"It's just up ahead, meow! I hear footsteps, and there's a stench of sulfur, meow!" Clawdia shouted, pedaling with all her might.
"I see it, meow! Lower your center of gravity and hold on tight, meow!"
Through the gaps in the dense vegetation, a massive red-and-blue shadow walking slowly became faintly visible. Sajji jerked the handlebars, and the Rathalos Model-09 drifted into a sharp turn.
Swerving around a massive tree that would take several men to encircle and crushing a cluster of shrubs, the cannon cart skidded sideways out of the thicket. With a sharp "screech," it ground to a halt directly in front of the Glavenus as it strolled through the forest.
This sudden interloper startled the Glavenus; it had never seen such a bizarre "creature" before.
Immediately after, the forest overlord's breathing grew heavy and ragged.
Feeling provoked, it thrust its head forward and opened its blood-red maw wide. A massive, intimidating roar shook the Jungle.
"ROOOAAR–!!"
Clawdia clapped her paws tightly over her ears, waiting for the roar to subside. Sajji, relying on the Earplugs he had stuffed into his ears beforehand, braced against the sound waves and pulled the firing cord with all his strength the moment the roar began.
"Thump–BOOM!"
Fire flashed from the muzzle of the Rathalos Model-09. An instant later, an explosive burst of flame erupted against the Glavenus's chest.
Due to limits in size and materials, this portable turret couldn't use massive amounts of propellant to grant its shells high kinetic energy like a true stationary heavy artillery piece.
It could only deal damage through the payload within the shell itself.
The high-explosive shells Sajji had prepared this time were packed with a significant amount of Gunpowder. Although the Glavenus was fearless in the face of high temperatures, the physical impact caused by the explosion could still inflict some damage.
The roaring stopped, and the Glavenus shook its body.
Heavy carapaces and powerful, hard muscles provided the Glavenus with impressive Defense. The shelling from the Felyne Cannon made it feel pain, like being struck by a punch of moderate strength, but that was the extent of it.
Unless it scored a direct hit on a vital point or an existing wound, it was difficult to cause any effective damage.
"Meow, meow..." Sajji let out a disappointed low meow.
He had planned it perfectly, even going so far as to wear Earplugs specifically so he could aim a shot at the Glavenus's throat while it was busy roaring in anger.
If it had hit accurately, the effect would surely have been excellent.
Unfortunately, the point of impact was about a meter too low.
A cannon cart with a limited firing arc struggled to be as flexible and precise as a Bowgun. The shot intended for the vital throat area grazed the Glavenus's chin and struck its thick-skinned chest; aside from further infuriating the Monster, it achieved nothing.
Facing the Glavenus as it lunged forward, Sajji pedaled with everything he had, attempting to use the Rathalos Model-09's superior mobility to maneuver around it and wait for the Hunters to arrive.
But at that moment, he suddenly felt the weight behind him lighten.
The Rathalos Model-09's "Engine No. 2" had simply jumped off, drawn her weapon, and launched a brave counter-charge toward the snapping Glavenus.
"Meow, meow, meow?"
Losing more than half of its power, the Rathalos Model-09's speed plummeted, nearly allowing the Glavenus to snatch it up in its downward bite.
Meanwhile, the jettisoned attack-type Engine No. 2 took the opportunity to leap onto the Glavenus's head, baring her steel claws and launching a frenzied barrage of scratches at the relatively vulnerable eye socket, which lacked the protection of the carapace. "Roar!"
With its vital eye suddenly attacked, the Glavenus instinctively reared up, whipping its head from side to side in an attempt to shake Clawdia off.
Long accustomed to this style of combat, Clawdia spread her limbs and dug her claws into the gaps of the Glavenus's carapace, clinging to its head as firmly as a plaster.
Taking the chance to escape danger, Sajji let out a sigh of relief and steered the Rathalos Model-09 alone to a position behind the Glavenus's flank.
In a sense, its role while operating the cannon cart was similar to that of a Gunner; unless it was a special case like the interception just now, it was best to stay out of the Monster's line of sight as much as possible.
Boom! Boom!
Flames erupted at the side and rear of the Monster. The commotion was significant, but the damage was negligible at best. The Glavenus didn't even bother to deal with it, wanting only to throw off the dangerous little thing on its face.
