Altaïr felt that his role in this battle was about as impactful as a Palico's.
The application of Spirit Gauge and Spirit Blade is the key to Long Sword swordsmanship. Without using the Spirit Gauge, the damage he could inflict on the target was extremely limited.
As a purely offensive weapon, the Long Sword, once its offense was restricted, had arguably lost its greatest strength.
Altaïr tried to provide support with Flash Pods and Sonic Bombs, but their effect on the Apex Estrellian was very limited. Worse, they risked diverting its attention and disrupting Lord Fabius's rhythm of containment.
He then tried setting up a trap.
The Apex Estrellian avoided it, as expected, and immediately afterward sent out a Star Butterfly, which blasted the traps and gadgets to smithereens.
Just as Altaïr was circling around, agonizing over how to provide more meaningful assistance to his comrades, he suddenly saw Clawdia approaching at a run on all fours.
Clawdia's combat style was very similar to his own, even down to activating Beast Mode when launching a full-on assault. He suddenly felt a bit curious about what Clawdia would do.
Then he watched Clawdia dash up close, hoist the Rakna-Kadaki No. 3 with clumsy paws to deploy, secure, and aim it, and fire a One-shot Binder straight into the Apex Estrellian's back.
Altaïr: "?"
Wait, how are you using Sajji's gear?!
Clawdia, manipulating the Rakna-Kadaki No. 3, clicked her tongue in a "tsk"; she'd missed her mark.
Although she was a typical fight-type Palico rather than an Assist Cat, her extensive combat experience meant she naturally knew exactly where a One-shot Binder should hit for maximum effect.
It was obvious: joints, the inner roots of limbs, and other areas where pain is acute, leverage is poor, and mobility would be most severely compromised. The back was clearly not one of those spots.
She'd actually been aiming for the thigh, but the target shifted its body the moment she fired, throwing the shot wide.
As the Apex Estrellian leaped, the rope of the One-shot Binder instantly snapped taut, and the anchoring stakes that the Rakna-Kadaki No. 3 had driven into the ground were wrenched up more than halfway.
Sensing its movement hindered, the Apex Estrellian glanced back behind it, then surged with power from limbs and body.
As a giant beast nearly twenty-five meters in length, its strength was staggering.
The rope, braided and wound from Ironsilk threads, was sturdy enough to withstand the tremendous force without snapping, but the Rakna-Kadaki No. 3 was forcibly ripped from the earth, dangling from the Apex Estrellian's body like an inconspicuous trinket.
Clawdia stared blankly. The Rakna-Kadaki No. 3 was just… gone. That guy Sajji wouldn't cry about this, would he?
Altaïr was also a bit speechless. All he could say was that Clawdia was a fight-type Palico, after all, and her timing in using the One-shot Binder was hardly optimal.
Unlike Sajji, who could always use a One-shot Binder to disrupt a target's balance at a critical moment.
Just as the human and cat, whose only shortcomings lay in everything outside of pure offense, fell into silence, a sharp shriek of something slicing through wind came from the sky.
Altaïr and Clawdia reacted simultaneously, dodging sideways, but the attack wasn't aimed at them at all.
A heavy ballista bolt, forged entirely of steel and more closely resembling a harpoon or short spear than an arrow, shot down with terrifying force. It successfully breached the carapace on the Apex Estrellian's flank, sinking deep inside. Nearly half of its meter-plus shaft was buried within. Given the Apex Estrellian's sheer size, such depth was not enough to damage its internal organs, but the arrowhead, lined with sharp barbs, lodged deep into its muscles, drawing an involuntary cry of pain from the beast.
Immediately after, a second ballista bolt slammed into its back.
Altaïr couldn't help but pump his fist.
Now that's more like it! The Airship had so much heavy firepower; they should be attacking more aggressively!
Cannons and Machine Cannons had wide coverage areas and were prone to causing collateral damage, not to mention...
Weapons like the Heavy Ballista had a projectile velocity far slower than a cannonball. From launch to target impact took roughly a second. Even if a bolt was fired straight at them, they had the confidence to react and dodge it. They could let those bolts fly without a trace of worry!
Glancing at the Airship sweeping past at low altitude, Fabius gave a scoffing laugh.
