Ailin's Wand

Chaos reigned on this avenue that ran straight from north to south.

From time to time, Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary, riding on horseback, would see wagons overturned in the middle of the road.

Scattered goods and the excrement of frightened cattle and horses were visible everywhere on the ground.

Scattered among them were human legs, and even entire bodies, crushed under the carriages.

Some people have already fallen silent, while others are wailing, shouting, and pleading for help.

The other travelers and merchants, their faces pale, sat on the ground as if terrified by the Greater Griffin's imposing presence.

He mumbled something unintelligible.

If they wanted to catch up with the Greater Griffin before it left, they naturally couldn't use this main road.

Therefore, Vesemir led Ailin and Mary, riding swiftly across the grass on the right side of the road towards the monster.

"Phew~"

The whistling wind passed by the ears of the three horsemen.

Noticing the reluctant expressions on Ailin and Mary's faces, and their frequent glances towards the main road, Vesemir sighed inwardly, "They're just children," and comforted them:

"Mary, Ailin ..."

"Different people have different responsibilities."

"What we need to do now is kill that Greater Griffin to prevent more people from suffering because of that beast."

After a pause, he continued:

"As for these people, we can come back to help after we kill that beast and notify the guards of Vengerberg."

"Otherwise, if we waste time here, who knows how many more people will die ahead..."

Then I passed a peasant woman sitting in front of a basket of broken eggs, holding her child and crying.

Ailin glanced at Mary, who was frowning, and replied:

"Don't worry, Master Vesemir, we all know the importance of this matter."

There are so many people on this road, we can't help them all.

The greatest act of kindness a Witcher can show is to do their job well and kill that Greater Griffin as quickly as possible.

Mary nodded in agreement.

Having studied in Aretuza for several years, she naturally knew when to do what and when not to do what.

but.

Hearing the screams around them, their human compassion made the three of them quicken their pace once more.

A huge "dark cloud" hung overhead.

The Greater Griffin seemed to have a clear goal, gliding lower and lower into the air.

"Li—"

After a heart-stirring cry that seemed capable of shattering gold and splitting stone.

Like a raptor pouncing on its prey, the Greater Griffin suddenly spread its massive wings vertically, and its two talons, larger than a human, abruptly stretched downwards.

The next second.

"Bang!"

The loud explosion made Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary, who were a hundred meters away, hear a ringing in their ears.

Thick dust was thrown up instantly, obscuring the Greater Griffin's body.

In a short time.

Only the heart-wrenching screams of humans echoed continuously from the spreading smoke and dust.

Many of the people who were initially terrified came to their senses at this point.

Crying and shouting "Monster! Monster!", it ran away from the Greater Griffin.

The horses beneath the three were also too frightened by the violent shaking and the aura of the Greater Griffin to move forward.

"It's not far, let's run there."

Vesemir stepped into the stirrups, dismounted, drew his silver sword, cast another layer of Quen Shield on himself, and trotted toward the dust cloud a hundred meters away.

Ailin and Mary ignored the three startled horses and followed closely behind.

"The main attack method of the Greater Griffin is a dive attack."

"Once a target is selected, it will use its strong muscles and rapid speed to dive down..."

"One swipe of its claws is enough to kill an ordinary armored knight..."

"Even with the Quen we have now..."

Vesemir paused.

"Asiri's Water Shield!" Mary replied.

"Yes, even with these two magical shields, it's not guaranteed that we can completely withstand the Greater Griffin's dive attack."

"So remember this: you must dodge this beast's swoop and do everything you can to prevent it from taking off..."

"As for how to stop them from going to heaven..."

Vesemir paused, then looked at Ailin and said:

"The Greater Griffin has feathers on its wings, but it is not weak to fire, Igni Sign is useless."

"However, all flying monsters will be affected by the Alde Sign..."

"So as soon as it shows any sign of taking off, use the Alde Sign to bring it down..."

"In addition..."

Vesemir looked at Mary:

"Large monsters generally have strong magic resistance, especially the Greater Griffin. A weak spell might not even be able to knock off a single feather."

"So I hope you hide it first, and then give us a buff spell."

Mary trotted along while nodding earnestly:

"Don't worry, Master Vesemir, I haven't learned many offensive spells."

"After you've hidden them properly, I'll cast a spell on them."

Vesemir nodded.

