BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted in the air, sounding like two heavy-duty dump trucks colliding head-on without brakes.
The sheer force of the impact was almost too much for even someone as physically powerful as Logan to bear. His vision went dark momentarily, his chest felt constricted, and dense cracks instantly spider-webbed across his steel-like scales. Fortunately, the internal connective tissues acted as a binder, providing the scales with enough toughness to hold; otherwise, they would have shattered completely.
The Anjanath was in equally poor shape, falling into a brief state of stun. The tapered ends of Logan's teardrop-shaped scales were as sharp as needlepoints, leaving the monster's chest a bloody mess. Furthermore, the feather-scales that were already lodged in its chest were driven even deeper by the collision—it was unclear if they had snapped off inside the muscle.
Both beasts recovered almost simultaneously. The Anjanath's massive head lunged downward, jaws agape, snapping viciously at Logan's nape. Logan, however, beat it to the punch. His powerful forelimbs locked around the Anjanath's neck, his shoulder braced firmly against its lower jaw, and he kicked out wildly with his hind legs.
This was a classic feline fighting maneuver. His hind legs packed even more power than his forepaws, and his sharp talons easily shredded the Anjanath's tough skin. In the blink of an eye, the monster's chest and abdomen were reduced to a gory pulp. The Anjanath flailed its short foreclaws in a desperate counterattack, scratching frantically at Logan, but it couldn't breach that thick layer of scale armor.
At the same time, Zhu Peiniang saw her opening. She charged from behind, sinking her teeth into the Anjanath's tail and pulling with all her might.
The searing pain completely enraged the "Forest Thug." Its blood surged, and a faint, glowing heat began to flicker in the corners of its mouth. Then, like a slice of toast popping out of a toaster, its nasal bone flared upward, forming two distinct crests on its snout.
With a violent thrash of its tail, the Anjanath sent the relatively smaller Zhu Peiniang flying. She slammed hard against a tree trunk, letting out an involuntary groan of pain. But her bloodthirsty ferocity drove her to scramble back up the moment she hit the ground. She bared her teeth, electricity dancing wildly across her scales, her expression far more vicious than her age would suggest.
A large amount of yellow-green mucus began to ooze from the Anjanath's flared nostrils, flowing down its skull. Upon contact with the air, the mucus rapidly vaporized and then ignited into a violent explosion.
The blast erupted between Logan and the Anjanath. Accompanied by rolling flames, the shockwave forced the two apart. The Anjanath, prepared for the blast, seized the opportunity to swing its massive tail like a steel whip, sweeping toward Logan with devastating force.
Logan reacted just as quickly. Using the outward push of the blast, he tapped the ground with his limbs and glided backward. The tip of the Anjanath's tail grazed his chest, its protruding spikes scraping a layer of earth off the ground below.
At that moment, a massive surge of electricity poured down from the top of Logan's head, gathering toward his rear and condensing into a blinding point of light on his tail stinger. He thrust his tail forward, stabbing it directly into the Anjanath's thigh before the monster could recover from its swing.
The ultra-high-temperature current instantly vaporized the surface skin of the thigh. Even the tough muscle fibers couldn't withstand the sharp tail stinger as it sank deep into the flesh. With a contraction of the muscles at the base of his tail, Logan injected a massive dose of toxin into the Anjanath's body.
Almost simultaneously, Zhu Peiniang pounced again. Leaping high from the side, the massive hooked talons on her forepaws extended, delivering a flurry of vicious slashes to the Anjanath's flank.
The intense pain caused the Anjanath's legs to buckle, and its body tilted, nearly collapsing to the ground.
With a roar of fury, it shook its body violently, once again throwing Zhu Peiniang off. Then, with a sudden jerk of its massive head, its flared nostrils acted like an open faucet, spraying a large amount of yellow-green liquid. The liquid vaporized instantly, and combined with the flames spitting from its maw, a pillar of fire erupted with a loud whoosh, turning the surroundings into a sea of flames.
The scorching heat kept Zhu Peiniang at bay. She retreated to the side, crouching low and letting out a threatening low growl.
Logan was also temporarily pushed back by the wall of fire. After a few nimble leaps, he landed on a nearby boulder, looking down at the Anjanath trapped in the inferno.
Red tongues of flame licked at the Anjanath's pink skin, its dark blue feathers fluttering in the heat haze. The monster looked pathetic now; its chest and flanks were covered in dripping bloody gashes, and a deep hole in its thigh severely hindered its movement.
Yet, its presence remained undiminished. Its small, amber eyes glinted with murderous intent as it slowly turned its body amidst the fire, looking every bit like a terrifying beast out of ancient legend.
Logan couldn't help but marvel at the power it displayed. According to game logic, its ecological niche might not even reach the top tier, but its actual performance was enough to easily slaughter an entire village.
Its powerful physique and tough hide gave it resistance to high temperatures and toxins, and it possessed a unique breath attack. If this Anjanath were placed in the ancient world of Logan's past life, it would be viewed as a literal god or demon.
Moreover, because of the existence of the Fulgur Anjanath subspecies, this species had a high natural resistance to electricity. Every one of Logan's previous attacks had carried a powerful electric shock, yet he had failed to paralyze it.
Fortunately, Logan was agile enough; a single bite from those jaws would have been catastrophic. However, he ultimately held the upper hand, and he could already see the dawn of victory.
The anti-coagulant toxin was a masterstroke. By creating just one wound, the continuous blood loss would rapidly drain the opponent's stamina and vitality. With the leg injury on top of that, even if the Anjanath wanted to flee, it wouldn't be easy.
The Anjanath was clearly aware of its predicament. As its internal temperature skyrocketed, its pink skin turned a glowing crimson. Suddenly, the sail-like membranes on its back—resembling the fins of a Spinosaurus—flared open. They were covered in a dense network of capillaries that looked as if lava were flowing through them, emitting a red glow.
This was the Anjanath's unique cooling mechanism, allowing it to push its physical functions even further without overheating. It was clearly preparing for a final, desperate stand. But seeing this, Logan's lips curled into a silent, mocking smile.
With a sharp flick of his tail, several venom-coated feather-scales sliced through the air like lightning. In an instant, the freshly unfurled sails on the Anjanath's back were marked with several long, narrow gashes.
Countless cooling capillaries were severed, and with its platelets sabotaged by the toxin, more blood gushed out uncontrollably. This only accelerated the drain on the Anjanath's stamina and life force.
If you have a weak point that obvious, don't expose it so brazenly!
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