The ice-blue Dual Blades spun into a blur of light, sweeping across the Brute Tigrex's head and neck and leaving countless fine wounds behind.
Watery mist seeped from the blades and soaked the Monster's scales and wounds. The frost that followed froze the moisture and the blood oozing from those cuts into pale-red crystals.
After completing a Demon Flurry, Altaïr abandoned his usual principle of concentrating his attacks to cripple one part rather than lightly wounding many. He immediately shifted targets and struck at the Brute Tigrex's forelegs instead.
His purpose was crystal clear.
The Cool Cleavers were not weapons meant to slay a target. Given their Sharpness and destructive power, these Dual Blades could cut through the less protected areas of the Brute Tigrex and leave superficial wounds, but inflicting a fatal injury was nearly impossible.
The water and frost were the real key.
Beneath the skin of a Tigrex's head, neck, and forelegs lay a dense network of capillaries that dissipated heat whenever its body temperature surged, preventing that heat from damaging its brain and internal organs.
When it entered a frenzied rage, the dark-red patterns that surfaced across those areas were actually swollen, protruding blood vessels.
Those vessels ran just beneath the skin, beyond the protection of its rock-hard muscles, so even the underpowered Cool Cleavers could sever them.
The blood flowing from them might not gush like it would from a severed artery, but the steady bleeding would continue draining the Brute Tigrex's stamina.
The frost clinging to its wounds would draw even more heat from its body, lowering its temperature and exhausting it faster.
Since his goal was to bleed and cool the Brute Tigrex, there was no need to focus on a single spot.
Before it could scramble back to its feet, he needed to inflict as many wounds and patches of frostbite as possible across its head, neck, and forelegs, where those capillaries were concentrated.
Only then could he drain the Brute Tigrex's stamina as much as possible!
After Altaïr unleashed three consecutive Blade Dances, the Brute Tigrex finally staggered back to its feet from its heavy fall.
He immediately stopped his assault and deactivated Demon Mode.
Even with the Dash Juice he had taken earlier, sustaining attacks of such intensity and frequency had left him somewhat out of breath.
The successive Blade Dances had filled his Demon Gauge enough to enter Archdemon Mode. Compared with Demon Mode, this state placed less strain on his body.
Now that the Brute Tigrex had also left its frenzied, enraged state, Archdemon Mode would be enough to keep him mobile.
"ROAR!"
Though its vision had not fully recovered and it could see only blurry shapes, the Brute Tigrex swiped a Wyvern Claw at the Hunter before it.
Altaïr slid backward in time to evade the attack.
He could clearly sense that the Brute Tigrex's speed and strength had declined, and even its roar had grown quieter.
Foul-smelling drool streamed between its fangs, proof that it had fallen into an exhausted state.
There was no longer any need to keep fleeing.
After dodging the claw swipe, Altaïr charged forward and closed in on the Brute Tigrex's flank, spinning into several downward slashes across the Monster's neck.
The Brute Tigrex apparently had not expected the Hunter to advance instead of retreating. It reacted a beat too slowly, turning its head for a sideways bite that caught nothing but air.
Altaïr seized the opportunity to slip close to its shoulder. Rather than commit to a Blade Dance, he exploited the Dual Blades' rapid attacks, short recovery, and nimble movement, landing two downward slashes before immediately repositioning. Again and again, the Brute Tigrex's counterattacks missed him.
At the same time, he used the terrain to hinder the Monster's movements and continually circled behind it.
He was not actually trying to target its hind legs or tail. He simply wanted to force the Brute Tigrex to keep shifting its footing and turning from side to side, further draining its stamina.
That sounded easy enough, but to Morgan and Sajji, who had finally caught up, it was a hair-raising sight.
Altaïr vaulted over the Brute Tigrex's back as its claws swept toward him, slid beneath its gaping maw, and spun low across the ground to carve his way under its belly. These perilous, blade-dancing maneuvers unfolded almost every moment.
Morgan's nerves were taut. For what felt like the hundredth time, he rested his finger on the trigger, then let go again.
