The Hunters stared in momentary disbelief as the "Demon King" shattered the giant stone pillar with a single headlong charge.
Setting aside anomalous, super-giant creatures, Monsters capable of toppling trees four or five meters thick were rare, but the Hunters had at least seen them before. A Monster that could shatter a comparable mass of solid rock, however, was a first.
Were that thing's skull and neck bones forged from iron?
Their shock aside, the collision had not been easy on the "Demon King" either. The momentum of its consecutive charges had finally been halted. Once that surge of energy subsided, the muscles swollen by its racing heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
Its breathing grew even heavier than before, and thick, murky drool streamed from the corner of its mouth.
Even the "Demon King" could grow tired.
The scattered Hunters did not hesitate to close in. This was the best opening they could hope for short of a knockdown, and Isis was the first to attack.
While the "Demon King" was crashing into the stone pillar, she had fully reloaded both her shells and Wyrmstake Cannon.
With a thunderous "boom" from her Gunlance, she launched into a Blast Dash and flew toward the "Demon King," swinging the Glavenus Gunlance at its head in a tremendously powerful Wide Sweep.
Even exhausted, the "Demon King" still possessed terrifying reflexes. It whipped its head sideways and met the blade tearing through the air with the lone horn atop its head.
"Clang!"
The collision rang out like metal striking metal. The horn flung Isis from the air and sent her crashing into the sand nearby. She rolled twice to bleed off the impact before springing back to her feet.
She looked somewhat disheveled, but her eyes shone with startling intensity.
The "Demon King" had indeed hooked her with its horn and flung her away, but her blow had also made its head lurch and its footing falter for an instant.
What did that mean? Even exhausted, the "Demon King" remained far stronger than she was, but the disparity was no longer the hopeless, one-sided mismatch it had been before.
It had fallen to a level where she "could try clashing with it head-on."
From the beginning of the battle, Isis had cut a sorry figure as the Tank. She had played no decisive role and had instead relied on her companions to rescue her again and again.
The frustration had been smoldering inside her for a long time.
Now her opponent was wounded, drained by its consecutive charges, and finally exhausted. It was her turn to hit back!
Isis leaped to her feet and raised her Large Shield with a low shout.
Her fighting spirit was neither as pure nor as concentrated as that of a Long Sword or Dual Blades user, but its "quantity" and "intensity" were staggering. It surged outward and formed spiraling currents of air around the Large Shield in her hand.
In the next instant, she shot forward like a cannonball.
Shield Assault!
To amplify the power of her shield charge even further, she pulled the trigger hard. Her Gunlance roared, accelerating her again until she reached top speed in the blink of an eye.
For an instant, the "Demon King" seemed to see another version of itself charging straight toward it...
It hurriedly lowered its head to meet the attack with its shield-like skull and lance-like horn.
Of course, Isis was not foolish enough to ram straight into that sharp horn. As she pulled the Gunlance's trigger, she deliberately adjusted her angle and slipped past it. Her Large Shield slammed thunderously into the edge of the "Demon King's" skull plate on its broken-horn side.
The tactic of striking the edge of its "shield" caught the "Demon King" completely off guard.
Diablos never used such petty tricks when dueling each other because there was no point. When one Diablos's "lance" struck the edge of its opponent's "shield," the other's "lance" would also strike the edge of its "shield." Neither side would gain an advantage.
No creature other than another Diablos would even consider meeting it head-on.
It had truly never encountered a "small creature" like Isis, one willing to charge straight at it and collide with it head-on...
The tremendous impact traveled through the Large Shield and struck the edge of its skull plate. The awkward angle of the collision wrenched the "Demon King's" entire head to one side.
Isis could not drive it steadily backward, but the angle prevented the "Demon King" from bringing its strength fully to bear, locking the two in a momentary stalemate.
Altaïr and the others arrived moments later and stared at the sight in astonishment. Was she really matching the "Demon King" in a contest of strength?!
