"Awoo~" "Roar!" The two dragons, one azure and one black, wrestled together. Huihui had the leverage of her wing-blades, while Nidhogg had powerful evil dragon magic. Without considering magical attacks, the two were almost evenly matched. If the roars of both dragons were translated into human language, this spectacular draconic entanglement would probably turn into a children's squabble: "Meat!" "Let go!" "Meat! Pay back Huihui's meat!" "You bastard, let me go!"
And Estinien could only helplessly watch the scene of the battlefield, unable to intervene. After all, Huihui was in dragon form, but in reality, she was a member of the Scions, a powerful Blue Mage. Otherwise, he could have killed both dragons directly. Unfortunately, now he and the Scions could only watch from the sidelines, and even watching had to be done from a distance, otherwise Huihui's released high-voltage electrical field would fry them all.
Tiny motes of aether began to drift slowly away from Huihui, and the dragon form became blurred and indistinct. "Crap, Huihui is running out of magic." "Looks like it's our fight next." Estinien grabbed his lance and assumed a combat stance. "Be careful, watch Huihui's magic!" "Buzz~" Aetherial sparks scattered in all directions, the azure ancient dragon disappeared without a trace, and Nidhogg, who had broken free of his restraints, was still a little dazed. However, the dragon lance soon smashed into his face, bringing him back to his senses. "Humans! You're seeking your own death!"
"...Eep?" Nergigante and Huihui stared at each other, eye to eye. It had spent a carefree and quiet night, and then, when it stretched its limbs, ready to catch a Barroth to improve its diet, it got up and met a pair of amber dragon eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, it finally realized who the owner of those eyes was. "ROAR!" (You little bitch, I finally caught you!)
"Whoosh whoosh~" Flames burst forth, and Huihui turned and ran, only to be bitten on the tail by Nergigante. "Eep!" Huihui's amber dragon eyes went straight in shock. In the midst of excruciating pain, Huihui didn't care about anything and turned around, biting down on Nergigante's large horn. Her wing-blades constantly cut off pieces of bone spikes and bone shards from its body. "Awoo~!" Her wing-blades lodged into Nergigante's body, and the high-temperature azure flames continued to bake it, causing it to finally couldn't bear it anymore, let out a miserable scream, and released Huihui's tail after persisting for a while.
Driven by inertia, Huihui crashed headfirst into a crystal pillar, causing a burst of needle-like crystal shards. Many pierced through the soft scales of her abdomen, and slightly golden Elder Dragon blood dripped onto the ground, drop by drop. "Hiss~" Nergigante retreated a few steps, blocking the only passage out of the crystal cave. The bone spikes all over its body spread open and seemed to tremble. "Shu shu shu!" The bone spikes erupted like a hailstorm, clanging against Huihui's wings.
Some bone spikes still managed to pierce Huihui's dragon scales. The hollow bone spikes were simply perfect instruments for drawing blood, and small streams of dragon blood gushed out constantly, like a bucket with several holes poked in it. Soon, a thick pool of dragon blood accumulated beneath Huihui's feet. However, the damage Nergigante sustained was not low either, because the electrode-needles on Huihui's body began to release strings of electric fire, constantly lashing the air with crackling sounds.
A ball of high-temperature arc lightning slammed into Nergigante, also blasting out splattering dragon blood and chunks of flesh. However, this kind of injury, for it, was just a minor scratch that would regenerate in a moment. Conversely, Huihui's wounds didn't heal as quickly. But Huihui also had abilities that Nergigante didn't. Her wings continued to protect her body, and while her muscles pushed the bone spikes out bit by bit, a glass bottle that could be called a vial appeared in her dragon claws.
"Glug glug glug glug~" Downing a large vial of Mega Potion not only allowed most of the wounds on her body to close and heal at a speed not inferior to Nergigante's, but also replenished a large amount of magic and stamina. The crystal scales made up of the bias-attributed aether crystals on her back trembled and emitted a sound like ocean waves, and the light of aether gradually converged at Huihui's head. "Zzzap!" An ultra-high-energy aether beam, like an indestructible laser, drew an arc. Although it didn't hit Nergigante, it gave it a big scare, causing it to instinctively leap to the side.
