These scales are this hard?!
Altaïr's expression turned grim.
The knightly blade that had deflected the Bladescale Hone hadn't just sustained grain-sized nicks; the depth of the gashes exceeded a centimeter.
Damage of this magnitude was beyond what a few passes with a Whetstone could fix. The structural integrity of the blade might have been compromised; it wouldn't be surprising if the weapon snapped completely at the notches if it sustained another violent impact.
The only way to fully repair such damage was to send it back to the smithy for re-casting.
The Iron Gospel, which he had used for nearly two years without issue, had been severely damaged in a single collision.
Is this the true power of a 5★ Threat Level Monster?
Altaïr raised his vigilance to the absolute maximum.
"Boss! Over here, meow!" Sajji's shout rang out nearby.
Seemingly provoked by the noise, the Seregios, which had been intensely observing its opponent, jerked its head. Several more Bladescale Hones streaked toward the Hunter.
This time, Altaïr didn't dare parry. He broke into a sprint, heading toward Sajji's position.
The scales missed their mark. As if refusing to give up, the Seregios shook its head again, sending another volley of Bladescale Hones after the running Hunter.
At the final moment before being engulfed by the scales, Altaïr performed a slide to duck behind a massive tree with a trunk over two meters thick.
The golden Bladescale Hones embedded themselves deep into the wood, producing muffled "thud-thud" sounds like cleavers hacking into a chopping board.
Sajji, hiding behind the great tree, quickly handed the Cool Cleavers he'd been carrying on his back to Altaïr.
The Sharpness of the Cool Cleavers was superior to that of the Iron Gospel. More importantly, now that the Iron Gospel was heavily damaged, having a replacement weapon gave Altaïr a much-needed boost in confidence.
"Good job," Altaïr praised as he plunged the Iron Gospel into the ground and took the Cool Cleavers.
When the Airship was attacked earlier, they had tossed all their luggage to reduce weight; these Cool Cleavers had nearly been pushed out of the gondola along with the rest.
If Sajji hadn't been quick enough to grab them, they would have been lost who-knows-where by now.
"The stuff from Rathalos Model-07 should have fallen nearby too, meow! I'll go look and see if there's anything left we can use, meow!"
In his rush to bring Altaïr the Cool Cleavers, Sajji hadn't even brought his own Felyne Sword. Knowing he was essentially defenseless and unable to help in the fight, he planned to scavenge for tools instead.
"Go!"
"Be careful, boss, meow!" With that, Sajji took off on all fours, vanishing into the shadows of the Jungle.
Just as Altaïr was preparing to leave the cover of the tree, he heard the whistling roar of a massive object tearing through the air.
Sensing the danger, he flattened himself against the ground instantly. A second later, the wyvern's tail, layered with Bladescale Hone spikes like a giant rasp, came sweeping across in a horizontal strike.
In a split second, the trunk of the two-meter-thick tree was shredded, sending wood splinters and fragments flying in every direction like a rainstorm.
With power like that, there's no room for mistakes...
Altaïr pushed off the ground with both hands and sprang up. Using the surrounding trees as cover, he began to circle the Seregios at a run. According to what Teacher Karin and the others said, his current strength barely brushed the edge of a 5★ hunter, but if he were to hunt a 5★ Monster alone, he would likely lose more often than he won.
And that was under the assumption that he had done his homework beforehand, gathered information on its weak points, and made targeted preparations.
In a situation like this, suddenly encountering a completely unfamiliar 5★ Monster with its attack patterns and weak points entirely unknown, it would be a miracle if things didn't go wrong after recklessly charging in.
Just like earlier, when he chose to parry the Bladescale Hone with a small Iai instead of evading, resulting in the damage to the Iron Gospel, it was a clear case of suffering the consequences of a lack of information.
Altaïr pondered this as he circled the Seregios.
The only information he had at the moment were the two lines Erik had shouted back on the Airship when the Seregios first appeared: "Expert at aerial combat" and "Weak to thunder, then ice and water."
The ice and water dual element Cool Cleavers on his back should be able to provide some level of suppression, which was the only bit of good news.
Aside from that, any other intel would have to be gathered bit by bit through observation and probing.
