The openings Altaïr had created by repeatedly circling behind the Deadeye Yian Garuga allowed him to finish charging before it could turn to face him again.
Waiting another second and releasing the attack only after the Yian Garuga turned might have provoked it further, but Altaïr had no intention of doing that yet.
The instant his charge was complete, he surged forward and swung his sword.
The whirling blade struck precisely at the wound on the Deadeye Yian Garuga's leg, tearing it wider.
Arcs of Dragon Element crackled across the dark red blade of the Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower], scorching and eroding the Yian Garuga's flesh. Though less intense than around an Elder Dragon, the energy reaction was still pronounced.
Such a Dragon Element reaction should occur only in "dragon-type" creatures, and it was one of the key reasons scholars classified Yian Kut-Ku and Yian Garuga as separate species.
The blade flashed. Blood sprayed, and the muscles in the Yian Garuga's leg spasmed, making its turn hitch for an instant.
The Deadeye Yian Garuga immediately understood what the Hunter was trying to do.
It shrieked in fury and beat its wings, lifting its feet from the ground once more and rising into the air.
Morgan saw what it was doing from his distant firing position and immediately prepared to load Sticky Ammo. He had no intention of using another Supernova yet.
Firing Supernovas in quick succession placed tremendous strain on the barrel and the Bowgun's mechanisms. Besides, he had brought only two rounds.
The sight of the Deadeye Yian Garuga using its breath attack to detonate the earlier Supernova prematurely left him uncertain. Had that been pure luck, or had it sensed the danger posed by the Supernova Bowgun Ammo and used its breath to eliminate the threat preemptively?
His last remaining Supernova could not be wasted on another test.
Before he could push the Sticky Ammo into the chamber, however, the sight before him made his expression darken.
Could this... really be called flying?
The Deadeye Yian Garuga's tucked claws hung less than two meters above the ground. Calling that posture flight was generous. It was using its wings instead of its legs to "walk."
That made it far more agile than when it was on its feet, whether turning or making short dashes, while the leg wound no longer hampered its movement.
Worst of all, at such a low altitude, even if a Sticky Ammo blast disrupted its balance and knocked it down, the fall would inflict no meaningful impact damage.
It only had to extend its legs to land securely...
Altaïr, locked in close combat with the target, looked equally grim. He could still reach the Deadeye Yian Garuga at its current height, but both his choice of attacks and the viable hit zones were severely restricted.
He was no Draw Style Blademaster. Was he supposed to use an Overhead Slash with every swing just to reach the elevated target? He might as well throw away the swordsmanship he had worked so hard to hone.
As for using Aerial Style techniques...
Such techniques might work against other Monsters, but this old blind bastard had too much battle experience and reacted too quickly. Jump off the ground in front of it, and it had countless ways to swat a Hunter away.
Attacking had become much harder, and the defensive pressure was mounting as well.
Once its feet left the ground, the Deadeye Yian Garuga grew even more agile than it had been on land. It could peck from above, lash out with claw swipes that gave almost no warning, perform acrobatic backflips and tail swipes, scatter poison, and unleash the weapon that made Hunters sweat most of all, a breath attack far beyond anything even a Rathalos could produce.
Even Altaïr, who had faced more than one Elder Dragon head-on, felt his palms begin to sweat.
So this was what a "Deviant" was? If even a Yian Garuga could reach this level of power... what about a Tigrex?
He never doubted that his group could successfully Hunt the target.
The Monster's low flight made it difficult for Altaïr to inflict effective damage and forced him to maneuver with care, but Morgan's firepower had never let up while Altaïr kept it occupied.
Yian Garuga were not known for exceptional vitality. If this continued, Morgan's sustained fire alone could eventually wear it down.
That was no real solution, however, and the battle-hardened Yian Garuga had certainly realized it as well.
Any Yian Garuga that had survived a hundred battles and reached old age would not be a stubborn fool willing to fight to the death.
If the stalemate continued, it would either use its remaining stamina to climb away and escape, or look for another opening...
The thought had barely crossed Altaïr's mind when the Deadeye Yian Garuga beat its wings fiercely and rocketed dozens of meters into the air.
