Altaïr tried to overwhelm his opponent with a relentless offensive and finish the fight in one sustained burst, but the blood-drenched Zinogre ignored the slash to its sensitive nose and twisted its head to bite at him.
Forced to break off his attack, the Hunter spun back and used Foresight Slash to evade the Monster's closing, bloodstained jaws.
Immediately afterward, he tensed his leg muscles, converted the momentum of his retreat into forward force, and sprang ahead with an upward sweep of his blade.
Foresight Slash!
The blade once again struck the Zinogre squarely on the tip of its nose.
Like canines, Zinogre possess a keen sense of smell, and a Zinogre's nose is packed with sensitive sensory cells. Pain is especially acute there, so targeted attacks will often force one to recoil.
Yet even with its nose nearly hacked to pieces, this Zinogre made no attempt to evade. Instead, it raised a massive claw and slammed it down at the Hunter.
Altaïr rolled sideways to evade the claw swipe, sprang swiftly to his feet, and fixed his gaze on his opponent.
The Zinogre's reaction confirmed one thing for him.
Under the virus's influence, the Zinogre had most likely lost its sense of pain.
That was good news. Without pain to warn it, a Monster would be less inclined to protect its vital points. It was also bad news. A Monster that did not fear pain would counterattack with even greater ferocity, making its attacks much harder to interrupt.
This is a little troublesome. I can't rely on the field guide's information and advice against this thing anymore. I'll have to rely more heavily on my judgment in the moment.
"Roar!"
After missing several attacks in succession, the Zinogre reared up and lifted one giant claw. Tiny sparks leaped between its talons as it brought the claw crashing down at the Hunter in front of it.
From the Zinogre's broad, sweeping motion, Altaïr judged that this was certainly not a single isolated strike. He therefore avoided evasive maneuvers that would leave him vulnerable during their recovery, such as a rolling dive or Foresight Slash.
Instead, he simply hopped backward.
Such a precise evasion left no margin for error. It demanded an exact judgment of the Monster's attack range and also depended on the opponent reacting slowly enough. If the Monster adjusted its movement even slightly just before the blow landed, the evasion could fail.
Judging distance precisely was a fundamental skill for any Long Sword user. Although the Frenzy Virus had made the Zinogre frenzied and fearless, it had also measurably slowed its reactions and dulled its thinking.
The meter-long talon slammed down less than half a meter in front of him. The ground shuddered beneath power far beyond that of a typical Flying Wyvern of similar size.
As if a Barrel Bomb had detonated at close range, the shallow water on the ground erupted into spray several meters high. Electric arcs coiled around the giant claw, then spread outward and washed over the nearby Hunter.
Altaïr did not appear alarmed.
He was wearing the Espinas Armor Set, with its exceptional thunder resistance, rather than the Brute Tigrex Armor Set.
The faint arcs struck the Espinas Armor Set's blue-black plates and dissipated without so much as a spark. They failed to penetrate its defenses, much less injure him.
He dared take that risk not merely because of the Espinas Armor Set's exceptional thunder resistance, but because he was certain the infected Zinogre's electrical discharge was weaker than that of an ordinary specimen.
The reason was simple. A Zinogre cannot generate electricity on its own. It can only store and release electrical energy through the Thunderbugs that live in symbiosis with it.
Whether the Frenzy Virus affected Thunderbugs was another question, but this creature had been sleeping sprawled in a waterlogged river valley with its entire body soaked. The Thunderbugs living in its fur could hardly have been thriving.
With its Thunderbug population sharply reduced and the insulating fur essential to their electricity generation soaked through, the infected Zinogre had already lost its greatest weapon.
The Thunderbugs did far more for a Zinogre than enable it to unleash lightning attacks. They also stimulated its muscles, making its movements swifter and its attacks more powerful.
With so many Thunderbugs gone, even the pause between the Zinogre's two consecutive claw strikes was longer than normal. After slamming down one forepaw, it had to catch its breath before lifting the other.
Altaïr seized the opening and fired a Flash Pod directly beneath the Zinogre's nose.
