MHGA Chapter 358 – The Trap Hunter's Moment (6)
Originally transformed by the shard of Gungnir embedded in her heart, Hibiki still lacked the stamina for prolonged battle that veteran Hunters like Kairo Retsu possessed.
Her strength in combat came from her transformation and Swan Song. But now, with their medical supplies nearly depleted, she could no longer inflict enough damage on the Shagaru Magala as she had before.
Moreover… the emotional strain from battle was causing the Gungnir shard's power to spiral out of control, starting to erode Hibiki's consciousness.
In order to prevent the shard from merging uncontrollably with her body and causing a rampage, Hibiki had no choice but to withdraw from the fight.
Her retreat added considerable pressure to the remaining fighters.
Kairo Retsu began wondering if he should find a way to retreat and restock their supplies in order to continue the battle against the Shagaru Magala.
The vitality of Elder Dragons was beyond imagination… and yet—
Kairo Retsu noticed something unexpected: the Shagaru Magala no longer seemed quite so consumed with rage.
As if… its True Frenzied Form and enraged state were gradually beginning to fade.
In fact, it seemed like the Shagaru Magala had attempted multiple times to bypass the Chaotic Gore Magala and attack Altair and Sirius directly…
These signs made Kairo Retsu realize that the Elder Dragon's stamina and internal energy were being rapidly depleted.
If they could just prevent it from preying on Altair or the others to replenish its energy, then maybe—
Just as that thought entered his mind, the Shagaru Magala halted its aggressive onslaught and hovered midair, facing off against Kairo Retsu and the others.
Kairo Retsu furrowed his brow, uncertain of the Elder Dragon's next move, and kept his guard up.
Then the Shagaru Magala glanced briefly at the Chaotic Gore Magala—before suddenly turning and launching itself toward the ground, straight at a group of Created Beings who were still holding out.
Seeing the monster abruptly shift targets, Himmel immediately attempted to intercept it—but the Shagaru's speed allowed it to catch the unprepared Sho.
It lunged with its maw—aiming to bite down on Sho. In the critical moment before its jaws closed, Yuya shoved Sho out of the way.
Yuya himself, however, was caught—his body clamped in the Elder Dragon's fangs, with only part of his upper torso still visible outside its mouth.
This sudden development sent the Created Beings into a panic, rushing to rescue Yuya.
Kairo Retsu reacted even faster. As soon as Yuya was caught, he shouted to Himmel:
"Himmel!!! Save whatever part of him you can still reach!"
"..."
Without a moment's hesitation, Himmel was already at the Shagaru Magala's head.
Maybe his attack couldn't force the beast to open its mouth—but…
A flash of steel cut through the air—his blade slicing through Yuya's body in an instant, severing the exposed portion and pulling it free. With Yuya's remains in his arms, Himmel sprinted back toward Kairo Retsu.
"Max Potion!"
Kairo Retsu hurled his last remaining Max Potion with all his strength. Himmel caught it cleanly and quickly administered it into Yuya's mouth.
Just before Yuya's life completely faded away, the potion took effect—preserving his soul and triggering regeneration of his body.
But with that, the Hunters' supply of restorative items was finally exhausted.
Sweat beaded in Kairo Retsu's palm as he racked his brain for the next move.
Then Altair spoke up:
"What if… I used all the power I have left to create a separate dimension? Could I trap that dragon and myself inside it—to buy some time?"
She asked the question seriously.
"…You and the Shagaru Magala alone in the same space—how long could you last?" Kairo Retsu asked, quietly.
Altair shook her head. "I won't let it consume me to restore its power."
"Then…"
Just as Kairo Retsu began to speak, he caught something in the corner of his eye—something odd.
The Shagaru Magala seemed to notice something… and completely ignored the closer Created Beings on the ground, catching even Himmel off guard.
Kairo Retsu watched as it suddenly crashed through a building and charged off in a different direction.
"!"
Kairo Retsu's heart skipped—but Himmel said quickly:
"Setsuna and Kero-chan aren't over there. It's someone else."
"Someone else…?"
Kairo Retsu's face lit up as a possibility entered his mind—what if the Shagaru had picked up on something else?
At that moment, inside a building, Joseph, Kazuma, and their newly found allies—Laios and the box-carrying Silly Cat—stood at the top floor, peering through binoculars at the incoming Shagaru Magala.
"Listen up!" Kazuma's expression was deadly serious.
"We've only got one shot at this!!! This is the reversal battle of a trap-and-tool Hunter!!!"
"We absolutely can't mess this up!!!"
"Got it," Joseph wiped the sweat from his palm, one hand already reaching into his pouch.
Down below, Naofumi Iwatani hid in the shadows, keeping an eye on the only open space left beneath the building.
That small clearing had been carefully prepared—with various kinds of Raw Meat scattered in precise positions.
[Tinged Meat], [Poisoned Meat], [Sleepy Meat]…
After finding Silly Cat carrying a portable camp supply box, Kazuma and the others had devised a plan—something they could do to hurt the Shagaru Magala using the strengths unique to Hunters.
They knew their raw power was insufficient. So they relied on tactics—a hallmark of Hunters.
Now, the Shagaru Magala, in a weakened and famished state, was drawn by the scent of the trap meats laid out before it.
Those meats likely wouldn't harm the dragon directly—but they weren't the real core of the plan.
As the Shagaru Magala approached, Naofumi Iwatani's nerves were stretched to their limit.
Wearing his Stealth Gear, he reduced his presence as much as possible, letting the Shagaru fixate on the baited meat.
The moment the Elder Dragon lowered its head to feed—
Naofumi raised his left arm, revealing the grapple claw mounted on it.
The Shagaru Magala, no longer in a berserk state thanks to earlier feeding, focused only on replenishing its strength—entirely unaware of Naofumi creeping closer with the claw primed.
CLACK!
The grapple launcher snapped forward—Naofumi's claw shot out, anchoring firmly into the side of the Elder Dragon's head. The impact yanked Naofumi upward.
At the apex of his ascent, Naofumi swung his right hand—deploying the sturdiest summonable Shield Wall he could, as solid as any fortress.
"NOW—SLAM INTO IT!!"
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium