He had no time to get his spear, so he just grabbed a sword. The power of a sword in a qualified griffin rider’s hand could still be terrifying. The crazy griffin on top did not notice the attack from behind and continued to try to fiercely peck the other one underneath.
The griffin rider hit the griffin on the top in a cruel way. He thrust the sword into the open wound on that griffin’s neck. With a cracking sound, the griffin’s neck bone was completely broken. Its head was hanging on the neck like broken bamboo. Its body fell to the ground hard.
"F*ck you!" He was not the only griffin rider who had joined the fight. Another griffin rider was just a little slower than him and ended up watching his own griffin killed by his fellow. He ran at a speed no slower than the previous griffin rider. Luckily, he did not completely lose himself, so he punched the other griffin rider’s back hard instead of pulling out his sword to kill him.
In different military branches, griffin riders had the same kind of pride as legendary dragon riders. They admired heroism. They would cooperate when it was needed, but rather take risks to finish their tasks than asking for help. Griffins played an important role in the battle. Griffin riders and griffins went through thick and thin together, while they just got along with their peers. The relationship of just getting along is far less close than going through thick and thin together. Seeing his own griffin killed, the griffin rider punched his peer out of the rage.
The first griffin rider was sadly watching his griffin dying when he got hit on the back by surprise. He lost control and flew forward. He even sprayed a mouthful of blood.
"They are f*^king crazy!" Mintel was furious. "Catch him! Catch him!"
A few griffin riders hurried to throw themselves at their crazily mad peers. When their bodies were only halfway in the air, a strong magic surge suddenly appeared. The air was also getting hot, and countless bright spots like raindrops dropped from the sky.
"Meteors." Mintel looked at the sky and felt his heart drop. He was a descendent of a royal family, but he was not a rookie on the battlefield. If he were a rookie, he would not have the chance to lead a Griffin Aerial Unit. Mintel knew the power of meteor rain well. This magic could affect a large area. It posed no harm to him, but could be fatal to thousands of soldiers in Griffin Aerial Unit.
Countless bright spots poured and splashed on the ground with sparkles. Groups of soldiers fell on the ground and screamed in pain. Their clothes started to burn under the constant meteor rain attacks. Their bodies were burned like charcoal at the end.
Tents, wood rails, outposts and other flammables were all burning. The whole camp became a fire sea. The smoke in griffin cave became a lot thinner in a very short period. The flying feathers turned into little fire balls and then dust in the wind.
Looking from a distance, what was in the griffin cave started to become clear. Even under the flaming meteor shower, griffins either fought or mated with miserable shrieks. Flaming meteor rain was not able to wake them from their basic instincts. In other words, if no damage or even death could wake them up, the effect of the chemicals were super strong.
Mages felt the magic surges and released magic domes one after another. Seven or eight magic domes were created to protect them from the meteor shower. Meteor rain was almost as terrible as a natural disaster. These mages were not sure whether their magic could counter the meteor shower. They meant to protect themselves with the magic domes, but the soldiers around them saw the magic domes as their last hope. They rushed to get under the domes and tried to be as close to the mages as possible. Some wounded soldiers forced themselves under the dome with the last energy left in them.
More and more people tried to hide under the magic domes. As a result, the domes were getting so crowded that the air was getting thinner. A weak or sick mage even passed out from it, which caused the whole group of soldiers, including that mage, under the dome to fall on the ground under the pressure of the meteor shower.
Mintel looked up at the sky and lost himself in thought with a dull look. He was protected by his combat power by instinct. Griffin riders started to use combat powers to fight against the flames as well. A meteor shower was not regular magic. It could only get worse as time went on.
The bright spots got bigger and bigger. They became as big as a fist at first and then turned into the size of a meteorite, which was as big as a person’s head, smashing on the ground. The booming sounds came one after another, and the ground started to shake. The intruding magic domes were smashed one after another in the fire sea. People under the domes died, parts of their bodies flying everywhere.
Griffin riders dared not to counter the hit from meteorites. They tried to dodge, but some of the unlucky ones were hit. They did not even get a chance to scream before they fell on the ground and died.
