If Morgan had been using high-powered Bowgun Ammo such as Lv3 Sticky Ammo, that shot into the Pariapuria's mouth would have gravely wounded it.
If it had been an exceptionally powerful special round such as a Supernova, it could have blown a hole straight through the Monster's throat or even killed it outright.
But the special rocket Sajji and Theo had made was designed primarily for sound and visual effects; calling its firepower mediocre would have been generous.
Although Morgan had landed a pinpoint shot inside the Pariapuria's mouth, the blast only made it cough a few times. Its anger flared, and its roars grew even fiercer, with no sign that it intended to flee.
Morgan frowned as he lowered the Rathian Model-1 Rocket Launcher from his shoulder. "What were you two thinking? Flash Pods and Sonic Bombs had no effect on the Pariapuria. That means it isn't sensitive to high-pitched sounds or bright lights.
"If you expect sound and light alone to scare that thing away, even all this ammunition probably won't be enough, will it?"
"Flash Pods and Sonic Bombs had no effect?!"
"No effect, meow?!"
Theo and Sajji cried out in surprise. Neither of them had participated in the previous day's probing attack, so neither knew those particular details.
"Then please make something that packs a little more punch," Morgan said, his face blank.
Altaïr looked at the crates of rockets stacked on the other side. It would have been a shame to waste them. "Could we hurt it by some other means first, then drive it away?
"These rockets should still work for driving it off, but first we need to make it feel threatened and afraid."
Morgan thought for a moment. "Let me shoot it with my Bowgun. If we do that, though, it would be best to bring the Airship down to about fifty meters. Bowgun Ammo loses a great deal of power over long distances."
"Or maybe we could just go down there and beat it up first?" Isis offered a more direct suggestion.
"Meow."
Ms. Meow-It-All scratched her head in dismay. "Close combat is absolutely out of the question, meow. The scent of blood might attract other Pariapuria from nearby. Besides, Pariapuria aren't very intelligent. It would probably never understand that you and this Airship are on the 'same side,' meow."
"The Pioneer isn't just any small Airship. It should carry defensive armaments, shouldn't it?" Altaïr said suddenly. "Does it have something like a Heavy Ballista?
"Pariapuria don't have heavily armored hides. Ballista Ammo fired from a Heavy Ballista should easily punch through its hide and penetrate deep into the Monster's body. That kind of firepower far exceeds ordinary Bowgun Ammo."
Interest flared in Morgan's eyes. "If it has a Heavy Ballista, I'm confident I can hit it accurately from more than a hundred meters away. If we move a little closer, I could even try to shoot out its eye."
"Meow."
Ms. Meow-It-All's face grew even more troubled. After a few seconds, she finally relented. "Fine, meow. The Pioneer doesn't have a Heavy Ballista..."
The Hunters looked disappointed.
"But it does have a new type of Machine Cannon, meow." Ms. Meow-It-All's words made Morgan's eyes light up. "The Pioneer was built by the Wycademy at the advance team's request. It incorporates plenty of cutting-edge technology, including the latest Machine Cannon design, meow."
"Where?" Morgan cut in, unable to contain himself.
Ms. Meow-It-All sighed. This was exactly what she had feared. Put a weapon in someone's hands and they would itch to use it.
"They're defensive weapons meant for attacks by Large Flying Wyverns. Their firepower is no joke, meow. If you absolutely have to use one, go easy and don't kill it by accident, meow."
Ms. Meow-It-All's warning only made Morgan more excited.
Altaïr and Isis had seen that look before. Nymera wore almost exactly the same expression whenever she got a chance to use the Machine Cannons.
Was an obsession with firepower some kind of occupational disease among Gunners?
Looking utterly helpless, Ms. Meow-It-All glanced at Millsy by the control panel. Millsy nodded and pulled one of the levers.
The floor of the observation deck at the Pioneer's bow split open, and a Machine Cannon rose into position.
Sajji's eyes sparkled at the sight of the mechanical structure. Without a word, Morgan stepped onto the observation deck and firmly gripped the Machine Cannon's handles.
