Mirrorblade was actually right.
Without practical investigation and research, one can never reach a correct conclusion. The secrets of the New World cannot be unraveled simply by watching and guessing; ultimately, it requires combat, defeat, capture, and dissection—knowledge built upon the corpses of monsters.
Having spent so many years at Astera, Mirrorblade understood this better than anyone. The hunters truly treated him like a human in the form of a monster.
The Elder Dragon Observation Team's investigation into the "Blue-ification" phenomenon had hit a dead end. They were short-handed, and the "Blue" creatures were becoming more numerous and powerful. Now, the first fully "Blue" Large Monster had finally appeared. If they could kill this beast and allow the scholars to study it, they might find the source and clues to this mysterious phenomenon.
In this specific situation, the Blue monster was locked in a desperate life-and-death struggle with another creature. Both saw only each other, driven by an urgent need to kill—and only at a time like this could a sneak attack amidst the chaos cause the maximum amount of damage and yield the greatest results.
Opportunity knocks but once. While it would certainly be safer to follow the Field Team Leader's suggestion and return to gather more hunters, no amount of safety could recreate a scenario where a Blue monster was already exhausted or heavily wounded.
"Partner... what did he say?" the Field Team Leader asked softly, gazing at Mirrorblade's retreating back.
"The Young Boss said he's uncovering the secrets of the New World, meow!" Slash rubbed his nose, then dropped to all fours and sprinted after Mirrorblade. "Wait for me, meow! I'm coming too, meow!"
As the grandson of the Commander and the current Field Team Leader, he might not be well-versed in the complexities of base management or logistics, but he was a natural talent when it came to combat.
He could naturally see the opportunity Mirrorblade saw. He understood that this was a golden chance that might never come again. Under normal circumstances, it would be up to Mirrorblade to fight the Blue Large Monster; after all, Mirrorblade was powerful. Theoretically, it would take one or even multiple hunter squads working in perfect coordination to even stand a chance at victory, let alone guarantee a kill.
But the Field Team Leader had suggested retreating earlier for one simple reason.
He just didn't want Mirrorblade to get hurt.
Taking a long, deep breath, the Field Team Leader sheathed his Great Sword on his back and followed Slash's lead, stepping out from the bushes.
"Let's go. Prepare for battle."
"Sir!"
Without further question, Alen quickly left his position to find a concealed spot that offered a good vantage point for long-range support.
On the other side, Mirrorblade glanced at Slash as the Palico scurried up on all fours. He didn't drive him away; instead, he gave a slight nod, lowered his body, and continued to observe the Thunderlord Zinogre and the Blue Espinas, searching for the perfect angle to strike.
Slash remained silent, quickly detaching a large bundle hanging from Mirrorblade's side. Inside were the weapons and items he used for combat.
As Mirrorblade carefully curved his tail and gripped the tip of the blade in his teeth, he saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye—the Field Team Leader—using the wreckage of fallen trees to advance. Realizing he had been spotted, the Leader turned and gave a thumbs-up.
Heh.
Mirrorblade's muscles compressed like coiled springs. Power was being squeezed, stored—until the moment of total release.
Heaven and Earth—Peerless Roundslash!!!
Adopting the name from his old man, Mirrorblade suddenly resembled a snapping shrimp. In less than a second, he vanished from his spot, tearing through the air with a massive roar as he slashed toward the Thunderlord Zinogre and the Blue Espinas!
CRACK—CLANG!!!
If time were slowed down and every detail scrutinized, one could hear the distinct sounds of Mirrorblade's tail blade hitting its mark: from the initial sharp crack of shattering carapace to the wet sound of rending flesh, the snap of breaking bone, and finally, a loud, clear ringing sound like metal striking metal.
Hard!
When the tail blade became wedged firmly in the Blue Espinas's shell, even Mirrorblade felt his tailbone go numb from the vibration.
He tried to wrench his tail back, only to find the tip stuck fast. As the Blue Espinas began to struggle, it became even harder to pull out. The monster's thrashing even forced Mirrorblade's body to tilt, and he nearly stumbled in his effort to keep his tailbone from snapping.
