The Black Griffin looked like it had the claws of an eagle, the body of a lion without the tail, combined with two jet black wings and a raven's head. The feathers of the beast looked soft yet at the same time extremely sharp.
There was a hint of intelligence in the beady eyes of the raven. It stared at Lucas and slowly opened its beak. Making strange noises, Lucas didn't understand a single thing from it. He couldn't see any mana fluctuations, so it couldn't have been a spell, or it was something even stranger.
Either way, he summoned a few flaming balls of Blue Fire and launched them at the griffin. Using Blue Flames when he was Rank 1 took a lot of energy, but now, it didn't take so much. This made him a lot more thrifty with his mana consumption.
The Black Griffin spread its wings wide open, causing a terrible gust of wind that evaporated the Blue Flames in an instant. Even Lucas, who was standing quite far away, felt a hint of danger from the wind.
'Just spreading its wings is enough for it to take care of one of our most powerful spells? We should retreat, Carian seems to know about it a bit, perhaps we can prepare our assault.'
"Hahaha, what are you talking about? Isn't this a perfect opportunity to test our skills? If things turn sour, I'll run away, don't you worry about that."
'I regret giving you control.', if he could, he would facepalm right now.
While Lucas liked to joke around with himself, now, he put on a serious look. "Hey, you said I had to trust you during the trail, now I'm telling you to trust me. I can handle this thing."
'...I'll try and support you.', a bit reluctant, the other half decided to stop complaining and do his absolute best. Since he forced the other side to obey his own wishes, it was time to repay the debt. A shield and healing spells started to circulate inside his body. Now that his support was secured, Lucas closed his eyes and envisioned his personal rune.
It contained a mix of both perfect harmony and pure chaos, purely decided on one's perspective. The Black Griffin was still standing high and had stopped making noises. Instead, it lifted its wings slightly and prepared another gust of wind.
Inside Lucas's dome, both halves were looking at each other. They might look the same, but they varied greatly in personality. To use their personal rune, it wouldn't be a smart idea to only have half the ideology that went into it. The intent of the rune is what makes the mana form in a certain way, and Lucas didn't really know what his own rune did.
Placing it in a sequence of runes in order to create a basic fireball, he lifted his hands and conjured up the newly created spell. The flames were dark red and gave off an oppressive feeling, somehow, Lucas felt as if the flames carried his emotions. The deep dark red inside the flames made the griffin pause for a moment.
Its beady eyes stared at the new type of flames with a certain hesitancy. Lucas had some trouble controlling the flames, they felt a lot more erratic and chaotic than his normal spells. Just the addition of a single rune made the spell into something entirely unrecognizable to the body. His normal spells were almost created out of muscle memory, yet now his hand started to feel pain holding it so long.
He didn't rush into firing it off though, he didn't know the power and since it was already a lot less uncontrollable, he wouldn't want it to explode in his own hand. Aiming it at the griffin, he shot it forward. The Black Griffin broke out of its pause and raised its wings high. It brought them down to create an even stronger gust than before.
The dark red flame struggled against the wind before fizzling out. The Black Griffin stared at the place the flame vanished. Its wings contained tons of feathers that were sharp enough to block steel weapons. It could create storms with its wings, and with a single movement it could easily push people back.
Yet now, without using any magic, a flame got quite close to it. That shouldn't be possible, it knew what it was capable of. Now it was aware of the threat that was Lucas. It had to be taken care of. It spread its wings and flew down. Landing in front of Lucas, he realized how majestic the beast actually was. But this wasn't a time for appreciation of nature.
He immediately put some distance between the two, when it came to physical ability, he was a sponge trying to break a wall. Fighting in close quarters was a death wish. Jumping back, he summoned his Blue Flame Sword and added his personal rune to turn it into a Dark Red Fire Sword.
The power was unimaginable, and way too unstable for him to control. Not that it mattered, he wouldn't fight at a close range, it was just that this weapon of his was a perfect tool to throw. He noticed the power of it when it was just a Blue Flame Sword. Now that it was upgraded, he knew it would be a spectacle.
The Black Griffin didn't just watch, though, it immediately let out a screech so high-pitched that Lucas's eardrums burst into pieces. The pain was horrible, and right as Lucas was about to heal it, his other side had a suggestion.
"Don't bother healing, he'll attack us again.", he was angry that it distracted him from the fight, then he would rather not hear at all.
'Then what do you want me to do?'
"Kill the nerves, keep watch with willpower."
'Done.'
With their quick teamwork and battle sense, Lucas took care of his issue and hurriedly counterattacked while the griffin was still screeching. Summoning a bunch of chains, he tied the monster down for a moment, in that small pause, Lucas threw the sword towards the griffin.
