BOOM!!!
The hardened skull of the Great Whetfish slammed heavily against the Odogaron's forehead. A dull, heavy thud rang out, as if testing which of the two heads was tougher.
Fractured keratin mixed with shattered scales sprayed in every direction like shrapnel. The massive impact forced the Odogaron's head down until its jaw hit the ground; its fangs scraped against the earth, kicking off a flurry of sparks before finally coming to a halt.
For any ordinary creature, such a blow would have resulted in a shattered skull and instant death. Yet, the Odogaron acted as if it felt no pain. Its four limbs slammed against the ground, and its body launched upward like a cannonball, crashing fiercely toward Logan.
As one of the few monsters that lacks a breath attack or elemental energy but still occupies a top-tier ecological niche, the Odogaron relies entirely on its powerful physique and extreme speed.
Closing the distance instantly, it tore its hideous maw open. The serrated claws on its limbs blurred into motion, unleashing a feral, "mad dog" style of relentless assault.
At such close range, Logan found it difficult to wield the Great Whetfish club. Instead, he lunged forward, thrusting the fish-club directly into the Odogaron's mouth to gag it. Simultaneously, the meter-long wrist blades on his foreclaws snapped out. With a swipe of his claws, he trailed a brilliant arc of azure light through the air.
A crisp crack echoed as the Odogaron's immense bite force crushed the skull of the Great Whetfish in one go. Sharp claws scraped against Logan's pristine white scales, sending sparks jumping.
In the next heartbeat, Logan's counterattack landed. His hooked, jade-blue claws pierced the crimson skin, but as he tore through, he felt immense resistance. The following slash of his wrist blades felt like cutting through incredibly thick rubber—a sensation of heavy friction and stagnation.
However, Logan held the upper hand in this exchange. His hardened scales remained unruptured, while bloody gashes appeared across the Odogaron's body.
Soon, the two behemoths were locked in a tangle, engaged in the most primitive and frenzied of brawls.
Logan's Azure Horns glowed with a deep azure light during the heat of battle. An invisible magnetic field gathered, causing static electricity in the air to spike rapidly. When the static reached its limit, even the smallest movement became a discharge point, sending a surge of current rushing out.
Blue-white electric arcs danced through the air, repeatedly striking both beasts. Logan's flowing fur stood on end due to the current, while the Odogaron felt wave after wave of needle-like stinging pain.
As the fight raged on, these electrical bursts became more frequent. Had the range not been so limited and the power slightly lower, one might have mistaken it for an Elder Dragon manipulating the weather.
Through continuous evolution, Logan had turned his body into a near-perfect offensive weapon. In close quarters, he had fangs and claws; at mid-range, he used his wrist blades; at mid-to-short range, his tail-blade whipped out with lethal force; and at long range, he could fire his feather-like scales.
Coupled with the powerful electricity surrounding him, Logan had yet to encounter a monster with a more superior physical structure than his own.
Despite the Odogaron's intense bloodlust and suicidal fighting style, it quickly fell into a disadvantage against Logan. Its tough crimson skin was carved with hideous wounds, the sharp protrusions on its tail were snapped, and one of its four largest fangs had been knocked out.
Zhu Peiniang, though much smaller than the Odogaron, bravely lunged in to harass it from the flank. While the damage she dealt was limited, she served as a massive distraction.
This final flurry of attacks was more than the Odogaron could bear. It let out a low, dog-like growl and swung its body violently to force the two beasts off. Then, its powerful hind legs kicked off the ground. It leapt high into the air, rebounding off the coral reefs on either side, reaching a platform dozens of meters high in the blink of an eye.
That jumping power is insane, Logan thought.
Looking up at the snarling red monster above, Logan whipped his tail. Several sharp feather-scales shot out like arrows, shattering white coral debris and leaving several more bloody streaks on the Odogaron's chest.
Realizing the situation was grim and that it couldn't take down this prey, the Odogaron gave Logan one last hateful glare. With a few quick leaps, it vanished into the labyrinthine coral reef without looking back.
Logan wasn't surprised by the outcome. After all, this was a monster capable of escaping the clutches of a Vaal Hazak. Even when thrashed around like a Great Sword by a Deviljho, it could still bounce back—proof of its incredible tenacity and strength.
If he went by some of the logic from the game, the Odogaron possessed terrifying physical strength, able to propel its heavy body as if defying gravity, leaping hundreds of meters into the sky to snatch a Wingdrake out of the air.
Fortunately, this was the real world. While the Odogaron still had speed and jumping power far beyond ordinary creatures, it wasn't that ridiculous.
Fought a whole battle for nothing. Didn't even get a scrap of loot and lost a fish. What a waste.
Logan glanced in the direction the Odogaron had vanished, then lowered his head to tend to his wounds. No matter how tough the scales, damage was inevitable against such a beast. Some of his scales were twisted and deformed; others had shattered and fallen off entirely.
Luckily, they were only superficial wounds. With enough nutrition, he would recover in a day or two.
However, Zhu Peiniang looked to be in much worse shape. Her immature scales weren't defensive enough. While flanking, she had been lashed by the Odogaron's tail. The blade-like keratin ridges on the tail had carved a large, bloody gash across her flank.
This can't go on.
Although Zhu Peiniang's growth rate was much faster than a normal Zinogre, it was still too slow for Logan. As his own strength increased, the enemies he faced would only get stronger. Soon, he would likely be clashing with Elder Dragons.
If Zhu Peiniang stayed at her current growth rate, she wouldn't even be able to withstand the shockwaves of his future battles.
Having the soul of a former human, Logan wasn't used to being alone, but he didn't want a liability either. It seemed he had to find a way to "hard-accelerate" her growth.
As he pondered, Logan poured all his accumulated Evolution Points into his Symbiosis ability. A familiar warm current surged—but this time, instead of just surrounding his sugar crystal-secreting organs, it entwined itself within the blood flowing through his entire body.
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