As Tigrex turned to stare at Altaïr, it also whipped its thick tail, sweeping it toward Isis, who was originally positioned directly in front of it.
Having learned from previous exchanges that Tigrex possessed a terrifying strength on a completely different level from ordinary Monsters, Isis did not dare to be the least bit careless. She immediately raised her tower shield and entered a defensive stance.
In the next second, the file-like tail covered in sharp scales smashed hard against her shield, followed by a horrific impact.
Isis gritted her teeth and lowered her center of gravity, slanting the shield back at an angle. While using the ground to support the bottom edge of the shield, she deflected part of the impact from the tail.
The Barroth armor set, specifically designed for Defenders, also transmitted part of the shock directly to her feet through semi-fixed toggles.
But even so, she was still knocked back sliding several meters, nearly losing her footing and almost having her defensive stance broken.
After enduring this blow, Isis's first instinct was to rush back to Tigrex's front to withstand the offensive; this was her duty as a heavily armored hunter.
But the moment she was about to step forward, her movements suddenly stalled as she remembered the words Altaïr had said to her before.
"Your aggressiveness isn't strong, but your attacking ability is."
"Don't just treat yourself entirely as a Defender just because you picked up a tower shield. Don't forget you started out with the Great Sword and Long Sword!"
"Not good at seizing the timing to attack? Whenever the Monster isn't looking at you and turns its head to look at me, that is your timing to attack!"
Perhaps Altaïr was right. Wasn't it better to pull the Monster's attention back through a strong offensive than to foolishly hold up a shield in the Monster's face?
Having understood this, she dashed forward a few steps. Aiming at the wound on Tigrex's thigh that Altaïr had cut, she delivered a heavy downward smash, followed immediately by a Wide Sweep.
Seeing that Tigrex still had no intention of turning its head, Isis felt a surge of ruthlessness in her heart.
"Hyaaah!"
She roared, taking a large step forward, twisting her waist for a thrust, and driving the cutting blade at the front of her Gunlance into Tigrex's thigh with all her might. Immediately after, she pulled the trigger of the Wyrmstake Cannon.
With a muffled "Bang!", a thick, sharp steel stake was driven into Tigrex's wound.
Due to the density of Tigrex's muscle, the steel stake failed to drill in completely, only getting stuck about one-third of the way. The cutting blade was also gripped tightly by the tensed muscles, and for a moment, it couldn't be pulled out.
But Isis did not panic. She simply held the Gunlance against Tigrex's wound and repeatedly pulled the trigger for Shelling.
"Boom! Boom!"
The Shells fired from the Gunlance at near-zero range into the target's body along with the explosive flames. The impact from the muzzle acted like a Hammer, driving the Wyrmstake Cannon stake stuck in Tigrex's thigh even deeper, while the recoil from the Shelling helped Isis pull back and retract her Gunlance.
Under this three-in-one strong offensive, even Tigrex couldn't help but let out a howl of pain.
Altaïr, who was struggling to deal with Tigrex's assault at the front, also felt a surge of joy. A few seconds ago, hearing Isis's "Hyaaah," he knew that this person finally understood when she should attack boldly.
It was fine for him to shoulder more pressure and risk; what he feared was holding the pressure for a long time only for his teammate to do nothing, just circling the target.
With no time for further sentiment, Altaïr rolled to avoid Tigrex's lateral bite. Just as he intended to pull back about two meters, he heard a loud shout from behind Tigrex.
"Wyvern's Fire!"
The preparation for Wyvern's Fire requires two to three seconds. Because of its massive power and significant range, it is easy to accidentally injure teammates. Therefore, Gunlance users usually shout a warning before firing Wyvern's Fire to prevent allies from entering the line of fire.
And to Altaïr at this moment, Wyvern's Fire was also a signal.
Instead of pulling away as originally planned, he immediately changed his decision and launched a risky offensive. He landed several consecutive slashes on Tigrex's head; whether they caused much damage was a secondary concern. He did this to draw Tigrex's attention and prevent it from turning or moving wildly, which would cause Isis's Wyvern's Fire to miss.
Tigrex naturally wouldn't let him attack as he pleased. It raised its wing-claw and delivered a short-range swipe.
This kind of attack had a small range and was far less powerful than the earlier wide-open horizontal sweeps, but it was extremely fast and subtle.
Even though Altaïr retreated at the first moment, his thigh was still torn open by the dragon claws, leaving a wound with mangled flesh.
The sudden, sharp pain made his legs go weak. At the same time, Tigrex's other claw struck immediately after.
Not yet at mastery of moves like Foresight Slash and having no other way to respond, Altaïr could only perform a panic roll to evade.
The openings following this type of evasion are very large; hunters generally avoid using them if possible, but Altaïr couldn't care about that now.
Even if he might be flattened onto the ground by a dragon claw because he couldn't get up in time, it was better than being torn to pieces right now.
