I create another long spine and hurl it at a distant hunter. I aid for the chest to have a better chance of hitting, but the guy managed to move just enough so it didn't impale him straight through.
Still, he wasn't fast enough—I managed to pierce his shoulder.
He scread like a soul in agony, dropping his weapon and trying to pull the spine out of his shoulder. Seeing he was out of the fight, I paid him no more attention.
While the Guild Master reached and attacked from behind, a gunlance hunter struck from the front.
With my tail, I deflected the Guild Master's slash, and with my right hand I grabbed the weapon by its barrel.
Using the claws of my free hand, I slashed the hunter's exposed face—his helt didn't protect that part at all.
The four gashes ran from one side of his face to the other, and I ripped away everything I touched.
Along with most of the skin on his face, I tore out an eye, his nose, and his upper lip. Not my prettiest work, I'll admit.
The hunter collapsed, motionless—I don't know if I killed him or if shock knocked him out, and frankly, I don't care.
I extended my tail and arm, spinning on my own axis. The Guild Master stepped back, avoiding both my tail sweep and my punch.
But another hunter approaching wasn't as quick.
As bones cracked behind , I focused on the Guild Master and opened both my mouth and the vents on my crest.
I used [Helm of Domination] to unleash the intimidation song again. All the hunters froze for at least a second, and the Guild Master was no exception.
Then, to top it off, I blasted him at point-blank range with a massive fireball, courtesy of [Fire Gland].
The fireball hit—slightly boosted by the gunpowder I'd already released into the air—but his Rathian armor proved its worth. It barely dented under the impact, leaving only a large soot stain.
I expected him to withstand the fireball, but not that well. I don't know if his fire resistance ca from the materials, the forging process, or both.
Still, I got what I wanted—the Guild Master dropped his weapon and was on the ground. Now or never.
I concentrated all the energy I'd stored with [Inertia Retention] into my right arm, ready to release it with [Discharge].
I swung my fist at the Guild Master, intent on finishing him once and for all. In the ga's story, he wasn't that important, so his death shouldn't have major repercussions… at least none that would affect .
But it seed my plan wouldn't succeed today—not thanks to the intervention of a certain rookie hunter.
The hunter who, in the future, would beco the Sapphire Star, leapt toward with a knife in hand.
I thought he'd aim for my stomach, head, or another vital point—but instead, he went for the inside of my elbow.
He stabbed , then twisted the blade ninety degrees. I let out a roar—not of pain, but of rage—enhanced by [Powerful Roar].
The roar stunned him, and I backhanded him with my left arm. At no point did my left fist stop its downward swing, but the knife and my own strike slowed down.
The Guild Master rolled away, and my punch missed—but I still released all the stored energy with [Discharge].
The following explosion was the biggest I'd ever made with [Discharge], and I was genuinely glad it didn't harm .
The Guild Master wasn't so lucky. He'd avoided the explosion's epicenter, but not the blast itself.
The sa armor that withstood a point-blank fireball was now shredded, with fragnts lodged in his skin.
The force of the blast sent him rolling across the ground, worsening his injuries.
With a low growl, I yanked the knife from my joint. I was going to toss it away, but then I had an idea.
I bit into the knife, snapping off part of the blade, and threw the rest aside.
At that mont, a hail of projectiles rained down on , forcing to shield my head with my arms.
Peeking between them, I saw all the hunters either charging at or firing projectiles—and from their faces, I could tell they were desperate.
So desperate, in fact, that soone even threw their hamr in a wild move—one that would be far more beneficial to than to them.
I caught the hamr with my good arm, spun a full turn to block several incoming shots, then hurled it randomly into the fray—hitting a few hunters in the process.
Taking advantage of the gap, I broke free of the encirclent and sought my prey.
The rookie hunter was running with the Guild Master slung over his back.
I let out another roar, boosted by [Powerful Roar], and with what little energy I'd gathered again using [Inertia Retention], I used [Enhancent] on my legs.
That man had caused too many problems—twice. There wouldn't be a third ti.
I sprinted hard, but the hunter had a head start.
Ignoring the shouts and projectiles behind , I focused on one thing: the Guild Master wasn't leaving this forest alive.
I activated [Thunder Core] to push my speed even further.
I was just ters away from the hunter and preparing to strike—
He used his slinger to scale a small cliff, as if that would help him escape.
But instead of running, he turned and aid his slinger at .
No—he wasn't aiming at , but at several barrels hidden behind rocks and bushes.
I didn't know if they'd planned to lure here, if it was a trap or just a fallback asure. I didn't even know if the hunter had expected to follow him and it was all part of his plan from the start.
I saw a small orange stone, sparking, shoot from his slinger toward the barrels.
I felt the world freeze—not in slow motion, but in a mont of pure clarity.
I opened my mouth, which began to glow a pale blue.
One thing I'd noticed about [Thunder Core] was that its electricity didn't travel far from my body.
I wasn't sure if it was due to my control over the skill or if that was its inherent limit.
Even so, I'd experinted with it.
One thing I'd tried was firing lightning from my mouth. I learned three things from that:
I can't actually fire lightning from my mouth, the electricity numbs the taste buds and I can concentrate electricity inside my mouth.
That last discovery, combined with my ability to give my body tallic properties, led to try sothing else.
To use my body as a railgun. I'd tested it with my own scales and with minerals I'd found, but without success.
If I had to guess, it's because neither had the purity needed to conduct enough electricity.
But now, in my mouth, I had a piece of refined tal—in the shape of a knife tip.
The knife tip shot from my mouth, wrapped in a bright blue glow, at a speed faster than sound.
I felt the sonic boom tear through my tongue and shatter my teeth—but that didn't matter right now.
Despite the projectile's speed, I couldn't see the impact—obscured by the chain of explosions from the barrels.
But I did see the look of terror on the hunter's face.
...
I also want to say two things: first, thank you, bfudb_pkcq, for the railgun idea—honestly, it had never crossed my mind before. And second, thank you to everyone who reads this story. I was reviewing so chapters and noticed that the very first one was published over eight months ago.
I started writing this story just to get the idea out of my head and to entertain myself a bit, but you all have made it better—genuinely, thank you.
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