"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The once-sturdy camp was overturned in an instant by the sheer impact of Nergigante's landing.
Mixed in with the rubble thrown up by the ancient dragon's descent were countless of its sharp black spikes—each one blasting out in all directions, and in an instant, both Kairo Retsu and Laios were pierced through, turning into a pair of human pincushions.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!!"
Nergigante's thunderous roar shook the air itself.
Despite his body being riddled with spikes, Laios gritted his teeth against the pain and forced his eyes open to look upon the monster known as an Elder Dragon.
Four limbs and two wings—an archetypical Elder Dragon frame.
A pair of unmistakably large horns, and a body covered head to toe in black or dark violet spikes. The oppressive visual of those massive horns overlapping with the thick, bristling spines all across its body instilled a deep, primal terror. Its vast wings stretched outward, clearly capable of high-speed aerial mobility at a glance.
This was the Elder Dragon that surpassed conventional ecosystems.
The Elder Dragon that preyed upon other Elder Dragons.
The Dragon of Destruction and Rebirth.
Its violently aggressive appearance exuded overwhelming pressure. Laios suspected that the terrifying form was a result of its unparalleled regenerative ability—constantly growing and replenishing its spines.
Even at a glance, one could tell the vast gulf between it and the other dragons.
Looking back now, the earlier pursuit by the Rathalos and Rathian felt almost relaxing in comparison.
But in this moment, Laios's brain was spinning into overdrive.
So this is an Elder Dragon? Why did it show up here? Is it simply due to its active predation on other Elder Dragons?
Why did this one attack here? Was there something it needed? Was it drawn by some kind of energy?
What attracted it? The camp? The Felynes? The Hunters?
Laios thought furiously, but Nergigante was already on the move.
The behemoth had emerged from the wreckage caused by its landing, and in a flash, was right next to Kairo Retsu and Laios. It stretched out a claw and slammed Kairo Retsu into the ground, letting out another massive roar in his face.
Hearing that roar at such close range, Laios felt like his eardrums might burst.
But with the attention off him, he took the moment to study the Elder Dragon in detail.
It was roughly twenty meters long, and about six meters tall… It was hard to believe a creature of that size could fly so fast and unleash an ambush of that magnitude. The aerial strike had obliterated an entire section of the area in seconds.
Thinking back, it seemed the initial attack had been a full-body dive, and the spines covering its body expanded the impact zone even further…
By this point, Laios had begun ignoring his own pain.
Instead, he was thinking:
If I could bring back some of these spikes piercing my body… what a fine collection they'd make!
While Laios was off on that tangent, Kairo Retsu was still pinned beneath Nergigante.
The spines that had only half-embedded themselves earlier were now fully driven into his body under the dragon's massive weight.
Nergigante lowered its head to gaze down at Kairo Retsu… then opened its gaping maw and bit off half his body, chewed for a moment, and then—with a disinterested grunt—smashed the remaining half with a claw before leaping into the sky again, taking off to hunt elsewhere.
"So it was hunting…" Laios speculated aloud.
Meanwhile, the Felynes had begun their recovery procedures, preparing to transport both Hunters to another camp for revival.
Kairo Retsu had already been carted off, but Laios hadn't quite died yet… so he'd have to wait a bit longer.
He'd gotten used to dying in the dungeons of his own world, but this was his first time dying as a Hunter—so he was rather looking forward to it.
By the time Laios was dragged to the secondary camp, he found Kairo Retsu already there, grumbling.
Laios immediately grabbed his shoulders, beaming:
"OHHHH!! Guildmaster!! That was an Elder Dragon, right!? It looked incredibly powerful!!"
"Why did it attack us? Was it hunting!? I saw it bite off part of you with my own eyes!" Laios asked, frantically scribbling in his notebook.
"I think I understand why Nergigante preys on Elder Dragons now!"
"It's gotta be about energy!" Laios raised his notebook high.
"My theory is that Nergigante's regenerative powers consume a huge amount of nutrients and energy—so it has to hunt constantly. Elder Dragons make for the most nutritious prey. It probably saw us as prey, but since we lacked the energy it needed, it just left…"
"That's why it lost interest after only eating half of you, Guildmaster." Laios declared with excitement.
"But what I don't get is—if it determined we were prey, why did it lose interest after actually taking a bite?"
"WHAT!? It didn't like my meat!?" Kairo Retsu looked utterly humiliated.
"I've never suffered such disgrace!! I'm going back to change equipment! I'm gonna blast it to hell!!"
"Guildmaster, can you… beat it?" Laios looked at him skeptically.
"..."
Kairo Retsu recalled being one-shot just minutes earlier.
"…Nope. Can't beat it."
"But that's just for now! I'll beat it eventually!"
He raised his fist high.
"Just you wait! I'm gonna make gear from Nergigante parts! Most importantly, I will wield a Nergal Reaver!"
"Who are you calling low-nutrient, huh!? I eat well every day! I'm full of nutrients, damn it!!"
Kairo Retsu muttered furiously.
"I'll bring Stun Resistance next time! And a Hammer! I'll knock you down and make you see stars!"
"Guildmaster! Let's head back already!"
Laios said, still excited and holding several of Nergigante's black spikes.
"I can't wait to show everyone these!"
"And more importantly—Guildmaster!"
Laios's eyes lit up.
"After seeing Nergigante… I've got some ideas about how to capture a demon!"
That caught Kairo Retsu's attention mid-rant. He turned to face him.
"Seriously?"
"I wanna hear what kind of crazy idea you've cooked up!"
Poll: What should replace Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT)?
Hey everyone,
I've decided to put Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT) on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to run a poll to see what you'd like me to work on next. Can't wait to see what you all pick!
Options:
A brand new fanfic (picked by me)
Continue a recommended fanfic (suggested by Readers and will be voted on Again)
Two chapters a day for Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World
Two chapters a day for My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!
Two chapters a day for Monster Hunter Grand Assembly
📅 Voting will be open on Patreon for one week!
patreon.com/BestElysium