After moving the weapon up, down, left, and right to confirm its firing arc, he turned and called out, "Can you lower us to seventy meters? Then back the Airship up another forty or fifty meters.
"The target is directly below us, outside my field of fire."
Millsy nodded and maneuvered the Airship into position.
Altaïr had been a little worried at first. If the Pariapuria pursued them and stubbornly remained directly beneath the Airship, they really would have no way to engage it.
Fortunately, the Pariapuria was not that intelligent. It watched the enormous object in the sky retreat and merely let out a series of threatening low growls, showing no intention of giving chase.
Apparently, it also understood that it could do nothing to the giant "creature" in the air.
As the Airship descended and backed away, the growling Pariapuria finally entered the Machine Cannon's sights.
Morgan glanced at the weathervane beside him, adjusted his aim slightly, and let out a couple of low chuckles that only he could hear before pulling the trigger.
"Wooooom..."
Unlike conventional Ballistas or Cannons, which fired with a roar, the Machine Cannon produced the high-pitched whine of mechanical gears spinning at tremendous speed.
The Machine Cannon spat out six armor-piercing rockets per second, forming a dazzling line of fire that engulfed the Pariapuria in the blink of an eye. Blood sprayed as its pained howls filled the air.
The Pariapuria barely lasted three seconds before it was forced to curl up, shielding itself with wings nearly useless for flight in a desperate attempt to withstand the attack.
But its efforts were clearly in vain.
Over the decades since the Machine Cannon's invention, its ammunition had been refined through countless battles and successive improvements, eventually taking its current form. It was far beyond the improvised rockets Sajji and the others had hastily assembled.
Even powerful Elder Dragons could not afford to ignore the threat it posed.
Ms. Meow-It-All had not been exaggerating when she warned them not to kill it by accident. If the target failed to flee, the Machine Cannon could genuinely kill a Large Flying Wyvern in a short amount of time.
After holding out for less than two more seconds, its wings already riddled with holes, the Pariapuria finally panicked. It let out a shrieking howl, twisted around, and fled.
Morgan kept the stream of fire on target, tracking the fleeing Pariapuria and hammering its hindquarters with armor-piercing rockets for several more seconds. Only Ms. Meow-It-All's sharp rebuke made him reluctantly release the trigger.
"Honestly, I told you to hold back, meow. Another few seconds, and it probably wouldn't even have had the strength to run."
"Is it really that serious?" Morgan asked regretfully, eyeing the rocket pod that still held some ammunition. "I didn't even empty a full magazine."
"A magazine, meow?! You call this a magazine, meow?!" Ms. Meow-It-All stamped her foot. "Your Bowgun magazines only hold three to five rounds. This rocket pod holds a hundred, meow!
"That burst alone used up two-thirds of it, meow! And the Pioneer only carries one rocket pod!"
"We should have brought a few more rocket pods," Isis muttered, scratching her head.
Ms. Meow-It-All shot her a sidelong glare. "Bring more? Do you know how much these rockets cost to make, meow? Each one costs nearly 1,000 z, so a fully loaded rocket pod runs about 100,000 z. In those few seconds alone, he burned through almost 70,000 z, meow.
"And the cost isn't even the main problem. Mangrove Outpost doesn't yet have the industrial capacity to produce this kind of ammunition. Any resupply would have to be shipped from the Old World, meow."
Isis and the others were stunned. So was Morgan, who had just been regretting not emptying the magazine.
Had he known, he might as well have landed and hacked at it with a blade instead.
Ms. Meow-It-All tugged at her whiskers. As a high-ranking member of an organization as large as the Wycademy, money itself did not concern her. "Anyway, we've essentially accomplished the operation's objective, meow. That thing took a severe beating. Judging by normal Large Monster behavior, it should look for somewhere to lick its wounds, meow.
"We'll follow it. Whenever it tries to lie down, we'll harass it with these rockets, meow. We won't let it rest or eat, meow.
"Eventually, instinct will drive it to seek shelter somewhere familiar, meow."
(Translated by yourtl.app)