The towering flames seemed to stain the sky crimson. The inferno spewed by the Ethereal dragon clung to the ruins, burning fiercely.
Cracks from the monster's charge spiderwebbed across the flagstone ground. With every swing of its claws and wings, the remaining buildings were diced into fragments like tofu.
The Phaethon siblings, operating their Bangboo, watched the battle unfold before them through the eyes of Eous, a scene that defied their every imagination.
Seven days ago, the siblings had detected the sudden expansion of this accompanying Hollow. According to reliable intelligence from their middleman, a dragon-shaped Ethereal with Ann ether energy level of seven had suddenly appeared and attacked multiple military strongholds along the defense line within the Hollow. Its incredible physical strength had effortlessly torn apart the established defenses.
Unwilling to retreat, the military attempted to resist. But as the smoke and dust from the heavy cannons and missiles cleared, all that was revealed was shattered ether crystal armor. To their despair, the skin beneath the armor was not the fragile flesh they had anticipated, but was covered in emerald-green, mutated dragon scales even harder than the crystal armor itself.
The intense flames were mixed with high-concentration ether energy; a single touch could melt the military's prized mechs into molten iron. Not only that, but a swing of its tail would launch a spray of highly toxic liquid, making it impossible to defend against.
The defensive line crumbled under the monster's charge. When it rampaged across the ground, it was like a colossal dragon chariot. A shell entwined like ordinary thorns protected the Hollow on its head, and the sharp spikes on its lower jaw made a mockery of any obstacle in the chariot's path.
After receiving the military's recorded footage from their middleman, the siblings could still vividly recall the cold sweat and terror they felt watching the video, faced with a monster that was beyond comprehension.
For the sake of data collection, the siblings dispatched Eous into the Hollow. But then, with a violent roar, something even more unimaginable happened right before their eyes.
That monster, the one that had rampaged through the defense line as if it were Ann empty playground, was now fighting a single man.
And this man was our protagonist, Andrew.
"No, this isn't a battle. This... this is more like... a hunt?"
Yes, a hunt.
A word the siblings had never heard used to describe combat with Ann Ethereal in their entire lives.
From the very beginning, humanity's response to Ethereals had always been to flee, resist, obstruct, and—for a select few—annihilate. So, upon hearing the word 'hunt', both Belle, who had blurted it out, and Wise, who stood behind her watching the screen, were instinctively stunned.
"What Ann... unexpected, yet incredibly fitting description."
Watching the scene relayed on the screen, Wise mulled over the word Belle had uttered. In the end, he had to begrudgingly admit that, with his vocabulary at least, he couldn't find a more suitable adjective.
Anyone who saw the image would inevitably have their eyes drawn to the monster first. Seeing it in reality, you would realize just how vast the difference was between the real thing and a recording. Its immense presence made it feel like Ann insurmountable mountain.
Beneath its full-body wrapping of ether crystals, scales glowing with a green fluorescence could be faintly seen. When its broad wings spread, they cast a shadow over a large swath of buildings, like a dark cloud blotting out everything.
The moment she saw the monster, the visible increase in its size told Belle that it had already become far more terrifying than what was shown in the video.
Having also seen the military's combat logs, Belle knew that besides its immense physical power, its terrifying flames, rich with ether energy, could incinerate anything. And when it came to battle, the monster never showed mercy.
It threw its head back and then violently spewed forth a torrent of flame. The furious blaze, mixed with etheric smog, turned a fan-shaped area of buildings before it to ash. The already high-temperature breath became even more explosive when mixed with ether energy, but the most frightening part was that it could fire these breaths in rapid succession.
Yet, from within this raging inferno, a tall figure in white armor charged out from a blind spot in the attack. Light purple patterns on the armor left a fluorescent trail in the air. The weapon in his hand was a tachi, pure white in its entirety.
But if this was a tachi, it was far too large. Yet in Andrew's hands, the massive blade seemed to be just the right size. Its nearly three-meter-long blade radiated a dazzling yellow glow, which complemented the deep blue on the hilt.
Only then did Belle notice that the monster's body was covered in the marks of healed wounds and parts that had been severed and had since regrown.
All of this was proof that the battle between the two had been going on for quite some time, and over many encounters.
Faced with the charging Andrew, the monster was no slouch either. Seeing that its breath attack had failed to achieve the desired result, it twisted its body to create distance. Using the momentum from the twist, it immediately swept its thick, spiked tail towards the man. But Andrew's next breathtaking maneuver left Belle utterly speechless.
Andrew took a slight step back, smoothly twisting the tachi and raising it diagonally behind his right side. The monster's sweeping tail, thanks to that single step back, missed by a mere few millimeters, turning a brutal tail strike into a gentle breeze. Seizing the moment the monster's tail swung past, Andrew swung his tachi at lightning speed. The strike viciously bit into the spiked mace at the end of its tail, leaving a deep gash.
