Activating Demon Mode, Altaïr charged straight for the Glavenus's legs.
That's right, the legs again.
The legs are arguably the target area most frequently locked onto by Dual Blades users, a fact rooted in the weapon's specific attack patterns.
The high-speed swings of the Dual Blades boast an extreme frequency of attack, but their reach is short and their striking points are low. This makes the Monster's legs the only part a Dual Blades user can consistently and easily reach.
Combined with the small, nimble nature of the Dual Blades, which allows the Hunter to move without fear of getting snagged by the Monster's limbs, Dual Blades users can dive directly between a Monster's legs to strike.
Not only is this a blind spot for the vast majority of Monsters, but repeated attacks that damage key muscles and tendons can force a trip, creating a prime opening for the Hunter and their companions to deal massive damage.
Consequently, no Dual Blades user can resist diving between a Monster's legs to unleash a Blade Dance, just as no Great Sword user can resist a Charged Slash on a sleeping target.
However, after performing this full Demon Blade Dance, instead of flesh and blood flying everywhere, Altaïr felt as if his wrists were about to snap from the recoil.
What kind of hellish hitzone was this! (25% absorption)
When performing a Demon Blade Dance on other Monsters, what sprayed out was blood and shredded meat; this time, what sprayed out were sparks!
Even if the Glavenus lay there motionless and let him hack away, his Cool Cleavers would likely be ground down to a dull edge by that thick shell long before he could deal any significant damage to its legs.
"Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang!" A series of muffled, rhythmic thuds that weren't particularly deafening, accompanied by the "whoosh-whoosh" of wind-cleaving whistles, echoed in his ears.
That was the sound of the Light Bowgun firing in Rapid Fire.
One water ammo after another landed in succession on the Glavenus's belly, splashing into plumes of water.
However, even the belly, which lacked the protection of toughened scales and thick armor, was still covered by a layer of thick, hard dragon hide. The water ammo, which possessed only mediocre piercing power, simply couldn't break through the hide to deal internal damage; it could only soak the Glavenus's belly from the surface.
Glavenus loathe water and low temperatures because their body temperatures are naturally very high. These two things rapidly sap their body heat, which can be fatal for a Glavenus.
But even so, attacks that merely dampen the surface of the skin could hardly be called effective damage.
Noticing this, Nymera flicked her wrist to release a Wirebug. Using the Wirebug as a pivot point, she slid into close range, planning to indirectly boost the power of her Bowgun Ammo through proximity.
"I'll create an opening!"
Resigning himself to the futility of attacking the leg armor, Altaïr decisively changed tactics. He spun like a whirlwind, sliding across the ground to reposition himself. In a flash, he moved from the legs to the Glavenus's chest and belly.
Having taken a Dash Juice beforehand, his stamina was still plentiful. Aiming for the patch of skin soaked by the water ammo, he unleashed a Demon Blade Dance with all his might.
Nymera instantly understood Altaïr's intent. She pulled the trigger repeatedly, emptying every round of water ammo in her magazine.
The Bowgun Ammo zipped past Altaïr's body, striking the Glavenus's chest and abdomen in succession, soaking even more of its skin.
Simultaneously, the ice-blue bone blades in Altaïr's hands slashed the damp areas of the Glavenus's belly at a frequency nearly invisible to the naked eye, icy mists erupting with every strike. In the blink of an eye, the spots where the blades struck were coated in a thick layer of frost.
The hide, normally incredibly resilient, had grown significantly more brittle after being soaked with water and then frozen. Under Altaïr's continuous, high-speed slashes, a network of intersecting wounds emerged and deepened steadily.
The blood within the gashes didn't even have time to spurt before it turned into crimson ice shards.
As the Blade Dance concluded, Altaïr moved quickly to yield the opening he had carved out.
At that moment, Nymera swapped in a full magazine of water ammo. Locking onto the frozen wounds Altaïr had created, she began firing at full speed.
With the point-blank range and the targeted focus, the water ammo finally managed to bore into the Glavenus's belly.
It was like using a syringe to inject a tube of slushy ice-water directly into its stomach; while the entry wounds looked unremarkable, the effect caused the Glavenus agonizing pain.
It howled, twisting and struggling incessantly.
However, the heavy, pitch-black Hammer slammed into the top of its head time and time again. The shocks rattled its brain and left it dazed; far from standing back up, its very consciousness began to blur.
With Altaïr and Nymera focused on the chest and abdomen and Olivia battering the skull, Isis found herself without an obvious place to strike. Given her combat style with the Gunlance, her attack range was too wide, and she could easily catch her teammates in the crossfire.
