At the border between the edge of the Ancient Tree and the outer perimeter, the Admiral stood wielding a sword and shield, engaged in combat with a Rathian.
His movements—those fluid leaps, swift slashes, perfectly timed blocks and evasions—flowed like water. Each strike left a wound on the Rathian’s body.
It was hard to imagine that such light and agile footwork could come from someone like the Admiral, a mountain of muscle and raw strength.
When the sword once again sliced across the Rathian’s lower jaw, a spray of blood erupted as the beast let out a pained screech.
It backed away from the Admiral—who was barely even winded—and glanced at the nearby Grimalkyne follower standing just behind him, who was holding a variety of throwables, supplies, and traps. Without hesitation, the Rathian made a swift retreat.
“As expected of the Admiral, nya! Even after switching weapons, you’re still just as amazing, nya!”
Tonkotsu sheathed his weapon, his voice slightly gruff as he offered the praise sincerely and from the heart.
After training at the Astera Base for several months, Tonkotsu understood full well that a Hunter would typically master only a single weapon type over the course of their life.
And every melee weapon had its own completely distinct style and combat philosophy.
For someone like the Admiral—a powerhouse Hunter known for defensive counterattacks—to switch to a nimble sword and shield without showing even the slightest drop in combat ability… it was a testament to just how frighteningly talented he truly was.
Hearing Tonkotsu’s praise, the Admiral instead looked a bit embarrassed and shook his head.
“Sigh… I haven’t used this weapon in so long. During the fight, my first instinct was to tank the hit instead of dodging. When it comes to weapon usage, I’m still far behind that guy.”
“That guy?” Tonkotsu tilted his head, then suddenly caught on. “You mean the Huntsman, nya?”
The Admiral nodded.
“That guy’s talent with melee weapons is just insane. Before we even came to the New World, he’d already mastered the Great Sword, Long Sword, and Switch Axe. And in the past ten years, he’s picked up the Sword & Shield, Insect Glaive, and Heavy Hammer as well. At this rate, if he gets another ten years, he might actually master every weapon. If that happens, with his combat ability… he could very well become the strongest Hunter in the entire Research Commission.”
Mastering multiple weapons doesn’t necessarily make someone strong.
But if someone who’s already strong masters multiple weapons—then that person is guaranteed to be powerful.
[Whoosh—]
A sudden gust of wind blew through, making the Admiral and Tonkotsu instinctively shield their eyes.
Moments later, they saw a Fire Wyvern flying overhead, heading in the same direction the Rathian had just fled.
It didn’t take long before the sounds of a fight echoed from that direction.
The Admiral and Tonkotsu exchanged a glance, both seeing the curiosity in each other’s eyes.
After instructing the Grimalkyne followers to rest in the trees, the man and the cat quickly took off toward the source of the noise.
“Am I still dreaming? Is that a Fire Wyvern attacking a Rathian?”
Pushing aside the ferns in front of him, the Admiral stared in disbelief at the scene before him, wondering if he was still half-asleep.
The very same Fire Wyvern that had flown overhead moments ago… was now beating the hell out of that already-wounded Rathian?
Something’s wrong. Very wrong.
Normally, even between different mates, a Fire Wyvern rarely turns on a female of its kind.
Let’s set aside the monogamous system of the Old World for a moment. Even in the New World, where Fire Wyverns follow a polygynous structure, there had never been a case of a male launching a full-blown attack on a female.
At most, they would just drive her off. And in those cases, the female would usually back away on her own, avoiding further conflict with the male.
But looking at the scene before them—this wasn’t some half-hearted show of dominance. The way that male was fighting, it was going for the kill. There was no mistaking it.
“Meow? That male Fire Wyvern… he looks like the one from the Ancient Tree, meow~”
Tonkotsu observed carefully, and the more he looked, the more familiar the male Fire Wyvern seemed.
As a member of Logan’s personal guard, Tonkotsu rarely left his nest. He only went out on occasional hunts with the others.
But there weren’t many Fire Wyverns living around the Ancient Tree to begin with. After running into them a few times, he could recognize nearly all of them.
“A male from the Ancient Tree, huh? No wonder it's so massive.”
The Admiral nodded, now understanding. After his encounters with Tonkotsu, he’d come to realize just how harsh the rules were for wyverns living near the Ancient Tree. A male with a body larger than the average Fire Wyvern was hardly surprising.
“But I’ve never seen this female before, meow. And she doesn’t seem quite like the females we see in the forest, meow.”
It was only then, hearing Tonkotsu’s words, that the Admiral realized—
Of course. This female wasn’t like the Fire Wyverns of the New World.
Her attacks were far more savage, yet she lacked the agility of the local females.
Looking at her now—pinned down and being relentlessly beaten by the male—he noticed she only had three wing fingers on each wing.
That was a female Fire Wyvern from the Old World!
“I see. That explains it.”
No wonder the male from the Ancient Tree was mauling her like that.
In a sense, Fire Wyverns from the Old and New Worlds could be considered two entirely different species.
Their physical traits, ecological habits, even their sense of family structure—there were massive differences across the board.
