Hundreds of meters away, a hunting party of three was engaged in a fierce struggle against a Bazelgeuse.
The monster's scales were silver-gray, with heat shimmering off them as if chunks of molten lava were fused to its skin. Its movements were incredibly violent, completely disregarding defense in favor of a relentless, savage assault.
"Evade, now!" a hunter wielding a switch axe roared, but he was already too late.
BOOM!!!
The Bazelgeuse's explosive tail swept across the area, slamming into a team member armed with a light bowgun and sending them flying into a rock wall with a sickening crack of breaking bone.
"Captain!" The switch axe hunter's eyes turned bloodshot. He rushed forward to strike with a desperate swing, only to be knocked back by the monster's sheer momentum.
Just as he was about to hit the ground—
"Watch out!"
A lightning-fast silhouette blurred into the combat zone as Leon charged in, his twin blades crossing to deliver a thunderous blow.
"—Demon Flurry Rush!"
Squelch!
The Bazelgeuse's left eye burst open, spraying blood everywhere.
"Leon!" The switch axe hunter's eyes widened, looking as though he had just seen his savior.
This squad, which averaged seven stars, had also been tasked with hunting a Bazelgeuse, but the beast before them was clearly far from ordinary.
"Don't just stand there! Go save your teammate!" Vos followed right behind, his massive shield held firm like a mountain. With a powerful bash, he forced the Bazelgeuse back several steps!
Rumble!
Leon seized the opening, his twin blades dancing in a flurry that sent sparks flying. Thunder element surged into the Bazelgeuse's wounds; the searing pain and the onset of paralysis momentarily slowed its movements.
Suddenly, the Bazelgeuse's body shuddered as if something had detonated within. The entire row of scales along its tail ignited, instantly turning into waves of fire that blasted in every direction!
Leon shouted, "Get back!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Waves of fire swept through the area. Leon and Vos braced themselves to block the onslaught, the ground beneath them sizzling like a hot iron griddle.
As the dust cleared, the Bazelgeuse circled in the air, raining down explosive scales that left the terrain scarred and ruined.
"This thing... the more we fight, the crazier it gets..." Vos gritted his teeth, staring at the monster in the sky.
"Don't stay locked in combat!" Leon hoisted the wounded hunter onto his shoulder and called to the switch axe wielder. "Grab your captain and retreat to the high ground on the right. I'll cover you."
The switch axe hunter shouted, "Thanks for the backup! Once we're back, we'll definitely report this to the Commander—something is wrong with the Elder's Recess."
Dumpling stood on a ledge above, waving a small flag to direct them. "There's a temporary camp three hundred meters to the left, meow!"
Leon retreated rapidly with the injured hunter. Vos followed right behind, shield on his back, ready to defend against any sudden strikes.
The switch axe hunter gritted his teeth as he helped his captain up, and the two stumbled along after Leon.
Dumpling leaped nimbly between the rocks, calling out directions. "This way, this way, meow! Hurry up, meow!"
Biscuit and three other Felynes stayed behind to cover the rear, doing everything they could to distract the Bazelgeuse in the air.
The monster let out a roar, and another volley of scales carpeted the earth in explosions.
Vos managed to block the searing heat just in time. He turned to look at the beast and roared, "Go! I'll hold the line!"
"You retreat too!" Leon turned back and fired a Flash Pod, the blinding light knocking the Bazelgeuse out of the sky.
The group rushed through a corridor of fractured crystals, sprinting toward the cave where the camp was located.
Suddenly, Dumpling stopped in his tracks, his ears twitching as he looked toward the horizon at a bank of fiery clouds.
He whispered in terror, "Something's not right, meow... another big one is coming, meow..."
Leon looked up. Far in the distance, the once golden sea of clouds was now being stained a deep, dark red.
Flames rolled across the sky as a silhouette of dark gold and scarlet dived from the burning clouds.
Lunastra!
Leon's pupils constricted.
However, following the Lunastra, another dragon whose body glowed like flowing lava spiraled into the air—
Majestic and imposing.
Like an emperor of flames descending from the heavens.
"Teostra..." Vos muttered, staring at the golden vertical pupils that glared through the inferno. "They're both appearing here at the same time?"
"No, they're not just here—they're hunting, fighting for territory... or perhaps even searching for specific prey!" Leon realized the situation instantly. Perhaps Xeno'jiiva's influence was driving these creatures to madness.
"We have to go!" The switch axe hunter looked back, his body going cold. The aura of those two Elder Dragons was like a furnace, and every tremor in the air made his heart hammer against his ribs.
The group didn't dare to linger. They forced their way through a region of melting crystals. The heat was so intense that sweat evaporated instantly, making it feel like they were standing in purgatory.
They finally reached the ruins of the temporary camp Dumpling had pointed out. A tattered tent flap fluttered in the wind as several medical Felynes rushed forward in a panic.
"Quick, put them here, meow!"
"We'll handle the treatment, meow!"
Gasping for air, Leon handed the hunter over to the Felynes and turned to look back into the depths of the Recess. That already treacherous land had now devolved into a complete storm of monstrous madness.
The sky was burning, the earth was shaking, and the roars were constant.
Vos leaned against a crystal, his expression grim. "They've all lost control. It's as if... they've been provoked by something, losing their reason and leaving only the instinct to kill."
"The madness of the Azure Rathalos, the appearance of the Bazelgeuse, Lunastra, and Teostra..." Leon exhaled slowly. "None of this is a coincidence."
"It's like... some kind of infection, or the ecological chain has been destroyed," the switch axe hunter said, his face pale. "In our hunting party's records, nothing like this has ever happened."
"We have to get this news out immediately," Vos said grimly. "It's not just the hunters—the entire New World might be in danger."
"That Rathalos that was cannibalizing its own..." Leon looked at the dragon blood staining his hands, his gaze turning cold. He murmured, "We have to suppress the monsters first, otherwise the base..."
Dumpling said softly, "It's not just the monsters, meow... it's like the land itself has gone mad, meow..."
In the distance, through the wall of fire on the horizon, a colossal shadow flickered. It seemed to have awakened from the core of the volcano, its every footfall triggering eruptions of lava and shattering the scorched earth.
Leon watched the silhouette and lowered his voice. "If it's really that thing... then the game's progression is moving too fast."
Vos asked, confused, "What do you mean?"
"It's nothing. We need to go back and finish the quest." Leon looked at Vos with determination. "We can hunt that Bazelgeuse."
"Alright." Vos nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. We only backed off because of the wounded. We have a real shot now. Ready?"
The two exchanged a determined look, then stood and began the trek back toward the nightmare of the Elder's Recess.
No matter the difficulty, a hunter's basic duty was to complete the quest. Furthermore, facing so many monsters they had never seen before made the blood boil in their veins.