those fragile spikes, but Nergigante's own back shell and exceptionally tough hide!!
An old proverb states that within five paces of a venomous snake, one will always find its antidote. While a bit absolute and not entirely accurate, nature indeed tends to conceive a countermeasure alongside any force it breeds.
So the question naturally arose: what could possibly pierce Nergigante's flesh better than its very own spikes?
Elderseal, baby!!
The inheritance and refinement of human craftsmanship over countless generations allowed hunters' weapons to harness the unique traits of the materials used to forge them. Sometimes, they could even unlock brand-new capabilities that the monsters themselves never possessed. Operating on this principle, weapons crafted from Nergigante materials inherent a specific power: Elderseal!
It enabled attacks infused with Dragon-element energy, and after a sustained assault, it could even seal away a target monster's special abilities. For the Elder Dragon Research Commission, whose main targets were Elder Dragons, Dragon-element weapons were practically the perfect choice.
Right across Nergigante's back, the Switch Axe left a horrific, bone-deep gash stretching several meters long!!
"Roaaaaar!!"
Talk about getting a taste of your own medicine. Spikes harvested over forty years ago had just pierced the flesh of a present-day Nergigante. Writhing in agony, the beast let out a furious roar, though its mind was clouded by utter bewilderment—What the hell is this?!
Did I just hurt myself??!
No creature understood these spikes better than Nergigante. Because of this, upon sensing that distinct, familiar Dragon-element energy, it became completely disoriented. Why was the very tool it used to slaughter other monsters being turned against it?
Have you betrayed me, spikes?!
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