Completely ignoring the herbivores that fled at the sight of it, the Anjanath scanned the area before locking eyes on a particularly well-hidden section of forest.
He carefully lifted his foot and crept into the jungle. Only after his massive form was completely hidden by the foliage did he turn around, eyes gleaming as he stared at the clearing with two shallow ponds not far away. He was going to give that fledgling wyvern a huge surprise the next time it came to hunt!
A long-awaited reunion—it was bound to be delightful!
Just thinking of the image of that fledgling scrambling away in panic made the Anjanath grit its teeth in fury, hot breath snorting from its nostrils.
And it had made no mistake—this was indeed one of Logan's hunting grounds. But only one of them.
The Anjanath crouched hidden in the underbrush for two full days. It even managed to suppress its bloodline-fueled temper, just for the chance to ambush Logan.
Do you have any idea how miserable it was for a creature of its size to hide in this cramped little fern-covered jungle?
Fortunately, after all that waiting, something was finally happening.
Logan burst out from the trees, chasing after a Mosswine. With a flap of his wings, he leapt into the air and stomped down hard, pinning the creature beneath his feet. His razor-sharp claws sank deep into its flesh, and with a sharp cry of fear, the Mosswine had its neck snapped in one clean bite.
Today really was his lucky day.
Originally, he had just planned to come here and hunt an herbivore—but to his surprise, he'd stumbled upon a Mosswine gnawing happily on mushrooms. The thing was quite alert, and his first dive had actually missed.
Fortunately, startled by the sudden attack, the Mosswine had blindly fled straight into the open clearing.
With no trees to block him, Logan caught it instantly. Looked like it was going to be a bonus meal today!
[Rustle… rustle rustle…]
Just as he was preparing to take off with the Mosswine in his claws, Logan suddenly felt his Acceleration Trait activate. Alarmed, he lifted his head and scanned his surroundings.
He released the now-lifeless Mosswine, wings lightly fanning as he prepared to launch into the air at a moment's notice.
Unaware that it had already been discovered, the Anjanath continued to creep forward on tiptoe. It knew exactly how fast Logan was—if it didn't close the distance first, the fledgling might escape from its jaws again.
Logan slowly retreated, focusing his senses. He roughly estimated the enemy's location—it was across the clearing, hidden within the jungle. But he still couldn't determine from which direction the ambush would come.
If he attempted to fly without knowing what kind of wyvern he was dealing with, he might be intercepted mid-air—and that would be even more dangerous.
Closer… closer...
The Anjanath could almost taste the sweet scent of blood.
[Crack!]
A sharp snap echoed from beneath its foot—the sound of a twig breaking.
At that moment, the Anjanath had only just poked out half its head, relying on its natural camouflage.
But the sound gave it away.
At the same time, Logan's eyes locked onto it, zeroing in with precision.
For a moment, the two wyverns stared each other down, eyes locked in silence. A faint sense of awkwardness seemed to linger in the air.
Logan gave the Anjanath a long, deep look—then, just like that, turned around and left without the slightest hesitation, as if reliving that day.
"Mother of Wyverns! What the hell is an Anjanath doing here?!"
"ROAR!!"
The Anjanath let out a thunderous roar in response.
This time—for sure—it was going to kill him!
Logan never expected that after all this time, he'd come face to face once more with the same Anjanath that had nearly ended his life. But what he really couldn't wrap his head around was this: the Ancient Forest was massive—how did this Anjanath end up over here?
And what were the odds of running into it again, like this?
Was it fate?
Oh, come on. He was a Rathalos, not the Hunter from Astera. And this thing was just a particularly big Anjanath—it's not like it was some legendary companion like that meaty floof (Nergigante) who followed the Hunter to the ends of the world. Where was the 'fate' in that?
Besides, Logan couldn't think of anything he'd done to provoke it—aside from accidentally stumbling into its territory. But it had ambushed him, went berserk right from the start, flames and all—was he being punished by the wyvern gods or something?
What next? Was it going to activate its thermal exhaust membrane too?
Why was it this pissed off?
Logan had no answers—but there wasn't time to dwell on the question either. Taking off required time, and the Anjanath clearly wasn't about to give him that luxury. So, for now, Logan did the only thing he could.
He ran.
But he hadn't even made it a few steps when a hot, foul-smelling gust blasted from behind. No need to look back—Logan flapped his wings and pulled off a sharp turn with an agility no grounded Rathalos should ever possess.
The snapping clash of jaws and a fiery explosion rang out just behind him. The Anjanath had missed, but wasn't discouraged. It had seen just how nimble this juvenile Rathalos could be—Logan had already shown he could navigate even dense jungle terrain with speed and finesse. Dodging with a sharp turn was expected.
But the next strike would be the killing blow!
