The world turned red.
Every breath seared their lungs. The air itself burned — a living, suffocating thing. The once-still basin had become a cauldron of molten rage, and at its center, Vulcarion Basal moved like the heart of the volcano itself. Each motion sent cracks rippling through the stone, each roar melted the horizon a little more.
Kael's voice came through the haze, hoarse but sharp. "Spread out! Don't cluster — it's marking us!"
Seren broke left, shield raised against a tide of heat. Alder followed, dragging his great sword along the ground, molten sparks flying from its edge. Hunnt darted between them, his Observation Haki flaring as he tracked the pulse of the beast's movements — the shift in weight, the timing of its tail, the way the air bent a heartbeat before it struck.
Vulcarion inhaled.
The air drew toward its chest, heat condensing into a shimmering point. Hunnt's instincts screamed.
"Down!"
A geyser of flame erupted from its throat — a Scalding Breath, a cone of molten gas that turned stone to liquid. The hunters dove for cover, the shockwave slamming them like a hammer.
Alder hit the ground hard, rolling behind a half-melted boulder. "You call that a breath?! That's a furnace!"
Kael, crouched higher on the ridge, reloaded his bowgun with shaking hands. "That was a breath," he muttered grimly. "This is the wake-up stretch."
Seren braced, her shield glowing red-hot as the molten wind washed over her. Her gauntlet hissed from the heat, and the smell of burning leather filled the air. When the flames passed, she looked at her shield — the surface warped, but intact. "Still holding!"
Hunnt stood beside her, one knee bent, his gauntlets smoking. His Armament Haki flickered like black fire across his forearms, repelling the last waves of heat. He exhaled and muttered, "That's one down."
Kael's voice cut in again. "Hunnt — status?"
"Still breathing," Hunnt replied, flexing his hands. "Barely."
Kael aimed and fired a volley of piercing rounds. The shots sparked harmlessly off Vulcarion's armored hide. "No penetration," he hissed. "Shell's too dense!"
"Then aim for the seams!" Alder shouted, charging forward.
He swung his great sword in a wide arc, the blade crashing against Vulcarion's flank. The impact shook the ground, sending a cloud of steam into the air — but when it cleared, not a single mark remained.
"Are you kidding me?!" Alder roared. "It's like cutting a damn mountain!"
Hunnt moved in beside him, ducking under Vulcarion's tail as it slammed down. The ground shattered; magma splashed outward. Hunnt's Armament-coated fists connected twice with its chest, each blow resounding like thunder — but again, no effect.
Even the earth beneath Vulcarion's feet trembled, unbroken.
Kael shouted, "It's not taking damage! Fall back, both of you!"
Before they could respond, the monster's wings snapped open — vast, jagged plates that glowed with heat.
The next instant, Ash Pulse erupted.
The creature stomped, releasing a circular shockwave of burning soot that blasted outward like an explosion. Hunnt was thrown backward, skidding across the ground until his boots dug in. Alder slammed his sword into the ground, anchoring himself as flames rolled over him.
Seren raised her shield, kneeling behind it. The blast struck like a meteor, pushing her back several meters. The metal sizzled beneath her grip, the edges glowing red.
When the tremor subsided, Hunnt pushed himself up, coughing through the smoke. His armor was scorched; the air around him shimmered with heat distortion. "That—" he coughed again, "—was new."
Kael was already shifting position, eyes darting, calculating. "Pattern's changing. It's getting hotter faster than before — it's feeding on its own fire!"
Seren slammed her shield down to steady herself. "Then we choke it before it grows stronger!"
Alder gritted his teeth, charging again despite Kael's warning. He swung at the creature's leg with all his strength — sparks erupted, the sound like a hammer striking an anvil. The recoil numbed his arms. The shell didn't even crack.
The monster turned, molten eyes narrowing.
Then, without warning, Vulcarion swung its tail. The motion was deceptively fast — too fast for something its size.
Alder raised his blade, too late.
The tail connected.
The blow sent him flying across the field, crashing into a mound of rock that shattered under the impact. His armor cracked; blood ran down his jaw.
"Alder!" Seren shouted, running toward him — but the wyvern's head turned, focusing on her next.
Hunnt's Haki flared. He was already moving.
He appeared between Seren and the monster, his gauntlets glowing faintly black. Vulcarion's claw came down like a meteor. Hunnt met it head-on.
Anchor Step.
The impact drove him several inches into the ground, dust exploding outward — but he didn't fall. He redirected the weight, twisting his stance, and shoved the monster's claw aside with a flash of kinetic force.
For the first time, Vulcarion staggered — a single step back, just enough to make its molten veins pulse brighter.
Hunnt dropped to one knee, panting. His arms throbbed from the strain; his armor cracked near the shoulder. He reached into his pouch, pulling out a vial — the first potion.
He bit off the cork and drank.
The green liquid burned down his throat, flooding him with warmth and pain. His skin itched as wounds sealed over. It wasn't relief — it was survival.
Kael shouted over the chaos. "Everyone, regroup! This thing's not softening!"
Hunnt stood, tossing the empty vial aside. "Then we make it."
Vulcarion's chest swelled again — light building within the fissures of its armor. The ground beneath its feet began to glow, cracks spreading outward in a web of fire.
Kael's eyes widened. "It's charging—"
Then the entire valley erupted.
A pillar of molten flame shot skyward, the heat so intense it warped the air into liquid light. Rocks melted. The hunters were thrown back once more, their armor burning from the sheer proximity.
When the light dimmed, Vulcarion Basal stood fully awakened — its armor glowing, its eyes twin suns of fury.
Seren coughed, barely standing. "So… that's rage mode."
Hunnt wiped blood from his lip, his gauntlets sparking faintly as Haki reformed around his fists.
"Good," he said quietly. "Now it's alive."
And with that, the first rage battle began.