In truth, there was very little he could do as a safety net. If Altaïr made even one mistake, losing an arm or a leg would be a lucky outcome.
Even if Morgan pulled the trigger the instant something went wrong, he might not be able to save his companion from the thick-hided Brute Tigrex.
"This can't go on. The pace is too fast, and they're too close together. I can't fire Supernova. If something goes wrong, I won't be able to suppress the target in time." Morgan's expression was tense.
When Isis was there, the two Blademasters could cover each other, repeatedly drawing the Monster's attention away from one another and keeping the danger at a manageable level.
Altaïr was fighting the Brute Tigrex alone now, even deliberately baiting it into trying to bite him. He was pushing recklessness to its limit.
When they returned, Morgan would have to complain to Isis and make her keep this guy in line...
Even as he grumbled inwardly, Morgan did not forget to issue further instructions. "Sajji, bring your portable Dragonator closer. If anything goes wrong, trigger it immediately. That's the only way to stagger the target in time and save his life."
"Understood, meow." Sajji nodded firmly, hoisted his Monoblos Model-4 onto his back, and sprinted into the battlefield on all fours.
Sensing Sajji's approach, Altaïr understood that his companions were worried about him.
Every nerve was taut, yet his thoughts remained strangely calm and clear. He had no time to explain.
Only then did he fully understand what Master Amos meant by "sharpening the blade."
His body, spirit, technique, experience, all of it was like a rusty sword that had yet to be properly sharpened. The lethal pressure exerted by a powerful foe was the whetstone.
Sparks flew as the rust was ground away bit by bit, revealing the blade's edge.
The Brute Tigrex's entire body was covered in the fine wounds left by the Dual Blades. Melted frost mixed with blood dripped onto the Volcano's scorching ground and hissed.
Despite its battered appearance, the Monster had suffered no truly serious wounds apart from those caused by its earlier fall.
Fury with no outlet consumed its reason, and the Brute Tigrex threw back its head and unleashed a wild roar.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!"
The pounding of its racing heart echoed through its chest. In its extreme rage, bloody-red light crept back into the Brute Tigrex's eyes, and patterns of swollen veins surfaced across its body.
It entered its frenzied, enraged state once more. Its bloodshot eyes locked onto the Hunter before it, and amid heavy, ragged breaths, it launched into a reckless charge.
Almost time.
Just before the raging beast could trample him, Altaïr raised his Slinger and fired a Flash Pod, forcibly interrupting the Brute Tigrex's charge.
This time, the Brute Tigrex was stunned for only a few moments. Before its vision had even recovered, it began snapping and clawing wildly as it charged around again.
A Monster in this state was extremely dangerous. Sajji clutched the portable Dragonator and glanced nervously at Altaïr. Fortunately, he did not appear intent on charging to his death.
Repeated attacks had left the Cool Cleavers' edges jagged and dull. Striking the Brute Tigrex's thick, pitch-black armor now only made the blades bounce away.
The Hunt had reached its final phase.
While the Brute Tigrex's vision had yet to recover and it was still flailing and biting at empty air, Altaïr took out a Paintball and hurled it at the target.
Immediately afterward, he used his Slinger to fire several Dung Bombs at the Brute Tigrex's head. Earthy-yellow liquid sprayed and splattered in every direction.
These Dung Bombs were a crucial part of his hunting plan. They would scramble the Brute Tigrex's sense of smell for a time, making it easier for him to retreat.
More importantly, their alchemically refined stench could effectively suppress the appetite of Monsters with keen senses of smell, such as Tigrex.
The effect worked even on Deviljho, so the Brute Tigrex was naturally no exception. For a while, it would be unable to eat anything.
The long chase and skirmish, two bouts of rage, continuous bleeding, and the frost's rapid drain on its body heat had all taken their toll.
The Brute Tigrex's stamina had already fallen dangerously low. Its abnormally high metabolism would soon consume what little remained, leaving it weaker and weaker.
Altaïr turned and ran toward the camp.
Hmm... I really miss Hibiki at times like this. If he were here to carry an extra weapon, I wouldn't have to keep running back and forth.