Kael naturally had no idea what was happening deep within the Ancient Tree Forest.
At this moment, he was still talking with the Deter chieftain.
As a tribe that had lived in the forest for generations, the Deters possessed a long history and rich traditions. Out of curiosity, Kael began asking about the forest's past and hidden dangers.
"Meow… meowu~"
"At the top of the Ancient Tree lives the god of gales. Do not provoke it. Deep in the forest, near the canyon, there is deadly poisonous mist and invisible monsters. Every few thousand cycles of sun and moon, the forest grows cold. When heat and cold alternate too many times, countless lethal spores will appear…"
The conversation went smoothly, yet it also reignited Kael's sense of crisis.
He could vaguely guess what lay behind those phenomena.
It also matched his own speculation.
As the destination of Elder Dragon crossings, the New World had seen them appear more and more frequently in recent decades. With such dense life energy, it was more than enough to attract various Elder Dragons to settle here.
Not to mention the excellent ecology and extreme adaptability of this land.
But "the god of gales at the treetop"…
Was that Kushala Daora? Or Amatsu?
No wonder the strongest Rathalos he had challenged only stayed near the canopy and never went higher. The summit was occupied by an Elder Dragon.
Yet whether it was Kushala or Amatsu, their presence should bring constant storms.
Even if restrained, wind would always surround them.
But since his arrival, the Ancient Tree had been calm and sunny every day.
He had even flown higher than the canopy more than once and seen nothing unusual.
It was strange.
"Meow! Meow-meow!"
Urgent cries came from the nest entrance.
A scouting Deter rushed in, panic written all over its face, and reported to the chieftain.
The two quickly exchanged information.
Their reaction made Kael uneasy.
Today, Ya Ji was out hunting.
If something was wrong, would it affect her?
Soon, the chieftain turned to him.
"The forest… is in chaos. Many big monsters from the depths have come here. Massacres. Food will be affected. Many lightning wolves are fighting in the lower layers."
The depths were in chaos?
Lightning wolves… Zinogre?
What could possibly force entire Zinogre packs to migrate?
And into the lower layers of the Ancient Tree?
This was bad.
Zinogre had extremely strong territorial instincts.
Their arrival would inevitably clash with the Rathalos.
And Rathalos were weak to lightning.
A bloodbath was inevitable.
Not far from the Ancient Tree, Ya Ji was tearing into a Corythosaur's corpse when the sound of breaking branches caught her attention.
She released her prey and entered a combat stance.
From the forest emerged a massive figure.
It resembled a giant wolf.
On its head were two yellow-brown horn-like structures shaped like wolf ears.
Its body was covered in broad yellow armor plates, fine blue scales, and white fur.
Its muscular forelimbs were wrapped in thick, bracer-like scales.
Around its white mane, Thunderbugs swirled.
At nearly seventeen meters long, it radiated overwhelming pressure.
Its hostile eyes locked onto Ya Ji as it advanced cautiously.
"ROAR!"
Facing such blatant aggression, Ya Ji's venomous spines stood erect.
Her hind legs tensed.
Wing patterns spread.
No need for words.
Fight!
A terrifying green charging attack surged forward like an unstoppable juggernaut, kicking up dust.
The Zinogre intended to block her with its powerful arms.
But the moment they collided, its muscles screamed in overload.
In disbelief, it watched her wing spines rip through its scales and sink deep into flesh.
Then it was driven straight into the forest, smashing tree after tree.
When it crashed down, its forelimbs were nearly broken.
Blood poured from the gaping wound in its chest like a ruptured pipe.
It couldn't understand.
It truly couldn't.
Was this a Flying Wyvern or a Brute Wyvern?
A Rathian… how could it have such terrifying strength?
One charge had nearly destroyed it.
Because of one mistake, it was now too injured even to stimulate its electric organs.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Before it could rise halfway, a massive force stomped it into the ground.
With a piercing roar, bones shattered.
Purple-tinged flames erupted.
Its consciousness sank into darkness.
Ya Ji spread her wings and took to the sky.
Like a queen, she surveyed her surroundings before flying back toward the Ancient Tree.
By now, chaos had erupted.
In the lower layers, several Anjanath confronted Zinogre.
Nargacuga lurked in the shadows, ready to strike.
Hundreds of Rathalos and Rathian descended, circling above and roaring at the invaders.
But Zinogre, Nargacuga, and other scattered giants refused to retreat.
They were determined to seize territory.
Jagras clung to tree trunks.
The massive tempered Great Jagras led several others, watching from afar.
No matter who won, it wouldn't matter to them.
As bottom-tier giants, they had no right to join such battles.
Scattered Deters hurried back to their homes, trembling as they waited for the war's outcome.
This was a war of species.
It would not end in days.
This abnormal migration turned the forest into chaos.
Everywhere, life-and-death battles erupted.
Herbivores sensed danger and fled.
Food shortages followed.
When prey ran out, carnivores turned on each other.
The slaughter escalated.
The entire ecosystem of the Ancient Tree Forest was being torn apart.
And yet, the First Fleet Investigation Team was still searching the Wildspire Waste for traces of Kulve Taroth, completely unaware of the disaster unfolding here.
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