The world shattered when Ignivar Rex slammed into the ground.
The sound wasn't merely heard — it was felt, deep in the chest, a pounding rhythm that made the earth itself buckle. The forest exploded into motion; ash, smoke, and molten debris spiraled through the air like the world was ending. The sky turned red, a dome of living fire swallowing all color.
Kael hit the dirt, sliding behind a smoldering root. His cloak caught sparks that fizzled out before they could burn through.
Seren's shield struck the ground first, wedging deep as she crouched low behind it.
Alder's boots tore twin trenches into the scorched soil, his muscles screaming as he forced his body upright against the shockwave.
Only Hunnt didn't flinch.
He'd already read the moment through Observation Haki, saw the wave before it came — the heartbeat before chaos. His Anchor Step locked him to the ground like a pillar of steel. Ash and embers swirled around him, heat licking the edges of his coat, but he didn't move.
As the dust cleared, he said quietly, "Now we hit back."
Ignivar Rex rose from the crater, each step booming like a drumbeat of war. Its molten scales bled light between their seams; wings spread wide enough to blot out the sky. The air around it bent from the heat, shimmering like glass ready to break.
Kael's voice cut through the firestorm. "Spread! Don't group — its breath will torch us all!"
He vanished in a flash — Soru — reappearing behind a fallen boulder just as a cone of fire roared across the field. Flames washed over his cover and rolled into the trees, turning bark to charcoal. Seren braced again, shielding Alder as the blast scraped past them.
The wyvern's roar split the air. Birds caught in midflight disintegrated in its wake.
"Hunnt, left flank!" Kael called. "Alder, wait for its lift — time the strike!"
Hunnt blurred forward, the ground cracking under his steps. Armament Haki bled over his gauntlets, the veins of red in their metal turning jet black. He ducked under the beast's head, his senses pulsing with Observation Haki — the rhythm of muscle and breath in perfect sync.
Then — Redirect.
He met the Tyrant's lunging bite, sliding his forearm beneath its jaw, turning the motion aside. A quick Pulse Drive detonated against the creature's throat, sending tremors through its jaw.
The wyvern staggered. Kael fired a flash round into its face.
Light burst — the creature hissed, blinded for a heartbeat.
"Now!" Kael barked.
Alder launched upward — Geppo, each step hammering invisible air beneath his boots. His great sword pulsed red from Armament Haki, flames clinging to the blade's edge. He spun once midair and brought it down on the creature's neck.
Sparks exploded. The blade bit, grinding through hardened scales and leaving a scar of molten red.
The wyvern shrieked, snapping its head wildly. Kael ducked under a gust of flame and reloaded, sliding new piercing rounds into his bowgun. "Eyes!" he yelled. "Go for the eyes!"
He rolled, aimed up, and fired three quick bursts. The first round ricocheted off the crest. The second embedded deep under the eye ridge. The third — guided by instinct sharpened through Haki — pierced through the pupil.
The creature screamed, fire bursting uncontrollably from its mouth. Its tail swept in a wide arc.
Seren didn't hesitate. "I've got it!"
She ran toward the danger instead of away. Her boots carved a path through the blackened soil. She raised her shield and Tekkai hardened every muscle in her body. The tail slammed into her shield like a falling tree, the sound cracking across the clearing.
Her armor screeched, dents forming, but she held. The second strike came faster, sharper — she exhaled and let her body move.
Kami-e.
The tail's edge passed inches from her cheek as she rolled away with impossible grace.
"Nice work!" Kael called, grinning through the smoke.
Seren smirked. "You can praise me after it's dead!"
Hunnt landed beside her, fists still smoking. "Then let's make it happen."
He rushed forward again — Soru cracking the air — and slammed both gauntlets into the monster's left knee. The ground quaked. Bone and molten flesh cracked audibly. The wyvern faltered, its balance breaking.
"Alder!" Hunnt shouted.
Alder needed no further command. He jumped — one, two Geppo steps — then plunged straight down, swinging with everything he had. His blade sang through the heat and bit deep into the wounded seam.
The beast reeled, flames spilling from its chest and jaws like a living volcano.
Kael moved to flank, firing concentrated bursts into the soft scales of its side. Every shot hit — controlled, precise — Observation guiding him even through the haze.
Then the wyvern reared, wings flaring, blood and ash falling from its body.
"Back!" Kael shouted. "It's building heat!"
But it was already too late.
The air pulsed. The monster roared, louder and deeper than before. Lava veins along its body brightened, veins glowing a molten gold.
The ground steamed beneath its claws. Trees within twenty paces ignited instantly.
Alder swore under his breath. "He's entering full rage mode!"
"Retreat pattern!" Kael called — but Hunnt didn't move.
He looked up into the beast's eyes, black gauntlets humming faintly with heat. "No," he said, voice calm, "we end it now."
Kael groaned. "Every time you say that, someone nearly dies."
Hunnt vanished. Soru.
He reappeared beneath the Tyrant's chest, one knee bent, Anchor Step locking him in. Armament blazed across his fists, merging with molten reflection. Observation painted the weak points like sparks on his vision — the beating core just behind the chest vent.
He punched.
Pulse Drive.
The world thundered. The impact shook the valley, shockwaves rippling outward.
The wyvern roared, stumbling backward. A geyser of flame and blood burst from its chest.
Kael, Alder, and Seren didn't waste the chance.
Alder charged again, great sword gleaming black and red, carving along the wound. Kael's bullets followed, each one piercing deeper. Seren shielded them from the retaliatory tail swipe, her armor glowing cherry-red from the sheer heat.
Hunnt exhaled, the smoke rising off his gauntlets like steam.
The Tyrant staggered, wings beating unevenly. It took to the air, a spiral of fire trailing behind it. The trees below smoldered as ash fell like snow.
Kael wiped blood from his cheek and looked up. "He's still got fight left."
Hunnt tightened his grip, his Armament Haki pulsing beneath the skin. "Good. Let him rage."
The sky above them turned crimson again as the Crimson Tyrant circled once more, shrieking its fury to the heavens.
And the four hunters — battered, scorched, but unbroken — turned to face the storm head-on.