A delighted smile spread across Isis's face as she drove the butt of her Gunlance into the ground, completing a Quick Reload.
She and Altaïr had practiced coordinated attacks many times, alternating their strikes, but this was the first time they had fought almost shoulder to shoulder in perfect sync.
It felt exhilarating. They had found another way to keep a Monster firmly under control.
With her reload complete, Isis stepped forward again. Altaïr raised his Great Sword at the same moment, and without missing a beat, the two launched their second offensive.
Realizing it would soon be killed if this continued, the crab Monster desperately swung its forelimbs. Using its broken scythe claw as a pivot, it barely managed to flip itself over.
It spread its legs, extended its tail, and leaned backward, struggling to balance its center of gravity. Then it raised the limb encased in thick reef rock high into the air and slammed it down with all its might.
The ground shuddered violently. Standing close to the Monster, the Hunters felt their feet go numb and struggled to keep their balance as the tremor nearly jolted them into the air.
The cracks already webbing the cave floor widened further.
Realization struck Altaïr, and his expression changed sharply. Of course. It had happened every time before as well. Whenever the Monster pounded the ground, the resulting tremor had been unusually violent.
If the floor were solid rock, it should not have shaken this badly.
That left only one explanation... the cave floor was hollow!
"Fall back! This place is about to collapse! Get to the edge of the cave and hold on to the walls!" Altaïr shouted.
Theo, who had been waiting at the rear while shaking his Maca Alchemy Barrel, reacted instantly. Tucking the barrel under one arm, he dashed to the edge of the cave and grabbed a protruding rock.
Altaïr immediately activated Demon Mode. The burst of speed carried him to the rock wall in only three or four seconds.
But Isis, burdened by her heavy Large Shield and Gunlance, moved much more slowly. She was still twenty or thirty meters from the cave's edge.
The cave floor was covered in cracks and already on the verge of collapse, while the crab Monster once again raised its hammer limb, itself webbed with fractures. With no other option, Altaïr fired his Clutch Claw toward the running Isis.
The Clutch Claw caught the edge of Isis's Large Shield. A heartbeat later, the crab Monster's raised limb struck the ground again with a deafening crash.
The cave floor, which spanned several thousand square meters, collapsed from the center. Still sprinting, Isis plunged into the darkness below along with the crab Monster.
Altaïr gripped the rope tightly, praying the Clutch Claw would hold. Then his left arm suddenly felt lighter, and he knew what had happened. The Clutch Claw had slipped from Isis's shield.
For an instant, his heart seemed to stop. He reached out reflexively, as though he might still catch her.
While his mind reeled, a startled cry rose from the dusty depths below. "Whoa!"
Then came another shout. "That scared me to death! It's only a few meters down!"
Altaïr fell silent.
Isis had landed flat on her backside, though...
By then, the dust from the collapse had begun to settle, revealing another layer of ground below. Altaïr estimated that it lay only five or six meters beneath the floor where they had been fighting.
Even an ordinary person could probably survive a fall from that height without injury. To a trained Hunter, it was no more challenging than hopping off a table.
Altaïr released a long breath. The fight against the Monster had not made him particularly nervous, but those few seconds had left the lining of his armor drenched in cold sweat.
A whistle sounded near his ear.
Altaïr instinctively looked up.
Not far away, Theo winked and grinned. Then he adopted an expression of exaggerated terror, raised one hand, and silently mouthed "NO!" in a mocking imitation of Altaïr's face moments earlier.
Altaïr stared back in silence.
All right, he definitely had not shouted "No!" back then, but was he really going to argue about it now?
Without bothering to respond, Altaïr released his grip and jumped straight down to the lower floor.
Theo chuckled and followed. Barely two seconds after they landed, Morgan slid to the bottom along the rope hanging from the cave entrance.
When the others turned to him, Morgan still wore his usual impassive expression. "The rock carapace is already broken. It's time to finish this."
His gaze shifted toward the crab Monster in the middle of the cave.
The hammer blow that had shattered the cave floor had done more than break through that layer of rock.
The impact had also smashed apart the reef-like rock carapace covering the crab Monster, exposing broad patches of bright orange-red shell beneath.
Its protection was now useless. With a soundless shriek, the crab Monster began shedding the fungal masses from its body one after another.
It was as though the creature were unfastening the straps and clasps of a suit of armor. As the fungal growths fell away, the remnants of its rock carapace crumbled with them.
The creature revealed beneath looked far more like an ordinary crab. Aside from its enormous size, it hardly differed from the crabs people commonly ate.
Isis swallowed quietly.
It was still early morning, yet she had already completed a beach reconnaissance, a long-distance pursuit, and a Hunt. By now, she was famished.
More importantly, the "big crab" before them was not the usual blue-gray of an ordinary crab. Its shell had the same appetizing orange-red color as a cooked one.
Looking at its especially thick and powerful hammer claw, Isis could not stop herself from wondering how satisfying that enormous claw would be to eat.
"Gulp..."
The growl of Isis's stomach and the sound of her swallowing were not nearly as quiet as she had imagined.
Everyone fell silent.
Altaïr sighed helplessly. He could hardly blame Isis. Her weapon and armor were the heaviest, and as the fight's main frontliner, she had borne the greatest pressure. She was bound to burn through energy quickly.
"Fall back for now. Eat a ration and get some rest."
After giving the order, Altaïr charged toward the crab Monster, which was still shaking itself as it adjusted to its "new form" without the heavy rock carapace.
Morgan yanked the lever of his Heavy Bowgun, loaded Spread Ammo, and followed close behind.
He had never favored long-range sniping. His true specialty was aggressive fire at close and medium range, even point-blank.
Isis quickly loaded a fresh set of Shells into her Gunlance while pulling out a ration, intent on wolfing it down.
But Theo suddenly called out to her. "Wait!"
Isis looked at him in confusion and saw him shaking the Maca Alchemy Barrel again.
Was he making more alchemical explosives? Before she could ask, Theo finished crafting and poured a soft-looking lump slightly smaller than a fist from the barrel.
He held it out to Isis, but she hesitated to take it. "What's this? More explosives?"
"No, it's Alchemy Food." Theo considered how best to explain. "Food, basically. High in energy, easy to chew, and easy to digest. Much easier to swallow than a ration."
Isis accepted it warily, none too eager to put the thing in her mouth.
But Altaïr and Morgan had already rejoined the battle, so she could not afford to linger. When Theo showed no sign of joking, she closed her eyes and stuffed the entire piece of Alchemy Food into her mouth.
Theo had not lied. It was much easier to chew than a hard, dry ration. It had the texture of soft soap and seemed to melt in her mouth.
But it tasted awful. It had almost no flavor, only the strange odor of a Nitroshroom.
Seeing her entire face scrunch up, Theo gave a dry laugh. "Well, I did use the barrel for explosives a moment ago. Even if hardly any residue remains, it's only natural that some of the smell carried over. Don't worry. It isn't poisonous."
Isis stared at him in silence.
She felt the piece of Alchemy Food liquefy and slide into her stomach. As her body digested and absorbed it far faster than an ordinary ration, her hunger vanished almost instantly.
Suppressing the urge to punch Theo, Isis spat to clear the taste from her mouth, hoisted her Gunlance and Large Shield, and charged back into the fight.
(Translated by yourtl.app)