"ROAR!!!"
The roars of the Thunderlord Zinogre and the Blue Espinas mingled. Compared to the Espinas, the Thunderlord Zinogre was the one truly devastated. Mirrorblade's slash hadn't avoided it; its right front leg had been severed cleanly, and blood was geysering from the stump like a stream.
However, it was hard to say if this was good or bad for the Zinogre. Its right leg had already been suffering from a massive, venomous wound; in a way, this was a forced amputation that prevented the toxin from spreading further.
The Blue Espinas was also driven into a murderous rage by the pain of its shell being breached. It swung its thick, mace-like tail wildly, striking the Thunderlord Zinogre like a branch hitting a stone, sent it flying.
The Zinogre's massive frame continued to discharge golden electricity incessantly as it soared over the hidden Field Team Leader. A stray bolt of golden lightning struck him, singeing his short hair and causing his body to seize and tremble for several seconds.
The Thunderlord Zinogre didn't even struggle in mid-air. It slammed into the distant ground like a heap of refuse, then painfully scrambled to its feet. Without so much as a backward glance, it held its stump aloft and limped away into the depths of the forest.
The Thunderlord Zinogre... fled??
It fled after having its leg hacked off by Mirrorblade?
The Field Team Leader and Alen watched the scene in stunned silence. The brutal, bloody primal brawl from moments ago seemed like a dream. The moment it saw an opening to escape, the Thunderlord Zinogre headed for the forest without hesitation.
But could it truly escape?
Covered in venomous wounds from the Blue Espinas's thorns, how far could this Thunderlord Zinogre go in the increasingly perilous Ancient Forest?
No one knew. Every human and monster remaining—including Mirrorblade—had turned their full attention to the Blue Espinas. This creature would not run. Or rather, as the victor, it was absolutely incensed by Mirrorblade's sudden intervention.
Taking advantage of the Espinas being distracted by the Zinogre's flight, Mirrorblade managed to yank his tail blade free. But before he could even turn, the Blue Espinas roared and launched into a Charge!!
A normal Espinas in a rage can reach speeds of over fifty kilometers per hour during a charge, and they have incredible stamina, often chaining two or three charges together to catch enemies off guard. Even a mere brush against its tail can cause extreme damage.
This Blue Espinas was even faster and more explosive. Mirrorblade immediately used a Foresight Slash to dodge to the side, only to find that the Espinas didn't even slow down before charging at him again.
"Taste this, meow!!"
Just then, Slash popped up from behind a thick, fallen trunk. He balanced a massive blue barrel on his head and, with a strength of unknown origin, hurled the barrel directly into the wide-open maw of the charging Blue Espinas!
The monster even instinctively chewed it twice.
BOOM!
In the next instant, a burst of eerie blue flame erupted from the Blue Espinas's mouth. The smoke and fire produced by the combustion almost entirely enveloped the monster's head. Needless to say, the Espinas's charge veered off course instantly, sending it stumbling away from Mirrorblade and crashing headlong into a tree.
"ROAR!!!"
The poor tree snapped instantly. The Blue Espinas's roar grew even louder, but the flames spewing from its mouth didn't subside—it wasn't its own fire.
"My god, is the power that high?" In the distance, Alen wiped sweat from his brow.
Thinking about how he used to be in close proximity to such dangerous items every day—even sleeping against them sometimes—he felt that his survival was nothing short of a divine blessing.
"Ta-da!" Slash stood on a branch with his paws on his hips, shouting proudly, "Soulflame Mega Barrel Bomb, meow!!"
Undoubtedly, any item at the Frontline Research Base with "Soul" or "Abyssal" in its name was a product of the scholars' and technicians' research into Blue plants and animals.
This Soulflame Mega Barrel Bomb, for instance, used the Abyssal Nitromushroom as its primary ingredient. Its power was so extreme that they didn't even dare store it within the base, keeping it instead in a separate cave. It was a mystery where Slash had managed to get one.