"Bang!" Huihui crashed heavily into it, and the heavy weight and impact knocked it sideways, involuntarily tumbling to the ground. When it got up, it could only see a tail lance disappearing from its view. Obviously, that mutated Valstrax had escaped the narrow cave and soared back into the blue sky. "Awoo!~" Mega Potions could heal wounds and restore magic, but they couldn't fill an empty stomach. So, Huihui quickly set her sights on a new target, diving downwards.
The Jyuratodus cautiously surfaced from the mud, revealing only its eyes. Its body, covered in mud, looked like a large, inconspicuous clump of floating sludge. This was a crucial ability for it to survive under the noses of Rathians and various carnivorous predators. Unfortunately, the red scoutflies flitting around it revealed its position. However, these scoutflies didn't have long lifespans, especially since their Queen had died with that reckless hunter. They could only last for a short time.
The old scars covering its body and the missing chunk of its faded fin indicated that this wasn't an ordinary Jyuratodus. It was an old dragon that had grown through cruel battles and long years, a special individual that hunters called a "Tempered Monster." Unlike other Tempered Monsters, which relied on a stronger body and combat skills, this old Jyuratodus's experience was more focused on how to hide and ambush. It was also reflected in its exceptional cunning and treachery. This was its major weapon for rampaging through the streams and swamps of the Wildspire Waste.
"Whoosh!" The piercing whistle sound made it suddenly alert. It sank into the mud at a steady and not at all slow speed, hiding under a large, dried clump of mud, just like a phenomenon often seen in the swamp. It used this trick to fool that poor hunter from the Fourth Fleet, killing him, to the point that his Palico was still constantly searching for the poor hunter in the distant stream area.
"Thud!" The heavy dragon body sank into the mud, and a foreclaw penetrated layers of mud, decisively grabbing the Jyuratodus's back. The latter began to struggle frantically at that moment, because this was its only chance to escape death. Taking advantage of the fact that the predator's claws hadn't completely closed, violently struggling had a high probability of breaking free. Those young Jyuratodus didn't understand this principle at all. They would only be completely captured and thrown out of the mud by predators in a moment of stagnation, turning into a food that flopped around on land, at the mercy of others.
However, at the moment the Jyuratodus broke free of the dragon's claws, it crashed headfirst into an aether barrier. Huihui jumped ashore, dragging a huge mud ball with satisfaction, and then plunged into the upstream stream, allowing the water to wash away the dirt and mud from her body. She also released the Jyuratodus from the aether barrier sphere in her hand. "Roar!" "Shhhh~" A spear-shaped tail decisively pierced the Jyuratodus's gills, causing this old, cunning hunter who had lived for many years to die here completely. At the same time, a flat, wedge-like insect climbed onto Huihui's back, hugged the longest crystal spine, and began to squirm. A small cluster of white insect eggs with sticky silk fell into the gap of the crystal spine.
Kinsects are parasitic insects similar to Wedgebeetles. They generally parasitize different giant creatures, feeding on other parasites and fungi that grow on their bodies. Through domestication, screening, and cultivation by hunters, they can also become skilled hunters. They attack, track, and collect the blood of prey under the command of pheromones released by the hunter, then digest and brew it into Kinsect Extracts with special effects.
They never leave the Kinsect Glaive of their hunter for their entire lives, just like the Scoutflies are loyal. Ecological research indicates that these Kinsects may be related to Thunderbugs. The Guild suspects that there may be creatures that hunt and fight in symbiosis with Kinsects, just like the Zinogre discovered in Yukumo Village, which gained the power of lightning strikes by living in symbiosis with Thunderbugs.
And now, this feral Kinsect, having lost its master and Kinsect Glaive, chose Huihui as its new parasitic nest, laid its eggs on her back, and used its own life to construct a parasitic Kinsect Glaive, or rather, a nest, for its offspring. It feeds on the fungi and other parasites that grow on Huihui's body, as well as on those Aether Crystals, and even on the high-energy dragon-elemental substances secreted by Huihui, just like hunters use various monster materials to feed them, artificially selecting differentiation to cultivate different Kinsect subspecies.
In return, the Kinsects will also actively defend their nest and home, attacking all hostile targets around Huihui. They will also actively secrete extracts with anesthetic and healing effects to repair Huihui's wounds. Roughly speaking, their habits are similar to roundworms, but they live externally. Roundworms are such parasites. Although they will constantly reproduce, causing intestinal blockages and disrupting human digestive efficiency, they will also actively repair intestinal damage and clean up intestinal flora to maintain the balance of the flora, protecting their parasitic environment. If the population expansion is controlled, their significance to the human digestive system may not be less than that of E. coli.