The Anjanath's thick legs flexed. Its thermal membranes expanded with a hiss, releasing a crimson vapor. Muscles swelled across its upper body, veins bulged beneath its skin, and its mouth now emitted actual flames, not just sparks.
Its movements slowed—it was building up strength. Those blood-red eyes locked onto Logan, not far ahead, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Then—like a spring being released—it launched itself forward.
The Anjanath shot through the air like a cannonball, jaws wide open, flames roiling in its throat, the very air around it shimmering with heat.
[CRACK!]
The clean, sharp sound of jaws snapping shut echoed across the forest, followed by a blast of fire erupting from the built-up charge. A wave of heat surged outward in all directions.
The enormous body couldn't stop itself. Carried by its own momentum, it crashed to the ground and tumbled forward several times before finally staggering back to its feet.
Logan had narrowly escaped into the sky just in time. His heart pounded as he looked down at the scorched ground where the bite had landed—there was now a deep crater, the result of the blast. All moisture had evaporated from the area, and the surrounding grass was charred black.
He could hardly believe it—if he hadn't dodged in time, would he have been split clean in two?
The Anjanath got back up and looked at Logan flying in the air—and its whole soul ached with frustration.
What the hell?! With that body size, how could he fly?!
It didn't make sense. Just a month ago, this guy was a grounded chicken—and now he was flying? And that fast?!
"Heh, I can fly now~!"
Logan, still alive and very smug about it, yelled gleefully from above. His loud, mocking roars were nothing but taunts aimed squarely at the grounded brute below.
And truth be told, it was a fact. On paper, Anjanath and Rathalos were considered roughly on the same tier. But in reality, Rathalos had one critical advantage: flight.
In battle, the Rathalos often emerged victorious. After all, if it couldn't win, it could just fly away. But if the Anjanath lost?
Well… tough luck.
Logan's smug taunts sent the Anjanath into a blind rage. Its fury devoured the last of its reason.
It clamped its jaws shut and began charging power once more—its neck glowed faintly, the heat within it rising to dangerous levels.
In his previous life, Logan had been a seasoned hunted—not a hunter. So when it came to 'small creatures' like Anjanath, even if he hadn't mastered every move, he still had a solid understanding of their patterns.
Staying calm, he focused on widening the distance, timed it just right, then gave a sharp flap of his wings—his entire body tilted off to the side.
[Whoosh!]
A jet-like column of fire brushed past him, barely missing. In the next second, Logan twisted midair into a graceful barrel roll, narrowly evading another sweeping flame burst aimed right at him.
Just when Logan thought it was over, the Anjanath's crimson eyes flared wide. With a stomp of its powerful hind legs, it braced itself against the recoil with sheer muscle strength—and redirected the flame column mid-attack.
"What the hell?! That's low! You're ambushing a poor baby wyvern that's not even two months old!"
Relying on the speed boost from his Powerhouse Trait, Logan dodged again—just barely.
With a powerful beat of his wings, he soared even higher into the sky.
Now, the Anjanath's 'jet flame' couldn't reach him at all.
Its only ranged attack rendered useless, the Anjanath gave up wasting stamina. Instead, it stood there, glaring skyward with bloodshot eyes full of rage—as if Logan had murdered its entire family.
Logan had no idea why this thing was so worked up—but he'd remember this day!
He gave the Anjanath one last glare from above, then turned and flew off without a second glance, yelling with his still-immature voice in frustration.
Left behind, the Anjanath had nowhere to vent its fury. It let out a final roar, spitting a long jet of flame straight into the sky.
Looking back from afar, Logan couldn't help but think:
Wow… what a dignified wyvern.
Seeing me leave, and still sending off fireworks to mark the occasion.
Although the Anjanath's ambush had ended without incident, Logan knew full well—these things were notorious for holding grudges. Now that it had moved into this area, he'd have to abandon the hunting grounds here for the time being. He didn't want a rage-fueled brute stalking him every time he tried to hunt.
As for the future... well, the New World was full of surprises. By the time Logan grew stronger, maybe this Anjanath would've already dropped dead in some forgotten corner.
This encounter couldn't even be called a real battle—one chased, the other ran, and it barely lasted any time at all. It hadn't really delayed Logan's hunt... though it was a shame that Mosswine ended up as a free snack for the Anjanath.
Hunting days were always pleasant. Ever since Logan stopped returning to that zone, nothing particularly dangerous had happened. Aki's wounds were also healing rapidly thanks to good nutrition. And once she learned about the powerful Anjanath that had shown up nearby, she wisely decided not to go poking at it.
There were plenty of hunting grounds out there, full of resources, and with territories spaced far apart. What they needed to do was survive well—and keep growing stronger.
And so, the days passed peacefully.
Far across the sea, a massive dragonbone ship cut through the waves, chasing the trail of an Elder Dragon crossing.
Its heading was clear: this very New World!