It was as if the monster had actively offered up its tail to be cut.
The wounded monster let out a pained, hoarse roar. The blow had sliced off most of the poisonous barbs on its tail. But Andrew had no intention of letting it go, adhering to the principle of striking while the enemy is down. Having just dodged the tail swipe with a backstep, Andrew abruptly spun around, and the massive tachi swept across the monster's torso in a wide-arcing slash.
A red gleam flashed from the blade. The yellow glow on the giant sword had turned crimson, and a dangerous aura began to radiate from him.
As if guided by residual memories from its former life, the monster seemed to realize the danger of Andrew in this state. Its attacks became rushed and frantic. Yet the heavily armored man moved with unexpected agility, weaving and dodging through the gaps in its onslaught. The monster's every attack missed him by a hair's breadth.
Every seemingly risky maneuver, every close call, was the optimal solution derived from countless battles and superhuman reflexes.
Numerous perilous moments flashed by in just a few short seconds, but while he seemed to be drifting precariously like a leaf in a flood, Andrew's demeanor showed nothing but composure.
At that moment, Belle profoundly understood why she had subconsciously called this a hunt.
Before him, the monster was like a clumsy stunt actor collaborating on a staged fight. Every one of its moves grazed past him, unable to touch him in the slightest.
Anyone watching would understand that this was happening because Andrew was predicting the monster's every move. In front of him, the enraged beast could only take a beating. Its ferocious attacks were meaningless, serving only to give Andrew more opportunities to leave wounds on its body.
Before long, realizing its attacks were futile, the monster refused to wait for its demise. It spread its wings wide, briefly charging energy in its mouth before spewing a sheet of flame to force him back. Then, it powerfully flapped its massive wings, attempting to escape into the sky. But Andrew had no intention of giving it the chance to take flight.
The monster had barely beaten its wings twice when Andrew's tachi was upon it. A swift advance propelled the blade deep into the base of the dragon's thigh from the side.
He then converted the momentum of his charge into a powerful leap, soaring high into the air. A surge of crimson light accompanied a vertical slash that nearly severed the monster's tail. The sharp glint of the blade stung Belle's eyes, even watching through Eous.
Next, Andrew twisted at the waist, driving his arms to swing his weapon in rapid succession, creating a storm of red slashes. Wherever the tempest of blades passed, it carved deep wounds across the monster's body.
A great shout came from afar. Though the helmet muffled and distorted his voice, making it hard to discern his original tone, the siblings heard the content of the cry clearly:
"Soaring Dragon! Peerless Spirit Slash!!!"
The agony from its nearly severed tail combined with the pain from the numerous wounds on its body caused the monster to cry out. It could no longer maintain its ascent and crashed heavily to the ground.
But as it fell, the ether crystals covering its body began to crack and splinter. Purple light poured from the fissures. As the outer shell shattered, a massive wave of ether energy erupted, forming Ann almost tangible shockwave.
Belle, watching from the side, was thrown back against a wall by the force. The H.D.D System connecting her to Eous went black from the impact.
"Wait! What's happening?! Eous is still there!"
Staring at the dark screen, Belle became frantic. Eous was a crucial member of their Hollow exploration team; after so many years together, he was like family.
The battle is taking place in the center of the Hollow, and the shockwave from the monster's shattered crystals interfered with the connection. I'm rebooting the system to re-establish the link now.
Don't worry too much, Belle. Eous is smart; he'll follow our instructions and hide properly. He'll be fine.
Eous had retreated due to the intense energy blast, but Andrew's fight was far from over.
As for this particular quarry, Andrew considered it the most annoying monster he had ever fought. Its greatly enhanced physique made every attack devastating. Its reinforced fire attacks and self-repairing crystal armor made Andrew feel like he was fighting the Incandescent Dragon all over again. To top it off, this thing's tail had a poison that the Incandescent Dragon's didn't.
In the earlier stages of the fight, his skillful weak-point strikes had caused the monster's crystals to constantly shatter and reform. Perhaps it had reached its regenerative limit, because after reforming several times, the crystals shattered completely. Once it shed its armor, the monster's agility increased by several levels, once again posing a considerable threat to Andrew.
After all, even if you know the moves, a massive speed boost changes everything. Not to mention, with its reduced weight, the creature's desire to fly became much stronger, forcing Andrew to constantly dodge its frequent aerial dives.
But dodging was never just passive defense. With every move the monster made, Andrew committed it to memory: its attack range, swing speed, tells, and habits. In any fight, mastering these details is the key to victory.
Andrew was re-adapting to the rhythm of the battle, but the monster, thinking it had him suppressed, began to attack even more fiercely, its mutated mouth even emitting a mocking laugh.
To this, Andrew remained completely oblivious.
Fortunately, after a period of probing, Andrew had once again mastered the tempo of the battlefield.
