The appearance of the large airship made the hunters cheer, but also made the Estrellians increasingly restless.
They had never seen such an enormous "flying creature," and the thunderous "roar" it produced filled them with instinctive dread.
Only the most powerful Monster could emit such a terrifying cry.
Seizing the moment while the Estrellian pack's attention was scattered, Olivia let out a sharp whistle. Once eyes were on her, she signaled the tactical command to "regroup."
The hunters, recognizing the signal, drew closer to one another. Dawn and Serl, shields raised, positioned themselves at the very front, while the Gunners loaded Bowgun Ammo into their weapons, watching warily for any incoming attack.
The large airship still needed several minutes to approach and land. If the Estrellians launched a frenzied assault now, they would have to weather the most dangerous wave of the onslaught.
Altaïr felt a knot of unease in his chest.
His greatest worry was not that the Estrellians would suddenly go berserk and charge at them, but that they would command the entire swarm of Star Butterflies to attack en masse just as the large airship was descending.
The ship's hull was incredibly durable. Star Butterflies slamming into it would barely leave a scratch; even the Heavy Ballista's bolts might only just pierce the deck planks.
But the air sac was a different story. Though the large airship's gasbag was constructed from multiple layers of silk cloth and reinforced in critical areas with materials like Monster wing membrane and leather, it simply could not withstand a relentless, suicidal charge by over a hundred Star Butterflies.
If the airship lacked sufficient countermeasures, it could very well be shot down in a matter of minutes.
The crew maneuvering the large airship had clearly considered this as well. The craft began descending while still a great distance away, flying at an ultra-low altitude that nearly skimmed the canopy of the Jungle.
That way, even if the airship crashed, the crew would not be completely wiped out in an instant.
Thankfully, all of this was merely conjecture from the perspective of humans familiar with airships.
Just as hunters encountering a completely unknown Monster cannot instantly pinpoint its weaknesses,
the Estrellians, however intelligent, would be hard-pressed to realize in mere minutes that a giant "flying creature" roughly forty meters long could actually be brought down by Star Butterflies.
Thus, in response to the steadily approaching large airship, the Estrellians' reaction was somewhat similar to that of the hunters in the forest.
The few ordinary individuals with orange-red armored carapaces warily clustered together, seeking to borrow strength from the group to protect themselves.
But two members of the Subspecies were visibly far more agitated. They paced restlessly, occasionally unleashing a defiant roar toward the sky.
As for the giant Estrellian leader, radiating a terrifying presence, it seemed utterly indifferent to its kin's reactions. It stood alone near the entrance to the Ruins Passage, silently watching the approaching large airship.
Observing the three distinctly different behavior patterns of the Estrellians, Altaïr's mind suddenly flashed back to the words Sheila had emphasized.
Not social animals, but a communal aggregation.
Could these Estrellians truly be considered a single pack?
Amid the strange, tense atmosphere of the standoff, the low-flying large airship drew closer and closer, until Altaïr could even make out the guild crest painted on the enormous air sac. Just then, several bizarre cries rang out from the Jungle. A number of Yian Kut-Ku burst into the air, swooping in to encircle and attack the low-flying large airship.
Nymera narrowed her eyes slightly. Though they were still quite a distance away, she could vaguely make out a single Star Butterfly luring those Yian Kut-Ku into action.
She shared her discovery with her nearby companions.
Altaïr instinctively glanced toward the dark-red Estrellian that was very likely the source of all this chaos. Sure enough, it too was staring intently at those Yian Kut-Ku attacking the large airship.
It was testing them, testing whether this massive, never-before-seen thing was merely a showpiece with nothing to back up its size, or whether it truly posed a threat.
Soon, the heavily armed large airship gave it its answer.
The fire lines spat from the twin Machine Cannons lashed out like whips at the approaching Yian Kut-Ku. The two nearest creatures were instantly bombarded, their armored carapaces shattered and blood spraying. Their wings were torn to shreds in the blink of an eye by the arm-thick shells, and they plummeted helplessly.
The remaining Yian Kut-Ku, terrified into breaking free of the Star Butterfly's enchantment, scattered in a panicked rout, beating their wings and fleeing at full speed.