Fortunately, in these few seconds he fought desperately to gain, Isis's Wyvern's Fire was ready.
Just as Tigrex was about to continue its pursuit of the fallen Altaïr, firelight accompanied by a massive roar exploded behind it.
It is said that the Wyvern's Fire of a Gunlance was developed by Smithies referencing the principle of Fire Wyvern breath. The power of the Defender Gunlance's Wyvern's Fire, even if not quite equal to a true Fire Wyvern breath, was not inferior to a Large Barrel Bomb at all.
Fired at point-blank range, the scales on Tigrex's hind leg were blackened and blasted apart over a large area. The faint dark red visible beneath was flesh charred by the high temperature.
"Ga-oooooh!" The utterly enraged Tigrex abandoned the hunter before its eyes and delivered a claw strike as it turned.
Isis, who had raised her shield in time into a defensive stance, was knocked back once again. But this time, Tigrex did not give her a chance to adjust her center of gravity or regroup. A double swipe followed immediately.
Isis only had time to hold her shield in front of her body before she was sent flying by Tigrex's massive claw.
"Isis!" Altaïr cried out in alarm.
He pushed off the ground with both hands to stand up quickly, swinging his Long Sword with all his might to perform a Spirit Combo, attempting to draw Tigrex's attention back.
But Tigrex seemed to have locked onto Isis, who had blasted it painfully. Roaring and digging its claws into the ground twice, it ignored everything else and launched a charge attack toward Isis. It didn't even look back as Altaïr cut a wound into its flank with a Spirit Roundslash.
In his desperation, Altaïr couldn't care about anything else. He flicked his blade and entered Demon Mode, chasing at full speed.
Although he only had a slight inkling of how to perfectly adapt the Long Sword with Demon Mode, far from the level where it could be used in actual combat, at the very least, he could run faster in Demon Mode.
Under the explosive sprint, he actually caught up with Tigrex's pace. He didn't have time to think about what moves to use, simply swinging the Long Sword in his hand at the most natural angle and the fastest speed.
The muscles in his body during Demon Mode twitched violently as if in spasm; a Rising Slash and an Overhead Slash, two strikes that couldn't be called standard, were released in the blink of an eye.
Because the interval was extremely short, the two swords only left a single blade mark. With the attacks stacked together, the resulting wound was much deeper than previous attacks.
Tigrex did not stop its pace because of this, but its movement showed a momentary falter. Isis, who had fallen to the ground, took this opportunity to raise her hand and fire a Flash Pod.
Having suffered twice before and already somewhat adapted to the intense light, Tigrex's vision was blurred by the flash, but it was not stunned. It shook its head and continued its charge attack straight ahead.
"Roll to the side!" Altaïr, chasing from behind, warned urgently.
Clad in heavy armor and carrying a tower shield and Gunlance, it wasn't easy for Isis to get up. By the time she climbed up, Tigrex would have run her over.
It was better to take advantage of the fact that Tigrex's vision was affected and it was blindly charging forward to perform a lateral roll. She might just roll out of the range of Tigrex's impact.
Isis, whose head was a bit dizzy from the fall, chose to follow Altaïr's advice and rolled sideways with all her strength.
Judging by their respective speeds, she could escape the danger zone before Tigrex crushed her, but no one knew what follow-up moves Tigrex might have.
One must know that Tigrex, with its incredible core strength and ability to run on four limbs, was different from ordinary Monsters; it was capable of performing continuous charge attacks.
Just then, a line of fire streaked in from the distance, landing near Tigrex's waist. In the next second, a blazing red lotus bloomed.
Normally, such an attack might only barely make Tigrex's body sway.
But in a state where its vision was impaired, its sense of balance weakened, and it was at full sprint, the result of a body sway was not so simple.
With its eyes closed and its head down in a charge attack, Tigrex's center of gravity shifted. Caught off guard, it tumbled to the ground.
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES: LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
EQUIPMENT
Wyrmstake Cannon — A Gunlance technique introduced in Monster Hunter: World — Iceborne. The weapon fires a drill-like steel stake directly into a wound, embedding itself in the target. Once lodged, follow-up Shells detonate around the stake, dealing repeated explosive damage from within. Highly effective against large, slow-moving monsters where the stake has time to fully detonate.
Wyvern's Fire — The most powerful technique available to Gunlance users, requiring a brief charge-up period before unleashing a massive concentrated blast. Its destructive output is compared in-universe to the breath attack of a Fire Wyvern. The lengthy preparation window and potential to hit allies make communication essential before firing, hence the shouted warning.
CONCEPTS
Spirit Gauge / Spirit Combo — The Long Sword's defining mechanic. Landing hits fills a Spirit Gauge that, once full, enables a Spirit Combo: a chain of empowered strikes capped by a Spirit Roundslash. Each completed Spirit Combo raises the gauge's "level," further boosting damage. Losing health or being knocked down depletes the gauge, encouraging aggressive but controlled play.