Gordon then noticed that the large and strange headdress on the King of the Gajalaka's head was actually the stove of a portable barbecue grill.
Even more magically, the flames on the stove, which the King of the Gajalaka used as a crown, changed with his emotions.
Initially, when this guy was crushing him like chopping melons and dicing vegetables, there was only a small cluster of weak flames on the stove on his head, but when he fell into madness and rage, the stove on his head became a raging inferno.
When the flames turned into erupting fire, the violent aura displayed by the King of the Gajalaka made even Gordon, who had faced a Rathalos before, feel a chill, but he still had an urge to try again.
—He wanted to fight again, even though he had been forced into a desperate situation after just meeting him, he still wanted to try fighting him again.
He clenched and relaxed his hand, and finally put down his right hand reaching for the hilt of the Burst Blade.
He clearly did not yet have the strength or qualification to fight against a monster of that caliber; rashly inserting himself into the battle between the King of the Gajalaka and Senior Amos would simply be causing trouble for the latter.
He slapped his own face hard, letting his somewhat hot-blooded brain calm down, then slung the Burst Blade behind him, Gordon dropped his arms, and watched this battle, which was very important to him, more carefully.
Before this, he had thought that the difference between an Upper Hunter and an ordinary hunter was merely richer hunting experience, better equipment and weapons, and more refined martial arts.
In fact, that statement was not wrong, but the degree of "more refined martial arts" far exceeded his understanding as a Two-Star hunter.
He felt he couldn't understand even the footwork.
How could one achieve such fluid, frequent, and long-distance glides on forest ground that was overgrown with vegetation and uneven?
Were there wheels on his feet?
And how could that ultra-long sharp blade, nearly two meters long, which should be difficult to maintain stability, switch between offense and defense in repeated turns and dodges, instantly and accurately hitting the opponent's vital points?
Did he not even need to first lock onto the position with his eyes?
No one could answer the astonishment in Gordon's heart at this moment; the battle between the King of the Gajalaka and Amos had entered a white-hot stage.
"Almost there," Amos murmured silently.
The aggressive rhythm of the strong Attack Up came to an abrupt halt, and the Taichi User retreated again without warning, creating some distance from the King of the Gajalaka.
The Taichi User's hands, gripping the hilt, overlapped, the Katana blade pointing upwards, the tip pointing forward; this was a special sword-holding stance called "Great Haze Stance."
A faint reddish light flickered on him, and in the next instant, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, with the Katana tip as the arrowhead.
Gordon's pupils constricted slightly.
He clearly felt that Amos's movements were faster.
That phantom-like light reddish glow was clearly not something that could be summarized as simply "swordsmanship"; it should be a special utilization of his own power, or rather, energy.
The Great Sword also had a similar application, which was the "Charged Slash," the core move of the Great Sword.
Before a Charged Slash erupted, Great Sword Users would also flash with similar light, a sign that the accumulation and integration of power had reached its limit.
"Is this a Spirit Blade Slash?"
Gordon suddenly recalled that Instructor Ernest had once explained this application of the Katana to him.
Unlike the Great Sword's simple and crude charging, Taichi Users were accustomed to accumulating "sword momentum" (Spirit Blade Gauge) through continuous attacks, and then unleashing it all at the appropriate moment.
This was the Spirit Blade Slash.
It was said that when releasing a Spirit Blade Slash, it would not only increase the Taichi User's Attack Up speed and Attack Up intensity but also "sharpen the blade" for the Katana, and Gordon was not very clear about what this "sharpening the blade" specifically meant.
It couldn't literally mean sharpening the knife, could it?
While Gordon was exclaiming repeatedly, Hayata, who was also following the battle, had her eyes wide open; it was her first time seeing her teacher Amos exert his full power.
The White Monkey Tachi, trailing a faint red sword aura, struck faster and faster, and under the continuous Attack Up, the King of the Gajalaka, constantly struggling, quickly revealed an opening.
Immediately after, he was sent flying by Amos with a spinning slash that had an astonishing Attack Up range.
As this sword, filled with conviction, struck, Amos's entire aura suddenly rose by another level.
Gordon, who didn't even dare to blink, immediately realized that this increase in aura should be the "sharpening the blade" that the instructor had mentioned!
If the Spirit Blade Slash was the release after the accumulation of "sword momentum," then "sharpening the blade" was the qualitative change and enhancement of "sword momentum" after a Spirit Blade Slash successfully struck in battle.
"So this is the ultimate secret of the Katana?" Gordon muttered to himself.
Compared to Gordon, who saw some techniques, Hayata, who was still an amateur, seemed to have much more "superficial" thoughts.
She simply thought it was so cool! Teacher Amos's shifting footwork was so cool, his sword-dancing posture was also so cool, and even his sheathing posture after completing a series of combos was so cool!
How could there be such a cool weapon as the Katana in this world!
Unable to hear Gordon's muttering and his disciple Hayata's inner screams and cheers, Amos quietly watched his opponent.
Having exhausted his sword momentum (Spirit Blade Gauge) and completed the blade sharpening, he silently sheathed the White Monkey Tachi, but he seemed to have no intention of pressing his advantage.
The King of the Gajalaka was breathing heavily; the bone scepter in his hand had been cut off by more than half, and a huge wound traversing his chest and abdomen had been added to his chest.
If he hadn't, at the last moment, managed to raise his scepter to block it, he would not have been severely wounded by that Spirit Blade spinning Attack Up, but rather would have been cut in two directly.
At this moment, wounded in multiple places, he couldn't help but entertain the thought of retreating.
These humans, or more accurately, this human hunter in front of him, had strength far exceeding his expectations; if the battle continued, he would likely be killed here.
"Crunch!"
The flames on his head slowly extinguished, and a series of warning-filled, murky gurgles emanated from beneath the King of the Gajalaka's oddly shaped mask.
His gaze remained fixed on the hunter in front of him, but his footsteps were slowly retreating.
Seeing the King of the Gajalaka preparing to retreat, Gordon quickly stepped forward a few paces, wanting to block his retreat path, but he didn't expect Amos to suddenly extend a hand, signaling him to stop.
"Senior Amos?"
Amos gently shook his head, not speaking.
Gordon looked at the King of the Gajalaka, who was warily looking at him, hesitated for a second, and finally stopped, stepping aside.
The King of the Gajalaka gave Amos a deep look, turned, and disappeared into a thicket of bushes, vanishing from their sight in the blink of an eye.
Amos still did not relax his vigilance until he confirmed that the King of the Gajalaka had truly gone far away, then he gently exhaled and turned to return to Hayata and their side.
"Senior Amos, are you alright? Are you injured?" Gordon walked over and asked with some concern.
He guessed that the reason Amos allowed the severely wounded King of the Gajalaka to leave was because his own condition was not good.
"I'm fine."
Amos waved his hand, signaling Gordon and Hayata, who also looked worried, to rest assured.
"Hurry up and gather materials, confirm whether the task requirement of hunting 20 Qimian Tribe has been met, and if it has, we will return to the Hunting Camp."
Ps. The term Spirit Blade Gauge is too game-like, so it has been adapted to be more realistic here.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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