Altaïr had no time to consider how a Large Flying Wyvern more than twenty meters long and weighing nearly a hundred tons had crossed such a vast distance in under a second.
He only knew that if he failed to react at once, its spiral horn would punch through him in the next instant and leave him skewered like some ridiculous ornament atop its head.
Dive to the side? Absolutely not. With the Monster's agility, a reckless dive would only leave him helpless against its follow-up attack.
There was only one way to survive.
In the final instant before the horn impaled him, Altaïr used the momentum of his sprint to drop into a sliding tackle and duck beneath the Monster's head.
Sliding all the way beneath the Monster would spare him from most of its follow-up attacks, but the maneuver carried just as much risk.
Against a Monster charging headlong at this speed, the slightest stroke of bad luck would leave him flattened into a smear.
Fortunately, Altaïr was fast enough. As he slid beneath the creature, he rolled halfway to one side just as a hooked, sickle-like claw slammed down beside him with a thunderous boom.
The danger was not over. The huge hammer-like tail scraped across the ground after him, spraying gravel and sparks.
Altaïr timed his movements perfectly and rolled several more times beneath the crushing sweep. The Monster's colossal body thundered overhead, and with his heart pounding, he survived the first assault by the narrowest of margins.
The Hunter planted both hands against the ground and sprang to his feet.
A charging Large Monster carried so much momentum that if it missed, it generally had to keep moving for some distance before it could stop or turn.
Even Tigrex, with its powerful muscles, quadrupedal gait, and mastery of headlong charges, was no exception.
Altaïr meant to use that opening to gain some distance. If it gave him enough time to reach the rope, so much the better.
But he had barely regained his feet and taken two steps when a deafening boom erupted behind him.
He looked back on instinct.
The black-and-gold Flying Wyvern whipped its enormous tail around as the armored plates across its wings, back, and the tip of its tail hammer spread slightly apart.
Pressurized air laced with golden energy blasted from the gaps in its armor. The jets collided with the surrounding air in a deafening roar.
Driven by that powerful counterthrust, the creature arrested its forward momentum almost instantly and completed its turn with astonishing speed.
Was this thing even a living creature?!
The thought burst unbidden into Altaïr's mind.
"ROAR!"
The golden jets erupted again with its furious roar. Though the turn had brought the black-and-gold Flying Wyvern almost to a halt, it surged forward once more with explosive speed.
Altaïr knew he could not keep dodging forever.
A Large Monster was already faster than a Hunter in a straight line. Against those jet-assisted maneuvers, even the Hunter's advantage in turning agility meant nothing.
He had to create an opening himself. Otherwise, even retreating safely would be difficult.
The only thing working in his favor was his extensive experience with explosive charges like this one.
And where had he gained that experience...?
Where else? From practicing Blast Dash and shelling charges with Isis.
Against a move like this, waiting until the Monster was right in front of him to dodge would be too late. His only other option would be another dangerous sliding tackle like the one he had just used.
But this kind of charge had a weakness. Once the attacker launched itself forward, changing direction mid-course was difficult. As long as he dodged the instant before the Monster initiated its charge, he could evade it with relatively little risk.
Of course, the creature before him might have taken that ability a step further, mastering repeated fine adjustments that let it change direction freely during an explosive charge. It was entirely possible...
But if it truly possessed such an astonishing ability, why was it still holed up in this cramped underground cavern where it could barely move? It should have been soaring through the sky!
Prepared for the black-and-gold Flying Wyvern's second charge, Altaïr drew his Long Sword. The moment the Monster came within range, he turned and slashed as he leaped, flipping nimbly backward several meters and clearing its path.
Foresight Slash: Spin!
This time, the black-and-gold Flying Wyvern did not use its strange ability to stop and turn at once. Like any other Large Monster, it continued forward for some distance to slow down before circling back.
For Altaïr, that was a good sign.
Its ability to expel energy from organs hidden beneath its shell was clearly limited. It could not use the maneuver repeatedly in rapid succession.
The golden energy flowing through the cracks in its pitch-black shell was probably the key to reading it.
Before the Monster launched a jet-propelled charge or one of its earlier energy attacks, the glow around the corresponding part of its body always intensified. That warning allowed Altaïr to anticipate its next move.
Having worked that out, Altaïr raised his blade and assumed a pose similar to the opening stance of Spirit Blade Thrust.
He concentrated his Spirit, his strength, and the energy stored in his Spirit Gauge into the pose, which he named Focused Stance.
Meeting the Monster head-on was not the answer. He had to remain calm, find an opening, and create a chance to retreat.
The Monster turned to face him.
Pale, freezing mist poured from its mouth. With a low roar, the cold mist compressed into a solid blast of wind and shot forward.
Altaïr did not dare hesitate. He immediately unleashed Instant Slash and dashed seven or eight meters diagonally.
The pale projectile struck three or four meters from where he had been standing and exploded into a violent blizzard that tore across the area.
As Altaïr moved, the Monster's single horn tracked him once more.
Altaïr's eyes narrowed. He had found the opening he needed.
The answer was its vision.
The Monster was blind. It located its targets entirely through sound and possibly by sensing vibrations or some similar means.
Until now, Altaïr had kept running to preserve his mobility, making it easy for the Monster to pinpoint his position.
But after using Foresight Slash: Spin to evade the black-and-gold Flying Wyvern's second charge, he had stood perfectly still and entered Focused Stance to prepare Instant Slash.
Once the Monster finished its charge, slowed down, and turned, it lost its sources of information. It could only use its sense of balance and memory to estimate the Hunter's position.
To keep from being placed at a disadvantage, it had used its freezing breath to force its opponent to move.
That was also why the blast of frozen wind had come in at an angle instead of flying straight at him.
Faced with the breath attack's wide area of effect, Altaïr had no choice but to move again, allowing the Monster to reacquire his position.
By that logic, the best way to deal with this Monster was to stand perfectly still and make no sound. As far as the creature was concerned, he would become "invisible."
That was easy enough in theory, but putting it into practice posed far too many problems.
Its enormous body, ultra-high-speed charges, and multiple long-range attacks with wide areas of effect gave the Monster countless ways to force him to move.
And if Altaïr wanted to escape from this place, how could he possibly stand still?
He needed a plan...
Altaïr rolled beneath the black-and-gold Flying Wyvern's lunging bite, then rose with a backhanded swing of his blade.
The upward slash struck the Monster's tail. To preserve the huge appendage's flexibility, the carapace there was relatively thin.
The edge of Tyrant Blade [Solar Eclipse] sliced cleanly through the Monster's hide and opened a bleeding wound.
The instant the blade touched the creature's blood, red arcs of Dragon Element energy erupted along its length.
Altaïr felt a flicker of delight. Dragon Element was highly effective against most Flying Wyverns, which was a major reason he used this Long Sword so often.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than golden electricity flared from the Monster's wound and collided with the Dragon Element energy surging along his blade. The two forces eroded and canceled each other out before dissipating...
(Translated by yourtl.app)