The layered black carapace absorbed most of the heat and damage, but the force of the explosion still sent Guanzorumu staggering several steps backward and interrupted the breath attack building in its throat.
Thwarted time and again by mere "small animals" it should have been able to crush with a casual swipe, Guanzorumu's breathing grew ragged and its eyes flashed with a savage crimson light.
Ignoring the wounds splitting open across its chest and belly, it drew a deep breath, its ribcage swelling high.
The next instant, a terrifying roar beyond the limits of human hearing shattered the surrounding stone paving. Visible waves of sound, laced with some kind of black energy, swept outward in every direction.
As soon as Guanzorumu deliberately opened up some distance, the High Rank Hunters sensed the danger.
They retreated at full speed, but they could not outrun the spreading shock wave. The black ripple hurled them backward, sending them tumbling and crashing to the ground.
That was no ordinary roar. It was some kind of wide-area attack carried by sound waves!
Casa, the Insect Glaive user, was the closest. Worse, he wore relatively light, flexible armor to maximize his mobility. Under the impact of that strange sound wave, blood sprayed from his mouth and nose, and he lost consciousness almost instantly.
Haifa fared slightly better. As a Great Sword user, she wore more substantial armor and had managed to raise her Great Sword in front of her at the last moment, blocking part of the damage.
She could at least use her sword to prop herself up, but she was unlikely to rejoin the fight immediately.
Among the main team, the only one still capable of fighting was Kane, the Heavy Bowgun user.
From the start of the battle, he had maintained a safe distance from Guanzorumu, firing a shot and then relocating, his feet never still for an instant.
In fact, anyone who knew him well knew that his preferred ammunition was spread ammo. He was a Heavy Bowgun user who favored close-quarters combat.
He had adopted this relatively cautious fighting style only because his role in this hunt extended beyond serving as the main team's Gunner; he was also the commander of every Hunter present.
That necessary caution was precisely what spared them from the hopeless situation of losing their leader.
"Reserve team, move in! Palicoes, rescue them!"
Seeing both of his Blademaster teammates lose their ability to fight at once, he risked intensifying his attack to draw Guanzorumu's attention as he roared out orders.
Altaïr and his two companions immediately surged out of the alleys surrounding the battlefield and joined the fray.
The operation included many more 5★ Hunters, and theirs was not the only regular hunting party involved. But theirs was the only established team composed entirely of 5★ Hunters who had worked together for years.
In team operations, synergy among the members was even more important than individual skill. That was precisely why, despite their youth, the three had been designated the "First Reserve Team."
Isis roared as she charged, launching herself like a blindly charging Diablos straight toward the ferocious Elder Dragon at the center of the battlefield, whose eyes blazed with crimson fury.
She knew she had no chance of defeating it, and even holding her ground for a moment would be a monumental struggle. But as the team's armored vanguard, she had to step forward and buy time for the critically wounded High Rank Hunters to withdraw.
Altaïr followed close behind.
Isis could never hold an Elder Dragon at bay alone. If he resorted to his usual hit-and-run tactics or attacked from the flank, Isis, their main frontliner, would likely be crushed before they achieved anything.
By then, Guanzorumu could simply turn around and dispose of him with ease.
The only viable tactic was the same one they had used against Lagiacrus, with two frontliners advancing together in a frontal assault.
Only by sharing that burden could they have any hope of holding out against an Elder Dragon.
Of course, it was only a possibility.
Faced with the two Hunters charging swiftly toward it, a trace of impatience flickered in Guanzorumu's eyes. It drove its broad wings into the ground and swept them violently forward.
A gale burst forth, fierce enough to knock anyone off balance, and swept up chunks of shattered paving stone. They hammered into the approaching Hunters in a torrential barrage.
Buffeted by the howling wind and the hail of stones, Isis inevitably lost momentum. She had no choice but to halt her advance, lower her center of gravity, and brace behind her shield.
Large chunks of masonry slammed against her shield like cannonballs, producing a series of sickening cracks. The wind, nearly strong enough to lift a person off their feet, forced her backward uncontrollably, while the pulverized grit made it almost impossible to keep her eyes open.
Just as her guard was about to collapse, Altaïr, who had been closing in from behind, reached out and pressed a hand against her back. Together, they steadied the shield and endured the onslaught of wind and debris.
Yet that had been no more than a casual blow from Guanzorumu.
As the gale began to subside, Isis, still holding her shield aloft, suddenly heard a rush of air. Was that... the sound of dragon wings sweeping toward her?
Oh no!
Sensing the danger, Isis had no time to think. She rammed her shoulder against her shield and slammed it forward with all her might.
Guanzorumu, which had somehow closed the distance, brought a claw crashing down on Isis's shield.
Screeeech!
Amid the agonizing, teeth-grating screech, the shield, capable of withstanding a Wyvern's Fire head-on, was gouged with several prominent claw marks.
Under that immense force, the shield nearly flew from her grasp. If that fortunate shove had not triggered an Insta-Block and negated part of the impact, and if the thick, layered plates of her Zamtrios Z Armor Set had not absorbed most of the shock...
Guanzorumu's pouncing claw strike would have sent her flying, shield and all.
Even so, she could not suppress a muffled cough. The thick, coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, a sign that the severe impact had caused internal bleeding.
By all rights, she should have fallen back to drink a potion and recover.
But she could spare no thought for that now. Ignoring the dull pain in her chest and abdomen and the grinding protests of her overstrained joints, she tensed every muscle until they were as taut as steel cables. With a roar, she straightened, raised her arm, and forced Guanzorumu's pressing claw away.
Immediately afterward, she lunged forward with a wide stride and swung her Gunlance down with every ounce of her strength.
With no time to worry about hit zones or timing, her finger clamped down on the trigger the instant her Gunlance struck Guanzorumu, discharging every last shell loaded in the barrel in a single burst.
Full Burst!
By sheer luck, her attack struck the side of Guanzorumu's head, blasting it slightly askew.
Unable to tolerate such provocation, Guanzorumu roared and lunged for a rending bite, its bloodied maw agape.
Thrown backward by Full Burst's recoil, Isis had yet to regain her footing; she could only raise her shield in front of her.
Such a flimsy defensive stance could never block the attack. Just as she resigned herself to fate, a hand landed on her shoulder and hauled her back behind him.
Gripping a Long Sword in both hands, Altaïr raised his blade to meet Guanzorumu's gnashing fangs.
"Clang!"
The keen edge clashed against dragon teeth, scattering a spray of sparks.
It was a Tempered Spirit Blade, though an incomplete one.
Altaïr shouted and threw all his strength into a forward shove.
Even with all her strength and the aid of a fortunate Insta-Block, Isis had barely managed to lever aside Guanzorumu's claw. Someone else could hardly hope to reproduce that feat so easily.
His push was not intended to force Guanzorumu's head aside. Instead, he used the reaction force to leap backward and bleed off the momentum.
"Crunch!"
The tooth-lined maw snapped shut right in front of him. Cold sweat beaded on Altaïr's forehead, and a wave of relief washed over him.
He had chosen correctly. Though the maneuver was hardly dignified, he had ultimately helped Isis weather that sequence of attacks.
By then, Isis had regained her footing and charged back in with a roar. At the same moment, Altaïr activated Demon Mode, his blade whipping through the air and leaving an afterimage as he surged forward.
Faced with the pair's incessant "harassment," Guanzorumu finally lost patience.
It howled and swept its wings horizontally, forcing them both back, then drew itself up and raised its head once more, taking a deep breath.
The move that had driven the High Rank Hunters from the battlefield was gathering power once again, poised to strike.
(Translated by yourtl.app)