The droning roar of the Machine Cannons' fire ceased, and the large airship reverted to its earlier guise, seemingly harmless, advancing quietly and steadily.
Faced with the destructive power displayed by the large airship, the Hunters were understandably brimming with morale. In Sajji's eyes, an intoxicated, envious gleam shone even more brightly.
This was the power of machinery and technology, meow!
The Estrellians grew even more unsettled. Even that mysterious leader now couldn't help but pace back and forth, its gaze toward the large airship filled with deep wariness.
After a standoff that was neither short nor long, the large airship finally arrived above this stretch of forest.
The Airship did not land directly. Instead, it hovered midair, suspended about a dozen meters above the ground.
Ropes dropped down from both sides of the ship's hull. Led by Fabius, the Defense Corps knights began rappelling down one after another, orderly and efficiently.
Just then, one Estrellian Subspecies that had been seething with agitation could no longer bear the crushing oppression radiating from the large airship. With a roar, it charged out, a frenzied image of one determined to fight its opponent to the death.
With reinforcements still mid-rappel and assembling, the Hunters naturally could not allow this Estrellian Subspecies to close in and sow chaos. They were just about to intercept it.
A loud bang thundered from the deck of the large airship.
This time, the heavy Cannon mounted on the ship did not fire a blank. The heavy grenade, something even a Hunter would take some effort to lift, burst forth with explosive force, striking the ground less than ten meters in front of the Estrellian Subspecies.
The deafening blast startled countless birds from the forest. The eruption of explosive flames and the shockwave nearly flipped the Estrellian Subspecies onto its back. The scattering shrapnel peppered its chest, splashing up swaths of blood.
Howling, the Estrellian Subspecies halted before the massive crater blasted open by the Crag Cannon Shell. Startled and enraged, it leaped backward, putting considerable distance between itself and the ship, clearly filled with intense fear of that shelling.
The Defense Corps knights seized this moment to land, one after another.
Carefully selected and trained by the Guild, the knights of imposing stature formed ranks, raising Large Shields and Lances in perfect unison to create a solid steel line of defense, covering the subsequent personnel as they touched down. Altaïr spotted a familiar figure among them, someone towering over one hundred ninety centimeters, clad in rock-gray Heavy Armor, blending in without the slightest incongruity.
Except their gear didn't quite match, which made them stand out a bit.
Two full squads, eight elite Defense Corps knights in total, one Gunlance user who'd been moonlighting as a monster tamer for quite some time, and Fabius as their leader... that was the full complement of ground forces deployed.
As for the several Guild Knights led by Rosso, their task was to operate the heavy weapons aboard the Airship.
Finally, yet another figure leaped directly from the Airship.
It was the Estrellian hatchling that had arrived with the support team.
As it landed, the ship's hull lightened, and the operator guided the Airship into a steady climb, halting its ascent about forty to fifty meters above the ground, then circling slowly around the area.
The Heavy Ballista, Cannons, Machine Cannons, and other weapons were all unlocked, their sights trained on the Estrellian group below under the Guild Knights' control.
Realizing she wasn't needed among the shield-bearers, Isis stowed her weapon and ran over to the landed Estrellian hatchling, whispering, "Are your mom and dad in there?"
The Estrellian hatchling, of course, didn't answer. But neither did it rush toward its kin, as many had expected.
Instead, it cast a fearful glance at the extraordinarily massive Estrellian leader, then shrank back, hiding itself behind Isis.
As for the Estrellian leader, it paid no mind whatsoever to the hatchling traveling with the humans.
Its dragon eyes, faintly glowing red, were fixed dead on the golden-armored figure standing at the very front of the knights, spear in hand: Fabius.
From this unremarkable-looking creature, it sensed a threat nearly equal to the strange giant thing circling in the sky above.
"ROOOOAR!"
This was the Estrellian leader's first roar since it had appeared.
Dark crimson wings unfurled from the armored carapace on its back.
Along its limbs, spine, and long tail, countless dark red wings emerged, and searing crimson light coursed through its granite-like shell, dyeing its entire body the dazzling color of half-molten lava.
A terrifying presence, as if capable of annihilating all things, swept out in all directions.
(Translated by yourtl.app)