However, for Huihui, who was already extremely hungry, the slight itching on her back was simply a matter of finding a tree to rub against. The top priority was to cook this plump and tender Jyuratodus that had lived for many years. The delicate and boneless fish meat, with thick fat, was best suited for pan-frying. The second best was hot pot. Since Huihui was a little tired of pan-fried fish, then... "Hot Pot!"
Huihui took off with the plump Jyuratodus with some difficulty, flying crookedly towards her dragon's nest, where a large supply of spices, dried fruits, and cooking tools were stored, so as not to disgrace this ingredient that could be called a "King." Not only that, the Daimyo Hermitaur, which had only been free for a few days, once again faced utter doom, along with those giant pearl oysters and Spirit Deer.
"Bang!" The Jyuratodus, with no will to live, was slammed onto a stone slab, and after twitching a few times instinctively, its head was chopped off with a wing-blade. Bones and internal organs were removed. The head, along with the shellfish, was tossed into a murky stone pot filled with Aptonoth broth, and after adding Herbivore (Aptonoth) fat and fish liver oil, a layer of golden grease quickly floated to the surface of the broth.
Slightly numbing Parashroom, dried and ground into powder, and dried Blastoads and Toadorstool were fried with Rockfruit and Poison Sac seeds in Herbivore (Aptonoth) oil. This was paired with a large dollop of crimson-red, spicy and fragrant gelatinous grease rendered from a Anjanath Flame Sac, half-eaten by a Deviljho. Soon, the golden broth turned golden-red, with large chunks of spices tumbling and floating within.
First to be added were the Herbivore (Aptonoth) meat chunks, which could withstand prolonged cooking. The coarse fibers absorbed the broth to the fullest before floating to the surface. Following closely were the Daimyo Hermitaur meat and shellfish, which were cooked until they dissolved. Next came the sliced Jyuratodus fillets. The fatty, tender fish meat quickly tightened when stimulated by the hot oil, and firmly locked in the wonderful juices mixed with various meats and savory flavors. Finally, the thinly sliced Spirit Deer meat and White Liver, which didn't withstand long cooking, were added.
The pinkish Spirit Deer meat only needed a simple swish to be eaten, serving as a small appetizer to whet Huihui's appetite. The Cactus Salad that served as a side dish was also refreshing and delicious, allowing Huihui, who had just fought several fierce battles, to feel slightly relaxed. Following closely was the perfectly cooked main course - Jyuratodus meat. The meat was firm, the fibers were tender, the fat was thick, and it almost melted in her mouth, releasing the infinite deliciousness locked within onto the tongue.
Paired with the freshly brewed "Fat Dragon Happy Juice," it was simply a heavenly delight, especially after dipping it in a dipping sauce made of Poison Sac juice and crystal fragments. The coolness that followed the spiciness was simply intoxicating to a dragon. And after eating almost half a Jyuratodus, the Herbivore (Aptonoth) meat chunks that had absorbed so much deliciousness were just right. They were soft, tough, and chewy, constantly squeezing out layers of different flavors as she chewed, becoming more and more flavorful the more she chewed.
After everything is finished, a serving of White Liver Cheese with crushed Rockfruit Ice Cream would be perfect. Alas, this "Tempered Jyuratodus Emperor Hot Pot" isn't a delicacy that humans can enjoy. There are seven or eight poisonous ingredients in it alone, and three or four ingredients that aren't poisonous but will explode halfway through cooking. Not to mention the flavors of those raw ingredients that are sweet to Huihui, but are intensely fishy and pungent to human hunters.
The scalding hot meat made Huihui feel much warmer, and due to blood loss, she felt slightly tired. She found a comfortable spot, curled up into a ball, and began to fall asleep. The Kinsect eggs were also slowly hatching under the influence of the dragon energy and body temperature released by Huihui. Almost imperceptible transparent larvae wiggled their tentacles and crawled deep into the spines, clinging tightly to the dragon meat under the scales. Tentacles with blood-sucking functions pierced into the blood vessels, and were soon dyed a scarlet red with dragon blood. Slowly, the entire Kinsect turned a red-black color.