Mintel was still lost in thought, but four captains risked their lives to protect him. They pulled and dragged Mintel, dodging the meteorites. People could risk their lives for a goal, or dream. Selfishness could also be the reason to have them take risks. If Mintel did not die, he would have to take all the responsibility and blame for this incident and they would be safe. If Mintel died, they would have to be the scapegoats. They could die and put their family in danger as well.
The worst part of the meteor shower only last a short period of time. If it dropped meteorites from the beginning to the end, the meteor shower could be categorized as forbidden magic. Seeing small, bright spots replace meteorites, the griffin riders heaved a sigh of relief. Suddenly, intense magic surges came again. A lightning bolt that was a thousand times brighter than the sun flashed in the sky and split into different branches, like dense branches on a towering old tree. All the people on the battlefield were hit by it.
Series lightning was a magic even worse than a meteor shower. No one could dodge it besides a few magic beasts and humans. No one could build immunity against it either. All the lives in a certain area would get severe attacks from it. The surviving griffin riders all wobbled and fell to the ground. The only difference in them was some of them still could stand up after a while as others died. Series lightning strictly tested their magic skills. There was no way the could cheat.
As a White Silver Knight, Mintel was the first one to wake up from it. Series lightning hurt him but also woke him up. With strong combat power and sharp vision, which he gained by flying frequently, he had found a group of people in black who were trying to surround the destroyed camp before his opponents found it.
Mintel took a deep breath. He grabbed the two captains in a coma and ran in the opposite direction. He knew he had been set up. He would die if he stayed. Going back would not necessarily a good option for him, but there was still a chance.
After a while, the group of people in black entered the camp. Compared with burnt bodies or bodies with missing parts, the passed out griffin riders looked like intruders. The people in black rushed towards the griffin riders and pulled their swords out at the same time. It was always true to kill a strong opponent when he was wounded or ill. No one was stupid enough to wait until they woke up to have a fair fight.
The respectable sky warriors were killed one by one. They did not die in honor, nor in any pain. It was unknown if they were fortunate to die without pain.
A person in black, who did not fight in this battle, slowly took off his mask. It was Anfey. Suzanna followed him and took off her mask as well.
"Anfey," Christian and Riska said as they landed. They had released the meteor shower and series of lightning magic. "We saw few people running away towards the east. The one in the lead had strong combat power. He must be a senior White Silver Knight."
"Damn it. It was Mintel." Black Eleven looked worried. "Anfey, we need catch him right now."
"Hold on. The Griffin Aerial Unit was wiped out. It’s not a big deal if only few escaped." Anfey shook his head.
"You do not understand. Mintel is very important to us." Black Eleven was so concerned that he stomped his foot. "If we cannot catch him alive, we cannot let him run back to his country."
"Don’t worry. I have my reasons." Anfey shook his head. "Is Mintel important? You told me yesterday that Sacred City gave you an assignment that you have to kill Kumaraghosha at any price. Who is more important, Kumaraghosha or Mintel?"
"No comparison. If we kill Mintel, we could make a scene. It would not be the same with Kumaraghosha. Baery, a commander of a legion, said Kumamaghosha was a God-given brave general. If Shansa Empire delegated that much military power to Kumaraghosha, he would become a scourge for Maho Empire. Kumaraghosha has been loyal to Shansa Empire, so he would not betray his country. We have to kill him before he is better."
"Did you say that there was accumulated rancor between Kumamaghosha and Mintel?" Anfey said.
"Yes, I did," Black Eleven said.
"Don’t you understand what I mean now?" Anfey said.
"How…" Black Eleven was confused.
"Sometimes we do not even need to get our hands dirty when we want to kill someone." Anfey smiled. "When Mintel goes back to his country, he definitely would get severe punishment. Do you think Kumaraghosha would just watch instead of getting his hands dirty? Don’t forget where you recognized Kumaraghosha from."
Black Eleven looked like he was lost in thought.
"Kumaraghosha bought all of our boarbeasts. If Mintel wanted to shirk his responsibility, Kumaraghosha would be his best option," Anfey said slowly. "For right now, let’s just wait and see."