The monster's attack patterns still bore many shadows of a Rathian. Its increased size meant its range had correspondingly increased, and its greater strength had shortened its attack intervals. But once its rhythm was mastered, this super-powered Rathian was once again pulled into a familiar tempo by the old hunter, who was relying on years of experience.
Steady dodges, never getting greedy with attacks, and unhesitating Foresight Slashes and Soaring Dragons whenever the opportunity arose. When he created distance, he would swiftly draw his Dragonslayer Bow and unleash a volley of three-shot arrows.
The relentless, tide-like assault caused the monster's condition to steadily decline. By now, the monster could no longer laugh. Its frantic counterattacks did nothing but hasten its own demise.
The weakness from its grievous wounds finally caught up with the monster again. At last, Andrew was at the final step before success.
The disconnected siblings stared at the black screen. Though they had faith in Eous, the intensity of the battlefield they had just witnessed left them unable to stop worrying.
After some hasty adjustments, they managed to repair the H.D.D System in just twenty minutes and reconnected to Eous, who was still inside the Hollow.
When Belle saw the battlefield in the Hollow again through Eous's eyes, everything she saw was wreckage.
Seeing Eous unharmed, Belle immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was now far from his previous position, the perpetually clear skies of the Hollow made observing the battle much easier.
From a rooftop, Belle used the zoom function installed on Eous to get a clear view of the end of the fight.
The monster's body had grown another size larger than before the connection was lost. Its muscles were more developed, and the scales beneath the shed ether crystals were no longer green, but a mix of green, black, and red, reflecting a metallic sheen.
Clearly, this thing's growth had never stopped. The spikes on its body were more menacing, and covered a larger area.
The already tall and imposing Andrew now held Ann even larger white bow. After a brief aim, he loosed a volley of arrows at the dragon flying in the air. The arrows, once released, flew as if they had eyes, speeding toward the dragon's wounds.
A wave of focused weak-point attacks sent the dragon into a stagger. This was immediately followed by a Dragon Piercer, a Fleeting Dragon Arrow, and a Charged Dragon Piercer in a three-hit combo. The practiced assault was executed without a hint of hesitation, as if it had been repeated countless times.
These shots, which dealt massive damage to the monster, were less like arrows and more like rocket-propelled javelins. They immediately pushed the already struggling dragon into a state of helplessness.
Next, Andrew slung the bow over his back with his left hand while simultaneously drawing the giant tachi from his back with his right. The massive bow folded instantly and attached firmly to his back. The weapon switch was completed in less than a second.
Wielding the now red-bladed tachi, Andrew leaped again. The familiar starting motion reminded Belle of the terrifying move she had seen before.
"Is it coming?!"
"Soaring Dragon Slash!"
The familiar roar echoed once more, but this time it was truly the final blow. Unlike the last time, Andrew wasn't holding the sword in a standard grip. He held it in a reverse grip and plunged it straight through the black Hollow on the dragon's head and its lower jaw, pinning it to the ground. With a crisp shattering sound, the Hollow broke apart, dissolving into motes of energy that dissipated into the air.
Now, the body that had undergone so many frantic evolutions was useless. The tail that hadn't been severed before was now cut off. The once-invincible monster now lay on the ground like a dead dog.
With the black Hollow on its head completely shattered, the monster's life had officially come to Ann end. Its body was covered in gashes from the tachi and wounds from countless arrows. A green, fluorescent dust swirled around it, forming a unique mark.
As for his final victory, Andrew pulled the great tachi from the ground and sheathed it along with the folded bow on his back.
The pure white outer shell of the tachi dissolved into spiraling cloth bindings that wrapped around the sword. As the shell became a scabbard, it revealed a pure black blade underneath. The extreme contrast between the inner and outer colors hinted at the weapon's extraordinary nature.
With his weapons put away, Andrew immediately ran to the dragon's corpse, pulled out a dagger, and began collecting the monster's tissues, as if someone would steal them if he were too slow.
"It seems... we missed a lot in between."
"It's not too late. At least we witnessed a great victory. And now, containing this Hollow is no longer just a fantasy."
Wise and Belle replayed the stunning scenes of the battle in their minds, unable to calm down for a long time. Such Ann image would likely be etched in their memories for a lifetime.
Before long, the Ethereal's corpse dissolved into pure energy and vanished.
Just as Belle was about to pull her view back, she saw the man who had just finished a colossal battle suddenly drop to his knees, looking as if he were about to die.
He collapsed so suddenly that Belle, worried he had sustained a serious injury during the fight and could no longer hold on, immediately rushed out. As she got closer, the man's mumbled words made her even more anxious, right up until she reached his side.
When Belle finally heard clearly what the man was saying, she stopped in her tracks, somewhat speechless.
"Materials... materials... what am I going to do without you...! My materials!!"