Tiger, Jack, and Aru—the three Felynes—were originally assigned to Lancer to act as "babysitters," meant to rescue him should anything go wrong.
Why give this task to these three specifically?
It was simple: they had served as Palicoes for other hunters before and later joined the "Meowscular Expedition" by chance. Their experience was vast—frequently exceeding that of the hunters they served.
However, even the most extensive experience is limited by environmental factors, and the two monsters before them were undoubtedly "outside the scope" of their past encounters.
Being naturally cautious, the three cats had adopted the safest plan upon discovering them.
The agile Jack performed close-range reconnaissance, Tiger stood by to provide backup, and Aru—as usual—set up barrel bombs to secure a path for retreat.
The plan itself was flawless, but the problem lay with their targets.
Teostra and Lunastra.
Among Elder Dragons, they are unique. Due to their immense power and rarity, the ecology of most Elder Dragons is a mystery. Teostra and Lunastra, however, are the only Elder Dragons officially recorded to act in tandem. While this is attributed to them being male and female counterparts, no other Elder Dragon species has sightings of mated pairs hunting together.
Furthermore, their method of attack is highly specialized.
Unlike other Elder Dragons that simply manipulate an element, they use a "powder" produced by their bodies to trigger explosions. At this moment, the entire cavern was saturated with it.
Aru, having just placed a bomb, didn't even have time to react before a chain reaction of massive explosions ripped through the cave. Tiger and Jack were also caught in the blast, but because Aru was closest to the bombs being prematurely detonated by the Elder Dragons' sparks, its injuries were the most severe.
The result was what Lancer saw: the unexpected blast fully awakened the pair. Tiger retreated with the wounded Aru while Jack desperately tried to draw the attention of both Elder Dragons to buy his comrades time.
But even Jack struggled against the coordinated pincer attack of two Elder Dragons. It darted left and right but eventually got caught in a blast. Just as it raised its twin blades to brace for Teostra's claw strike——————
"GET... AWAY FROM IT!!"
With a thunderous roar, an ice spear struck the "crown" on Teostra's forehead.
This sudden strike sent Teostra and Lunastra into a total rage. Jack didn't miss the opportunity; instead of just slipping through the gap between the behemoths, it gripped its hilts tight, a rare fire burning in its eyes.
"MEOW~!!!"
With a screeching howl, its longsword carved a chunk out of Teostra's mane. It then kicked off the ground and retreated. As expected, almost the instant the mane fell, another explosion echoed.
Teostra, never expecting the cat to counter-attack, glared down in fury. But a figure was already in its face. Enveloped in a blood-red glow, Lancer delivered a sweeping strike with his Gáe Bolg, smashing the creature's forehead. Simultaneously, the "Phoenix Fire" on the spear ignited.
BOOM!!!
CRACK~!
A horrific explosion thundered through the cave. Lancer, the one closest to the blast, leaped out of the smoke and dust. Surprisingly, he was unscathed. In contrast, Teostra, the master of explosions, was shaking its head groggily, clearly rattled by the impact.
Evidently, an explosion even more powerful than its own had left it dazed. Just as Lancer prepared to follow up, a blue shadow charged from afar. Lancer was forced to hold his spear with both hands to defend.
BANG!!
SCREECH~!!
Lancer's feet carved two deep furrows into the crystalline floor. His bulging muscles showed he was exerting maximum effort, yet the slight tremor in his limbs indicated he was nearing his limit. Worse yet, blue powder was visibly settling around him like falling snow.
Clack~!
With a spark from the monster's gnashing teeth, the blue powder ignited instantly. A massive explosion erupted, tossing Lancer into the air. He adjusted his posture mid-flight and landed steadily.
He looked a bit battered. Although the "Azure Star" protective suit absorbed most of the explosive damage, his messy hair and the soot on his face told the story of his struggle.
Elder Dragon combat styles aren't overly complex, but paired with their robust bodies and supernatural abilities, they are devastating. Now, facing the perfectly synchronized husband-and-wife team of Teostra and Lunastra, Lancer's head—which had been "overheating" due to Aru's injury—began to cool.
But then——————
Woo~ woo~ woo~
Accompanied by the low drone of a flute, Lancer felt his wounds beginning to knit back together. He stole a glance behind him. Aru was leaning against the cave entrance, and Tiger had taken out his Hunting Horn.
Lancer breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, Aru was out of immediate danger.
He faced two choices: retreat temporarily and return to hunt them after preparing, or keep fighting. He glanced at Jack standing beside him. Noticing Lancer's gaze, the cat gave a stoic, resolute nod.
"Meow."
Lancer saw the seriousness in its eyes. Undoubtedly, Aru's injury had caused the usually "tsundere" Jack to drop its act.
As the youngest of the three cats, Jack had always been looked after by its seniors. Aru was lazy, but it was that easy-going nature that put up with Jack's attitude. The three cats had forged deep bonds over countless battles.
Since his master was asking, it meant his master was ready. Jack's choice required no further words.
Receiving the affirmative, Lancer lowered his center of gravity, and the flames on his spearhead ignited once more.
Using "Fire" against a monster that manipulates "Explosions" might seem reckless, but the purpose of the flames wasn't to deal damage. It was to prematurely detonate those strange powders. If the enemy triggered a blast at a critical moment, the consequences would be dire.
Pre-detonating the dust would reduce the unpredictability of the coming fight. As for the damage to the enemy? That was just a bonus.