Maki was hoping Altaïr would get carted a few times, but he had no intention of obliging.
He carefully kept about ten meters between himself and the Espinas.
At that range, the slightest opening would let him close in and launch a surprise attack. If the Espinas betrayed any sign of an impending attack, he would also have room to respond.
Though the Hunter's repeated harassment had not inflicted any serious injuries, the Espinas was gradually growing irritable.
Flames and poisonous smoke flickered between its teeth as it stared at the Hunter darting past it again and again.
It had fully entered a combat state. Even as he searched for an opening, Altaïr raised his guard to its highest level.
Suddenly, the Espinas whipped its head around and spat a fireball laced with venom at the Hunter sprinting more than ten meters away.
A breath attack! So fast!
Even though he had been expecting it, the speed of the Espinas's breath attack still startled Altaïr.
There was nothing elaborate about it, nor did the Espinas compress the attack into a devastating pillar of flame like Gravios and similar Monsters. It was merely a fireball less than a meter across.
Yet the fireball came out with astonishing speed. The Espinas did not even pause to inhale; it simply opened its jaws and fired.
Compared with powerful techniques that had obvious windups, this kind of attack posed an even greater threat to Hunters.
Armor might keep a Hunter from being killed outright, but the fireball could still inflict severe injuries and put them hopelessly on the back foot for the rest of the battle.
The Espinas could even lead its target. The fireball was aimed several meters ahead of Altaïr, and if he continued along the same path, he would plunge straight into its blast radius a second later.
At a full sprint in Demon Mode, stopping on a dime was impossible.
Altaïr grunted, twisted at the waist, and swung his blades. Using the Dual Blades' Spinning Slash technique, he converted his forward momentum into a lateral spin, wrenching himself sideways before immediately kicking off into a retreat.
The fireball exploded less than five meters in front of him.
The blast scattered the venom mixed into the breath attack in every direction. Its heat vaporized the liquid, spreading a foul-smelling, pale purple poison mist across a wide area.
The sight sent Altaïr retreating a good dozen meters before he finally stopped.
So the fire was not the real threat; the toxins were the true killing blow.
Imagine deadly poison and paralytic toxins flooding through your fire-seared skin, the venom ravaging your body while paralysis locks every muscle in place, leaving you helpless to do anything but watch the Espinas stroll over and swallow you whole...
Attacking from the front was too dangerous. Until Isis returned, giving him a partner who could cover him and help him recover from paralysis if necessary, he had to stay out of the Espinas's line of fire as much as possible.
Having made up his mind, Altaïr circled behind the Espinas again. Using a Sliding Slash to slip beneath a sweep of its tail, he darted into position behind its thigh, close to the base of its tail.
Springing to his feet, Altaïr deliberately disengaged Demon Mode to ease the strain on his body.
His relentless barrage had also filled the Demon Gauge, allowing him to transition smoothly into Archdemon Mode.
Coupled with the boost from blue demon mode and the Spirit Gauge enhancement of his Long Sword, his speed remained astonishing even after he disengaged Demon Mode.
Rather than risk any powerful techniques that required charging, he relied on the enhanced physical abilities of Archdemon Mode to unleash Crimson Blade Slash in rapid succession, repeatedly tearing open and deepening the wounds on the Espinas's leg.
"Gwaaah!"
The Espinas let out a roar of pain.
Its broad, powerful wings beat hard as it reared up, lifting both hind legs off the ground. Just as Altaïr thought it was about to pull away or unleash a Rathalos-style backflip tail strike–
The Espinas used the lift from its wingbeats to rise only three or four meters before slamming both hind legs back down in a crushing stomp.
"Boom!"
The ground around its claws shook violently, and cracks spread across the earth like a spiderweb.
Altaïr had intended to use Foresight Slash to pull back, but the instant the Espinas's claws struck the ground, he wrenched the technique into a leaping turn and used Foresight Slash: Spin to evade the localized quake.
The Espinas's follow-up turning bite also missed.
Its enormous jaws snapped shut less than a meter from Altaïr's face, sending cold sweat pouring down his back.
Unlike most Monsters from his previous hunts, the Espinas before him displayed far greater combat intelligence.
Rather than recklessly commit to powerful techniques with large openings, it chained together quick, compact attacks.
The stomp itself did little damage, but the violent tremor made it difficult for him to keep his footing.
Had he failed to react the moment Espinas's claws struck the ground, the shaking earth would have thrown him off balance and made that follow-up bite impossible to evade.
That razor-thin Foresight dodge accelerated the gathering of Altaïr's Spirit Gauge, carrying his momentum to its peak.
Entering the red Spirit Gauge state usually marked the beginning of a counterattack. Unfortunately, Altaïr had no room to launch an immediate offensive; after its first bite missed, the Espinas followed with another snap of its jaws.
With no time to dodge, Altaïr raised Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] to meet it. The blade caught the fangs along the Espinas's lower jaw, and he used the impact to propel himself backward. As he cleared the bite, he brought his sword down in an Overhead Slash.
Tempered Spirit Blade!
At that instant, the Espinas snapped its head upward and drove its horn into the descending sword. Blade and horn met with a sharp "Clang!"
Dragon Element energy erupted, and crimson arcs of electricity jolted the Espinas's head back. The force transmitted through the hilt also knocked Altaïr several steps backward; the clash had ended in a draw.
—--
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Not bad. That stomp into a quick bite was dangerous, and he actually dodged it." Watching from a distant treetop, Maki clicked her tongue repeatedly.
"Then why did you hold me back?!"
Minoto, usually so calm, was now growing frantic. The instant the Espinas had reared up to stomp, she had already launched her Wirebug and prepared to rush onto the battlefield to support Altaïr, only for Maki to stop her.
"If he hadn't dodged that, even the Felynes might not have reached him in time!"
"But he did dodge it, didn't he?"
Maki gestured for Minoto to calm down. "Relax. If he actually winds up in the Espinas's mouth, I'll step in."
"Ooh! That Tempered Spirit Blade was impressive. The Espinas is about to get serious!"
—--
At the center of the battlefield, the Hunter and Monster each retreated several steps from their head-on clash.
Altaïr leveled his sword, focused his mind, and gathered his strength as he entered Focused Stance. He fixed his full attention on his opponent, ready to meet the coming attack.
The Espinas, meanwhile, drew a deep breath.
"Thump. Thump. Thump..." Its heartbeat, as powerful as a war drum, hammered faster and faster.
Scalding dragon blood churned through the Espinas's veins and flooded its muscles and wing membranes.
Its already powerful muscles swelled further, forcing apart the interlocking plates of its shell and exposing the dark red flesh beneath.
A dangerous red glow shone from the blood-vessel-rich areas along its neck, chest, and wing membranes.
"Gwaaaaaah!!!"
The rage-filled roar, far louder and more piercing than before, rang through the mountain forest.
Facing the Espinas as it entered its enraged state, Altaïr quietly regulated his breathing, every muscle in his body drawn taut as a bowstring.
Before the roar's echoes had faded, the Espinas, seeming to have transformed into an entirely different creature, leveled its single horn at Altaïr and launched a bellowing charge.
At the same instant, with his strength and Spirit Gauge both built to their limits, Altaïr drove his sword forward in a thrust.
(Translated by yourtl.app)