The crimson lotus bloomed across the griffin's left wing, its petals of flame searing feathers into charred curls. The stench of burning flesh filled the air—yet even at point-blank range, the sixth-tier fire spell failed to cripple the beast entirely.
*Eighth-tier monsters are no joke.*
Enraged, the griffin lashed out. Its talons shredded Thunder's Earth Shield in three strikes.
"Move!" Thunder kicked Eric into the stream, then fumbled for more talismans—
Too late.
The griffin's ruby eyes locked onto him. Its beak gaped, and a jagged bolt of lightning erupted from its maw.
Griffins: apex predators, masters of the sky… and conduits of storm magic.
At this range, evasion was impossible. Thunder barely registered the twin assault—beak and lightning—before impact.
A shimmering barrier flared around him.
**"Thunder, fall back!"** Maria's voice, frantic.
Her last-second intervention saved him. The griffin's lightning shattered her shield in one blow; its follow-up strike tore through Thunder's shirt, hurling him backward.
Agony erupted from his chest as he tumbled through the air—
—straight into Sisi's outstretched arms.
The petite mage had lunged to catch him. A noble gesture, doomed by physics. Thunder's weight (conservatively: 1.5 Sisis) crushed her instantly. They collapsed in a tangled heap, her delicate fingers *definitely* fractured.
"Y-you okay?" Thunder groaned.
"H-hands… numb," Sisi whimpered, tears glistening. "Forget me—help Maria!"
Her trembling palms, in a cruel twist of fate, kept jabbing his *other* "staff."
Thunder hauled her aside and staggered upright.
Maria was buying time, pelting the griffin with low-tier spells to divert its fury. It worked—the beast's bloodied gaze now fixated on her, wings twitching.
**"Take Sisi and Eric and RUN!"** Maria shouted. "I'll hold it—"
**"Bullshit!"** Thunder hurled three talismans.
**Earth: Gravity Crush.** The griffin's charge slowed, as if dragging an anchor.
**Ice: Frost Vortex.** Blue tendrils coiled around its limbs, stiffening joints.
**Fire: Razing Palm.** A searing blast aimed at its half-scalded wing.
Contradictory? Maybe. But Thunder had no choice. Lightning would tickle a storm-born creature. Only fire remained.
The griffin screeched, its movements sluggish yet still lethal. Maria's sacrifice play had bought seconds—now Thunder had to end this.
**Could makeshift tactics overcome raw power, or was this their final stand?**