MHGA Chapter 329 – Disgusting Vitality (Hunter)
"!"
Seeing Naofumi Iwatani get stabbed through the chest by Altair's attack with their own eyes made Celesia, Rui Kanoya, and the others all panic.
None of them expected someone to be critically wounded by the Military Uniform Princess this quickly.
As the military saber stabbed into his chest, blood surged up from Naofumi Iwatani's lungs, rebounded through his windpipe, and burst out from his throat.
He stumbled and dropped to one knee, using the massive shield of Bazelgeuse's carapace in his hand to support himself.
"Damn it."
Seeing Naofumi in this state, Rui Kanoya's massive unit immediately picked up a nearby building and hurled it straight toward Altair.
Naofumi wasn't dead yet. If they could just stall Altair for a moment and get someone to heal him, maybe he could still be saved.
However, the building Rui Kanoya threw was effortlessly split in half by Altair with some unknown chapter, of Holopsicon.
Not only that, Altair then lunged toward Naofumi Iwatani, clearly intending to press the advantage and take him out for good…
But just as she was nearly upon him, Naofumi Iwatani—military saber still embedded in his chest—suddenly stood up with a grin on his face.
Blood still clung to the corner of his mouth from what he had just coughed up, but the Bazelgeuse Shield in his hand had already regrown a thin layer of explosive scales. Facing the Military Uniform Princess's charge, Naofumi slammed his fist into the shield.
With the impact, the droplet-shaped explosive scales instantly showed signs of turning red-hot, then began to swell—followed by a violent explosion.
The shockwave, reflected off the shield, blasted straight toward Altair. In her surprised gaze, the explosive force forced her to retreat.
Naofumi Iwatani, meanwhile, yanked the military saber out from his chest.
As the blade came free from the wound, the edges of the gash even twitched slightly, as if trying to heal on their own.
Such an injury alone… wasn't enough to take Naofumi Iwatani off the board.
Ever since becoming a Hunter, he had acquired a grotesque level of vitality—something so excessive it was almost revolting, surpassing even cockroaches. Ordinary wounds no longer had much effect on Hunters.
Naofumi was at a loss for words. He was becoming less and less human. As Kairo Retsu put it, all Hunters eventually turn into bipedal, terrifying Rajang-types.
If he were still just the Shield Hero, a military saber to the chest might really have been the end of him.
But now…
Naofumi casually tossed the saber aside, then pulled a Recovery Potion from his shield and poured it down his throat. The supposedly fatal wound on his chest closed up in an instant.
"I already know my own story. And you've read it too, haven't you?"
The shield in Naofumi's hand began to transform again: "I don't die that easily."
He lifted the shield and, hiding his face behind it, took a shallow breath.
For a moment, he'd thought he was really going to cart. Fortunately, his defense stats were still solid.
Still…
Naofumi looked down at his chest.
He hadn't noticed Altair's attack at all in that moment.
Such pinpoint strikes—if not dealt with immediately—could take out any member of their side, no question.
The reason Altair hadn't just outright eliminated them before was likely the same as in the original Re:CREATORS story: she still sought to generate more Acceptance Force from this struggle, using it to achieve her goal.
Kairo Retsu probably understood that too. So… what exactly was his plan to resolve the problem that was Altair, the Military Uniform Princess?
Naofumi was uneasy, but until the final outcome came, he chose to trust his comrades. For now, he would face Altair—draw her into a spectacular confrontation to stall her, and ensure that no one else would fall.
"Come on."
Naofumi gripped his shield tightly: "If I'm going to be the Shield Hero, then I'd better at least have the qualities of a real hero."
While chaos erupted around Altair, the members at the event venue watched through the cameras already installed inside the Birdcage, observing the battle as it was broadcasted live.
Madoka, the only non-combatant yet to fully take shape, was witnessing everyone else's battles, while also watching the clash between Kairo Retsu and Gore Magala, pondering the things Kairo had said earlier about Hunters and nature.
On the other side, Mamika, Kazuma, and Sakura had just located someone closely tied to Altair's creator Setsuna Shimazaki—Sota Mizushino, the protagonist of Re:CREATORS.
In the original story, it was at this very event that Makagami Chikujouin found Sota Mizushino and gave him some support, allowing him to overcome the constraints of Acceptance Force and create the story avatar of Setsuna Shimazaki.
That's why Kazuma's group didn't immediately jump into the fray—instead, relying on Kazuma's Stealth skill, they stayed hidden and observed everything unfold.
The conversation between Makagami Chikujouin and Sota Mizushino could affect the outcome of the battle with Altair, which was why Kairo Retsu had specifically sent Kazuma there.
Just as Makagami used her Lie Reversal ability to bring out Yuuya's Stand and help solve the Acceptance Force problem, a mass of vines erupted from the ground and bound Makagami in place as she tried to leave.
This unexpected development startled Sota Mizushino, and then he saw Mamika and the others emerge from the shadows.
Sakura was holding the Wood Card, which she had used to summon the vines that restrained Makagami. In her other hand was the Silent Card.
Facing Makagami Chikujouin, who could reverse lies at any moment, Sakura looked extremely tense… especially after remembering that this purple-haired girl had not only killed her own creator, but also murdered an innocent stranger unrelated to her.
"Mamika-san! That's impossible, you—" Sota Mizushino was shocked at the sight of Mamika and tried to say something, but was immediately silenced by Kazuma, who pounced and clamped a hand over his mouth: "Oi! What the hell are you thinking?! You know what Makagami Chikujouin's ability is!"
Once someone identifies a statement as a lie and knows it's a lie, Makagami can instantly reverse that lie and make it come true… regardless of the medium—even written lies can manifest.
So Kazuma really couldn't understand.
Why not just ambush the purple-haired psycho right away and be done with it? Why was everyone wasting time talking to her?! Her powers were practically written all over her face!
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