Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Entire Plateau Was Thrown Into Utter Chaos!

Following the traces of the Savageclaw Dragon, guided by the scoutflies, Su Yi suddenly noticed the marks left by another monster along the way.

"Stop!" Su Yi called out, halting the Dreadclaw Drake as he walked toward the spot.

"My goodness! Why is it you again?!" He stared at the familiar trident-shaped beast dragon tracks, and the image of a ferocious, dark green gourd-shaped monster flashed through his mind.

The Dreadclaw Drake, too, caught the hated scent and let out a furious low growl.

"Did the Deviljho from the Rotten Vale climb up here, or is this a different one?" Su Yi muttered, his guard rising as he pressed on. Along the way, the tracks of the Savageclaw and Deviljho frequently overlapped.

He couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing—this was bound to be a spectacle.

Soon after, just as Su Yi reached the coral forest's edge, the sounds of a fierce battle and angry roars reached his ears.

"Oh wow!" Su Yi exclaimed in awe.

In the coral woods, the Savageclaw Dragon fearlessly climbed onto the Deviljho's back, tearing at it with blood-red claws, while the Deviljho tried to shake it off in rage and alarm.

"Not again, Deviljho! Why is it everywhere?!" Even Dewleaf, clearly, had a deep impression of this monster.

"Don't move! That Deviljho is not to be trifled with!" Su Yi pressed down on the restless Dreadclaw Drake, inwardly sweating at its bravery.

The battle in the woods shifted. Realizing it couldn't throw off its assailant, the Deviljho charged toward the coral rocks, smashing its own back against the stone to dislodge the Savageclaw.

Yet the Savageclaw clung on tenaciously. The Deviljho, wild with rage, repeatedly slammed itself against the wall—thud, thud, thud—sending shards of rock flying. The Savageclaw howled in pain and was finally thrown off.

"Little Blackie really doesn’t hold back," Su Yi winced just watching.

Snorting white vapor from its nostrils, the Deviljho's neck and chest glowed with an ominous crimson light as it entered a berserk state. It opened its massive jaws and lunged at the fallen Savageclaw, biting down on its waist and belly with jagged fangs, then lifted it into the air.

Officer Gourd seized its trusty dragon-element baton—formerly the Savageclaw's own.

"See that? That's a lesson in consequences," Su Yi lectured the Dreadclaw Drake beside him.

The Dreadclaw grumbled in defiance, but seeing the sorry state of the Savageclaw and recalling its own powerlessness against Deviljho, its awakened mind understood—even if unwillingly—that on its own, it couldn't hope to match that beast.

"This Deviljho isn't the one from the Rotten Vale. There’s no scar on its face from your claws. Still, it’s a bit smaller than that one, but it’s not something you can take on right now..." While Su Yi analyzed the strengths and weaknesses with the Dreadclaw Drake, Officer Gourd was smashing the coral plateau’s greenery with its baton, breaking ancient coral reefs in two. At last, the Deviljho hurled the Savageclaw away with a mighty toss.

With a crash, the Savageclaw slammed into the rocks and landed beside Su Yi and the Dreadclaw Drake, the shattered stones revealing their hiding spot.

Oh, young Deviljho, did you lose this Savageclaw, or perhaps this Dreadclaw?

With a roar, Deviljho glared at the Savageclaw, then at the Dreadclaw, before letting out a thunderous, violent bellow, the red glow of its muscles growing ever brighter.

"Retreat!" Su Yi shouted, leaping onto the Dreadclaw Drake with Dewleaf and fleeing at once. The battered Savageclaw wasted no time either, and the two beasts sprinted side by side across the layered coral terraces, with the Deviljho’s thunderous pursuit hot on their heels.

Whoosh!

Above, the sky howled with wind as a streak of cherry-red was drawn by the ruckus below. She spiraled down, roaring in defense of her territory.

With a mighty roar, the Pink Rathian unleashed a torrent of scorching dragonfire, blocking the path of both the Dreadclaw and the Savageclaw. Behind them, the Deviljho seized the opportunity to close in.

Ahead, a flying wyvern; behind, the king of terror; to either side, chasms shrouded in miasma—four monsters now converged upon this small patch of coral plateau.

The Savageclaw roared defiantly, ready for a desperate struggle. The Dreadclaw, already in motion, gathered its strength and leapt high, lunging at the Pink Rathian above. She beat her wings and rose out of reach, evading the attack but leaving the path open. The Dreadclaw seized the chance and broke through the blockade.

Claws digging into the stone, the Dreadclaw prepared to leap to the upper terrace—when a blue-violet figure appeared at the edge, gazing at the gathering of beasts. Without hesitation, it spread its scarred, glowing membranes.

"Bloody hell! The Flashbird?!" Su Yi blurted out. Hadn’t that Flashbird been killed by the Savageclaw? He’d even seen the corpse!

There was no time for Su Yi to think. The Flashbird shrieked as it charged up its blinding flash. The Pink Rathian happened to turn and look; the Savageclaw snarled at the bird, and Deviljho faced it squarely.

Flashbird: All right, everyone, eyes on me! Look at me! I have an announcement!

Zing!

A dazzling, searing flash burst forth, as if a second sun had exploded in the sky.

The Dreadclaw Drake, caught full in the glare, had even its underdeveloped eyes seared by the blinding light. Reflexively, its claws loosened from the rock and it began to fall. Su Yi immediately grabbed Dewleaf and used his grappling hook to latch onto the wall, swinging free and narrowly avoiding being crushed.

The Pink Rathian, dizzy and reeling, plummeted from the sky; the Savageclaw shook its head in anger; Deviljho roared and stumbled back a few steps.

Who, exactly, was the true master of the Coral Highlands?

Tactical withdrawal.jpg

Having finished its work, the Flashbird vanished into the distance, its merits hidden.

"That Flashbird—it must have been the very first one!" After a few seconds of mental overload, Su Yi finally realized. When he’d followed the scoutflies to the Flashbird’s nest, he’d found Savageclaw tracks instead. Back then, when they pursued the cries, the scoutflies hadn't led them to the Flashbird at all, but to Savageclaw. He’d mistaken one for the other.

In truth, they weren’t the same.

The Flashbird just now bore obvious scars on its glowing membrane—a wound left by Tzitzi-Ya-Ku’s crushing strike. This was the original Flashbird!

The Dreadclaw and Savageclaw, whose vision was less developed, were first to recover. The Dreadclaw scrambled up the wall, climbing to the high terrace. Su Yi used his grappling hook to ascend, Dewleaf clinging tightly to his back.

Just as Su Yi pulled himself over the edge, the Savageclaw erupted from below, lunging to attack.

With a furious roar, the Dreadclaw’s right paw gleamed bone-white with energy as it unleashed a full-strength Rending Claw. Just as the Savageclaw was about to bite Su Yi, the Dreadclaw swatted it away.

With a heavy thud, the Savageclaw crashed onto the lower platform. Still blinded, the Deviljho thrashed about in a rage, its massive tail striking the Savageclaw and shoving it toward the edge. The Savageclaw, unable to rise in time, found most of its body dangling over the abyss.

Panicked, the Savageclaw dug its claws into the ground. If it had been firm earth, it might have managed, but the edge of the terrace was made of fragile coral. Its claws only shredded the coral into dust, slipping and sliding with every attempt.

At last, the claws found no purchase, and the Savageclaw, roaring in despair, plummeted into the miasma-shrouded depths below.