Once more, the Duramboros's back burst into flames.
Perhaps because the hump had been repeatedly assaulted, the fat stored within melted under the high temperature, leaking out as oil that soaked the soil and moss on the Duramboros's back. This time, the fire was even fiercer than before.
Stimulated by the instinctive fear of flames, the Duramboros struggled with increasing intensity.
For reasons unknown, the black mist shrouding its back and legs grew denser. The already abnormally swollen muscles further activated, twitching and pulsing as they continued to expand, even splitting apart the thick, armor-like keratinous hide, revealing the dark red muscle beneath.
Isis brought her Gunlance down upon a crack dozens of centimeters wide. The heavily engorged muscle couldn't be called fragile, but it certainly wasn't as tough as the layered hide.
The cutting blade at the front of the barrel easily sank deep into the muscle. As muscle fibers and blood vessels were severed, gushing blood splattered across Isis's gray-white armor.
Yet the Duramboros seemed to feel no pain whatsoever. Leveraging the greatly enhanced physical capabilities from its muscle activation, it swiftly rose to its feet.
And its next move confirmed Altaïr's earlier suspicion.
Ignoring its body's exhaustion, disregarding the Hunters' attacks, the Duramboros forcefully swung its massive tail, shifted its body, and began spinning faster.
This time, Altaïr saw clearly: the Duramboros's hooves were firmly planted, unmoving. This meant it was about to unleash the signature move of its species, the roundslash.
It intended to use this method to extinguish the fire on its back!
Doing a quick mental calculation, Altaïr knew the Ammo with the Gunners and Sajji was running low. Not planning to take further risks, he was about to call for his companions to retreat when he heard a shout from Isis.
"It can be interrupted!"
She planted her Large Shield in the ground, took a Wyrmstake Cannon stake from behind, and loaded it into the Gunlance's chamber. "The swollen muscle areas have cracks; the hitzone isn't bad!"
Altaïr instantly understood her intent.
Whether one is cautious and careful in battle or aggressive and adventurous, neither is inherently wrong; it's all about on-the-spot judgment. But the worst thing is indecision, hesitation, and conflicting opinions.
If he had suggested retreat first, even if Isis wanted to attack, she would have immediately chosen to withdraw. The reverse was also true.
Now that Isis had proposed a reasonable offensive plan, Altaïr would also choose to cooperate actively.
"Nymera, you two fall back first!" Altaïr raised his shield before him, pressing against the wind pressure generated by the Duramboros's spinning body, and charged toward its leg.
Nymera and Sajji didn't hesitate either, immediately retreating.
Trying to target the cracks on the leg of a rapidly spinning Duramboros wouldn't be easy. Plus, the wind pressure would affect the trajectory of the Bowgun Ammo, creating a high risk of accidentally hitting teammates. It was better to withdraw from the battlefield first.
In the few seconds it took Altaïr to struggle closer, Isis had already completed her attack preparation.
"Wyvern's Fire!"
"BOOM!!!"
The thunderous roar of the erupting blastfire drowned out the howling wind in their ears. Under the heavy impact, the rapidly spinning Duramboros's body visibly wobbled.
Like a top kicked during stable rotation, its center of gravity began to shift and destabilize. Sliding back from the recoil, Isis immediately charged forward again, plunging her Gunlance into the split hide and pulling the trigger.
"Full Burst!"
Altaïr, approaching from another direction, finally entered attack range as well. He lowered his center of gravity, tensed his muscles to Charge, and the next second, he lunged forward.
The Sword and Shield in his hand unleashed a ferocious power unbecoming of such a light weapon, with one strike following another, slashing into the fissure.
At the same moment, Isis thrust her Gunlance forward, driving a Wyrmstake Cannon into the deepest part of the Tail Hammer's leg wound.
Having suffered multiple heavy blows in a short span of time, the Duramboros, which had been barely maintaining its balance, could no longer stabilize its center of gravity. Its massive inertia almost instantly yanked it over, toppling it to the ground.
"Meow!"
Clawdia, who had never actually retreated but had burrowed underground to hide, jumped out immediately. She tried to scramble into the wound on the Monster's hump to scratch wildly, only to be blocked by the rekindled flames.
Instinctively, Isis also wanted to charge forward for another attack but was stopped by Altaïr.
"Let's hold it here for now. Head back to resupply, we're withdrawing!"
Isis felt a pang of regret, but she knew that once the Duramboros regained its footing, it would almost certainly fall into a furious rage. By then, retreating would require considerable effort, and they might even find themselves in danger.
"Clawdia, let's go!"
Hearing Isis's call, Clawdia reluctantly gave up the hard-won opportunity to attack the Monster's weak point and chased after the Hunters, withdrawing from the battlefield.