The already muddled Zinogre was effortlessly stunned by the flash.
Altaïr immediately dropped into a charging stance. Less than two seconds later, he released the stored power and surged forward. His whirling blade carved a massive wound from the Zinogre's chest to its ribs.
Charged Spirit Roundslash!
Before the Zinogre could recover from the stun, Altaïr activated Demon Mode, turned, and aimed at the wound left by his earlier overhead blow, swinging his blade at full speed.
As flesh and blood flew, his Spirit Gauge rapidly filled.
A great deal of blood laced with the Frenzy Virus inevitably splashed across him, even onto his face, which had no helmet to protect it. Faint purple-black veins appeared even in his eyes.
Altaïr ignored it for the moment and continued his fierce assault until the Zinogre recovered from the stun.
The Zinogre's sight had still not returned, and its muddled thoughts made it difficult to determine its opponent's exact position. It abruptly spun around, sweeping its massive tail through the surrounding area.
Already on guard, Altaïr answered with a timely Foresight Slash.
During the exchange, his Spirit Gauge reached its limit. Just as he entered the red Spirit Gauge state and prepared to continue his fierce assault, the Zinogre pushed off with all four limbs and sprang backward several body lengths.
"Awooo--!!" The Zinogre threw back its head and unleashed a long howl.
As if stimulated, the previously faint lightning began flickering across its body once more.
Was it trying to enter its supercharged state?
Altaïr tightened his grip on his blade.
Had this been a Zinogre in peak condition, he might have kept his distance, wary of the savage onslaught that would follow once it became supercharged.
This Zinogre, however, probably had no more than a handful of Thunderbugs left clinging to its body.
Who the hell do you think you're fooling?!
With a furious roar, Altaïr activated Beast Soul Possession. An ominous, pitch-black fighting spirit enveloped his entire body. With Demon Mode and the red Spirit Gauge state active at once, he erupted forward at astonishing speed, becoming a blurred afterimage as he shot toward his opponent.
The Zinogre was still charging when Altaïr closed the gap in the blink of an eye. He ignited his blood and vital energy even further and activated Devouring Demon.
Violent power rampaged through his body. Cracks like those in shattered porcelain spread across his skin, and blood poured from them as though he might collapse in the very next second.
With agony searing through him and his blood boiling, Altaïr's mind had room for only one command: Attack. A crazed, twisted smile spread across his face, and he brought his blade down violently, cleaving open the Zinogre's chest.
Filthy flesh and blood saturated with the Frenzy Virus gushed out and splattered across his entire body.
His skin, split apart by an energy impact beyond his body's limits, absorbed the Monster's flesh and blood, then healed at a terrifying rate under the action of the mysterious microorganisms.
Altaïr's swings grew faster and faster. As expected, the critically wounded Zinogre suffered an explosive backlash while trying to charge.
It howled and collapsed to the ground.
As his body healed and his reason returned, Altaïr used Spinning Crimson Slash to adjust his position, circling back toward the Zinogre's head and neck.
The blade flashed once more, trailing a bloody afterimage.
—--
Sajji had finished setting his trap some time ago. After waiting and waiting without seeing Altaïr lure the Monster over, his unease mounted, and he returned to the waterlogged river valley.
The sight before him left him frozen in place for two full seconds. Then he let out a shrill "Meow!" and dashed over on all fours.
The Zinogre was already dead, and its severed head had rolled to one side.
Altaïr sat atop the mangled head, staring down at his reflection in the puddle beneath his feet.
Blood, shredded flesh, and greasy fat had fouled the water, leaving his reflection indistinct. Hearing Sajji approach, Altaïr raised his head and looked at the Felyne who had run up before him with every hair standing on end.
Altaïr gave an awkward chuckle. "Do I look... a little off?"
"You call this 'a little off'?! Are you kidding me, meow?!" Sajji hopped up and down in place.
Altaïr looked down once more at his blurred reflection and scratched his cheek. "My Frenzy Virus infection is progressing faster than I expected."
* * *
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