Urged on by the snapping reins, the Anteka pulled the sled across the ice field at breakneck speed.
Tall mountain trees and cedars gradually rose from the once-desolate snowfield. Following the tracks left by the Elderfrost Gammoth, the Hunters had reached the edge of the coniferous forest.
"This spot will do." Karin handed the reins to Haifa. "Sajji will keep watch from the air and guide you. Gather the supplies as quickly as possible, then make your way toward us."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Haifa replied with a pout, her displeasure written all over her face.
Karin had actually accepted Altaïr's suggestion and formed a temporary two-person team with him to continue tracking and monitoring the two Monsters.
Karin's longtime partner, by contrast, was stuck taking the two youngsters into the snowy forest to gather chili peppers...
Where was the justice in that? Was running fast really so important?
Still stewing, Haifa watched Karin and Altaïr leap from the speeding sled in unison.
They landed, rolled once through the snow, and sprang up again before their momentum had fully dissipated. The instant their boots pushed off the snowy ground, they entered Demon Mode and shot past the sled as twin afterimages.
Like a pair of Kelbi hopped up on Dash Juice, they vanished after a few bounds among the snow-covered pines and cypresses.
"Truly astonishing speed," Morgan said with sincere admiration.
Haifa and Isis exchanged a glance. As the partners of that mother-and-son pair, and as heavy-weapon blademasters themselves, they suddenly felt a deep sense of kinship.
The usually carefree Haifa wore a gentle smile that would have terrified her subordinates. She reached out and softly patted Isis on the head.
"It must be hard, day in and day out. You're a heavily armored Hunter who can't run fast, yet you constantly have to keep up with that rabbit of a boy.
"That feeling when your teammate disappears in the blink of an eye... Ah, I know it well. And the Gunlance is even more cumbersome than the Great Sword. You can only inch forward one step at a time, while at least a Great Sword user can roll. Ah!"
She found a sliver of comfort in the comparison.
Isis blinked. "Not really. I use Blast Dash, and with a 'Boom!' I fly right past him."
Haifa stared at her in silence.
...
Isis had betrayed every heavy-weapon user alive!
—--
While an even more irritated Haifa led Isis and Morgan through the forest to gather supplies for the cold, Karin and Altaïr drew ever closer to their target.
Karin could not help glancing at Altaïr several times.
At first, she had considered slowing down, worried that he would be unable to keep up and get left behind. A two-person operation was already risky enough; they could not afford to become separated.
To her surprise, Altaïr not only remained right beside her but even seemed to have energy to spare. He raced along with his Great Sword-shaped Long Sword held at an angle.
What kind of freak had she picked up back then?
"Thud, thud, thud..." As the heavy footsteps ahead grew clearer, Karin focused and raised one hand in the signal for caution.
They both left Demon Mode, slowed their pace, and took cover behind a giant sequoia several meters thick.
"Since the Elderfrost Gammoth is advancing with the Grimclaw Tigrex as its target, the Grimclaw should be nearby. With such a conspicuous target around, it probably won't notice us, but we still can't let our guard down."
Karin had unconsciously slipped into the tone she used when teaching Altaïr hunting techniques years ago and explained more than necessary. Then she realized she no longer needed to spell everything out for him in such detail.
"Equip your Ghillie Mantle and move quietly. Watch our rear." She composed herself and switched to the clipped tone she used when communicating with Haifa.
"Right." Altaïr nodded.
They donned snow-camouflage Ghillie Mantles and followed the Elderfrost Gammoth's tracks, using the giant sequoias and dense undergrowth throughout the coniferous forest as cover.
Whether the forest's vegetation and deadwood had slowed it or it was conserving strength for the coming battle, the Elderfrost Gammoth had noticeably reduced its speed after entering the trees.
After tracking it for some time, the two Hunters finally caught up.
The sky was completely dark by then, and the snow reflected the hazy moonlight, illuminating the pale form of the colossal beast.
It had resumed its original leisurely manner, strolling unhurriedly through the dim forest.
The giant sequoias towered dozens of meters high, any one of them thick enough to serve as the mast of a large ship. Yet beside the Gammoth they were little more than dry reeds; one sweep of its tusks sent whole swaths toppling.
It stopped and coiled its impossibly thick trunk around a long tree trunk, drawing it to its mouth and slowly chewing the branches and leaves.
Watching from nearby after tracking it this far, Altaïr felt a flicker of bewilderment.
He had expected the Elderfrost Gammoth to seek out its formidable enemy and attack the moment it reached the coniferous forest after its charge of dozens of kilometers.
