Oben's blade struck the beast's stomach true. However, that didn't mean that his blade penetrated. The first thing that Oben noticed was that the lizard's flesh didn't feel ordinary. It didn't feel as though he had thrust through the flesh of an animal. No, it felt entirely wrong. As though he was thrusting into a thick slab of rubber, his blade was instantly slowed by how thick the lizard's hide and flesh was. His blade was partially stuck 4 inches within the beast's midsection. And without a considerable amount of effort towards pulling it out, his blade would remain stuck.