Sweeping Fire!
Ugh, though there wasn't a spark of actual flame, this move of Mirrorblade's was indeed called by that name. It was a strike where he dragged his sword-tail across the ground with immense force to build power—essentially, a devastating Draw Slash!
The sheer weight of the blow was staggering!
CLANG!!
The sound of metal striking metal was so crisp it was jarring—so sharp, in fact, that Mirrorblade almost doubted the attack power of his own tail. Wait, did I actually engage the serrated edge?
He hadn't even breached the monster's defense!
Mirrorblade even glanced back at his own tail-blade to confirm that the shell-scales at the tip had indeed popped out and were vibrating at high speeds. Yet, even so, the weapon he took such pride in had failed to shatter the Blue Espinas's carapace.
That layer of green armor was already renowned for its extreme physical defense, but now, covered in a layer of Bio-energy crystals, that durability had reached a whole new level. As Mirrorblade's tail connected, the crystals shattered simultaneously, turning into a cloud of fine powder that acted as the ultimate buffer. Blue crystalline shards drifted through the air like falling snow.
For some reason, this sight felt strangely familiar to Mirrorblade, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on why. It was a mystery.
Although he hadn't landed a decisive blow, Mirrorblade had achieved his primary goal: he successfully intercepted the enraged Blue Espinas, stopping it from pursuing the Field Team Leader, who had just been sent flying. Meanwhile, Arun, hidden in the distance, seized the opening to fire.
In the blink of an eye, silver-gray ammunition buried itself into the wound at the base of the Blue Espinas's wing. A second later, several streaks of silver light, like blade-flashes, erupted from the wound. While the hardness of the scales prevented the external wound from widening, the silver energy ruthlessly shredded the soft flesh beneath the armor.
It was impossible for the Blue Espinas not to feel pain. And for it not to roar in agony was... actually, it was entirely possible.
Mirrorblade was surprised to find that this blue monster, which seemed to be in a state of total frenzy, possessed a level of intelligence that contradicted its madness. After being blasted in the mouth multiple times while roaring, it refused to scream this time despite the searing pain. It merely threw its head back instinctively, its jaws clamped shut.
One had to admit, this was the most tactical decision the Blue Espinas could make in such haste. Just as it raised its head, several Sticky Ammo rounds slammed into the corners of its mouth. Arun had clearly been aiming for the throat; had the beast opened its maw for even a second, its soft tissues would have been decimated.
Sticky Ammo dealt immense explosive damage and could directly destroy a monster's specialized organs. Aside from being difficult to land on agile targets, it was a near-perfect weapon.
Indeed, relentlessly harrying a monster's weak points was often the key to a Hunter successfully driving off a powerful threat.
But that wasn't the point. The point remained the intelligence the Blue Espinas was currently displaying—what did this imply?
Was the agony caused by the symbiosis of flesh and Bio-energy crystals merely an illusion? Or was having that many crystals embedded in its meat simply not painful at all, much like monsters that naturally feed on minerals?
Mirrorblade's sharp mind cycled through several possibilities in an instant. He was analyzing this "blue-fied" creature, probing its attributes and weaknesses, searching for the simplest and safest way to bring it down.
On the other side, Dot had already sprinted toward the Field Team Leader the moment he and his Great Sword were swatted away. By the time the Leader crawled dizzily out from a pile of splintered trees, he saw the black-and-white Palico charging at him, holding a ghostly blue insect aloft with both paws. Hanging beneath the bug was a small, translucent globule of shimmering blue fluid—it looked like a miniature deep-sea environment, with something viscous swirling inside.
"Wait, wait!!?" The Field Team Leader's head cleared instantly. His expression twisted in horror as he threw up a hand in a frantic "stop" gesture, screaming, "Don't you come any closer! Dot!!"
Ta-da! Crystallized Vigorwasp!!
Though Dot didn't actually shout the name, the Field Team Leader could clearly see a mischievous smirk on the Felyne's face. He could even hear the "fanfare" echoing in his mind.