Why had it suddenly started eating?
The Grimclaw Tigrex should have been nearby, perhaps lurking in the darkness and waiting for a chance to ambush it.
Was it really wise to act so leisurely?
Karin glanced at him, seeming to read his surprise.
She pulled Altaïr into a thicket and pressed down on his neck until he lay completely flat. After concealing them both beneath the surrounding snow and shrub branches, she whispered, "Suppress your presence and stay hidden. The Elderfrost is an old-timer that has lived a long life. It's far smarter and more experienced than you think.
"Look at its back."
At Karin's prompting, Altaïr noticed heat steaming from the Elderfrost Gammoth's mountain-like back.
That was normal. A beast of such immense size naturally had trouble shedding heat, and its body temperature must have soared after running such a long distance. Evaporating sweat was its only way to release that heat.
Before the vapor could rise far, however, the subzero air froze it into frost that clung to the Gammoth's coarse fur.
At first glance, nothing seemed different. The Elderfrost Gammoth's back was already pale, and in this world of ice and snow, a coating of frost hardly looked unusual.
Closer inspection revealed that the frost did not merely rest on the surface. It had frozen layer after layer through the full depth of the coat.
The fur on a Gammoth's back was several meters thick. Saturated and frozen again and again, it had become ice armor of astonishing thickness and hardness.
The same was true of its limbs.
The fur on the Elderfrost Gammoth's legs was even coarser, each hair as stiff and sharp as a spine. Frost had frozen across it in jagged clusters of razor-edged ice.
Clearly, it had already readied itself for battle.
Had that leisurely feeding been an act all along?!
"In the Great Snowy Mountains, Tigrex sometimes hunt Gammoth. They like to lie in ambush on high ground, then pounce onto a Gammoth's back when it passes below. They cling there, biting and tearing into the flesh. Because of its anatomy, a Gammoth struggles to counter an enemy on its back. This is essentially the only way a Tigrex can kill one," Karin said softly.
"A Gammoth old enough to become an Elderfrost has undoubtedly survived countless attacks like these. It knows Tigrex, and far more than one or two have likely died beneath its massive hooves and tusks."
The coniferous forest was eerily quiet beneath the snowy night. The wind and the crunch of branches between the Gammoth's teeth were the only sounds.
Altaïr sensed no unusual movement or presence, but his heart suddenly clenched as if seized by an unseen hand.
He looked up instinctively.
The silhouette that had haunted his nightmares countless times came diving from the sky, concealed by the darkness and the wind.
Only when it landed on the Elderfrost Gammoth's back did it unleash a savage howl that shook the mountain forest.
"RRROOOAAARRR!!!"
One massive azure claw, carrying the terrifying force of the dive, raked mercilessly across the Gammoth's back.
It was a strike capable of disemboweling a Large Flying Wyvern.
Against an ordinary, unprepared Gammoth, that single blow would have been enough to knock it down and leave it critically wounded.
The thick ice armor woven from coarse fur and frozen sweat now revealed its astonishing resilience. The azure claw tore across it, scattering ice and snow without drawing a trace of blood.
The Elderfrost Gammoth's massive body swayed only slightly before immediately steadying itself.
It gave a violent shudder and nearly threw off the Grimclaw Tigrex before it could secure its footing.
The Grimclaw Tigrex demonstrated its own formidable strength. Its two massive azure claws dug viciously into the ice armor, leaving it hanging from the Elderfrost Gammoth's flank while its hind claws kicked and scrabbled for purchase, trying to climb back onto the Gammoth's back.
Altaïr's heart sank. The Elderfrost Gammoth's hide was thick and its flesh tough, but its movements were inherently slow. Its trunk was its only truly agile limb, yet even that seemed too short to reach the Grimclaw Tigrex hanging from its flank. If the Grimclaw regained its footing on the Gammoth's back, the Elderfrost would be at a severe disadvantage.
Then something completely beyond Altaïr's expectations happened.
The thick tree trunk coiled in the Elderfrost Gammoth's trunk, seemingly nothing more than its food, swept with the motion of that powerful limb and slammed violently into the Grimclaw Tigrex.
Caught completely off guard, the Grimclaw Tigrex was batted away and tumbled awkwardly through the snowy forest, sending ice, snow, earth, and stone spraying in every direction.
One giant hoof shifted, and the aged Gammoth turned around.
With a low roar like an avalanche, it cast aside the broken tree and charged straight at the Grimclaw Tigrex.