The light emanating from the Teppeki Shen Gaoren's entire body, especially its torso, grew brighter and brighter.
Yet far less of the thick, scorching body fluid that resembled magma now seeped from the gaps in its carapace and its wounds. The heat dissipating naturally from its surface could not keep pace with the heat building inside it.
As it entered combat and grew increasingly agitated, its temperature rose even faster.
To keep the Shen Gaoren agitated and fighting so that the heat would accumulate more quickly, Altaïr and Isis repeatedly darted in, landed one or two quick attacks, and immediately retreated. As soon as their bodies cooled slightly, they launched another assault.
They were consuming Cool Drinks at an alarming rate.
Even in the depths of a volcano, a Cool Drink would normally keep the body cool for about an hour. Near the Teppeki Shen Gaoren, however, it was sweated out in less than fifteen minutes.
By now, Cool Drinks alone could no longer counter the intense heat radiating from the Teppeki Shen Gaoren. Large, dark-red burns began spreading across the two Blademasters fighting at close range.
Altaïr drew on the last of his dwindling strength and unleashed a rapid combo that chained Crimson Blade Slashes into spirit blade strikes.
During this all-out burst, he could no longer hold his breath. Scalding air rushed through his mouth and nose as he gasped, searing his airways and lungs.
The excruciating pain, as though he had swallowed burning coals, made him instinctively want to retreat. Just then, his heart abruptly began to race and blood surged through his veins. Fresh power flooded his body, making his leaden limbs swift and strong once more.
With no time to wonder where that power had come from, Altaïr abandoned his retreat. With a low growl, he activated Beast Soul Possession.
Pitch-black sword aura coiled around him as he swung his blade so quickly that it blurred. In the blink of an eye, he carved dozens of crisscrossing cuts into the Shen Gaoren's softened carapace.
The Hunter's nearly suicidal assault unsettled the Shen Gaoren. Its body temperature continued to rise, and the already tormented Teppeki Shen Gaoren lashed out in fury, repeatedly slamming its pincer and legs into the ground and sending out waves of scorching shockwaves.
Reckless as he appeared, Altaïr had not lost his composure. He immediately used Foresight Slash: Spin to flip backward, swinging his blade to carry himself clear of the Shen Gaoren's pincer.
Upon landing, he leaped back with a reverse fade slash, then followed with a Foresight Slash slide to retreat from a descending leg, devoting all his attention to weathering the Shen Gaoren's ferocious counterattack.
Seizing the opportunity, Isis used Blast Dash to close in behind the Shen Gaoren, then quickened her steps and slipped beneath its belly.
Even while crawling, the Shen Gaoren's body remained extremely high off the ground, making it difficult for ordinary attacks such as overhead slashes to reach its torso.
This was where the technique Ted had taught her for quickly chaining into Wyvern's Fire came in handy. (AA Flare.)
The rapid shelling technique involved raising the muzzle to convert part of the recoil into downward force, then absorbing the rest with the legs. It was ideal for dealing with airborne enemies, and equally well suited to striking the Shen Gaoren's high body.
Pressure was the best catalyst. Isis had even forgotten that she had never truly mastered the move. Relying solely on her memory of Ted's movements and her attempts to imitate them, she forced herself to execute it.
"Wyvern's Fire!"
Her movements were far from perfect. In fact, they were a complete mess. The overwhelming recoil drove her downward and threw off her balance, dropping her hard onto her backside and nearly wrenching her back.
Her own stance might have collapsed, but the Wyvern's Fire lost none of its effectiveness.
The Shen Gaoren's soft belly absorbed the full impact and heat of the shelling. Still intent on pursuing the Hunter ahead, the creature lurched violently and stumbled forward two steps.
Altaïr's eyes lit up. Seizing the opportunity, he braced his sword and entered a focused state.
As the Shen Gaoren adjusted its footing and regained its balance, Altaïr's blade, wreathed in intertwining pitch-black fighting spirit and crimson sword aura, became a slender, razor-sharp afterimage. He thrust it straight forward and drove it precisely into the Shen Gaoren's maw, which had dipped into his attack range when the creature stumbled.
The thrust sank incredibly deep. Even though the sword looked as tiny as a toothpick beside a creature the Shen Gaoren's size, it was still enough to cause searing pain.