He continued jogging forward while rapidly imparting his experience in dealing with the Greater Griffin.

soon.

They were less than fifty meters away from the Greater Griffin.

The three of them didn't think much of it when the beast was flying in the air, but once it got close on the ground...

The intense pressure made the air feel like it had solidified into a gel, making it difficult to breathe.

Beneath the massive black shadow rising in the dust, the three people looked as tiny as ants.

"It must be at least ten meters tall!"

Mary stared in shock, her mouth agape.

It was the first time she had ever seen such a huge monster.

Whether in terms of physique or magical aura...

Compared to this Greater Griffin, the two King of Ice on Kaer Morhen seemed like five-year-old children.

When they got within twenty meters of the Greater Griffin, the three of them stopped one after another.

"More than that, it should be thirteen meters tall, and its wingspan must be at least forty meters..."

"This is a fully grown Greater Griffin, probably around thirty years old, the age when it's strongest, most dangerous, and most difficult to deal with..."

We need to be careful!

Vesemir's expression was grave as he replied in a low voice.

Judging from the slightly trembling black shadow in the sandstorm, the Greater Griffin must be burying its head and gnawing on something.

"You hide around here and cast your spells for us." He turned to look at Mary.

Mary nodded, glanced at Ailin, and then hid in the roadside bushes.

Vesemir then gripped his sword tightly, took a deep breath, and patted Ailin on the shoulder:

"Let's go, Ailin, remember the weakness..."

He was only halfway through his sentence.

Vesemir suddenly remembered that no matter what monsters they hunted, Ailin never seemed to care about the monsters' weaknesses.

The steel sword can slay water ghosts just like the silver sword can slay demons; even the King of Ice, who can cast magical shields, cannot escape Ailin's sword strike.

So he paused, stopped in his tracks, and asked:

"Will your Witcher's Eye be effective against this kind of monster?"

Ailin paused for a second, realizing that Vesemir was referring to the [Witcher], and replied:

"I've never tried hunting Greater Griffin before, but it should be fine!"

It's okay if there are problems.

Whether it works or not depends solely on whether the duration of the Demon Hunter state is long enough.

He currently has two Special Skill points and more than enough stamina. If he doesn't have enough time, he can just add more points directly.

"Alright!" Vesemir secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He has only killed griffins, not Greater Griffin.

It's important to know that the difference in strength between large monsters can usually be discerned simply by looking at their size.

Adult Greater Griffin are twice as tall and have a wingspan as adult common griffon, and their fur is much tougher, making them very difficult to penetrate.

The Greater Griffin's aggressive instincts are even stronger than those of the ordinary griffin.

While an ordinary griffin attacks once, Greater Griffin can attack three or four times in succession.

So Vesemir was actually a little unsure of himself.

Now.

Now that Ailin's Witcher's Eye were usable, he was relieved!

then.

Remembering that the Witcher's Eye requires charging, Vesemir looked solemnly at Ailin:

"Don't rush to attack. Watch my movements and observe the Greater Griffin's attack posture before you come over!"

"Then I'll launch a feint attack, and you seize the opportunity to use your Witcher's Eye to finish off this monster!"

Ailin paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded.

The Witcher's Eye...

That's a really old term.

At this moment.

The dust kicked up by the Greater Griffin dissipated.

The first thing you see is a horse-drawn carriage overturned in the middle of the road.

The two reins were still tied to the neck of the horse, which was being devoured by the Greater Griffin.

Many people were lying around the carriage, none of them seriously injured, but all of them were stunned by the magical aura of the Greater Griffin.

Of the two horses pulling the carriage, one had already had all the meat eaten from its belly and hindquarters.

The other horse's rump meat was almost completely eaten as well.

Once the horse's meat is all eaten, it will surely be the turn of these humans lying on the ground.

"I'm going!"

Without further hesitation, Vesemir took a deep breath and, without waiting for Ailin's reply, charged towards the Greater Griffin that was feeding, sword held at an angle.

"Pfft~"

Sensing someone approaching, the Greater Griffin suddenly raised its beak, still dripping with sticky blood, and glared at the charging human.

The mangled remains of the black stallion fell to the ground.

The next moment.

Seeing the longsword gleaming with a chilling light seemed to bring back some unpleasant memories.

The Greater Griffin, its meal disturbed, let out a furious cry at Vesemir.