Altaïr feared it was about to flee, but as it climbed, the Yian Garuga suddenly flipped over, changed direction, folded its wings, and dove toward a distant point.
No!
Altaïr's face drained of color.
The diving Yian Garuga had locked onto Morgan, who had just emptied a magazine and was relocating to another firing position.
Altaïr was too far away to reach him in time. Isis had withdrawn to the edge of the battlefield to treat her injuries, and even with Blast Dash, she could not get to Morgan instantly.
For that moment, the Gunner was isolated and alone.
In truth, Morgan had already been cautious enough.
He had surveyed the battlefield beforehand and identified several firing positions. Even with a Blademaster holding the target in place, he relocated after every few volleys and attacked from the Monster's blind spots, taking care not to draw too much attention.
Even so, the Deadeye Yian Garuga had fixed its sights on him.
It had realized that only the Gunner could inflict effective damage while it was airborne. If it eliminated him, it would seize complete control of the rest of the fight.
As the Deadeye Yian Garuga dove straight at him, Morgan folded and stowed his weapon without hesitation, then sprinted at full speed.
The Heavy Bowgun was widely regarded as the most cumbersome ranged weapon. Once deployed, it made even basic evasive maneuvers such as rolling extremely difficult.
To compensate, some powerfully built Heavy Bowgun users took a different approach, wearing heavy armor and fitting the Bowguns with thick shields. This gave such Gunners defensive capabilities almost on par with heavily armored defenders.
With his slight build and limited strength, Morgan could not follow that path.
His weapon made evasion difficult, while his physique left him ill-suited to withstand attacks head-on. Spread Ammo had therefore become practically his only means of defending himself when a Monster rushed him.
Unfortunately, although his current Barioth Heavy Bowgun excelled with Water Ammo and Freeze Ammo, it had terrible compatibility with Spread Ammo.
As a result, he could do nothing but run for his life.
As a veteran Gunner, he should never have overlooked that weakness.
His old Seltas Queen Gunner Set, which favored heavier protection, and the Piercing Crab Heavy Bowgun, which could handle Spread Ammo, were both contingencies he had prepared specifically for Monsters rushing him.
After teaming up with Altaïr and Isis, however, his two reliable Blademaster teammates had protected him so well that he had gradually invested less in "self-protection," favoring firepower when choosing his Armor and weapons.
Only now did he truly understand that no matter how reliable his teammates were, he could never neglect his own means of self-preservation.
This had nothing to do with trust. The situation during a Hunt could change in countless ways, and there would always be moments when his teammates could not reach him. He had been far too careless.
As the diving Yian Garuga drew ever closer, Morgan could only race toward the forest, hoping the dense canopy of branches and vines would disrupt its attack.
The distance made it clear he would not reach the trees in time.
The Yian Garuga's massive, shovel-shaped beak was only a few meters away. Morgan gritted his teeth and threw himself forward in a desperate leap.
He knew full well the leap could not carry him clear of the Yian Garuga's diving attack, but it was the last thing he could do to save himself.
At that critical moment, two figures burst from the forest one after the other.
"Come back, meow! You can't stop it, meow!"
"Even so, I can't just watch him die! Watch this!" Lambert shouted as she swung her Hunting Horn forward and smashed it down.
A deep thrum rang out. The burst of sound condensed into a blurred shock wave and, before everyone's stunned eyes... sent Morgan flying.
Ning-Ning, right behind Lambert, stopped dead. She stared. "Y-you... what the meow are you doing, meow?!"
As the Yian Garuga's missed dive sent it plunging headfirst into the ground, Lambert swung her Hunting Horn to store another melody, then hefted the weapon onto her shoulder.
"It's an original lifesaving move I call Sonic Barrier. It can nullify a Monster's attack. Pretty awesome, right?"
"You call that 'nullifying an attack,' meow?!"
"I originally developed this move to repel Monsters with the shock wave, but when that proved impossible, I adapted it to launch myself instead."
Lambert flicked her disheveled bangs aside. "Well? Did it work or not?"