At that moment, Olivia led the Hunters as they charged out from the woods. The scene before her caused her to pause for a heartbeat, but she reacted instantly, issuing orders in quick succession. "Isis and I will provide the frontal distraction; you launch the first wave of attacks. Altaïr, Nymera, find suitable positions and commence your assault once we've drawn its attention!"
"Understood."
"Got it."
Altaïr and Nymera responded one after the other. The moment the order was given, Isis raised her Large Shield and charged forward with a "Hyaaah!"
Her loud voice successfully diverted some of the Glavenus's attention. The Glavenus lowered its gaze, glancing toward the charging Hunter.
"Meow!"
Clawdia delivered another fierce scratch, raking across the Glavenus's eyeball. The needle-like pain caused it to jerk its head to the side.
Isis seized this opportunity to quickly move into an attacking position. She planted her Large Shield firmly and lowered her center of gravity, pointing the muzzle of her Gunlance directly at the Glavenus's hideous head.
"Wyvern's Fire!"
Isis's roar served both to bolster her morale and draw the Monster's attention, while also acting as a warning to her companions.
Receiving the signal, Clawdia immediately let go, allowing herself to be flung away by the Glavenus. She adjusted her posture mid-air and landed on the ground more than ten meters away.
Blinding heat condensed at the tip of the Gunlance. In the next second, a blast of scorching flame mingled with gunpowder smoke erupted with a roar.
Having finally shaken off the small pest on its face, the Glavenus had just begun to turn its head back to deal with the Hunter in front of it when it was struck head-on by the Wyvern's Fire.
The power of this blast was not something Sajji's small cannon cart could compare to.
The bone armor on the bridge of the Glavenus's snout shattered. It let out a pained howl, rearing its upper body back and recoiling two steps.
Isis's eyes lit up. She was about to press the advantage and swing her Gunlance for a heavy follow-up, but caught sight of Olivia's approaching figure out of the corner of her eye.
She immediately aborted her plan to pursue, side-stepping to clear the path for the attack.
Olivia, who had been about to shout a reminder, curled her lips into a smirk. The muscles of her waist and back tightened like a fully drawn bowstring as her entire body's strength was mobilized.
Reaching the space beneath the Glavenus's head, she spun around and swung her Hammer.
One rotation, two, three...
After three consecutive swings into empty air, the inertia accumulated in the Hammer had reached a formidable level. Then, her body began to spin at high speed like a whirlwind.
Altaïr watched the movement there while flanking around.
As a fellow Hammer user, he immediately realized what Olivia intended to do. This move not only demanded extreme physical conditioning and technique but also precise timing, which was the most difficult part. It was somewhat similar to a Great Sword's Charged Slash.
However, a Charged Slash at least involved accumulating power while stationary. What Olivia was doing now was constantly stacking inertia through a high-speed spinning attack.
Wait for the moment where power would be released in a single concentration.
Altaïr decisively sheathed his weapon and flipped up his visor, taking out a bottle of Dash Juice and gulping it down to prepare for the upcoming opening.
A Hammer user who dared to start a Charge at the very beginning of a fight was either a complete novice or an expert with absolute confidence. Altaïr believed Olivia was the latter.
And Olivia did not disappoint him.
Just as the Glavenus barely recovered from the impact of the Wyvern's Fire and staggered to find its center of gravity, its head entered Olivia's attack range.
The Hammer user let out a fierce shout and took a giant leap forward. The Hammer, carrying the terrifying inertia built up from repeated rotations, swung upward in a violent arc, slamming heavily into the Glavenus's lower jaw.
Spinning strong pressure!
With a deafening "Bang!", the Glavenus's head was knocked high into the air once more.
Already dazed from the Wyvern's Fire, the Glavenus's mind went blank as its eyes rolled back. It briefly lost consciousness and its balance was completely shattered.
Its massive frame fell like a collapsing mountain, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Ha! That hit from Olivia was really something. As expected of someone sent from the Hunter's Guild headquarters!"
Altaïr gave a smirk and snapped his Dual Blades together to enter Demon Mode, charging straight toward the fallen, ferocious beast.
(Translated by yourtl.app)