Having suffered greatly from fire magic before, the griffin dared not take this threat lightly. As the scorching flames surged toward it, the beast spat out a bolt of lightning mid-stride, directly neutralizing the fiery assault.
Seizing the moment, Thunder quickly retrieved a staff from his spatial bag and tossed it to Maria.
Now that they were openly at odds with the griffin, there was no need to worry about the purple magic crystal anymore.
Maria caught the staff without hesitation and immediately cast a Paralysis Net. Thunder, in sync with his mentor, also unleashed the same spell—one of the two magics he could currently cast unaided.
The difference was stark. Thunder's Paralysis Net was a third larger than Maria's and far more potent.
After being struck by four consecutive earth, ice, and lightning spells, the griffin's speed had slowed to a crawl.
Thunder exhaled in relief. Much of this advantage was thanks to his earlier "Crimson Lotus Blaze." Had that fire spell not burned away most of the griffin's left-wing feathers, allowing it to take flight, he and the other three would have been doomed.
Even a fool would know to press the attack now.
No matter how strong the griffin's resistance to lightning was, it couldn't match a dragon's immunity to magic. Under Maria's relentless assault, the griffin's cries grew increasingly agonized. Its once-majestic feathers were now disheveled, and blood dripped steadily from its body.
"Earth—Quagmire!" Thunder had gathered the most earth-element blood from the dozens of jungle spiders they'd slain earlier, so earth-based talismans were his most abundant. Other elemental talismans had already been exhausted in the fierce battle, leaving only a few auxiliary ones.
A massive, swirling bog appeared beneath the griffin's feet. As it struggled forward, its body suddenly began to sink. Panicked, it flapped its wings wildly.
With one intact wing and another half-bare, the griffin miraculously broke free from the quagmire, though its movements were unsteady.
What a shame! Thunder cursed inwardly. If he'd burned away all the feathers on that half-wing, the beast would've been trapped.
"Wood—Binding Vines!" Thunder activated another talisman. A surge of magic later, thick green tendrils sprouted beneath the griffin's talons, coiling tightly around them.
This fourth-tier wood spell was purely for restraint, lacking offensive power. Thunder didn't expect it to hold the griffin for long—just a moment would suffice.
"Earth—Impale!" Another offensive talisman.
The instant the Binding Vines took effect, razor-sharp earthen spikes erupted from beneath the griffin's belly, stabbing upward.
As Thunder predicted, the vines lasted less than three seconds before the griffin's brute strength tore them apart.
But by then, the earth spell had already struck.
The spikes, harder than forged steel, pierced the griffin's soft underbelly. A series of wet *thuds* followed, and the griffin shrieked in agony, its wings flapping violently. By the time it escaped the spikes, its belly feathers were soaked crimson.
Now the griffin was barely five meters away from Thunder and Maria.
Enraged, the beast beat its wings with such force that loose stones around it were sent flying.
A blinding white halo exploded outward from the griffin. Thunder's body locked up, and beside him, Maria's face paled before she suddenly vomited blood, her complexion rapidly dulling.
**Magic backlash!**
Thunder had been relying on talismans, avoiding backlash entirely. But Maria was different. With Thunder buying time, she'd been casting quick but potent spells. The griffin's disruption had triggered a severe backlash.
Thunder knew that interrupting a mage mid-cast could cause this—the stronger the spell, the worse the backlash. Thankfully, Maria had mostly used third- and fourth-tier spells, with few fifth-tier ones, so the damage wasn't critical. Still, she'd need time to recover.
With Maria effectively out of the fight, was Thunder supposed to take down this monstrous griffin alone?
His head throbbed.
If not for burning half the griffin's wing earlier, they'd all be dead by now. Despite its injuries, the beast was still standing, and it hadn't even unleashed its full lightning magic yet.
As if reading his thoughts, the griffin flapped its wings again. With a screech, a dozen thick lightning bolts, each as wide as an arm, shot toward Thunder and Maria. The griffin itself charged right behind, talons tearing into the ground as it closed in for melee.
By now, the earlier debuff spells had worn off, and the griffin was back at full strength.
"Wind—Grace of the Zephyr!" Staying put meant instant death. The moment the griffin opened its beak, Thunder made his move. Activating a wind talisman, he scooped up Maria and leaped several yards away.
The lightning bolts narrowly missed them.
Thunder's heart sank into darkness.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure dart forward—ignoring the griffin's fury, she latched onto its talons.
"Thunder, take Maria and run!" The petite girl's voice trembled with fear, but her grip on the griffin's leg was ironclad, her body a desperate barricade against its advance.
**Will she survive?**