Fortunately, she found a suitable opening for herself between the two parties: the Glavenus's neck.
The hitzone here was surprisingly soft, so good, in fact, that she briefly considered calling Altaïr over. Since the Gunlance's armor-piercing capabilities were far superior to those of the Dual Blades, the task of attacking vital points was usually left to him.
But Altaïr and Nymera were in perfect sync, and it would be a waste to break their offensive rhythm. Furthermore, with Olivia operating at full power to lock down the head, every second of opening was precious and could not be squandered.
Then I won't stand on ceremony!
She swung her Gunlance forward in a fierce upswing as if she were wielding a Great Sword.
Immediately after, she took a large step forward and brought the skyward-pointing Gunlance down in an Overhead Slash.
The heavy blade carved two wounds into the Monster's neck. Then, drawing power from her legs and waist, she swung the Gunlance forward with the full rotation of her body.
This was no ordinary sweep. Using the remaining inertia of the swing, her body continued to rotate like a vortex, unleashing the momentum accumulated from her previous attacks in a single burst.
The steel blade tore through scales and flesh, carving a deep, cross-shaped gash into the Glavenus's neck.
Rising Slash! Falling Slash! Vortex Slash!
She had successfully integrated the essence of the Surge Slash Great Sword style into her Gunlance strikes.
Yet a Gunlance is not a Great Sword; while they are nearly equal in weight, the latter is held with two hands, whereas the former is operated with one.
Under the compounded force, the final Vortex Slash was difficult to control, and the heavy Gunlance nearly flew out of Isis's left hand.
At that exact moment, Isis slammed her finger onto the trigger.
Every Shell loaded inside the Gunlance discharged at once. While the explosion turned the Glavenus's neck into a bloody mess, the instantaneous burst of recoil counteracted the uncontrollable inertia of the Vortex Slash.
The Gunlance, which had nearly been ripped from her grasp, settled dutifully back into her hand. Though the Full Burst should have sent her reeling with significant recoil, she did not retreat even half a step. Yet her attack was far from over.
Her coiled left leg suddenly surged with power as she twisted her waist and thrust her hips, finally driving the Gunlance in her hand forward with a violent lunge.
The bladed tip and the muzzle of the Gunlance sank deep into the cross-shaped wound opened by the Vortex Slash. Amidst a shower of sparks, a metal stake lined with deep blood grooves detonated outward, wedging itself into the deepest recesses of the injury.
Burst Fire Wyrmstake Blast!
The searing dragon blood erupting along the grooves dyed her thick, off-white armor crimson. Beneath her visor, Isis's lips curled into a delighted grin.
She lacked Altaïr's near-superhuman coordination; she couldn't master a myriad of weapons, nor could she perform flashy, complex techniques at will.
However, she could still draw inspiration from the skills of others, slowly refining combo strings that suited her, polishing them again and again until she had forged a powerful weapon that was uniquely hers!
She had given this sequence of moves a name that was as grand as it was straightforward:
The "Rising-Falling-Vortex Burst Fire Wyrmstake Blast Combo"!
Olivia, who was incessantly swinging her Hammer to extend the target's stun duration for as long as possible, did not forget to spare a sliver of attention to observe the actions of the others.
The performance of these youngsters had completely exceeded her expectations. If things continued at this rate, and the Glavenus stayed down just a while longer, she feared these kids might actually beat it to death with their wild barrage.
Another Charged Brutal Big Bang slammed into the Glavenus's head. The Monster's pupils were unfocused, and it looked as though it were about to lose consciousness once more.
But at that moment, instinctively sensing a fatal threat, the Glavenus's pupils suddenly constricted, and its mind snapped back to clarity.
It jerked its head in a lightning-fast side-snap, forcing Olivia, who was attempting to continue her assault, to retreat.
Immediately following this, the Glavenus twisted its body and used its head to brace against the ground, forcing itself back onto its feet.
Its neck, chest, and abdomen were already a bloody mess. Its originally hideous and thick cranial shell had also shattered under the repeated pummeling of the Hammer, riddled with cracks and broken fragments.
Yet its aura did not weaken because of this; instead, following a frenzied roar, it grew increasingly powerful.
A glowing, incandescent red light radiated from the inside out, surging from within the Glavenus's body. Rising heatwaves distorted the surrounding air, and under the gaze of its crimson dragon eyes, a sense of extreme danger shrouded everyone's hearts.
The Hunters retreated warily, opening up a safe distance.
The successful ambush had created a massive advantage for them, but what came next would be the true uphill battle.
(Translated by yourtl.app)