The Black Griffin knew right away that this attack wasn't meant to be tanked, but couldn't get out of the way with the chains holding it down. The chains were weak in its eyes, but getting out of them would require a tiny bit of time it couldn't afford.
Bringing forth its wings to take the brunt of the attack. The black feathers that carried an iron gleam lost some of its sparkle. The explosion of the dark red flames was almost twice as large as the Blue Fire Sword.
It was an impressive attack that asked for a lot of energy, but Lucas still felt great. While the griffin was still covered by the explosion, Lucas thought on how to break through its defenses. If the monster used its wings as a shield, that only meant that its feathers were extremely strong and dense.
Lucas knew that drastic changes in temperature could break certain defenses, but there was no foolproof way for him to try and turn his surroundings into an ice dome. Plus, he wasn't sure that there would be enough benefits.
"Fuck it, why not try."
'Wait, what?'
Lucas let more than half of his mana loose to create ice and snow, he didn't care for the surrounding nature, as it all froze in an instant. Mixing in his personal rune into the ice, everything was tinted dark red. Lucas wondered if every element would be influenced by his rune, but kept those ideas for later.
Inspired by the everlasting blizzard back at Elam's home, he conjured up an icy environment.
By the time the explosion faded, the temperature had dropped drastically. Lucas was perfectly fine due to his unique body, but the Black Griffin was surprised by the changes. It was only a mere moment, yet it was if he entered a different biome. Its body couldn't handle the cold and made its bodily functions act up.
Its feathers were heavy, but with the snow and ice slowly starting to cover it, the weight increased a ton. Flying would be hard, not that it had a choice.
Fighting on ice wasn't it's expertise, so it tried to fly, but the state of its wings looked terrible. The delapitated state put a smile on Lucas's face. The griffin almost laughed at Lucas as healing magic started to return the wings to their prime state. Lucas hurriedly summoned a strong dark red wind blade that carried the cold and snow with it.
The griffin had the choice of using its broken wings as a shield or get attacked head on. Abandoning both options, it majestically jumped over the wind blade and landed close to Lucas, but due to the slippery ground, it couldn't land well and fell over.
It did have sharp claws, but due to its inexperience with the cold, didn't think it's landing through. The strange ice also wasn't comparable to the normal counterpart, the ice felt almost sticky to the touch and drained the heat and energy of anything that touched it.
Using that small chance, Lucas moved in close and shot a few Dark Spear straight at its head. The Griffin easily recognized the type of magic and sacrificed a few feathers to block the attack.
"What the hell?"
'Its feathers are dense enough to block Darkness, so either shoot more or get a better vantage point.'
Lucas didn't falter after seeing Darkness magic being so easily dealt with. His Dark Fire Sword was more effective at dealing damage than Darkness, which shouldn't be the case according to him. Trying something else, he fired another bolt of Darkness and mixed it with his own rune.
The spell looked the same, and even the griffin didn't notice any difference. As it tried to get back up, it lifted its broken wing to deal with the attack. Though it immediately regretted its decision as the darkness didn't just evaporate a few feathers but ate through the entirety of the wing. A large hole was created in the middle of the wing, flying wouldn't be possible for now.
The Black Griffin screeched in pain, but Lucas didn't hear a thing, he was extremely glad to see his attack being so effective now. He prepared his next attack as he noticed the griffin gather a ton of mana.
"Dark Beam?"
'Most likely, according to Simon, Darkness can be easily dealt with as long as we have a coating of Light strong enough to counter it. I could try to fuse Simon's and Brutus's spells to imitate something similar.'
"Then get to it!"
Lucas didn't waste any energy as he let himself glow like a star. Still, he wasn't planning on getting hit in the first place. Fearing he might suffer the same fate as the griffin and slip, he covered his feet in flames in order to have a smooth landing. With the aura of Light around him, he knew that it would be healed anyway.
The Black Griffin, now standing up, had gathered enough energy as its beady eyes laser focussed on Lucas's position. It didn't matter that he was trying to dodge as the beak quickly opened and a massive Dark Beam shot forward.
As if the world was holding its breath, not a single sound was heard as the attack rampaged through the forest.
The beam left a destructive aftermath as ice, trees, plants and anything else that happened to be in the way simply vanished. Lucas was included in that group as he looked to his right arm and noticed it was gone. All he had left was his shoulder and a small stump of what used to be there.
The pain was so immense, Lucas almost blacked out, but his survival instincts kept him wide awake. One part doing everything in his power to stop the bleeding and patch the wounds, the other half stared at the griffin with pure hatred in his eyes.
Checking his energy reserves, his heart dropped to see how much was already gone. Most of his spells were pretty expensive, but the new Dark Spear was as taxing as the Blue Flame Sword was when he was Rank 1. Luckily, firing of such a powerful spell also put the griffin in a bad position. It still had to heal its wings back to its former glory, and considering how strong they were, it would take its toll.
