For a time, the tide turned against Rajang.
Its wounds grew more numerous, its entire body caked in blood and filth, making it look like a demon straight from hell.
Yet even then, it showed no signs of retreat. Its attacks became even more ferocious, abandoning defense entirely and opting for a brutal strategy of trading blows.
The battle had reached a fever pitch. And yet Rajang still hadn't entered its Rage Mode—which gave Logan some relief.
In this exchange of injuries, even the Admiral was bleeding, let alone Logan and Aki, who were constantly taking the brunt of its frontal assaults due to their large size.
"Meow! Trap's set, meow!"
At that moment, Tonkotsu shouted in human language from afar.
Rajang was clever in battle. Ordinary traps wouldn't fool it. The setup had to be especially concealed and cunning.
On top of that, this was a wasteland—not a forest—so Tonkotsu had faced quite a bit of trouble laying the trap in the first place.
Upon hearing Tonkotsu's call, the Admiral immediately began guiding Rajang in that direction with deliberate movements.
Logan and Aki didn't understand the words, but when they saw the Admiral shift into a more defensive rhythm, Aki also broke off after dodging an attack. Using Logan's cover, she ascended rapidly into the sky.
Now lacking a target, Rajang locked onto the Admiral again. As he deftly weaved between evasion and defense, he slowly lured the beast step by step toward the trap.
From above, Logan keenly spotted Tonkotsu's handiwork. The trap was rough, yes—but from the air. For a creature locked in a ground-level melee, it was cleverly hidden.
Logan called out to Aki, then dove toward the ground again—joining forces with the Admiral to draw Rajang straight into the trap.
Just as they were about to reach the trap, the Rajang suddenly swung its massive fists, smashing through rock and tearing out a boulder, which it hurled straight at the Admiral.
The impact triggered a minor tremor, shattering the trap's camouflage and exposing it completely.
"Damn it!" the Admiral cursed, rolling aside to dodge the flying boulder. With the trap now revealed, there was no point keeping up the pretense—he charged again without hesitation.
The battle returned once more to a state of encirclement, just like at the beginning.
Seeing how long it was taking to bring it down, Logan grew anxious. In this kind of battle—blow for blow—their injuries were only worsening. If this dragged on, even if they managed to take down the Rajang, the price they'd pay might be far too high.
So, when the Rajang was momentarily distracted—Aki holding its attention while the Admiral also drew its gaze, leaving its back exposed—
Logan made his move.
He struck with predatory precision, both claws digging deep into the Rajang's shoulders, throwing all his strength into lifting it off the ground.
Aki, reading his intent perfectly, charged in to help. She took a direct blow from the Rajang, the sound of bones cracking ringing out where it landed—but even so, she slammed into it with all her might.
The force was just enough to break the Rajang's footing, and with a heavy heave, Logan pulled it high into the air.
Now without a foothold, the Rajang thrashed violently. But Logan's claws had locked onto its shoulders with such force that, despite the strain, he managed to hold on and keep it from breaking free.
Realizing that struggling alone wouldn't work, the Rajang grabbed one of Logan's legs with both hands—and began to twist.
Agonizing pain surged through Logan's leg. The Rajang was trying to rip it off.
They hadn't reached the ideal altitude yet, but there was no more time to wait.
Flames coiled around Logan's body and suddenly expanded outward. He tucked in his wings and began to spin, plunging downward in a spiraling dive. The Rajang, thrown off balance, had no choice but to cling desperately to Logan's leg as they spun together in the vortex of fire.
Wrapped in a blazing fireball, the two monsters plummeted like a falling meteor, crashing into the earth with a thunderous explosion. The ground shook violently.
At the point of impact, the earth split open and a deep crater formed.
Logan's body was flung out, tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground, one leg dragging limply behind him. Large patches of his scales had been shattered.
