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Chapter 100 The Spiked Lion
Chapter 100 The Spiked Lion
"Wait—can you smell it? That stench of decay seems stronger than before? And it's spreading too?"
Just then, Melissa, who had been silent all along, suddenly took a deep sniff of the air, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and a look of vigilance appeared on her face.
She was going through a "special period," and certain physiological changes made her sense of smell several times more acute than ever before.
At this moment, in her perception, the putrid stench of death and decay that had only been faintly lingering around the corpse spread and intensified rapidly, like ink being dropped into water, almost enveloping the entire surrounding woodland area!
Melissa's words instantly awakened everyone.
Xia Lin immediately focused her mind and carefully adjusted her subtle breathing.
Sure enough! The previous stench seemed to emanate from a fixed source, but the current stench permeating the air was much stronger...
The almost nauseating stench had a source that seemed to be not singular, and was also mobile!
More importantly, the source of this even more "powerful" scent was now right above everyone's heads. "Above!" Xia Lin shouted, suddenly looking up.
Almost simultaneously, a huge shadow, like a physical curtain, suddenly covered the clearing in the woods where they were!
The already sparse light was further deprived, and the surroundings instantly fell into a chilling darkness.
Everyone looked up in unison—
Above them, in the canopy of trees about ten meters high, a huge figure was silently suspended, casting a suffocating shadow.
Xia Lin didn't know how to describe the shape; it looked more like a hybrid of a lion and a wyvern.
The monster had a body as strong as a lion, covered with dark brown, messy mane-like fur, but on its shoulder blades grew a pair of huge, dragon-like skin-like membranous wings, which were now slowly flapping to maintain its hovering posture.
What is most striking is its unusually thick and long tail, covered with keratinous barbs, the tip of which gleams with an ominous light, like the stinger of a scorpion poised to strike.
【Serial Number: 017—Spiky-Tailed Lion】
Appearance: Possesses a strong, lion-like body covered in short, dark yellow to reddish-brown fur, with a pair of enormous leathery wings on its back and a sharp, barbed venomous stinger at the end of its tail. It is approximately 3 meters long (excluding the tail) and is a large wild monster.
Appendix: Information on Mutants/Regional Subspecies: Desert Piercer: A subspecies that inhabits hot deserts. Its fur is close to sandy yellow, and its venom has dehydrating and nerve-paralyzing effects, allowing it to briefly lurk underground in the sand.
Forest Wing Lurker: A subspecies active in ancient, dense forests. Its mottled plumage provides excellent camouflage, and its wing structure allows for brief, agile gliding attacks among the trees.
Personality: A cunning, patient, and ruthless top ambush hunter. Known as the "Winged Tyrant," he has an extremely strong possessive desire for his territory and will systematically eliminate or hunt large creatures within his area.
Danger Level: Extremely High. Its ability to fly, its formidable physical strength, and its deadly venomous stinger combine to make it a terrifying predator capable of threatening an entire squad. A hit from its stinger can result in paralysis or rapid death.
Common habitats: barren hills, rocky mountains, vast desert edges, and open areas of ancient forests. Prefers terrain with good visibility, facilitating takeoff and dive attacks.
The archivist noted: "It is no ordinary beast, but a simplified, flying, venomous version of a 'wyvern.' In encounters, open terrain is its domain. If hunting tracks are detected (usually, decaying carcasses are particularly attractive to the spiked lion), the best course of action is to detour."
If battle is unavoidable, limit its maneuverability and remain constantly vigilant against deadly aerial dives. Remember, its tail stinger is more dangerous than its fangs.
The lion-like head of the monster in mid-air was lowered, its amber vertical pupils coldly looking down at the four people below. It made a low and threatening "grunt" sound from its throat, mixed with the sticky sound of saliva dripping down, and its body exuded an extremely strong stench of decaying corpses and the stench of ferocious beasts!
"It's a spiny lion!"
The experienced Kyle immediately recognized the dangerous predator, his voice rising sharply with unprecedented seriousness, "A flying monster that likes to launch surprise attacks from high places! Watch out for the spikes it fires from its tail!"
"Caw! This thing's a scavenger; it was probably attracted by the fragrance of that unfortunate adventurer on the ground." Woody the raven flapped its wing on Xia Lin's shoulder, its tone filled with disgust. "To deal with it, we need to cripple its troublesome wings first! Make it unable to fly!"
As if to prove their judgment, the spiky-tailed lion that was swooping down from mid-air suddenly swung its thick, long, spiky tail!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several sharp tail spikes, each about an inch long and gleaming with an eerie light, shot towards the four people on the ground like arrows being fired!
"Roar!" Garu, the orc, roared. Without dodging or avoiding, he swung his heavy double-edged axe with both hands. The broad axe blade flashed with dark light in front of him. With a few crisp "clangs", he accurately deflected the tail spikes that were shot at him.
Xia Lin reacted extremely quickly, almost the instant the tail spike pierced the air, he judged the trajectory of the other cluster—the target was Melissa, who was retreating and trying to find cover!
He pushed off with his feet, lunged forward, and raised his scale shield on his left arm in time.
"Knock knock!"
The stinger pierced the shield with a dull thud, the force of which numbed Xia Lin's arm, but managed to protect the priest behind him.
On the other side, the wanderer Kyle displayed astonishing agility.
She didn't even move much; she simply lowered her shoulders slightly and twisted her waist at an incredible angle. Her body, covered in fine scales, gracefully dodged the tail spikes that were aimed at her, just like a fish swimming in water. The spikes grazed the edge of her leather armor and embedded themselves in the tree trunk behind her.
The unsuccessful raid clearly angered the predator in the sky.
The spiky-tailed lion in the air let out a deafening roar, its wings flapped violently, and its massive body, like a boulder thrown by a catapult, swooped down towards Melissa, the most "appetizing" of the four people on the ground, with a chilling whooshing sound!
That deadly stinger, like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, had already set its sights on its target!
Before the words were even finished, the spiky lion's tail, covered in barbs and gleaming with a cold light, lashed out like a poisonous whip, whistling through the air, and hurtled towards the four people below!
The purpose of diversifying their targets was clearly to disrupt their formation.
The orc Garu roared, neither dodging nor avoiding, but instead took a step forward to meet the spiked tail. He swung his heavy double-edged axe from bottom to top, and the broad axe blade accurately blocked the lashing tail spike!