The gryphon easily dodged her arrow, but had to fly even higher as the other warriors' arrows followed suit. The barrage arched across, missing the monster.
Yuni loaded another arrow and pointed it at the gryphon. She didn't hurry, first activating her strongest skill.
Once a faint golden light coated the tip of her arrow, she finally let go.
"Charge Arrow!" Yuni's attack hit the side of the gryphon's body.
Her timing had been perfect, accurately grasping which direction the monster would go to evade the arrows of her fellow warriors.
The point drilled into the monster's flesh, successfully dealing damage. But it was far from enough. Her attack didn't weaken the gryphon and only made it more furious!
Flapping its wings repeatedly, the monster created an explosive burst of wind and repelled the arrows headed in its direction.
A moment later, it plunged down with claws ready to strike. It momentarily changed its target from the flag bearer to the young lady it deemed the greatest threat among the warriors who had dared to intrude at its home.
"Not on my watch!" Ulric roared as he wielded his two Axes and clashed with the claws of the gryphon.
Sparks flew as the two combatants exchanged blows. However, Ulric was overpowered in no time, pushed back by the gryphon's claws.
The other warriors joined the action. Some used spears to attack the monster, while others used their axe to deal damage.
The gryphon faced them head-on. It used its beak and wings to hit the weaklings swarming it, blowing three of the warriors away.
One of them ended with a deep gash across their shoulder, a badge of honor from his attempt to push his comrade away from the gryphon's claws.
The gryphon's claws were about to slash the fallen warrior to death when it noticed a white blur from the corner of its vision.
Maximus had charged, brandishing its claws to stab the monster from behind.
The gryphon planted its front legs on the ground and used its hind leg to kick the White Kobold.
"Be careful, Max!" Leone shouted.
Although Maximus perfectly blocked the kick from the gryphon, the force was too strong, sending it flying backward.
As its body slipped off the cliff, Leone's hand quickly shot out and gripped its tail, saving it from falling.
Yuni fired a barrage of arrows, using her Rapid Fire ability to target the gryphon's eyes.
The enraged beast used its wings to shield itself from the archer's attack. As a Rank 4 Beast, its body was still stronger and sturdier than its opponents.
Yuni's arrows pierced its wings, but it only dealt superficial wounds.
The gryphon only had to flap its wings to loosen the embedded arrows off its flesh, scattering them on the ground.
With a screech, it lunged at Yuni. Its claws stretched out, ready to slice the young lady in half.
But Ulric collided with the side of its body, pushing it to the side.
The Chieftain of the Alborin Tribe had finally used his Berserk Skill, doubling his strength.
This time, the gryphon couldn't shrug off the Barbarian's attack and staggered.
Ulric didn't miss the opportunity to hack the joint of the monster's right wing with his Axe, drawing blood.
Daedalus had mentioned that winning would be impossible unless they dealt enough damage to the gryphon's wings or the joint of its wings.
After the first clash, Ulric patiently waited for the perfect opportunity to use his Berserk Skill and strike.
His Berserk Ability could only last for five minutes, so he had to use it wisely.
Like a crazed man who had no fear of death, Ulric hacked the joints connecting the gryphon's wings to its body repeatedly.
With a pained screech, the monster wildly smashed the side of its head on Ulric's chest, sending the latter flying backward.
Knowing it was at a disadvantage, the gryphon decided to take flight once more. However, when it flapped its right wing, the pain it felt rendered it unable to take flight.
After attempting to flash a few times, it finally rose to the air. However, its impaired mobility was very clear.
It was furious at itself for allowing humans it looked down on to deal significant damage to its body.
Three of the warriors were down for the count. One had broken ribs, while two had injured legs.
Leone had torn off his cloak to bandage the fourth warrior's bleeding arm, deeply gashed by the Monster's claws.
Maximus stood right behind its Master, ready to sacrifice itself to keep the young man safe.
The gryphon locked its gaze on Ulric and plunged from the sky to kill the bastard that gave it an injury.
The Chieftain used his warcry, increasing his physical attack and defense. He knew that if he fell here, everyone would die. So he clashed with the gryphon with everything he had!
