Without hesitation, as soon as it identified the new threat, the Aligodon turned its body with a sharp motion and charged in Vivian's direction.
But it was at that exact moment that a second attack hit it from a blind spot.
TTTCHHSSSSSSWHHHH!
A jet of icy water collided with its body at high pressure, instantly extinguishing the fire that had been roasting its rigid scales.
GGGRRRAHHHWWWW!
The sudden change in temperature triggered a devastating thermal shock. The pain spread like an electric current through its skin and deep into its muscles.
In the midst of its charge, its body betrayed it. Its limbs stiffened, its muscles contracted uncontrollably, and its legs gave out. The impact with the ground was brutal, and it slid, dragging itself across the terrain before being seized by violent cramps and spasms that shook its massive frame.
Taking advantage of this opening, Louise reached Rebecca's side and, without hesitation, lifted her, supporting her over her shoulder before sprinting away from the battlefield. Their destination was the wall, where Daira would be ready to treat the warrior's injuries.
"Come on… You can't fall now," Louise said.
As she ran, her eyes constantly darted between Rebecca and the fight, assessing the situation. Time was critical. The longer it took to go and return, the greater the risk of leaving Vivian and Zara alone against the Aligodon. It was a dangerous game, and every second counted.
On the battlefield, the beast had already partially recovered and managed to get back on its feet. But the time it took to recompose itself was enough for Vivian to escape into the forest, disappearing among the shadows of the trees.
Without its original prey in sight, the Aligodon roared in frustration before turning its attention to another threat. The jet of cold water continued to hit it, irritating it with every second. Losing patience, it turned its body and located the source of the attack.
Zara.
She was more than 50 meters away—far, but not far enough to be safe. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her lungs seemed to tighten as the Aligodon turned its attention to her.
RWWAAHHHHH
The beast's deafening roar reverberated through her body, but this wasn't an ordinary roar… This was one of the Aligodon's intimidation tactics, where it concentrated and increased the frequency of the sound to create a temporary paralysis effect on its prey.
Normally, an S-Class Hound wouldn't be affected by this roar. Unfortunately, Zara was a newly promoted Hound and hadn't experienced such an attack before. At that moment, her survival instinct failed. Her legs locked. Fear gripped her like an invisible predator.
"Get out of there, Zara, run…" Gregory's voice exploded in her ears through the comms, filled with urgency. "ZARA!"
But she couldn't move. In fact, she could barely breathe and maintain the water jet.
Meanwhile, the Aligodon advanced with some difficulty, both because of the water jet obstructing its vision and the previous injuries that were still healing, but step by step it closed the distance, moving faster and faster.
Terror shot up Zara's spine like a cold shock, leaving her unable to react properly.
"Vivian, help her!"
The same voice sounded again, but this time, the order wasn't for her.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it… move, move!!" Zara's mind screamed, but her body didn't obey.
"Heeeyyy!"
The shout cut through the battlefield, followed by the fierce roar of a blue flame. Without hesitation, Vivian had reentered the fight.
The shout echoed seconds before a new jet of fire, this time blue, exploded against the Aligodon's side.
Grrrhhhh
The new thermal shock momentarily paralyzed the monster, which let out a roar of rage shortly after. Vivian had repositioned herself and, from a new strategic point, launched another attack, forcing the creature to divide its attention.
______________________________________
"Zara, get out of there!" Gregory's voice came through firmly on the radio as his eyes remained fixed on the screen, analyzing the situation on the battlefield.
From the images, he saw Zara pivot on her heels and sprint for cover the moment the Aligodon was momentarily paralyzed.
"Vivian, focus on distractions. You don't need to cause more direct damage; just disorient it!"
"Understood," came the quick, unwavering reply.
Gregory watched the immediate change in strategy. Vivian ceased the jet of flames and conjured a massive fireball above her head. In an instant, she launched it at the monster.
