Monster Hunter: This Dragon's Built Different

The hierarchy among Rathalos was strict—those males nesting closer to the top of the Ancient Tree were stronger, and naturally, so were their mates.

Logan didn't recklessly charge upward. The Ancient Tree was enormous—even circling it once took a considerable amount of time.

With the male Rathalos now taking to the skies of their own accord, Logan had a better chance to assess potential opponents or suitable elevations for building their nest.

Before long, his sharp gaze locked onto a target: a male Rathalos with deep crimson scales, slightly larger than average and noticeably well-built. Its perch was located in the upper-middle layers of the Ancient Tree.

Logan let out a call to Aki, then accelerated toward it, halting midair at a short distance and unleashing a thunderous roar.

He was the first to provoke, issuing a clear challenge. This kind of contest would end only with one party either driven off or dead.

The challenged Rathalos narrowed its eyes, fury burning colder with every passing second. It hadn't expected this—some upstart juvenile had the nerve to target him as an opponent.

With a sudden roar, he opened his fang-lined jaws and lunged, relying on his larger build to overwhelm Logan.

At the same time, a green-scaled Rathian soared out of the treetop canopy. It was unmistakably his mate. She charged straight toward Logan—but was intercepted midair by Aki with brutal force.

Like a meteor crashing from the heavens, Aki slammed into the other Rathian, and the two she-wyverns plummeted, clawing and biting each other as they crashed through branches on their way down.

Unlike male Rathalos, female Rathians fought more fiercely on land. The instant she landed, Aki corrected her posture and launched a devastating charge—like a juggernaut set loose.

The opposing Rathian, momentarily stunned, hadn't expected that despite Aki's smaller size, she'd failed to dominate during their airborne clash. Even with her size advantage, she hadn't gained the upper hand.

Now, seeing Aki rush her again, the larger Rathian didn't back down in the slightest.

"Roaar!!!" (You're smaller than me by a mile—and you still dare to charge first?)

Feeling humiliated, she roared and launched a counter-charge.

Then—

They collided.

The Rathian was sent flying.

Where they struck, scales shattered and flew apart, blood gushing from torn flesh. Jagged spikes snapped under the impact—but in terms of raw strength, the larger Rathian had come off worse. She was thrown violently away.

Still, the injuries were only superficial.

Midair, the green Rathian adjusted her posture with a flap of her wings, eyes now bloodshot with rage as she dived straight back at Aki.

From here on, it was a storm of fangs, claws, venom, and crimson blood.

There was nothing graceful about this battle. It was less like a duel between flying wyverns and more like a brutal brawl between brute beasts.

Every strike, every bite, every slash tore flesh away in chunks.

Hot blood sprayed into the air, and each time the two monsters crashed into each other, a muffled boom echoed through the forest. Nearby branches snapped without warning under the violence.

Explosive fireballs roared from their jaws—the shockwaves alone laid waste to the surrounding terrain.

Their poison-laced tails whipped like hammers, capable of smashing through tough outer scales to wound vital organs underneath.

Among all battles between fire wyverns, the fights between female Rathians were the most savage—and the ones with the highest death toll.

Compared to the Rathian's bloodthirsty and savage fighting style, the battle on the Rathalos's side was all about speed and fury—skill mixed with danger.

Fighting in the air not only granted a wide field of view, but also allowed the Rathalos to fully display the advantages of its powerful and agile wings.

There were no obstacles in the sky, just wide open space for acceleration. Boosted by its flight speed, the Rathalos's claws, tail spikes, and bite became extremely dangerous weapons. Although the fight didn't look as entangled as the Rathian's, it was even more perilous.

The slightest misstep could result in a serious injury. Battles between Rathalos were often decided in an instant.

Of course, that referred to normal Rathalos fights.

Logan's battle, on the other hand, was anything but normal.

There were no nerve-wracking bursts of aerial acceleration. No graceful weaving or point-blank clashes like butterflies darting through flowers.

All there was were chases and evasions—or brief skirmishes reminiscent of bullfighting.

There was no helping it. Logan's body was only half the size of his opponent's. Even with the Powerhouse Trait, he was still at a massive disadvantage in terms of strength.

And even if he weren't, he still wouldn't be able to fight the way a normal Rathalos did. After all, even his claws were just barely over half the length of his opponent's.

If it came to a direct brawl, the enemy's claws could rake across his face before he could even reach.

So in this battle, brute force was out of the question. Only speed—and a few unique abilities—could tip the scale in his favor.

Another pass. This time, the Rathalos had adapted to Logan's combat rhythm. Unlike the previous encounters, it didn't overshoot the moment of contact.

Instead, it rapidly corrected its trajectory, the membranes of its wings warping under the sheer pressure of air resistance as it forcibly twisted its body mid-flight. Its jaws, lined with razor-sharp fangs, snapped toward Logan's wing.