Indeed, even the Field Team Leader hadn't realized such a dangerous thing was right beside him, and the explosion gave him quite a start.
"You had a dangerous thing like that hanging on our partner?" the Field Team Leader muttered as he sprinted toward the downed Blue Espinas. "Slash, you crazy cat..."
Great Sword Man!!
Now it was time for the ultimate Great Sword Man to take the stage!
Carrying a massive Bone Great Sword, the Field Team Leader quickly reached the side of the Blue Espinas. He followed a shoulder tackle with a draw attack and began to charge—Slash!
The Blue Espinas still hadn't stood up. Compared to the irritation the Field Team Leader was causing, it was far more bothered and pained by the blue flames burning inside its mouth. it was busy clawing at its own maw, trying to alleviate the agony.
The Leader's initial charge was just the appetizer. After the first hit, he shifted his stance, pulling the Great Sword behind his back as he channeled every ounce of his strength.
The Bone Great Sword began to pulse with light, shifting from a dull glow to a bright orange, and then to a brilliant yellow.
One Great Sword, one legend.
"HRAAAAGH!!"
With a long roar, the Field Team Leader landed a heavy blow directly onto the wound on the Blue Espinas's chest—the "gift" left behind by the Thunderlord Zinogre. This allowed him to bypass the need to break through the monster's hardened outer shell.
In truth, after witnessing the battle between the Zinogre and the Espinas, the combatants—Mirrorblade included—had gained a full understanding of the Blue Espinas's traits and abilities.
True Charged Slash!!
The blade bit deep, and a spray of green blood tinged with a faint blue light erupted from the Espinas's chest. This single blow carved a massive gash, forcing the Blue Espinas to forget its mouth and scramble to its feet.
Just as it had done to create an overwhelming advantage over the Zinogre, the Blue Espinas opened its mouth to vent its crystalline poison fire. But something strange happened: no matter how wide it opened its mouth or how hard it tried to huff at the Field Team Leader, no flames emerged.
"Hmph, don't think of the Soulflame Mega Barrel Bomb as just a regular bomb, meow!" Slash looked even more smug. "The scholars said it, meow! This Abyssal energy has a powerful Elderseal-like suppression effect, meow! You can forget about breathing fire for a while, meow!!"
Well, while Slash's explanation wasn't entirely wrong, the primary reason the Espinas couldn't even manage a spark was that a Mega Barrel Bomb had literally exploded inside its mouth.
As the old saying goes, "Even the coldest man has a warm rectum." Applied here: no matter how hard a monster's shell is, its internals are soft.
This was true for a normal Espinas, and it was true for the Blue version.
Its mouth was soft, and its tongue was soft. The agony the Blue Espinas was feeling was actually caused by the explosion's aftermath. Beyond the physical shock and the eerie flames, the blast had caused tiny clusters of Abyssal energy crystals to condense and embed themselves into the soft tissue of its throat and mouth like countless jagged pebbles.
The burning blue flames were merely the surface level of its misery.
Even its intimidating roar had become difficult to voice. Seeing that it couldn't spit its crystalline poison fire, the enraged Blue Espinas performed a sudden spinning tail-swipe. Its thorn-covered tail slammed directly into the Field Team Leader's—Great Sword.
In the end, the Great Sword bore the brunt of it all. Honestly, compared to other hunting weapons, the Great Sword is truly the most practical weapon for a hunter in the real world.
Firstly, it is massive. Being massive means a hunter can deal effective damage to Large Monsters that vastly outsize them, rather than just annoying the beast until it leaves.
Secondly, it is thick and sturdy. It can be used as a shield, providing enough protection for a hunter to withstand a blow when they can't dodge in time, preventing them from being flattened on the spot.
Case in point: the Field Team Leader braced his Great Sword vertically at his side. When the Espinas's tail hit him, he was sent flying into the distance—but he was alive, having avoided the direct impact of the tail-mace and the toxic thorns.
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