The Korvan plains shimmered beneath a pale afternoon sun. Wind swept through the tall yellow grass, bending it in waves that reached the horizon. From a distance, it looked peaceful—almost too peaceful. But the four hunters walking its edge knew better.
A faint shadow passed over the land.
Kael lifted his light bowgun, scanning the sky through its scope. "Thirty-meter wingspan," he muttered. "Tail spikes curved, not straight… that's her."
Alder squinted, resting his great sword on his shoulder. "Ravina Seraph—the Ashen Matriarch."
Seren's voice was calm but edged with tension. "The female counterpart of Ignivar Rex. If the Tyrant ruled the skies through rage…" she paused, watching the distant shadow turn, "...then she rules through precision."
Hunnt said nothing. His eyes followed the glimmer above the clouds, where the light caught scales that flickered between green and silver-gray. Even from here, he could feel the heat radiating from her—controlled, patient, deadly.
Maerin, the Korvan chief, stood with them at the ridge. Her expression was grim. "She doesn't burn villages for sport. She does it to defend her territory. She'll poison the ground before she lets anyone close to her nest."
Seren looked over her shoulder. "Poison?"
Maerin nodded. "Her claws, tail, even her breath carries it. The air around her nest is toxic. If you take one deep breath, it could be your last."
Hunnt adjusted his gauntlets. "Then we'll have to move fast. No wasted motion."
"Be careful," Maerin warned, her voice soft but firm. "Ravina Seraph has killed more hunters than Ignivar. She's not just a beast—she's a queen."
Kael gave her a small nod. "We'll make sure her reign ends cleanly."
Maerin stepped back as the four hunters descended the ridge, their shadows cutting across the windblown grass.
---
Hours later, they reached the cliffside fields—an open expanse of blackened stone where the air shimmered faintly with heat. Feathers and bones were scattered across the rocks, burned and brittle. The smell of venom lingered faintly in the wind.
Kael crouched low and raised his hand. "Observation active," he murmured. His Haki spread like ripples across the plain. For a moment, he felt only stillness—then a sudden shift in pressure.
He froze. "She's close."
Hunnt's gaze narrowed. "Direction?"
Kael's eyes flicked upward. "Above."
The air split with a scream that shook the ground.
A massive shadow descended through the clouds, wings cutting the sunlight into ribbons. The Ashen Matriarch swooped low, her scales flashing gold and green as she landed in a thunderous quake. Dust and debris erupted around her. Her eyes glowed like molten amber.
Alder grinned through clenched teeth. "Guess we found her."
"Positions!" Kael barked.
The wyvern roared again, a deep sound that made the ground tremble. Her tail whipped, smashing through boulders like glass. Seren moved first, lance raised and shield locked. The blow hit her full-on. She slid back several feet, but didn't fall.
Kael fired a spread of piercing rounds, each one bursting against the wyvern's scales. Sparks scattered, but none penetrated.
"She's covered in hardened ash!" Kael shouted. "Her whole shell's fire-treated!"
Hunnt darted forward with Soru, vanishing in a blur. He appeared at her flank, his gauntlets coated in Armament Haki. He struck the leg joint with a sharp Pulse Drive, sending cracks through the scales. The ground shuddered from the impact, and molten blood hissed across the dirt.
Ravina screeched, spinning. Her claws raked the ground, sending shockwaves through the field. Alder took the brunt of it, crossing his blade in front of him as he activated Tekkai. The blow sent him skidding across the dirt, his armor ringing from the impact.
Kael's Observation pulsed again. "She's adapting—don't stay in one place too long!"
"Wasn't planning to!" Alder shouted, pushing himself up and lunging forward. He charged, his sword igniting with a faint red glow. He struck at her chest, but the blade only left a shallow groove before the monster's wing swept him aside.
Seren planted her shield, her boots digging into the soil. "Over here!" she shouted. The wyvern turned, exhaling a burst of pale green flame. The air shimmered with poison vapor. Seren ducked, the toxic wave passing overhead, and thrust her lance upward into the underside of the wyvern's throat.
The blow drew blood—a hiss, not a roar.
Kael reloaded, muttering, "Targeting that weak spot again!"
Hunnt leapt high with Geppo, air cracking beneath his boots. He spun midair, both fists glowing from internal energy. The impact landed against her neck seam. Cracks spread across her scales, molten blood seeping through.
But Ravina didn't fall.
Her wings expanded suddenly, releasing a cyclone of dust and gas. Kael dove for cover, Seren crouched behind her shield, and Alder slid behind a jagged outcrop as a wall of poison tore through the field.
When the smoke cleared, the wyvern stood tall—scorched, panting, but unbroken.
Kael's voice came low, urgent. "We need to force her to the ground. Hunnt—disrupt her balance. Alder, take her legs."
Hunnt flexed his gauntlets. "Got it."
Alder charged first, sword drawn back. He struck low, slicing through the joint of the wyvern's front limb. She shrieked, staggering as her weight shifted. Hunnt blurred in again, his Redirect technique snapping her next movement aside. She stumbled further, her tail carving deep trenches into the ground.
Kael used the moment to fire a concussive round at her right wing joint. The explosion forced her off balance, sending her crashing sideways into the earth.
"Now, Seren!"
Seren sprinted forward, her lance gleaming. She vaulted off a rock, driving the tip straight into the same wound Alder had opened. The ground shook from the impact as a roar like thunder split the sky.
Ravina Seraph's wings flared again, this time glowing crimson at the edges.
Kael's eyes widened. "She's entering rage mode—fall back!"
Hunnt pulled Seren back, his Observation Haki flashing with warning pulses. "Everyone clear!"
The wyvern reared up, her body blazing with heat, the air turning to fire around her. She spread her wings wide, and with one roar, unleashed a storm of burning ash that swept across the field.
The hunters dove for cover as the sky turned to flame.
When the blast faded, the field was nothing but smoke and ruin. The Matriarch stood tall in the center, eyes glowing like molten suns.
Hunnt rose slowly, brushing ash from his shoulders. "She's not done yet," he muttered.
Alder spat dirt from his mouth and lifted his sword again. "Neither are we."
Kael reloaded, scanning the terrain. "Next phase. We drive her to the nest."
Seren raised her lance, armor scorched, but her stance unbroken. "Let's finish this."
The four hunters advanced together through the smoke, their silhouettes swallowed by firelight — heading straight into the Matriarch's storm.
The true hunt had only just begun.