Confidence gleamed in its eyes. It was certain that this sudden change in tactic would catch the inexperienced young wyvern off guard.

"Roar!!" (Die, brat!!)

The Rathalos could already envision Logan's wing membrane torn to shreds, blood spraying through the sky as he spiraled down in disgrace.

[Swish!]

"Roar..." (Naïve.)

As if he had seen it coming, Logan retracted his right wing a moment before the bite landed. Not only did his opponent bite nothing but air, but Logan's body also spun in response, and his flame-wreathed tail lashed across the enemy's face, jerking its head to the side.

Then, before it could recover, he dove downward, flapping his wings to quickly pull away and increase the distance.

The tail strike felt like a full-powered punch from a child hitting an adult—not exactly painful, but definitely annoying.

But the psychological impact? That was a different story.

Not only had his confident counterattack missed, but he'd also taken a tail slap in return!

Do you know how humiliating that is for an adult Rathalos?

The Rathalos stiffened. Every muscle in its body tensed up.

It decided to stop playing these childish games with Logan. It would destroy him—fast, brutally, and mercilessly!

"Roar?" (Huh? Where's that fire coming from?)

A scorching sensation spread across its cheek, followed by a sudden lick of flame that forced it to shut one eye to avoid getting burned.

A vivid orange-red flame had ignited on the right side of its face. No matter how hard it shook its head, the flame clung tightly, like a parasite fused to the bone.

Although Rathalos had exceptional resistance to fire—and even a protective film over its eyes—just like how a human instinctively closes their eyes when startled, the flickering flame constantly brushed past its eye, forcing it to repeatedly blink.

For a Rathalos, whose eyesight was among its greatest assets, this wasn't just creating blind spots—it was disrupting its entire combat rhythm.

The Flame-Body Trait not only granted Logan an exaggerated resistance to fire and allowed flames to coat his body—it had also transformed his poison glands. Now, his venom was both persistently corrosive and highly adhesive. And even worse—

It had become flammable.

Upon contact with air, even a slightly elevated temperature would ignite it, leaving a persistent burn effect on the opponent.

Under this burning affliction, the Rathalos developed a blind spot in its field of vision. It could no longer launch precise, continuous attacks like before. This gave Logan more breathing room—more time to accelerate!

At the same time, it also created the perfect opportunity for a counterattack. The Rathalos, forcing its protective membranes open despite the discomfort, let out a furious roar and charged at Logan.

But Logan wasn't in a hurry. He simply turned and flew away. When he couldn't outrun it, he relied on his Mind's Eye ability to predict incoming attacks and dodge them in advance—then resumed baiting the enemy.

During this chase, the Rathalos, pushed to its limit, finally spat out a few fireballs. These were hastily launched without charging up, and their speed wasn't impressive. Given Logan's agility, he should've been able to dodge them with ease.

It had only been a half-hearted attempt to limit Logan's movement—yet surprisingly, one of them hit!

The fireball exploded against Logan's back, erupting into a cloud of thick smoke.

The Rathalos let out a triumphant roar and rushed toward Logan's silhouette in the smoke.

Sure, the Rathalos had high resistance to fire thanks to its armored hide—but that didn't mean it was immune to damage. Especially since the fireballs exploded on impact, greatly amplifying their destructive force.

At the very least, this blast might throw Logan off balance.

This—this would be its killing blow!

Closer and closer it came. The beating of its wings created intense air currents, thrusting its body forward at high speed.

Suddenly, from within the smoke, Logan burst out—his entire body wreathed in flame. He soared through the air in a blazing arc before aiming himself directly at the Rathalos.

Ignition Trait—this allowed Logan to absorb external flames to enhance his internal flame sacs, increasing the temperature of the fire he produced. And that, in turn, further boosted the flames of his Flame-Body Trait.

After absorbing that fireball, Logan was now completely wrapped in orange-red fire. From a distance, he looked like a dragon-shaped inferno.

The blistering heat warped the air around him, forming visible waves of distortion.

At this moment, his Acceleration Trait had pushed his speed to a terrifying new level. And speed—was power.

With the combined bonuses of Flame Body, Acceleration, and the Powerhouse Trait, Logan's current combat strength completely overwhelmed his opponent.

This was no longer the brittle-boned hatchling from five years ago. His skeletal structure could now fully support his current body—its density and durability enough to withstand collisions with other mighty beasts.

Now, in the skies above, Logan was like a blazing meteor streaking through the air, circling the Rathalos, relentlessly hunting for an opening.

The Rathalos, which had once been the hunter, was now completely outmatched in speed. No matter how it flew, it couldn't shake Logan off. It was left with no choice but to defend.

The tides had turned—offense and defense had reversed!

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