So, from the perspective of this male, the female before him was nothing more than an intruder who had trespassed into his territory. An alien element that needed to be purged.
Which was why he held nothing back.
Just as the Admiral thought he had a full grasp of the situation and was ready to stand by without interfering—
A roar erupted from the sky, and the surrounding air temperature suddenly surged.
It was as if a second sun had appeared above. A blazing fireball spewed from the “sun’s” mouth, hurtling down and striking the male Fire Wyvern in a fiery explosion.
Even with his high resistance to flames, the male was knocked off his feet by the sheer intensity of the heat and impact. The blast shattered the scales on his back. Letting out a pained howl, he crashed to the ground and didn’t get up.
“Is that your Fire Wyvern boss?”
The Admiral instinctively looked at Tonkotsu.
“Nope, meow!” Tonkotsu answered without hesitation.
He drew his heavy hammer, eyes narrowed as he cautiously stared up at the blazing figure in the sky.
It was covered in flames, just like his own boss… but Tonkotsu could tell at a glance—
This was definitely not his Fire Wyvern boss.
Moreover, that monster had attacked the male Fire Wyvern—
As a Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne, a member of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern clan, Tonkotsu felt he couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
He couldn’t just sit there and watch a male Fire Wyvern from the Ancient Tree die right in front of him.
Of course, even if he did lend a hand, it would only be within the limits of what he could manage.
After all, that male wasn't his Fire Wyvern boss!
Tonkotsu had no intention of laying down his life for anyone other than his Fire Wyvern boss.
“Are you thinking of helping that male Fire Wyvern?”
The Admiral glanced sideways at Tonkotsu.
Tonkotsu nodded. “Yes, meow! I understand the rules of the Hunters. Admiral, sir, you don’t have to get involved, meow. I’ll give it a shot on my own. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll retreat, meow!”
“Heh, what kind of talk is that?”
The Admiral drew his sword and took a long swig from a cold drink. “Sure, the Hunter’s code says we shouldn't meddle in the ecosystem on a whim—but this is the New World!”
Without another word, he charged ahead.
“Eh—meow?”
Tonkotsu blinked in confusion, then quickly chugged a cold drink of his own and darted after him.
...
Up in the sky, the Flame Rathalos stared down at the two beings now standing between it and the fallen Rathalos.
It didn’t understand what they were trying to do—but it didn’t matter.
It stuck to its original intent, and fired a stream of blazing breath down on them.
The blast engulfed the area where the male Fire Wyvern had crashed, erupting into a vortex of flames.
Having unleashed its fury, the Flame Rathalos turned away without a second glance and began to fly off.
The female Fire Wyvern it had rescued struggled against her wounds, flapping her wings and quickly fleeing the area.
The intense heat was carried off by the wind.
Kneeling on one knee, the Admiral panted heavily, catching his breath.
Behind him, Tonkotsu was busy gulping down his cold drink in loud glugs.
Good thing he wasn’t wearing regular armor either—
With the Admiral taking the brunt of the blast, he'd managed to endure the hit.
“Hey, don’t just guzzle that all by yourself—give me a bottle too!”
The Admiral panted heavily. He’d genuinely thought he was about to get roasted alive just now.
That Fire Wyvern’s flames… they were something else entirely.
“Oh! Right away, meow!”
Tonkotsu handed the Admiral a healing potion, then pulled out a horn and blew a loud call, summoning the Grimalkynes tasked with managing their supplies. Once that was done, he turned to check on the condition of the male Fire Wyvern.
“Whew~ Just passed out, meow,” Tonkotsu let out a sigh of relief.
Soon enough, several Grimalkynes from the Ancient Tree, who had been resting in the forest with some Jagras, came rushing over.
When they saw the collapsed male Fire Wyvern, the Ancient Tree Grimalkyne attendants were visibly startled.
They immediately ran over to assess the situation—applying medicine, preparing food, and moving with practiced coordination.
The Admiral was stunned speechless watching the whole scene unfold.
He had thought that, after all his years as a Hunter, there wasn’t much left in this world that could surprise him.
And yet, this—this was a first.
“You Grimalkynes from the Ancient Tree… is this what you call living in symbiosis with Fire Wyverns?”
Back then, the Admiral’s understanding of symbiosis was that the Grimalkynes provided lookout or minimal support in battle, while the Fire Wyverns offered protection and scraps of food in return.
It sounded more like domestication than true mutualism.
But now?
Seeing it with his own eyes, he realized how wrong they had all been.
The way these Grimalkynes tended to the wounded male—how skilled, how devoted they were—it was like watching a group of little caretakers looking after the master of the house.
Not a trace of fear. Only genuine, meticulous care.
With how they behaved now, if someone told him the Fire Wyverns’ hatchlings were actually being raised by these Grimalkynes, the Admiral might just believe it.
“Maybe so. I’m just a guard unit, meow. I’m not really in charge of that side of things.”
Even Tonkotsu wasn’t quite sure.
Back when he’d left the Ancient Tree, the relationship between the Grimalkynes and the Fire Wyverns hadn’t evolved to this extent yet.
But out here in the field—
All that mattered was keeping the bond strong. Everything else could wait.
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