Unlike two years ago, the scholars had conducted deep research into the properties of environmental creatures like the Vigorwasp after they were affected by the "Blue-fication" phenomenon. As time passed, the appearance of the Blue Vigorwasp had changed further.
The honey-sac, originally composed of flexible tissue, had completely transformed into a semi-transparent, pressure-resistant crystal. Under the catalytic influence of Bio-energy, the healing fluid inside now granted Hunters a temporary "Bio-energy damage" buff.
Of course, the original healing effect remained—and like a shot of pure adrenaline, it made a Hunter feel so motivated they forgot the very definition of "exhaustion."
Naturally, there were side effects. In fact, they had been intensified. It was no wonder the Field Team Leader looked like he'd rather drop dead on the spot than let Dot hit him with that thing. No Hunter who had tried it ever gave it a glowing review.
However, in a fight of this intensity, a little "medication" was necessary... at least, Dot felt it was.
"ROAR! I FEEL THE POWER!!" It was hard to believe such a primal roar came from a man who had just been punted through a forest. But after Dot smashed the Crystallized Vigorwasp against him, the Field Team Leader suddenly looked like a superhuman. His bare arms were a map of bulging veins and corded muscle.
"Not finished yet, meow!!"
It was a wonder how much gear was actually stashed on Mirrorblade. After hurlng the Vigorwasp at the Leader's head, Dot yanked a piece of cloth from his massive backpack that clinked and rattled with a metallic chime.
"Ta-da! Bio-crystal Mantle!!"
Dot's voice was so full of pride he sounded like he'd invented the thing himself. As the name suggested, this was a specialized Mantle forged by technicians using the pelts of monsters most heavily corrupted by Bio-energy, interwoven with actual Bio-crystals. The Field Team Leader didn't resist this piece of equipment—or rather, in his current state of extreme hyperactivity, he wouldn't refuse anything that made him stronger.
As long as it worked, he didn't care if he had to carry two more Vigorwasps; he'd probably try to eat a Bio-crystal raw if it meant more power!
"I'm coming, partner!!!"
With a roar that was basically a "loud sneak attack," the Field Team Leader hoisted his Great Sword and charged at the Blue Espinas, shouting unintelligible things as he ran.
Arun: "..."
He couldn't actually hear what the Leader was screaming, but he saw what Dot had done and the subsequent transformation of the Field Team Leader.
"...Good thing I'm just the long-range support," Arun muttered. He pulled a small iron box from his belt, placed it carefully in front of him, and opened it with extreme caution.
He had to be careful. When these new potions and equipment were first issued, the Hunters were thrilled and eager to test them. But as time went on, they began to realize something—were they just being used as test subjects?
Cough. The scholars and technicians of Astera weren't that heartless. It was simply that Bio-energy was such an overbearing, unknown element. Normally mild herbs or potions became volatile when infused with it. Most of the time, they gained powerful effects coupled with negative drawbacks—the kind of trade-off that was too good to give up but terrifying to use.
The new gear was the same. For example, the box of ammunition Arun was currently handling with kid gloves was officially called the Bio-crystal Explosive. He had no idea why a name meant for a Mega Barrel Bomb was assigned to a bullet that fit into a Light Bowgun magazine... and he didn't want to know.
He only knew that the technician who handed it to him had an expression so solemn it looked like they were attending his funeral. They had read the warning three times: Never, ever point the tip toward yourself.
Arun didn't even need a test shot to feel confident in its lethality.
"Bio-crystal Explosive, huh?" Shoving the rounds into his Light Bowgun, Arun whispered, "Let's see what you can do—Bang!"
As he mimicked the sound of a gunshot, a streak of ghostly blue flame erupted from the muzzle. The firearm, which should have been firing bullets, looked as if it were breathing a fire dragon. In an instant, the trail of fire crossed the forest and slammed into the Blue Espinas's body!