Sparks flew as the two axes and the gryphon's claws collided.
The ground underneath Ulric's feet crumbled, but the warrior stood his ground.
Roaring with fighting spirit, he pushed the gryphon back a bit before lunging for an Axe Strike.
The gryphon screeched and used its beak to clash with the axe meant to hack its body.
More sparks flew at the clash between them. After repeated exchanges, the gryphon grabbed hold of Ulric's axe and pried them off his grip.
The gryphon threw the axes away, leaving the Chieftain with only his fists as weapons.
Ulric had no intention of backing down, but the monster was faster and stronger than him.
If not for Yuni's support fire, which continuously targeted the monster's eyes, Ulric might have already been ripped to shreds three times over!
"Leone! Use the Bronze Exchange Ticket to purchase a war axe from the Arcane Shop!" Daedalus flew into its Master's hands and flipped its pages, showing the Axe Selection in its menu.
It even highlighted the Axe that Leone had to buy as if to make things easier.
———
[Twinfang Cleaver]
Weapon Type: Two Handed Axe
Rarity: Uncommon
Physical Attack: +50
Passive Effect: 30% chance to deal double damage on hit.
Note: A simple yet deadly weapon forged for decisive blows.
———
"Sir Ulric, catch!" Leone threw Daedalus toward the Chieftain after purchasing the axe from the Arcane Shop.
The chieftain caught the grimoire by reflex and wondered if Leone wanted him to use the book as a weapon to slap the monster until it surrendered.
"There's no time to explain!" Daedalus said, opening to a page depicting the image of an axe. "Pull the axe from my page. Hurry!"
Aware of the dire situation, Ulric din't think twice and heeded what he had been told.
He reached out to the page, toward the axe Daedalus showed him.
A second later, he found his hand gripping something solid, the handle of the Twinfang Cleaver.
With one mighty pull, he took the weapon from the grimoire's page and held it with both hands.
Daedalus flapped its covers and flew away to return to Leone's side.
The gryphon had switched targets to Yuni, but the young man ordered Maximus to block its path no matter what.
The Kobold fearlessly clashed with the gryphon, but it was simply too weak to fight it head-on.
The monster's claws dug deep into the Kobold's body, making Maximius cough out blood.
A moment later, it turned into particles of light, disappearing from the world.
"Maaaaaaaaaaaax!" Leone shouted in horror after seeing that his Familiar had suddenly burst out into golden particles of light.
"Calm down!" Daedalus returned to Leone's side, just in time to stop the young man from charging at the monster that killed his Familiar. "Maximus is alive! He just suffered a serious injury and returned to your Origin Domain!"
The grimoire's explanation helped the young man to calm down a bit, but the battle wasn't over just yet.
Yuni didn't know what had happened to Maximus, but her face was filled with grief and anger as she unleashed her strongest attack.
"Charge Arrow!"
The arrow flew straight and true toward the monster's head, but the gryphon just swatted it away with its claws.
It then screeched and lunged at Yuni with bloodshot eyes.
As it was about to reach its target, an Axe hacked the side of its body, pushing it to the side.
"Didn't I tell you?!" Ulrich roared. "Not on my watch!"
With renewed vigor, he fearlessly charged at the monster with his cleaver.
Bloodied and angrier than before, the gryphon raised its claws to swipe at the Barbarian that repeatedly attacked it from the least expected moments.
When the axe and claws clashed with each other, a metallic ring spread in the surroundings. But this time, the result was different.
The one pushed back was the gryphon, making its eyes widen in shock.
The Twinfang Cleaver's passive effect had activated, doubling the damage it dealt.
Using that as momentum, Ulric unleashed another blow targeting the side of the Monster's body, burying the edge of his axe deep inside its flesh.
Combining his Berserk Mode active and the Twinfang Cleaver's passive granted him a truly devastating attack. It was so strong that the blow had sent the gryphon falling off the cliff.
Ulric ran over to see if the gryphon had fallen to death. But to his dismay, the creature managed to flap its wings in time to break its fall.
Even so, it now received an injury that made it unable to fight right away.