Watching from the treetop, Maki straightened slightly, her expression turning more serious.
Training Altaïr over the past few days had given her a general sense of his abilities. She also saw much of her younger self in him, so she had instinctively assumed he shared her combat habits and was the kind of Hunter who fought "independently."
Not that "independent" meant she always fought alone.
She had often joined forces with other Hunters, especially Hinoa, Minoto, and Master Utsushi. From her teens to the present day, they had Hunted together more times than she could count.
When particularly troublesome incidents arose, she would sometimes work with old acquaintances from the Kingdom as well. Dame Fiorayne, a leading Royal Order knight, was remarkably capable.
Yet no matter who joined her party, Maki remained its undisputed core. Every battle revolved around her.
Hinoa provided ranged firepower, Minoto drew the Monster's attention, Fiorayne's shield work was superb and often left Monsters stunned, and Master Utsushi could wield virtually any weapon to provide whatever support was needed.
And Maki? All she had to do was hack the Monster to pieces.
She had assumed Altaïr and Isis fought much like she and Minoto did, with one serving as the party's core while the other provided cover.
After watching the pair coordinate an entire offensive that kept Espinas suppressed, however, she realized their partnership did not follow the usual pattern of one lead and one support. Each of them was a core fighter.
They took turns pressing the attack and covering one another, creating opportunities far more efficiently than an ordinary pair. Together, they were far more than the sum of their parts.
If Altaïr Hunted Espinas alone, his chance of success would not exceed thirty percent. He and Maki agreed on that much.
Add Isis, however, and everything changed. Maki had initially estimated that their chance of success might barely reach fifty percent. Now, seventy or eighty percent no longer seemed unreasonable.
Even an ordinary 6★ or 7★ Hunter would hesitate to claim an eighty percent chance of bringing down an Espinas alone. Together, however, these two already rivaled a capable High Rank Hunter.
Maki clicked her tongue in admiration and silently admitted that she had misjudged them as Altaïr and Isis launched an all-out assault on the fallen Espinas.
—--
They did not need to discuss anything. Both immediately moved into the positions that best complemented the other.
Isis targeted Espinas's legs.
To preserve its mobility, Espinas's legs naturally lacked the thick armored shell covering the rest of its body. Instead, they were protected by exceptionally tough scales and equally hard muscle.
Even in its enraged state, the hitzones on Espinas's legs did not improve significantly. Dealing effective damage still meant targeting its wounds.
That imposed too many restrictions on Altaïr's attacks, making the legs a poor target for him.
Isis was another matter. A Gunlance inflicted damage with both its heavy blade and shelling, so it was less dependent on favorable hitzones than a Long Sword. Its Wyrmstake Cannon could also drive deep into a wound, worsening the injury and making Espinas more likely to trip later in the fight.
The moment Espinas fell, Isis rushed into the space between its hind leg and belly and unleashed her full "Gymnastic" combo.
Shells thundered, the blade tore into flesh, and blood and gore flew in every direction.
Altaïr chose a much more direct target. He went for the head.
The head was a universal vital point. Not even an Elder Dragon could survive decapitation.
Before Espinas entered its enraged state, the shell around its head had been so thick and hard that attacking it felt pointless.
His earlier True Charged Slash, intended as a wake-up hit, had been so ineffective that it had nearly traumatized him. Landing the blow without even waking the Monster had been humiliating.
That last strike, however, had confirmed that once Espinas became enraged and its shell plates spread apart, the hitzone on its head improved dramatically.
Altaïr's Spirit Gauge was now charged to its limit, the Monster had just fallen, and its massive head lay directly before him. What was there to hesitate about?
He drew a deep breath. The terrifying black-and-gold silhouette rose in his mind, bringing a flood of ferocity, brutality, bloodlust, and every other dark impulse with it.
"ROAR!!"
A savage roar that sounded nothing like a human tore from his throat, and pitch-black fighting spirit surged up to engulf him.
With Beast Soul Possession active, Altaïr leveled his sword at Espinas and gathered power as he locked onto his target.
The roar startled Isis, who had been attacking Espinas's leg with all her strength. Thinking another Monster had intruded, she whipped her head around, only to realize that the explosive bellow had come from Altaïr.
Concern flickered in her eyes.
Altaïr had told her about Beast Soul Possession, but this was the first time she had witnessed it. In truth, his current appearance made it difficult not to worry.
Poised to attack, Altaïr sensed her gaze. He glanced up and gave her a slight nod to show that he was fine.
The pitch-black aura obscured his face. Only two points of crimson light shone through the darkness, making him appear even more sinister.
Once Isis realized that his mind remained clear, she suppressed her concern and resumed her assault.
At the same time, a small, furry creature poked its head out of the net pouch at her lower back. It was the Stinkmink.
The commotion outside had prompted it to look for a chance to escape. The moment its head emerged, however, it found itself staring into crimson eyes filled with boundless malice.
Every hair on its body stood on end. With a terrified squeak, it dove back inside.
Altaïr had not even noticed it. After gathering power for less than two seconds, he drove his sword forward.
With Beast Soul Possession amplifying him and elements of Instant Slash woven into the technique, this Spirit Thrust was far more powerful than usual.
The trident-shaped blade tip slipped past the protection of Espinas's horn and cranial spines, then plunged straight into one of its eye sockets.
The searing pain of a ruptured eye tore an agonized howl from Espinas. It instinctively twisted its head to bite, but Altaïr had already used the momentum of his thrust and the leverage of the embedded blade to launch himself into the air.
Spinning in midair to adjust his posture, he poured every ounce of strength and all the energy in his Spirit Gauge into the weapon. Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] came crashing straight down.
Spirit Helm Breaker!
The pitch-black fighting spirit coiling around the sword swallowed the gleam of the Spirit Blade, robbing the strike of its usual brilliance.
Yet a massive wound suddenly split open along the side of Espinas's head, and a torrent of dragon blood erupted from it, proving that this had been no ordinary blow.
Altaïr landed on both feet without pausing. Before the Spirit energy around his blade could dissipate, he pivoted into several rapid vertical slashes and finished with a sweeping Spirit Roundslash.
As the blade slid back into its sheath, the released Spirit energy transformed into invisible blade winds. Countless intersecting wounds opened across Espinas's head and neck, and the spraying blood dyed the ground red.
Spirit Release Unsurpassed Slash!
That combo had demanded a tremendous amount of stamina, and Altaïr's breathing turned ragged. This was no time to stop and recover.
While the pitch-black fighting spirit still burned and Beast Soul Possession remained active, Altaïr locked the sheathed blade in place, shifted [Heaven Swallower] into Great Sword form, and raised it into a charging stance once more.
He wanted to land one more Charged Slash before Beast Soul Possession ended!
Altaïr quickly shifted into the Strong Charged Slash stance. With the fighting spirit kindled by Beast Soul Possession on the verge of fading and Espinas already struggling upright, he resisted the urge to transition into the True Charged Slash stance. After charging for only two seconds, he released the strike.
If the Strong Charged Slash connected cleanly, he was certain it would knock Espinas back down before it could fully rise!
"ROAR!"
Driven by the threat of death, Espinas bellowed and flung up its head, meeting the descending Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] with its armored horn.
Horn and blade collided. A rapid series of sharp cracks rang out as fine fractures spread from the horn's base, but the horn still succeeded in parrying the Hunter's follow-up slash.
Espinas whipped its head sideways and forced Altaïr back.
It reared up and drew a deep breath as dragon flame laced with deadly poison seethed in its maw.
(Translated by yourtl.app)