Ian and his group were completely shocked by the sudden appearance of the Silver Griffin.
Ian's loud voice brought everyone back to their senses:
"If you don't wanna die, get ready to fight!"
The Silver Griffin reacted to Ian's shout by spreading its massive wings and letting out a thunderous roar. The other griffins, alerted by that sound, quickly surrounded Ian's team from behind.
Ian realized they were in a very bad position. They had to act fast.
He immediately started giving out orders:
"Joseph, Jacob — you two protect Emilia and Nilo while they shoot from range, just like we practiced!
Ralph, Asha, and I will deal with any griffins that get close to the ground!"
As soon as Ian finished, the group took their formation and the battle began.
The Silver Griffin stayed back, letting the lesser griffins attack first — as if saying they weren't worthy opponents.
That attitude made Ralph furious. He charged straight toward it.
Several griffins tried to intercept him, but Ralph dodged every attack with incredible speed.
Using a large rock as a foothold, he leapt high into the air, aiming to punch the Silver Griffin with all his strength —
but with a powerful flap of its wings, the Silver Griffin created a wind vortex that blasted Ralph backward, sending him crashing into the ground.
That moment made it clear: not only was its silver color unique — it could manipulate wind itself.
Ian gritted his teeth and shouted:
"Everyone, listen up! None of us can take this thing on alone.
But it seems like, for now, it's not planning to interfere directly — so let's take down the others fast and then focus on that one together!
And Ralph! Stop lying on the ground and help us already! Don't mess up the formation again!"
Ralph groaned as he got up:
"Alright, alright… I just wanted a little sunbath. You didn't have to make such a big deal out of it!"
He joined the fight again, and soon the group was pushing back.
With their two archers, Emilia and Nilo, they started taking down griffins one by one.
Although Nilo's aim wasn't perfect, Emilia's incredible speed and precision more than made up for it.
Her rapid firing left everyone amazed — even Ian thought to himself that she truly deserved her rank.
After a short but fierce battle, they had defeated most of the griffins.
That's when the Silver Griffin roared again — a roar so powerful it forced the remaining griffins to retreat.
It was finally stepping in.
Emilia and Nilo fired their arrows at it, but none of them hit.
A shimmering wind barrier surrounded the creature, deflecting everything.
The griffin hovered far above, completely out of reach.
As everyone was trying to figure out how to attack it, the Silver Griffin suddenly unleashed blades of wind, slicing through the air toward them.
They scattered, dodging desperately.
While running, Ian thought hard — how could he possibly land a hit on such a creature?
Then Emilia ran up beside him.
"Ian! I've got an idea!"
"What is it?"
"I can gather all of my aura into a single arrow — it's called Phoenix Shot. I'm sure it can pierce through that wind barrier."
Ian's eyes widened.
"That's perfect! What do you need to fire it?"
"I'll need ten seconds without moving — to charge all my aura into the arrow. But I won't be able to dodge during that time."
Ian didn't hesitate:
"Everyone, gather around Emilia! We're protecting her while she prepares the shot!"
The group formed a tight circle around Emilia, shielding her from the storm of wind blades.
The attacks grew stronger and stronger — they were barely holding on.
Ralph shouted over the noise:
"How much longer, Emilia?! I don't think we can keep this up!"
"Just a second more... Done! Everyone, move! I need a clear shot!"
Everyone quickly jumped aside.
Emilia aimed her glowing arrow right at the griffin's neck and fired.
The Phoenix Shot pierced through the air, shattered the wind barrier, and exploded on impact —
a massive cloud of smoke filled the sky.
The group cheered, believing the battle was over —
but as the smoke cleared, they saw the griffin had barely dodged the fatal blow.
The arrow had only grazed its shoulder.
Furious, the Silver Griffin shrieked and dove straight toward them.
"It dropped its barrier!" Ian yelled. "Asha, Joseph — now! Throw your spears!"
Both obeyed instantly.
Joseph's spear missed, but Asha's hit the creature's other shoulder, wounding it badly.
The griffin, realizing it was in trouble, tried to flee.
Ralph exchanged a quick glance with Jacob — they nodded.
Jacob swung his huge sword upward, launching Ralph high into the air.
Mid-flight, Ralph channeled his aura into his elbows and slammed the griffin's head with a powerful strike.
"That's for last time!" he shouted as the Silver Griffin crashed to the ground.
The mighty creature was down — still breathing, but defeated.
Ian approached, sword in hand.
"I'm sorry... but we can't let you escape."
He swung his blade, ending the Silver Griffin's life.
The remaining griffins shrieked in fear and fled into the clouds.
Ian exhaled and lowered his sword.
"Looks like our mission's done. Let's head back to base and claim our Photon Elixir."