A scorching air current accompanied by a massive roar rushed toward them. Leon stood beside a cannon, the deafening blasts and his companions' shouts ringing in his ears. Before him loomed the approaching titan—Zorah Magdaros.
Its shell resembled layers of obsidian, with glowing red-gold lava flowing through the cracks. With every step it took, the earth let out a heavy boom as magma erupted from the casing.
Research has shown that Zorah Magdaros's physical size continues to grow throughout its entire lifespan.
Leon knew that the reason Zorah Magdaros had come to the New World was because its life was nearing its end.
From this, it could be inferred that the Zorah Magdaros before them was likely at the absolute peak of its species' physical size.
Its body temperature was extremely high. To effectively regulate its heat, it relied on specialized thermal organs.
These rock-like organs were connected to its inner core. If destroyed, Zorah Magdaros would not only be injured but would also become sluggish as its internal temperature failed to decrease.
This was the task assigned to Ramsey and the other hunters. They had to land directly on the monster's shell, locate these Magmacores, and destroy them.
"Keep loading the shells!" Leon shouted, commanding the artillery team on the left.
Hearing him, Flora quickly lifted the rear of a cannon and slid a specialized explosive shell into the breech.
"Loading complete!"
"Fire—!"
—BOOM!!!
The second volley of shells struck Zorah Magdaros's left shell with precision. Flames erupted, sending rock fragments flying.
The roar of cannons echoed throughout the Great Ravine.
Everyone performed their assigned duties. Ramsey and the other frontline hunters had already hitched rides on Wingdrakes.
A Felyne arrived to report, "The frontline team has boarded Zorah Magdaros! Artillery, eyes peeled! Concentrate fire on the head!"
Leon looked up.
Ramsey and several other hunters had already landed on the towering ridges of the monster's back via Wingdrake. They quickly dispersed and began searching for the various Magmacores.
The sky was stained black by billowing smoke, and flames churned within the Great Ravine like some infernal festival.
Zorah Magdaros let out a deafening roar, its head lifting slightly as lava trickled slowly down its shell.
It seemed to feel the pain—and the threat.
"We have to hold it back..." Leon whispered. "Buy them more time."
"Lock onto the target's head—!"
"Fire!"
Another round of cannon fire roared like continuous thunder tearing through the sky. Multiple shells hit Zorah Magdaros's face and neck, and one explosion after another bloomed, sending ripples of fire across its hardened exterior.
Zorah Magdaros shook its massive head and let out a furious roar, a shriek that pierced the darkness.
A crimson light suddenly flared!
Flora cried out, "Oh no, a Magma Eruption!"
Leon's eyes narrowed as he ordered, "Everyone, get down! Avoid the heat wave—!"
A second later...
The rock layers on the monster's back bulged violently, exploding like a volcanic vent. Scalding streams of fire erupted from the shell, shooting dozens of meters into the air before cascading down like a waterfall, covering the entire back.
"Ramsey—!?" Leon's heart tightened, but the silhouettes of the hunters were still moving.
Ramsey wove through the fire-fall, dodging the erupting heat waves and steadying himself in front of a Magmacore.
He gripped his Great Sword tightly and swung down a heavy Charged Slash!
—CRACK!!!
The Magmacore was damaged, instantly spraying blinding crimson sparks. Zorah Magdaros's pace faltered immediately.
"Good job!" the Commander shouted from the high platform. "Zorah Magdaros has successfully slowed down! Artillery, continue suppression! Prepare the Dragonator!"
Ramsey wiped the sweat from his face and turned to look at a distant, smoking crack hidden among the ridges.
"There's another one over there!"
Several hunters followed Ramsey's lead, sprinting toward the location of the Magmacore.
But this time, Zorah Magdaros seemed to perceive the threat on its body. It actually lifted its front legs and stood on two feet.
As the monster suddenly reared up, the ground beneath them tilted.
"It's standing up—!"
"Watch out, everyone!"
What was once a horizontal path gradually became vertical. Ramsey could only cling tightly to the rocks to keep from falling.
His fingers stung from the high heat, and behind him was a churning flow of magma. The air was so hot it was nearly impossible to breathe.
Several other hunters couldn't react in time. As the gravity shifted, they were thrown off.
"Aaaagh—!"
"Grab him!"
One of them was about to fall into the magma. At the critical moment, another hunter grabbed the edge of his armor but lost his own balance, and both began to fall.
"Dammit!" Ramsey braced himself and fired his Clutch Claw at a nearby ledge.
Shing—clack!
The steel cable whistled through the air, pinning itself firmly into the rock. Then, he leaped, catching the falling hunter's arm mid-air and hauling both of them back onto a flat surface.
"Don't just stand there, keep moving!"
The group endured the high temperatures, gasping for breath as they climbed upward.
A smoking Magmacore was right before them.
Ramsey rushed forward, raising his Great Sword for a Wide Slash. He shattered the outer rock casing, exposing the glowing red core, which emitted a blinding light.
"Destroy it!"
Three weapons fell simultaneously.
—CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!!
The Magmacore completely shattered. A heat wave carrying sparks blasted outward, and Zorah Magdaros let out a pained shriek.
At that moment, the Commander decisively ordered, "Dragonator in position! Wait for my signal—"
On the platform, the mechanical structure groaned as the Dragonator's tip slowly opened like the maw of a sleeping beast.
Meanwhile, Ramsey and the other hunters, having completed their mission, struggled across the rocky ridges and finally reached a clear space at the very top of Zorah Magdaros's back.
They waited for the Wingdrakes to retrieve them.
Down on the battle line, Leon looked toward the distant sky and suddenly caught sight of a black shadow diving down from the clouds.
It was a monster covered in jet-black scales.
"Nergigante?!" Leon's pupils shrank.
He immediately realized its target wasn't the ground, but—the back of Zorah Magdaros!
"Dammit, it's coming for Zorah!" Leon didn't hesitate, turning and sprinting toward the zipline platform.
He shouted to Flora, "Flora, take over command! I have to support the team at the top!"
"You're going up alone? But—"
"No time to talk!"
Leon snapped himself onto the cable and launched upward, using his Clutch Claw to hook onto a passing Wingdrake.
He headed straight for the back of Zorah Magdaros.
Meanwhile, on the clearing atop the monster's back, Ramsey and the hunters had just stabilized themselves when they heard a roar as heavy as a death knell.
From the black smoke, a massive, shadowy figure slowly emerged.
Its body was covered in thorns, its back was black, and two curved, pale white horns grew from its head...
Its muscles were powerful and well-defined. Although it wasn't particularly large, the pressure it radiated was in no way inferior to that of Zorah Magdaros.
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