In the clearing within the Jungle, the Seregios slowly shifted its gaze, its Wyvern eyes locked onto the rapidly running Hunter.
The moment the Hunter darted past it from dozens of meters away, it suddenly leaped up, its powerful Wyvern Claw kicking out to snatch at the pest zipping around like a fly.
Prepared for this, Altaïr suddenly activated Demon Mode. His running speed instantly surged by two levels, allowing him to dash out of the Wyvern Claw's reach before the Seregios even landed.
Altaïr's gaze sharpened, staring intently at the Seregios's lifted body.
Nearly every part of the golden Flying Wyvern before him was encased in those sharp, hard Bladescale Hone.
Only the area from beneath its neck down to its belly had lighter-colored scales. They lacked the metallic luster of the golden scales, possessing a texture closer to leathery hide, and the gaps between the scales were larger.
That should count as a weak point.
"SKREE!"
Its prideful claw strike having missed, the Seregios turned in annoyance and whipped its tail, firing several Bladescale Hone from the appendage toward the high-speed Hunter.
Adding follow-up attacks by swinging or swaying its body during the attack process to fire Bladescale Hone from its neck and tail?
He had to stay alert to this; if he let his guard down after dodging an initial strike, it would be easy to get hit.
Altaïr never took his eyes off his opponent while running. At the moment those few Bladescale Hone were about to hit him, he used his full-speed momentum to leap into the air, his body flipping mid-air to clear the incoming scales.
The Bladescale Hone whistled past, nearly brushing his back. This tension, like dancing on the edge of a blade, pushed his concentration to its absolute limit.
Beneath the crimson demonic aura of his Demon Mode, a faint flash of deep blue light flickered across the blades of his Dual Blades.
Blue Demon Mode activated.
In this state, his originally turbulent and explosive fighting spirit became more stable and orderly, allowing the Hunter to control every muscle in his body with greater precision.
While in this demonization state, his already incredible speed surged once more. Though he was merely running, he left faint blue afterimages in his wake.
Feeling the surging power within him, Altaïr decided to launch a probing attack.
He shifted his stance and charged straight toward the nearby Seregios.
The distance of several dozen meters vanished in the blink of an eye. Before the Seregios could even react, the Hunter was already before it.
Faced with this sudden assault, the Seregios naturally did not back down. With a low growl, it swung its Wingtalon in a wide sweep toward the approaching opponent.
Altaïr didn't slow down, charging directly into the path of the incoming Wingtalon.
The moment the sharp talons were about to tear him to pieces, he dropped into a low slide, passing directly under the Seregios's swinging Wingtalon to get tight against its chest and belly.
As he stood up, he used the momentum to swing his blades.
Sliding Slash!
This was a Sword and Shield technique he had learned from Serl. It was difficult to perform with a large weapon like a Long Sword, but performing it with the equally light and compact Dual Blades was effortless for him.
He even continued to spin his body in the direction of the sword stroke, transitioning into a Demon Flurry Rush.
The Dual Blades danced rapidly. The sickle-like blades, wreathed in frost and mist, sliced repeatedly across the Seregios's chest. As they carved out several long, narrow gashes, the cold mist erupting from the blades seeped into the wounds, freezing the blood before it could even flow.
The sudden cold sent a shiver through the Seregios, and it beat its wings in an attempt to pull away and create distance.
An excited smile appeared on Altaïr's face.
Just as I thought, you're avoiding it. This is your weak point!
The moment the Seregios's feet left the ground, Altaïr decisively fired his Clutch Claw. As the cable retracted at high speed, he pulled himself close to the Seregios's chest once again.
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
ITEMS
Whetstone — A sharpening stone carried by Hunters to restore and maintain the cutting edge of their bladed weapons during hunts. Repeated use of a weapon causes its sharpness to degrade, reducing cutting power; a Whetstone can restore it to a serviceable level in the field. It cannot, however, repair structural damage from heavy impacts, which requires a smithy.
SKILLS & TECHNIQUES
Sliding Slash — A Sword and Shield technique in which the Hunter drops into a low sliding motion and delivers a rising cut at the end of the slide. Altaïr adapted this move for use with Dual Blades due to the weapons' comparable weight and handling.