Even though he'd used the Rajang as a cushion at the last second, the sheer force of the impact had still dealt him serious damage. Now almost completely drained, he lay there staring intently into the cloud of dust.
There was no way a Rajang—one that hadn't even entered its Rage Mode—could have come out of that unscathed. He refused to believe it.
A shadow emerged.
The Rajang staggered out of the smoke, limping heavily. One of its arms hung useless at its side, and one of the massive horns on its head had been broken clean off.
Its cracked fur was coated in dust and dirt, blood continuously oozing from its wounds. It was clear it had taken severe damage too.
And yet—despite its condition—it still gritted its teeth and charged at Logan.
It could still fight!?
A massive green figure soared overhead. Aki, who had taken heavy damage earlier from tanking the Rajang's blows, leapt at it once more. She twisted mid-air to dodge a punch, then sank her fangs deep into its still-functioning right arm, locking it down—exposing her chest in the process.
The Admiral arrived an instant later. He seized the moment. His lance pierced through the settling smoke and struck the Rajang's chest with deadly precision—at the exact spot where the Kirin had once left a penetrating wound.
The lance punched through the Rajang's heart, its tip bursting out through its back.
At last, the Rajang let out a pained howl. Its right hand clamped down on the shaft of the lance, trying to pull it free. The weapon groaned under the strain.
The Admiral braced against it, pushing forward with all his strength—when suddenly, the Rajang's grip loosened. The lance sank even deeper.
Then he looked up.
The Rajang had raised its right fist—launching one final punch at the Admiral.
The Admiral immediately brought his massive shield up, snapping into a defensive stance.
[Thud!]
The sound was soft. There was barely any strength left in that punch.
When he lowered his shield, the Rajang's body had slumped sideways, collapsing to the ground with a puff of dust—and never moved again.
"…What a monster."
The Admiral stared down at the Rajang's lifeless corpse, at the warped lance still embedded in its chest.
He thought back to that final punch the beast had tried to throw—clenching his jaw, and slowly let out a breath.
...
Monsters, like humans, are made of flesh and blood. They possess a primal instinct to survive. Unless truly driven into a corner—so far that even retreat is no longer an option—they won't choose to trade their lives just to take down an enemy.
That's why hunters often say: a monster is most dangerous right before it dies.
In that final moment, the creature goes completely berserk. It ignores its wounds, makes no effort to dodge attacks, and throws itself at the enemy with everything it has. So long as it can tear off even a chunk of flesh, no matter the cost, it will try.
Many novice hunters fall precisely at this stage.
But this Rajang—whatever it had gone through—had shown no intention of backing down from the very start. Even up to the final second before death, it only cared about throwing one last punch.
That wild, frenzied look... it was almost like it had caught the legendary Frenzy Virus.
Logan stood there, staring at the Rajang's fallen corpse, his entire body throbbing with pain. At this point, he genuinely began to wonder—had he made a mistake?
Or had the boss of World Will sent him the wrong assignment?
And this was after he'd brought Aki along. If it had just been him and that other hunter, how much would it have cost them to take down this Rajang? This wasn't the level of difficulty it was supposed to be.
"Meow! Boss Fire Wyvern, meow!"
Tonkotsu came sprinting over on all fours. Seeing the injuries on Boss Fire Wyvern and his mate, the cat let out anxious, high-pitched cries.
Ever since their tribe had submitted to Logan, they'd never seen him this badly wounded.
Logan glanced at Tonkotsu, then shifted his gaze to the Admiral, who had just removed his helmet.
That thick black hair, paired with a solid, muscular frame… the sheer power he showed while going head-to-head with the Rajang… and the Great Sword-wielding Felyne partner who fought in perfect sync with him—
"This guy must be the Admiral in his younger years, huh?"
Digging through memories from his previous life, Logan recognized the man.
Back then, he'd assumed the Admiral used a hammer or maybe a switch axe. Never expected him to be a lance user. Then again, with that kind of build, a lance made perfect sense.
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