Leone glanced down the cliff. The gryphon struggled to flap its wings, eventually failing to take flight.
Blood spilled from the injuries caused by Ulric's Axe.
'Please stay down!' Leone prayed in his heart as he watched the monster screech up at them with hatred.
The young man then glanced at Ulric. The Chieftain now knelt on the ground, panting for breath. Five minutes was up, and his skill had worn off. If the gryphon were to return, he would be in no capacity to fight at full power.
Right now, only Yuni was the only warrior ready for combat.
If the gryphon returned to the cliff, all of them would probably die.
"Don't think unnecessary thoughts, Leone," Daedalus said as it hovered beside the young man. "Your task is to hold on until the cooldown of the flag ends. You're almost there."
Leone glanced at the page of the book. Three minutes. In three minutes, the flag's ability will finally take effect.
Once the timer ends, the buffs of Leone's flag would activate, giving the warriors a boost in their regeneration abilities.
Yuni looked down from the cliff and drew her bow. The tip of her arrow shone, suggesting that she was preparing to unleash a Charge Shot.
"Charge Shot!" Yuni muttered, letting her arrow loose.
The arrow rocketed to the gryphon below, but they all missed their mark as the beast dodged it easily. Already expecting it, Yuni felt no disappointment. She merely nocked another arrow on her bow and charged it once more.
The only thing she could do was distract the gryphon long enough for Leone to complete his mission.
As long as he succeeded, a miracle might happen!
The gryphon's angry screeching intensified.
It repeatedly flapped its wings through pain, forcibly keeping itself in the air. Blood even spurted at the joint of its right wing, which wasn't functioning the way it wanted to.
"Charge Shot!"
Perhaps distracted by the pain after forcing itself to fly, it failed to block the young lady's attack, which hit its already injured joint.
A pained cry reached Leone's ears as Astravor crashed to the ground. It had only managed to rise up to fifteen meters before Yuni shot it down.
Of course, a Rank 4 Monster wouldn't be crippled so easily. But it was enough to prevent it from flying back to the cliff.
When the three-minute wait finally ended, the flag in Leone's hand shone brightly.
A resounding roar of a lion spread far and wide, followed by a pillar of light that shot to the sky. At a certain point, the light spread out from the center with a downward arc, creating a dome of golden light that extended in a five-hundred meter radius around the flag.
———
[Congratulations!]
[Territory Claimed Successfully!]
Territory Name: Unnamed
Rank: Level 1
Owner: Leone Frontera
[Territory Effects – Level 1]
— Grants Minor morale stabilization effect on subordinates.
— Increase Health Regeneration by 10%
— Increase Stamina Regeneration by 10%
— Increase Mana Regeneration by 10%
— Increase Production Efficiency (farming, crafting, construction) by 10%
— When the territory is in danger, the Host may use his territory exclusive skill, Call To Arms!
Note: You may relocate the flag to any new location once you upgrade your Territory Rank to Rank 2.
———
Leone was just about to use the skill Call To Arms, but Daedalus stopped him.
"Don't activate Call To Arms for now," Daedalus advised. "When you activate it for the first time, the effects are a bit special—it will create an impenetrable dome that lasts fifteen minutes. It's a one-time thing, so use it wisely."
If the gryphon found a way to return to the cliff, Leone could use it to act as defense for a few minutes. It was also useful for the upcoming tribal war against the Black Wolf Tribe.
Since it was focused on defense, activating it now was a waste.
After a brief internal struggle, the young man thought of an idea. Although the chances of it succeeding were slim, it was still worth a shot.
"Daedalus, is there a way for me to amplify my voice?" Leone asked. "I want to talk to Astravor."
"I see… that's also an option." Daedalus nodded. "Very well. Just speak. I will amplify your voice."
The grimoire opened its pages, radiating a golden light. It then signaled Leone to start talking.
"Astravor, my name is Leone Frontera," Leone said calmly. "You and our group have no deep grudges, so I hope we can come to a compromise. I will not apologize for hurting you, nor will I apologize for taking your nest away from you.