Isis roared with exertion behind her Large Shield, veins bulging at her temples.
She knew this contest of strength could only remain deadlocked for a moment. As soon as the "Demon King" adjusted to an angle where it could exert its full power, it would toss her aside without question.
Before it could break the balance, she leveled her Gunlance at the "Demon King's" face and pulled the trigger all the way down.
Full Burst!
The point-blank blast snapped the "Demon King's" head back and scattered the force it had just begun to muster.
Seizing the opening, Isis performed a Quick Reload and smashed the Gunlance down with all her strength. Its scorching blade and erupting shells hammered the "Demon King's" face so relentlessly that it could not even open its eyes.
Whether she could sustain that suppression was another matter, but for now, Isis had truly pinned the exhausted "Demon King" in place.
Seeing this, Altaïr and Serl launched their own all-out offensives without a word.
Altaïr moved beside the "Demon King's" head, close to its neck.
That placed him very near Isis's fighting position. Anyone else might have worried about their attacks interfering with each other, but that was no concern for two Hunters accustomed to swinging heavy weapons shoulder to shoulder.
Most of the Spirit Gauge Altaïr had built during the earlier fighting had already dissipated, but rapidly rebuilding it and raising its level was one of his specialties.
Rather than methodically building his Spirit Gauge through repeated attacks like a typical Long Sword user, then completing a Spirit Blade combo and Spirit Roundslash to raise its level, he used a more direct method.
He entered a Focus stance and immediately followed with a Thrust. The erupting Spirit energy easily tore open the wound on the Monster's neck, sending fresh blood spurting from flesh that had only just begun to clot.
A rain of blood enveloped him. With his focus at its peak, his recently depleted Spirit Gauge rebuilt itself at an astonishing speed.
Without the slightest pause, he raised his blade vertically and entered a charging stance. The Charged Spirit Roundslash that followed successfully raised his Spirit Gauge, restoring his momentum to its peak.
In the red Spirit Gauge state, his blade moved faster still.
Spinning Crimson Slash, Crimson Slash combo. One powerful cut after another erupted at astonishing speed.
In a flash, the side of the "Demon King's" neck became a mangled ruin. Pulsing blood vessels were faintly visible within the deepest of the crisscrossing gashes.
Beneath the "Demon King," between its legs and close to its belly, Serl was equally determined not to be outdone.
He took out another vial of Chaos Oil and applied it to his blade.
Dark-purple energy flared around the weapon. Serl did not attack immediately. He lowered his center of gravity, focused his mind, and steadied his breathing. In the next instant, he performed a broad movement rarely seen in the Sword and Shield's repertoire, spinning his entire body as he slashed.
In less than a second, his body completed a full seven hundred and twenty-degree rotation. Dazzling golden-red fighting spirit trailed his blade, forming a perfect arc of light that swept across the "Demon King's" legs.
Tough hide, fascia, and muscle tore apart layer by layer; the blade bit straight into bone.
Already struggling under Isis and Altaïr's pincer attack, the "Demon King" howled in agony and nearly collapsed.
Seeing this, Altaïr unleashed his entire Spirit Gauge without hesitation. Spirit Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Unsurpassed Slash erupted in rapid succession, carving several gaping, bone-deep wounds into the "Demon King's" neck and the back of its head.
The "Demon King's" balance deteriorated even further.
Roaring, Isis rammed forward with her shield once more and wedged the Large Shield between the "Demon King's" fangs. Its crimson eyes, filled with murderous fury, glared at her from less than a meter away.
"Taste this!"
She shouted as she pressed the Gunlance's muzzle against the "Demon King's" forehead and pulled the trigger hard enough to wrench the grip apart.
"Dragon Blast!"
The terrifying blast of flame hurled the "Demon King" to the ground. With a sharp "crack," the single horn that symbolized its pride snapped off at the base and spun away.