The incandescent sphere cut through the air, hitting the Aligodon just as it regained its senses and prepared to attack. There was no explosion. The flames spread on impact, burning the area like a living torch. The effect was immediate—the Aligodon roared, thrashing furiously as it tried to rid itself of the irritating fire.
"Good job, Vivian. Keep distracting it," Gregory said, keeping his eyes on the GPS. Louise was already approaching, carrying Rebecca. "Louise should be here any second."
"Great, but this won't last forever," Vivian's voice came through, laced with impatience. "Find a better solution. I can't hold it for much longer."
On the screen, Gregory saw Vivian conjure another fireball—larger, more intense, a threatening red glow pulsing in her hands.
He activated the radio again. "Zara, are you hearing me?"
"…I am," Zara's voice sounded hesitant, almost weak.
Gregory noticed the instability in her response and softened his tone. "How are you holding up?"
"It's much stronger than expected…" Her breathing was irregular. "This Aligodon has an overwhelming presence. Far beyond what I can handle mentally. With just one roar, it shattered my mental defenses like they were nothing."
Gregory frowned. "What does that mean, Zara? You're an S-Class Hound. You should be able to withstand this kind of attack."
A brief silence followed before she replied, reluctantly, "…My mental defenses are below average."
"You've got to be kidding me! And you're only saying this now?!" Vivian exploded over the radio, her voice filled with indignation.
"Not now, Vivian!" Gregory cut her off without hesitation. "Focus on your task." He then completely changed the subject. There was no time for reprimands—only adapting the plan remained. "Can you still fight, Zara?"
Zara didn't hesitate this time. "Yes, but it's already identified my weakness. It's going to focus everything on me."
Gregory showed no reaction. "That's not your problem. Just follow orders." He paused and adjusted the strategy. "We'll change your role. Instead of prolonged attacks, focus on sudden, powerful strikes. Can you do that?"
A dry laugh escaped Zara. "That's what I do best… But like I said, it already knows my weakness."
"Attack and retreat. That's all. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Good… You have five seconds to launch the first attack."
Without another word, Gregory cut the communication and turned his attention back to the battlefield.
Vivian was overwhelmed. Her attacks no longer had the same effect, and the Aligodon advanced relentlessly.
Each fireball Vivian launched grew in size, but the Aligodon adapted at a frightening speed. With each new blow it took, it received less damage and extinguished the flames faster, constantly advancing toward its prey.
Vivian retreated immediately after launching her attack, forcing the creature to stop its advance and divert its attention to the flames licking its robust skin.
At this moment, just after extinguishing another fireball with a brief blue glow from its snout, the creature stopped. Its gaze swept the battlefield, searching for the hunter who kept fleeing, as she had done many times before.
This time, however, something was wrong.
A strange sensation ran through its instincts, a primal alert that made its body tense.
It suddenly raised its head—
SHHHWAAAAAAHHHH!
Its instincts were right, but its reaction was a fraction too slow.
From the sky, a colossal column of water spun at high speed, a dense and brutally cold whirlpool, plummeting like a liquid spear from above. The vortex cut through the air with terrifying force, swirling fiercely until its tip struck the Aligodon's torso head-on, driving into it like an icy stake of pure pressure.
At the exact moment of impact, the contact between the extremes provoked a violent reaction. The monster's scalding skin—overloaded by Vivian's relentless fire attacks—hissed furiously, and steam rose with a deafening whistle. The brutally low temperature of the whirlpool collided with the heat accumulated in its body, creating a devastating thermal shock.
The creature tensed in an uncontrolled spasm. Its muscles stiffened, its mind was seized by immediate numbness, and in a critical blow, the predator became immobile. The colossal weight of the water pressed relentlessly against its body, forcing it into the ground and sinking it into an ever-deepening pit of mud.
SHHHHHHH
Tons of liquid continued to pour down on it, crushing it without mercy. With each second, more and more water enveloped it, expanding its area of contact and consuming it without a chance of recovery.