The Ballista attack wasn't part of the original plan. But then again, the original plan hadn't included the instantaneous annihilation of all the defense force knights either.
If the Guild Knights aboard the Airship could make decisions based on the evolving situation on the ground, he would only be pleased. His sole complaint was that their reaction speed was, admittedly, a little too slow.
"Isis, pull back and wait for an opening." Fabius deflected an attack with his shield, thrust his lance in retaliation, and issued the order in a low shout.
The other two were fast, with wide observation angles, so he didn't need to worry about them being accidentally hit by the ballista bolts firing down periodically.
Isis, however, as a Gunlance user, was slow to move and had a limited field of view. Furthermore, many of her attack animations were difficult to interrupt mid-way. She was the only one at risk of being struck by a stray bolt, and her position severely restricted the firing line. It was better to have her withdraw for the time being.
Receiving the command, Isis disengaged without hesitation and immediately retreated.
Once she withdrew, only Fabius remained posted directly in front of the Apex Estrellian. The firing angle instantly opened up, and the Heavy Ballista aboard the Airship significantly increased its rate of fire.
In just a few short minutes, over a dozen more ballista bolts sprouted from the Apex Estrellian's body. Blood continuously trickled along the grooves in the shafts, then dripped through the gaps in its carapace.
It tried to leap up and swat at the Airship flying low overhead, but the ship's helmsman was extremely cautious, never letting its altitude drop below fifty meters. This was far beyond the reach of the Apex Estrellian.
It also tried unleashing Star Butterflies to attack, but there was no shortage of Gunners both on the ground and aboard the Airship. A handful of Star Butterflies trying to breach the barrage of fire to hit the ship wouldn't find it easy.
The Apex Estrellian, which had projected an overbearing presence from the moment it appeared, finally felt the urge to flee. Fabius, keenly sensing this, immediately intensified his offensive, attempting to pin the opponent in place.
Enduring several thrusts, the Apex Estrellian retreated half a step, then leaped into the air, clearing Fabius's head and sprinting wildly towards the entrance to the ruins.
It wanted to hide within the underground ruins. That way, no matter how formidable the heavy firepower aboard the Airship was, it could no longer threaten it.
Fabius's expression darkened. When Hunting Monsters of such immense size, if the target was determined to flee, interception was truly difficult.
Just then, the Heavy Ballista aboard the Airship fired again. This time, the Ballista launched not lethal ballista bolts, but One-shot Binders connected to durable steel cables.
Both One-shot Binders hit their target almost simultaneously. One lodged into the Apex Estrellian's back, and the second drilled into its hind leg.
The ropes instantly snapped taut. The large Airship in the sky gave a violent lurch, its hull heaving to a sharp angle. The ropes and the Ballista mounts firmly secured to the deck groaned and shrieked in protest under the immense strain.
The Apex Estrellian's charge was arrested. It braced all four limbs and roared, wrenching its body as if intent on dragging the Airship down from the sky.
An Airship was not a surface ship; its flight attitude was incredibly fragile. Seeing the vessel on the verge of capsizing under the pull of the Binders' ropes, Rosso, in command, had no choice but to order the steel cables released.
But their objective had been achieved. The Hunters seized the opportunity to close the distance.
"Steel... meow!" Sajji's shout drifted faintly from the air. "Tie... tie it up... meow!"
Altaïr didn't know when Sajji had gotten up into the sky, nor could he clearly make out exactly what it was yelling. He could only vaguely hear words like "tie" and "bind."
But looking at the two sturdy ropes, stretching dozens of meters long and being dragged behind the Apex Estrellian, he immediately grasped Sajji's meaning. He quickened his pace, bent down, and scooped up one of the ropes.
"Clawdia!" His sudden yell even drew Isis's gaze over.
Why are you so good at calling my cat's name?
Clawdia's reaction speed was equally quick. Galloping on all fours, she snatched up the end of the other rope, then leaped forcefully onto Altaïr's back and held tight.
Feeling the weight settle on his back, the sprinting Altaïr immediately raised his Slinger and fired the Clutch Claw, launching himself and Clawdia together onto the Apex Estrellian's back.