Monster Hunter: This Dragon's Built Different

Chapter 496: Advantage! The Disappearance of Water-Attribute Energy

An exaggerated Terastal pillar burst from the ground at a speed even Safi’jiiva could scarcely react to, striking Its chest with precision and carrying It high into the air.

In the next instant, a dazzling white light exploded with a thunderous roar, causing even the hunters watching from the upper level to experience a brief moment of blindness.

Immediately afterward came an extremely concentrated energy detonation.

It did not damage any unnecessary flowers or plants, nor did it even affect the hunters observing the battle.

The exceedingly solidified energy pierced through Safi’jiiva’s scales, drove deep into Its chest, wildly condensing Terastal fragments, and then triggered concentrated chain explosions.

Even as Safi’jiiva fully mobilized the bioenergy within Its body to contend against it, in such a short span of concentrated eruption, It simply could not gather that much energy in time. It could only watch helplessly as the violent Terastal energy wreaked havoc within Its body, sensing the loss of Its vitality.

A "Forbidden" state merely grants immortality in terms of lifespan, and certain monsters, under particular circumstances, can even achieve revival.

Physical destruction can still kill these Forbidden beings!

As the explosions subsided, Safi’jiiva’s body fell downward. The damaged flesh at the wounded area began to heal rapidly under the circulation of bioenergy. However, the vitality It had lost could not be restored in the short term without a large supply of Everstream energy.

And as Its vitality drained away, what accompanied it was a decline in combat power. Unless, in the ensuing battle, Logan were to carelessly allow It to regain the upper hand, this fight would only, as time passed, snowball and drag It to death.

When It had failed in the contest for environmental control of the battlefield, Safi’jiiva had already anticipated such an outcome. It simply had not expected Logan’s attack to come so swiftly, nor to be so insidious. It could even be said that the appearance of Precipice Blades had come almost without warning.

Even Its perception had failed to detect the issue at the first moment. Meanwhile, Its commonly used methods of attack seemed as though they had been studied in advance by Logan, always being countered at precisely the right moment.

As for fleeing, It had not failed to consider it. But under Logan’s speed, It had no confidence in escaping the Secluded Valley, which had only a single exit.

For Safi’jiiva, whose emotions toward living creatures were indifferent, deciding to go all out was not a difficult thing.

"Roar!"

Precipice Blades!

With his energy fully recovered, Logan aimed at the falling Safi’jiiva and fired another Precipice Blades.

But this time, with preparation, Safi’jiiva endured the searing pain of Its wound and, twisting around, unleashed a breath attack straight at the Precipice Blades erupting from the ground. Using the recoil of the breath, It forcibly twisted Its posture midair, then, with a resolute, all-or-nothing stance, dove down toward Logan below.

"Roar!"

"Rrraaar!"

The two colossal beasts collided once again, their eyes filled with bloodlust.

The battle—already thought to be at its limit—actually escalated again, and the aftershocks of the fight swept across the entire Secluded Valley.

Terastal energy erupted everywhere. Countless beams flew wildly through the air, slicing apart the surrounding rocks. The upper layer of the Secluded Valley, already on the verge of collapse, split open in great fractures, and massive boulders kept falling one after another.

"Retreat! Withdraw from the valley!"

The Commander made a decisive call, no longer considering any support for the Sunblaze Dragon—first, preserve the hunters!

The energy fluctuations across the entire area spread outward along the depleted Everstream, even affecting the neighboring New World. For a time, towering waves were even stirred up along the outer coastline of the Elder’s Recess.

For ordinary monsters, it was merely that the chaotic Everstream energy made them feel somewhat uncomfortable, and a vague, inexplicable fear surfaced in their hearts.

But for Elder Dragons—and for certain creatures capable of sensing Everstream energy—the disturbance caused by two Forbidden beings fighting at full power made them shudder to the bone. One after another, they reduced their activity, cautiously peering into the state of this battle.

For a time, whether it was the New World or the Guiding Lands, both actually fell into a strange kind of calm.

In the Hoarfrost Reach region of the Guiding Lands, a lump of "golden armored hedgehog" was curled up in a relatively comfortable corner, staring dully at the constantly trembling ice spikes in front of it.

The Hoarfrost Reach was too close to the Secluded Valley. Compared to the other Elder Dragons, "Nergigante" could sense the disturbance over there more clearly.

When it first sensed Logan’s energy fluctuations, It had been very happy.

Following behind a good brother means there’s meat to eat!

Just as It was about to go over and "help," the battle over there instantly escalated. Logan and Safi’jiiva no longer concealed their own presence. That life aura towering above the entire ecological chain, and those energy fluctuations that could even affect the whole world, directly extinguished Its little thoughts.

The enemy Logan was facing was simply not something It could resist.

Not to mention acting as a shield—even just watching from the sidelines, the aftershocks of the battle could kill a creature as sturdy as It on the spot.

"Gwa! Gwa!" (Going to die, going to die, gwa!)

Mother Chameleos had originally thought she was fully prepared. Even if the hunters’ subjugation failed, staying outside the Secluded Valley would still allow her to retreat safely.

But no one had told her that when Forbidden beings unleashed their full power, they could create such an enormous disturbance!

She was genuinely afraid that Logan would fail to finish off Safi’jiiva, allowing it to escape from the valley. If that happened, it might casually treat her as a roadside snack and chew her up before swallowing her.

Outside the Secluded Valley, the Commander wiped the sweat pouring down his forehead. After downing another chilled drink, he finally eased somewhat.

Looking at the Secluded Valley behind him, flames soaring into the sky, it was likely that the inside had already turned into a region of magma!

The calamitous side of the Sunblaze Dragon was truly terrifying!

"Commander, look!"

At that moment, a Dual Blades user handed over his weapon, disbelief still lingering on his face.

"What is it? Something wrong with the blade—...hm?"

The Commander took the Dual Blades in disbelief. The blade body was solid, the edges sharp. Judging from its appearance alone, aside from some battle wear, there was almost no problem.

And yet that was precisely the biggest problem.

If he remembered correctly, this style of weapon should have been a Water-attribute Dual Blades.

But at this moment, the alchemical inscriptions symbolizing the Water attribute on the blade were extremely dim.

Even after channeling fighting spirit through his body and swinging the blade, he still could not trigger the Water-attribute energy within it.

It was as if Water-attribute energy no longer existed in the world.

"All of you, try it!"

The Commander frowned tightly. This was a matter of enormous consequence. The absence of one attribute meant that something was wrong with the underlying framework of the entire world.

Fortunately, as the hunters tested their weapons, aside from Water-attribute energy, the other energies were merely greatly suppressed. In fact, Fire-attribute energy was far stronger than before, reaching roughly double its usual potency.

"It was all fine when fighting the Red Dragon. But after the Sunblaze Dragon arrived, it became like this."

The Admiral looked toward the deep valley in the distance with concern, thinking to himself, ’Old friend, what has happened to you?’