BOOM-WHOOSH!!
It wasn't an explosion like a Crag shot, nor the sharp crack of a standard bullet hitting armor. Everyone watching could only describe that flame with one word: Erosion.
Every technician longs to create a "monster" in their short lives, and this Bio-crystal Explosive was one of those monsters—a monster that devoured flesh.
The Blue Espinas's carapace was finally pierced, but even Mirrorblade wasn't sure if it was "pierced" or "assimilated."
Like a crater left by a meteorite, a circular hollow appeared on the Blue Espinas's shell. Countless irregular, razor-sharp crystal pillars began to grow wildly along the edges of the hole, spreading at a visible speed!
The Bio-energy crystals covering the monster's shell didn't provide any defense this time. To Mirrorblade, it looked as if those gem-like crystals melted—or rather, were assimilated—the moment the flame touched them.
They were even turned back against the host, becoming blades that stabbed into the Blue Espinas's internal organs. This was the most terrifying aspect of the Bio-crystal Explosive: it was a "specialist" weapon against Bio-infused creatures, capable of dealing massive damage or even a one-shot kill.
The factor that made Bio-infused creatures stronger than their normal counterparts was the high concentration of Bio-energy in their bodies. The damage from this explosive didn't trigger a defense; it worked by destabilizing the monster's own energy, forcing it to consume its host.
"It worked, meow!!" Seeing the carapace shattered, Dot jumped for joy, but his excitement was short-lived.
The Blue Espinas was no ordinary beast.
As the saying goes, "the poison is in the dose." While the Bio-crystal Explosive could destabilize the target's energy, this Blue Espinas was simply too massive, its internal reservoir of energy too dense. It couldn't be ignited all at once like a match dropped in a bucket of gasoline.
And this time, the Blue Espinas was truly, utterly frenzied.
Mirrorblade had been circling the perimeter, flicking his tail to chip away at the crystal shell or dig out the energy nodes embedded in its flesh. But in the next second, Mirrorblade—who excelled at hit-and-run tactics—was slammed into by the monster's sudden, explosive burst of speed. His body didn't have the reactive explosive scales like Asterion's; those scales wouldn't have broken the defense anyway. Mirrorblade felt like he'd been hit by a mountain—a mountain covered in thorns.
Simultaneously, the crystals on the Blue Espinas's back sprayed out like a fountain, but with a speed and force no fountain could match. Some crystal spikes pierced Mirrorblade's armor and skin; others wedged themselves into the vents on his back.
"ROAR!!"
The Blue Espinas finally found an opening to scream. It roared, seemingly wanting to spit its crystallized toxic fire, but what came out was a thick, blue-purple liquid. It was venom, but more than that, it was molten Bio-energy. Like napalm, the viscous liquid clung to Mirrorblade's hind leg the moment it touched him!
The searing toxin instantly corroded the scales on Mirrorblade's leg. The potent poison seeped into his system through the wound. The pain forced a roar from Mirrorblade's throat. He swung his tail back to strike at the monster's head, but it was blocked by the massive, crystal-coated purple-red horn.
The Blue Espinas's eyes were locked solely on Mirrorblade—the only creature near its own size. Without a moment's pause, it charged again!
"Don't you dare hurt my partner!!!"
With a thunderous shout, the Field Team Leader dragged his heavy Great Sword forward. He poured every ounce of his strength into the weapon. The sharp blade carved a long, deep furrow into the forest floor—this was another form of Sweeping Fire! A Draw Slash!!
Facing the charging "Dragon Car" of the Blue Espinas head-on, the Field Team Leader wrenched his Great Sword upward in a diagonal slash—
CLANG!!!
A Trade!!
He stopped the charge with a Great Sword!!!
Against all odds, a feat that few Hunters could ever hope to achieve happened in a perfect collision. The charging Blue Espinas stumbled, its footing knocked askew, and it crashed heavily into the dirt to the side!
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