"Skreeee!"
Amid the piercing shriek, Altaïr suppressed the urge to follow with a Spirit Helm Breaker. He wrenched the blade free, drawing out a stream of dark-green blood.
The feelers atop the Shen Gaoren's head thrashed wildly in fury as it prepared to lunge forward, unaware that an inconspicuous, diminutive figure had already crawled beneath it.
"Taste my portable Dragonator, meow!"
Sajji planted his portable Dragonator against the ground with its retractable tip aimed at the Shen Gaoren's belly, then cranked the mechanism with all his might.
The steel spearhead spun and shot upward at high speed.
He eagerly imagined the portable Dragonator lifting the entire Shen Gaoren off the ground, but he had clearly expected too much.
The portable Dragonator could not compare in strength or power to a proper Dragonator mounted on a fortress wall and driven by a massive steam boiler. It certainly could not lift the Shen Gaoren. The spearhead penetrated less than a meter into its belly before snapping midway when it could extend no farther.
Even so, it caused the Shen Gaoren enough pain to halt its forward lunge for a moment, allowing Altaïr to retreat safely.
Repeatedly wounded and consumed by rage, the Teppeki Shen Gaoren had clearly lost all reason.
Without caring whether such an attack could even hit small, agile Hunters, it gathered and compressed a scorching red glow deep within its body. Then the Lao-Shan Lung skull slowly opened wide.
The heatwave breath that had killed another Shen Gaoren several days earlier was almost ready to fire.
Just as the Hunters sprinted at full speed to escape its line of fire and find cover, a series of muffled booms rang out in the distance.
They were accompanied by the sharp whistle of projectiles slicing through the air.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Fiery explosions blossomed across the Shen Gaoren's back.
Under the relentless barrage, the soft belly left exposed by the open skull took blast after blast. Great clumps of flesh and blood sprayed in every direction.
The Teppeki Shen Gaoren swayed violently, and its nearly completed breath attack was interrupted.
Altaïr and the others turned in astonishment.
On the distant low hills stood a heavy Rapid-fire Cannon emplacement, smoke still curling from its muzzle.
"Hurry and reload!" Morgan shouted frantically as he leaned out from behind the cannon platform and waved vigorously at them.
Altaïr's thoughts descended into confusion, and his vision blurred with sheer exhaustion.
Why were there cannons out in the wilderness?
Just then, several fully armed figures charged forward.
"Charge!"
Griffin led the way, rushing past Altaïr and straight toward the Teppeki Shen Gaoren before bringing his Great Sword down.
Close behind came Blademasters from other cities who had arrived as reinforcements, along with Lambert dragging her Hunting Horn.
"Whoa! This giant crab's on fire! Ahahahaha!" The usually listless girl charged ahead, eyes gleaming and fingers madly plucking the strings of her Hunting Horn.
Not everyone was quite so fearless...
Kagetsu did not head toward the Shen Gaoren. Instead, she jogged over to Altaïr and the others and downed two Potions without saying a word.
The medicinal mist spreading through the air soothed their burns, and Altaïr's thoughts gradually cleared.
"Is this... Battle Street?"
"Buuurp! That's right! Leave the rest to us!"
At once, Altaïr and the others felt all the strength drain from their limbs, leaving them barely able to stand.
Altaïr supported himself with his sword and was about to say something else when a massive figure appeared behind Kagetsu.
Ted approached with a broad grin, wearing an ill-fitting High Metal set that looked especially tight around his belly. He grabbed Kagetsu by the back of her collar as though lifting a rabbit and set her aside.
Then he scooped up Altaïr and Isis, one under each arm, and hoisted them onto his shoulders.
Malika, who had come with him, supported the equally exhausted Nymera and said with a smile, "Your battle is over. Great work!"
Altaïr finally relaxed and fell unconscious.
—--
A peregrine falcon glided through the night sky like a ghost, giving a clear cry as it landed on a windowsill at the Hunter's Guild headquarters in Dundorma.
The staff member on duty removed the letter from the tube tied to its leg. A little over fifteen minutes later, it lay on His Immenseness's desk.
[The Teppeki Shen Gaoren attacked Manti Town. After four Hunters held it at bay for several days, it reached Manti Town severely weakened and was ultimately repelled by cannon fire. No casualties.]