Having mentally prepared themselves in advance, the two hunters weren't startled by the giant insect crawling out of the slag.
Its appearance differed little from ordinary Vespoids, though its body was sturdier, particularly around the abdominal segment where it appeared somewhat bloated.
However, its size was smaller than they had anticipated. Altaïr made a quick visual estimate, this "Queen" should measure just over five hundred centimeters, falling somewhere between five hundred and five hundred fifty centimeters.
Whether due to insufficient food in the desert region or inadequate growth time, it still fell short of the six to seven hundred centimeter individuals described by the Professor.
The creature seemed accustomed to burrowing in the warm slag, showing clear discomfort upon emerging to the surface as its plump body wriggled several times.
"Attack before it takes flight!" Altaïr commanded in a low voice.
Isis nodded, and both charged toward the writhing Vespoid Queen crawling not far away.
Yet the Vespoids guarding the perimeter wouldn't let them succeed so easily. The giant insects that had been circling nearby almost simultaneously dove toward them.
Forced to halt their advance under the Vespoid assault, the hunters recognized the danger, if they didn't clear these giant insects first, they'd face constant threats during their battle with the Queen. Who could withstand being suddenly stung by a Vespoid mid-fight, paralyzed and collapsing to the ground?
"Cover me!" Altaïr shouted.
Isis batted away a nearby Vespoid with her shield, then pivoted and swung her Gunlance in a sweeping arc exceeding one hundred eighty degrees.
While maintaining continuous trigger pulls, the constant cannon fire cleared some of the Vespoids crowding around them.
Altaïr felt cold sweat on his forehead, that sweeping attack had nearly caught him in its arc.
Fortunately, their days of training together had familiarized him with Isis's habits. Unlike other Gunlance users who maintained steady, forward-focused combat styles, Isis employed wide, sweeping movements with her weapon.
Never assume safety behind her, when you hear her shouting "Hyaaa!", quickly getting out of the way was always the right move.
Seizing the opening Isis created, Altaïr swiftly retrieved several Poison Smoke Bombs from his Item Pouch and smashed them against the ground.
As the toxic smoke spread, numerous Vespoids near them lost mobility and collapsed.
However, the Vespoids on the periphery seemed to receive some signal, immediately scattering in all directions and thus avoiding the poisonous fumes.
Ordinary Vespoids weren't that intelligent. Altaïr's gaze shifted to the Queen insect about ten meters away, now slowly spreading its wings in preparation for flight.
Was this creature directing them?
With limited Poison Smoke Bombs remaining and scattered Vespoids proving difficult targets, yet still requiring attention, Altaïr quickly reached a decision.
"I'll hold off the Queen! You clear out those Vespoids!" he shouted to Isis.
Under normal circumstances, the more agile Long Sword user would handle battlefield cleanup while the heavily-armored Gunlance user engaged large Monsters.
But their opponents were Vespoids.
The Long Sword boasts one of the longest attack ranges among melee weapons, but it remains a close-combat tool. If Vespoids fly higher than four meters, even the most skilled Long Sword user would struggle to reach them.
The Gunlance, however, is different, in some ways, it functions as a "ranged weapon." Even though Isis's Gunlance was the wide-shelling type with shorter range than the long-shelling variant, its scattering blasts could still effectively damage fragile monsters like Vespoids within roughly ten meters of the muzzle.
Factoring in Isis's height, arm length, and the Gunlance's own reach, she could blast Vespoids out of the air even at thirteen or fourteen meters above ground. As for those flying higher? Let them hover, Vespoids lacked long-range attacks, so greater altitude posed no threat.
"Got it!" Isis shouted in response, swiftly swinging her Gunlance to reload.
Altaïr, meanwhile, angled his Long Sword and charged at full speed toward the Vespoid Queen, who was preparing to take off.
"Scree..."
Sensing the approaching danger, the Queen let out a piercing shriek. Several Vespoids circling nearby immediately dove at her command, attempting to block Altaïr's advance.
"Get down!" Isis yelled from behind him, having finished reloading.
Without a second thought, Altaïr threw himself flat onto the ground. Almost simultaneously, Isis opened fire. In the rapid series of cannon roars, at least three or four diving Vespoids were blasted apart mid-air.
Altaïr could even hear the "whoosh" of scattered shell fragments flying right over his head.
In that moment, he resolved never to choose agility-focused light armor for his gear upgrades, not even something like the Nargacuga set his teacher often used. Otherwise, he might end up accidentally blown apart by Isis one day.
In any case, Isis's covering fire proved highly effective. The Vespoids targeting him were eliminated, drenching him in a rain of insect blood and body fragments, but he had no time to mind that now.
Pushing off the ground quickly, Altaïr continued his charge toward the nearby Vespoid Queen.
By then, the Queen had fully unfurled her massive wings, spanning nearly twenty meters. The two pairs of wings beat with accelerating speed, eventually blurring into afterimages and stirring up gusts that made it hard for Altaïr to keep his footing up close.
Driven by those powerful wings, the Queen's large, bloated body slowly lifted off the ground.
Now Altaïr understood why the Professor had insisted they bring Disposable Earplugs. The deafening roar felt like having his ears pressed against a high-speed steam engine. Without the earplugs, his hearing might have been damaged.
Gritting his teeth against the noise and wind pressure, he closed in on the Queen.
Perhaps due to long confinement in warm furnace slag, laying eggs and being fed by other Vespoids, the Queen had not flown in ages, and her ascent was sluggish. By the time Altaïr moved into striking position, the lower part of her swollen abdominal segment had yet to fully leave the ground.
Altaïr took a large step forward, hefted his Long Sword, and executed the move that most made Isis want to hit him.
Muscles tensed, he gathered strength. After a brief Charge lasting less than two seconds, he unleashed an Overhead Slash.
At that moment, the Queen's body had just cleared the ground but hadn't gained altitude, the bloated rear of her abdomen remained within the Long Sword's reach.
The not-so-thick chitinous shell of the abdomen was easily pierced by [Kagura]. With a flash of sword light, a wound over a meter long was carved open, from which filthy green, viscous body fluid gushed out.
"Screee...!"
The Vespoid Queen shrieked in pain, fluttering its wings with all its might to accelerate its ascent while curling its abdomen, thrusting the over-a-meter-long stinger at its tip toward the hunter below.
Being stung by such a stinger was no joke. Leaving aside the liters of paralysis toxin, if struck head-on, the "stinger" alone could pierce right through a person.
Altaïr had no choice but to forgo the opportunity to continue his sword strikes, rolling sideways to evade the incoming stinger.
Seizing the chance, the Vespoid Queen gained altitude, moving out of the Long Sword's attack range.
Rising to his feet, Altaïr held the Long Sword at an angle, looking up at the ascending Vespoid Queen, which in turn lowered its head, locking eyes with the hunter.
Though no so-called "gaze" or "emotion" could be discerned from its compound eyes, so different from those of vertebrates, Altaïr stubbornly believed the creature was mocking him.
Mocking his inability to fly, mocking his helplessness against it.
Expressionless, he sheathed his weapon, raised his left arm, and fired the Flash Pod pre-loaded onto the Slinger at the Vespoid Queen in the air.
A blinding flash.
Facing such intense light for the first time in its life, the Vespoid Queen let out a sharp screech and plummeted straight to the ground.