With the griffin exhausted, Lucas knew this was his only moment to end it. Summoning every ounce of remaining energy and resolve, he focused on his next move. Despite the searing pain from his lost arm, he refused to succumb to despair, he had more than enough experience with pain and despair to come out on top. With a determined grit, he glanced at the stump where his arm used to be, his mind racing for a solution.
The feathers were strong, the hide would most likely also be really durable, but he needs to go in for the kill now or else it would be too late.
The Black Griffin, sensing Lucas's hesitation, gathered its remaining strength, preparing for another assault. Its eyes gleamed with a primal ferocity, its wings twitching as they began to regenerate. Lucas knew he had to act swiftly before the creature recovered fully.
Risking it all, Lucas started to run towards the griffin, lifting his left hand forward he summoned the Dark Red Flame Sword again and conjured up a few Dark Spears mixed with his personal rune. With the wings in a bad state, the destructive force of the Dark Spears got rid of all its defenses, leaving a clear opening for Lucas to attack.
With the barrage of attacks, the Black Griffin recoiled, its dark form faltering in the face of such power. For the first time since the battle began, doubt crept into its eyes. The creature hesitated, unsure of what to do next.
Seizing the opportunity, Lucas launched himself forward, his movements fueled by determination and desperation. With his remaining hand, he grasped his sword tightly, its blade pulsating with a vibrant energy, almost destroying his remaining hand. With a primal roar, he swung the sword with all his might, aiming for the heart of the Black Griffin.
The blade connected with a resounding clang, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Sparks flew as metal clashed against feathers, the sound echoing across the battlefield. Lucas poured every ounce of his being into the strike, willing it to be the decisive blow.
The Black Griffin let out a deafening screech, its form writhing in agony as the blade pierced its hide. The destructive power of his Dark Flame Sword ravaged the insides of the griffin and didn't give it any chance of regeneration.
With one final, defiant cry, the creature collapsed, its once-majestic form now still and lifeless.
Breathless and battered, Lucas stood amidst the aftermath of the battle, his heart pounding in his chest. He gazed upon the fallen Black Griffin, a mix of relief and excitement washing over him. His anger turned into euphoria.
"Hahahaha, I knew it, we're at the top of the food chain!"
'Hey, we lost an arm, idiot!', for once, it was the opposite side that lashed out in anger.
Lucas sighed as he fell backwards, landing on his back. He still had some energy left, he was genuinely surprised that his deep energy pool was so quickly dried up. It left him with a lot of questions and desires, but for now Lucas patched himself up.
Restoring his hearing and closing the open wounds took some time, but when half of Lucas was about to start on the arm, he stopped.
"What's wrong? Can't heal it?"
'Do you think I can bring back an entire arm? Even our hearing was extremely complex, and you expect me to bring back an entire arm?'
"Well, I thought our aura of Light would've been strong enough.", Lucas could almost taste the sarcasm. But even if he sounded sarcastic, it was merely masking the realisation of the situation. He was expecting that his other half was more than competent enough to heal any wound.
Hearing that he could heal it made him scared for a moment. That fear turned into anger against himself, if only he dodged it a bit earlier, he could've avoided it. It was his fault for messing up so badly.
'Oh well, I'll see if I can work something out, but for now, we'll have to live like this.'
"Shit."
'Can you stop talking out loud? With our current state, people will only think we've gone absolutely insane.'
Lucas stayed silent for a moment before getting up and storing the bodies of the animals in his magical ring. "Good point, please bring us back to the camp, I'm tired."
Giving back control to his other side without asking for it first, part of Lucas was a bit surprised. Still, he did have to get out of here. If the mate of the Dark Griffin ever came back, he would be done for. Brushing his clothes off and leaving the battlefield, Lucas was anticipating his return to the camp.
'At least losing an arm will improve our social standing.'
'Wha? How?'
'The dear friend of the young master stays behind and saves them from despair. Then he doesn't only return victorious with the corpses that the young master needs to fulfill his training, but also the valuable body of a top predator. Sacrificing an arm to rescue the group and killing an absolute monster.'
'Oh, never thought of it that way, so I guess it's not that bad then that we lost an arm.'
'....'
'I'll shut up.'
With a weary sigh, Lucas surveyed the battlefield, his mind already turning to the challenges that lay ahead. Though the battle was won, he was scared of what's to come next. If he had any pursuers, they would've already found him. So if he didn't attract anyone after such a large battle so close to the exit, then he knew that he was safe for now. He was at his weakest point now, attacking now would only make sense.
Yet the surrounding silence said more than enough. Lucas made his way back to the camp.