"We are only doing our best to survive. This land follows the law of survival of the fittest. We may not be as strong as you, but we have numbers. Even if you kill some of us, we can drag you down until you're vulnerable enough to be preyed on by the monsters lurking around the area."
The gryphon screeched hatefully. It was the apex predator of the Grimjaw Mountain. No one would dare defy or think about attacking it during its peak.
But an injured gryphon was fair game, especially one that had lost its ability to fly.
It was still a strong monster, but losing its aerial superiority would force it to fight more dangerous battles against monsters who specialized in fighting on land.
"The Grimjaw Mountain is a vast territory," Leone stated. "I'm sure you can find another dwelling soon enough. We can be good neighbors with each other. Well, being enemies is just as good if that's what you prefer."
"However, I will tell you this. If you still wish to continue fighting, we will fight! I still haven't used my secret weapon, and believe me—the moment I use it, your life is over!"
Yuni and Daedalus were very tempted to ask Leone what that secret weapon is, but they decided to keep quiet for now.
"So what do you choose?" Leone asked, his voice filled with arrogance. "Will you continue to fight, or should we both stand down for now?"
The gryphon stared at the young man with bloodshot eyes. It was as if it was imprinting the young man's face to its mind so it knew who to tear apart when the opportunity arose.
"Human, you're stealing my territory from me, and you still dare to ask me to compromise?!" Astravor shouted. "You have a death wish!"
Only Leone and Daedalus could understand the monster's words. For Yuni and the others, the gryphon was simply screeching angrily in their direction.
"I dare!" Leone replied. "How about you? Dare you continue fighting? If you still want to battle, shall I ask my grimoire to use its trump card?"
Daedalus tilted its body to the side and wanted to ask what trump card he was talking about so badly, but soon understood what Leone was doing.
The young man was bluffing!
'Fine, I'll play along for now.' Daedalus thought as it flew away from the young man's hand.
It descended the cliff and hovered several meters away from the gryphon.
"I am the great grimoire of Infinite Knowledge and Power!" Daedalus declared while unleashing flames that covered its entire body. "My name is Daedalus! My Master's words are absolute! If you wish to continue this battle, I will smite you!"
The grimoire opened its pages, and more flames erupted from its body, creating the image of a lion roaring at the gryphon as if daring it to fight.
Of course, this was all pure aesthetics and no substance! Daedalus also decided to follow its Master's act and bluff the gryphon using special effects!
The gryphon hesitated after seeing the raging flames erupting from the grimoire's body. Although it wondered why the surroundings didn't feel hotter than usual because of the flames, it was too injured to think properly.
"This is not over!" Astravor screeched. "I'll be back, Leone Frontera. And I will kill you!"
After saying those words, the gryphon sprinted toward the forest in order to find a place to recover from its injuries.
When the threat finally left, Leone lost the strength in his legs, and crumpled on the ground.
Yuni moved close to him and patted the young man's shoulder.
"Good bluff," Yuni said calmly. "You did it, Leone."
The young lady had been prepared to fight to the bitter end. But Leone managed to win the confrontation using only words.
Of course, Daedalus played a part in it since it really looked like it could burn the entire forest earlier with its blazing flames.
"Hahaha! That felt good!"
The grimoire returned to its Master's side, feeling proud of its achievement.
But it was still too early to celebrate.
"Yuni, go back to the camp with Daedalus and lead your tribesmen here," Leone said. "The gryphon might be injured but it's still a threat. We should bring everyone here while we can."
Yuni nodded in agreement and left to descend the mountain with Daedalus.
The grimoire would act as a deterrent should the gryphon suddenly change its mind and hunt down the Alborin Tribe.
Ulric glanced at the young man with a smile before forcing himself to move and give his fallen warriors first aid.
They had won the battle. But until the rest of their tribesmen arrived at their new camp, he couldn't call themselves victorious just yet.
A few hours later, Yuni and the rest of the Alborin Tribe reached their new home, where they celebrated the hard-won victory with the warriors still recovering from their injuries.