"Buzz~"

The violent vibrations of the elements caused the wolf head badges on the chests of the two witchers to hum.

Upon seeing this, Vesemir's expression changed drastically. He quickly rolled away and hid in the grass on the left side of the road.

The next second.

"Call!"

An invisible gale suddenly swept from the mouth of the Greater Griffin toward Vesemir's original direction.

It instantly scraped off a large layer of the ground.

Fortunately, those who were dizzy were lying near the carriage. The others, being a little further away, were not severely affected by the shock and pressure, so they scattered and fled without anyone getting hurt.

After dodging the attack, Vesemir advanced instead of retreating, exploiting the fact that the Greater Griffin was a flying monster, making it inconvenient for it to maneuver on the ground.

It circled around its body, constantly harassing the Greater Griffin.

Gradually, guide it from the busy avenue to the grassy side.

"That Greater Griffin is really powerful!"

Quietly following behind the Greater Griffin, Ailin stepped on the crater, which was at least half a meter deep and had been blown away by the gale.

If Vesemir hadn't rolled in time...

Even though the gust of wind didn't harm him because of Quen and Asery's water shield, it didn't hurt him.

With Vesemir's weight, he would definitely be blown into the sky.

Even if the shield doesn't break, the attack rhythm will definitely be disrupted...

At that time.

But who knows what the Greater Griffin will do to Vesemir is floating in the air.

so...

"We can't wait until we figure out the Greater Griffin's attack rhythm before we make a move!"

"With such intense dodging, Vesemir definitely won't last long..."

Ailin had a thought.

Demon Hunter!

After activating the skill, the young demon hunter's slightly excited mood instantly turned into a calm and composed state.

This moment.

He had a clear idea of the remaining time of all the buffs Mary had cast on him.

Take two quick steps, and your Divine Power will invade the magical aura of the Greater Griffin.

The unique feeling of defeating the Drowners King with Vesemir in the cave for the first time came back again.

No.

Perhaps due to the improvement in attributes, and the increased familiarity with Vesemir.

This feeling is more unique and more intuitive.

It's like...

The sword he held was not Elsa, but a peerless sword called Vesemir.

Enraged, the Greater Griffin stomped rapidly at Vesemir with its two talons, each nearly a meter tall.

Sidestep, roll, lunge, turn around, swing sword...

Ailin thought to himself.

Vesemir shifted to the side, rolled, lunged forward, turned around, and swung his sword almost simultaneously...

A flash of silver light.

Before leaving Vergen, Vesemir took a finely crafted silver sword from Hog on credit and slashed it at the black claws of the Greater Griffin.

It was like striking hard steel, sending sparks flying.

No defense breached!

[Demon Hunter] Progress 2%

That's too little!

In his demon-hunting state, the aloof Ailin instantly calculated the frequency of this attack.

The mere 150 seconds of Demon Hunter buff at level 3 is definitely not enough.

even.

If each level increases the duration by 50 seconds, even if all the points he allocated to the Blink Special Skill are added, it won't be enough.

so.

This time, we can't let Vesemir accumulate all the Demon Hunting progress like we did when we killed the Drowners King.

He has to act!

In Demon Hunter mode.

Ailin was multitasking, influencing Vesemir's dodge of the Greater Griffin's attacks while carefully memorizing the Greater Griffin's attack movements and rhythm, thinking about how to deal with this monster.

"Ailin, Master Vesemir looks very dangerous. Should we escape now... retreat!"

"I have a device that can hold the Greater Griffin for a while..."

Mary quietly followed.

After using all her buff skills, she didn't know what else she could do.

The novelty and excitement of encountering monsters I'd only ever seen in books completely vanished as I frantically dodged and weaved through Vesemir.

All that remained was concern for Vesemir and for Ailin, who was eager to join the battle.

but.

When Mary's voice drifted over, carrying the fresh scent of oranges.

Ailin's Divine Power, which had invaded the Greater Griffin's magical aura, subconsciously fluctuated and spread to Mary.

At this moment.

Following her inexplicable physical instincts, Ailin gave Mary an assessment.

The next moment.

Even when Ailin was in demon-hunting mode and his emotions were extremely low, he couldn't help but be stunned for a few seconds.

He discovered...

Apart from a peerless sword called Vesemir.

He now seems to have acquired another top-tier magic wand, one of the rarest in the world.

A magic wand named Margarita Laux Antillie!