—--
Amid the forest of giant trees, only a Duramboros remained, its body covered in wounds, its back still ablaze with raging fire, howling incessantly in fury.
As the apex predator of this region, where few other Large Monsters could be seen within a radius of dozens of kilometers, the Hunter party returned to their temporary camp without incident or alarm.
Normally, Altaïr and Isis rarely disengaged from their target mid-hunt to return to camp for rest and resupply.
After all, Blademasters usually just needed to take out a Whetstone and sharpen their weapon. But this time, their party included a Gunner, and if a Gunner exhausted their Ammo, they truly couldn't do anything at all.
"Hup!"
Entering the tidied wooden cabin, Isis plopped down onto an old, broken crate serving as a stool.
With a series of crisp *crack* sounds, the poor crate shattered under her weight.
Altaïr and Nymera both looked over. Isis's face flushed red, so she simply settled cross-legged on the floor, muttering, "It's the armor... the armor is too heavy..."
Then, she bowed her head, broke open her Gunlance, and began loading Shells into it, one by one.
Unlike the Bowgun Ammo or arrows used by Gunners, the Shells for Gunlances are cylindrical and relatively small in size, allowing multiple shells to be loaded at once. They are then chambered by swinging the weapon. (Note)
Otherwise, with one hand holding a Large Shield and the other a Gunlance, there would be no way to perform rapid reloads during combat.
The alloy stake for the Wyrmstake Blast requires separate loading. These stakes are massive and very heavy; a Gunlance user can only carry three or four at a time. Thus, they are used only during crucial moments.
Otherwise, they'd have to run back and forth between camp and hunting grounds like the Gunners.
Sharpening weapons, checking mechanical structures, loading Ammo, replenishing magazines... Only after these most important tasks were completed did everyone begin to eat. Starting a fire to cook a meal now would be far too leisurely. Fortunately, they had prepared dry rations in advance.
Under Nymera's expectant gaze, Isis and Altaïr both retrieved their Bunny Dango wrapped in leaves with rather mixed expressions. They ate them in a few bites, quickly filling their stomachs.
Though the flavor was somewhat cloyingly sweet, it was still better than a ration, better than a ration.
Altaïr consoled himself inwardly.
"Tea? It's cold, though." Nymera lifted her water skin, offering it to the two.
"...Thank you, but not for now. I'm more accustomed to drinking plain water." Politely declining, Altaïr took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "We'll set out after half an hour of rest. We can't give the prey too long a break."
With that, the Hunters helped each other relax their muscles and adjust their condition.
Clawdia sat beside Isis, sharpening her claw blade with a grating "shing-shang" sound. Sajji, meanwhile, kept circling his Rathalos Model-07 with tools like a wrench in hand.
Under the strain of high-intensity combat, Model-07 had proven its reliability, but many of its connectors had inevitably suffered breaks or loosening.
For Sajji, adjusting the condition of the cannon cart was far more important than adjusting his own condition.
Soon, the half hour was nearly up. Altaïr stood.
"You've all noticed it too, that Duramboros isn't normal. That mysterious black mist, the abnormally active muscles... Have any of you seen something similar before?"
Isis and Nymera shook their heads in unison. Altaïr wasn't particularly disappointed; he'd only asked casually.
Unexpectedly, Clawdia, who had been sharpening her claws, suddenly spoke up. "I saw it twice during my training with Father, meow."
Everyone looked at her. Altaïr asked with a hint of excitement, "What was that phenomenon?"
Clawdia set aside her now gleaming claw blade, licked her paw, and said, "Don't know, meow. Just heard Father and the others mention something about 'fury' or the like, meow. Seems they become more dangerous than ordinary Monsters, meow. I didn't ask for details, meow."
"...I should have known."
Altaïr was well aware of Clawdia's tendency not to think too hard. He sighed and continued, "Engaging it head-on carries great risk. A single mistake could cost us our lives. We need to be more... cautious.
Our next fight will revolve around one thing: setting the Duramboros on fire.
Isis, you and I don't need to worry about dealing damage. Just hold the Duramboros's attention briefly. Sajji, bring plenty of Incendiary Rounds. Coordinate with Nymera to light it up, then we retreat."
"Retreat immediately?" Isis asked for confirmation.
"Yes, retreat immediately. The Duramboros will put out the flames by spinning in a roundslash. Once it's done, we'll return and set it on fire again. It shouldn't be able to withstand many rounds like that."
"I agree." Nymera nodded. "The Duramboros's hump has already shriveled considerably; we've burned most of it away.
The remaining fat probably isn't enough to sustain it in prolonged, high-intensity combat. There's no need for us to take risks."
"Alright." Isis nodded. Though she preferred more "straightforward" combat methods, reason told her Altaïr's tactics were the most correct and safest choice.
All she could do was apologize silently to that Duramboros in her heart.
(Translated by yourtl.app)