North Wind Eagle Guard (II)

North Wind Eagle Guard (II)

The Chimera finished its dive, and the results were remarkable.

With just one charge, it brought down three Eagle Guards, drawing fervent cheers from the many monsters of the Burned-Out Nest. Even the Wyverns, always unruly and submissive only to the Red Dragon, raised their heads and screeched.

"Roar—"

The three-headed monster was immensely pleased with itself, all three heads letting out a hearty roar in unison.

It beat its Wings with all its strength and rode the currents upward again, intending to launch another charge.

"Monster, I'm your opponent!"

A black shadow swept past behind the Chimera.

Alger's masterful horsemanship, combined with the giant eagle's flight skills, allowed the eagle to ride the Chimera's airflow and remain in a blind spot beyond the Chimera's sight.

He leaned out and swung the sharp greatsword in his hand, slicing through the Chimera's tough hide.

Blood sprayed through the air.

"Awroo!"

Feeling the wound on its back, the Chimera let out an enraged howl.

Then, the Chimera executed a Rapid Turning maneuver in midair, its thick dragon tail lashing hard at the spot behind it.

"Iger!"

Alger called to his companion and clamped his legs tight.

The giant eagle immediately understood. It rolled and banked in the air, nimbly evading the strike.

The dragon tail cut through empty air. Furious, the Chimera accelerated while twisting its dragon head around and blasting the Eagle Guards behind it with searing Fire Breath.

"Boom—"

Flames burned through the air.

But the Chimera's neck clearly could not turn in every direction.

Guiding the giant eagle with one hand, Alger merely banked slightly to evade the Fire Breath. Using his superior mobility, he once again angled into the Chimera's blind spot directly above it.

"Whoever controls the sky controls everything." The Old Instructor often told them this.

Seeing the Eagle Guard clinging tightly to its rear, the Chimera dove again.

"Whoosh—"

Relying on its familiarity with the terrain, it suddenly spread its dragon wings and came to a sharp stop, hoping to make the Eagle Guard crash headfirst into the rock wall.

But Alger was not fooled.

He simply followed behind the Chimera at an unhurried pace, calmly turning with it.

Yet during that turn, his eagle-sharp eyes noticed a different detail.

The Chimera's left wing was half a beat slower when it spread open.

And Alger caught that instant with keen precision.

"Its left wing has an old injury!"

Alger said excitedly.

He gently stroked the feathers beneath him, and the giant eagle let out a piercing cry before diving down.

"Whoosh—"

This time, the blade slashed across the Chimera's hind leg.

Alger was very patient when dealing with large monsters.

He never expected to kill with a single strike. Instead, he intended to use his mobility advantage to slowly bleed his opponent dry.

When facing monsters like this, patient hunters often claimed their trophies, while hotheaded fools often lost their lives beneath a monster's careless trampling.

Barbarians were the exception, of course.

Now that he knew the Chimera's Wings bore old injuries and could not change direction easily, the Guard Captain of the Eagle Guards attacked even more recklessly.

This time, the giant eagle actually hovered beneath its belly.

"Tide-Like Movements!"

Alger's muscles bulged as his movements abruptly accelerated.

In the span of mere seconds, he swung his sword repeatedly. Every strike cut through the tough, thick lion hide and sank deep into flesh, even reaching the Chimera's soft internal organs.

"Awroo—"

The Chimera let out a pained wail, then endured the agony and swiped down with its claws.

But by then, the giant eagle rider had already reached its side and spotted the next opening.

"Momentum Cleave!"

As Alger finished one strike, he immediately followed through with a sideways slash, precisely cutting open the claw descending toward him.

The Chimera wailed again, all three heads snapping upward.

Eagle feathers scattered, and blood splashed everywhere.

Under Alger's exquisite control, the giant eagle swept past the Chimera's back, flanks, and belly again and again. His greatsword sent blood spraying from the beast time after time, while the Chimera could not so much as touch a single feather.

That was the difference between a beast and a Fighter.

The Wyverns beat their wings and moved forward, trying to assist.

But they could barely protect themselves.

Before long, every Wyvern was surrounded and harassed by a small formation of seven or eight Eagle Guards. They could only rage helplessly, screeching nonstop as their tails stabbed wildly in every direction.

"Iger, up on the left."

Excitement crept into Alger's voice. Every time he slew a large monster like this, his blood surged.

"I'm taking this thing's Wings!"

"Shriek!"

With a sharp eagle cry, Alger and the giant eagle became a black shadow diving toward the increasingly disoriented Chimera.

Just as his greatsword was about to cut into its dragon wing—

"Fireball!"

A blazing fireball shot from the ground toward the giant eagle.

Lang Pu, the Ogre Mage, had been watching from the ground for a long time, waiting for an opportunity when they let their guard down.

"Iger!"

Alger shouted, twisting his body to adjust their direction.

In the middle of its dive, the giant eagle forcibly banked sideways, narrowly evading the fireball's blast once again.

Only the feathers on its right wing were grazed by the flames, leaving behind a charred streak.

But after adjusting in midair once already, its posture was now somewhat awkward.

The Chimera also came to its senses and realized this was a rare opportunity. Yet its accumulating wounds had nearly driven it mad, and it wanted only to vent the rage it had been bottling up.

With a roar, it fiercely swung its Lion Claw.

"Bang!"

Eagle feathers flew, and blood splattered.

The giant eagle and the rider on its back were knocked more than ten meters away.

Yet even after such a blow, tumbling and spinning through the air, Alger still clamped his legs tightly and did not fall from the giant eagle.

"Iger, bank right!"

Not only did he not fall, he even adjusted his own center of gravity to help the injured giant eagle stabilize itself. Spreading its Wings, it maintained the bare minimum needed to keep flying.

Seeing Alger still in the air, the Chimera grew even angrier and lunged at him head-on again.

"Eagle Guards, assemble!"

"This Chimera is nearly finished!"

Alger raised his sword high.

The Eagle Guards fighting the Wyverns nearby immediately scattered, gradually surrounding the Chimera from every direction and preparing to harass it again in formation.

Arrows flew in from all directions, while cavalry lances charged in from behind from time to time.

The Chimera was already covered in wounds and at its limit.

Though the Chimera was not very intelligent, it knew things would go badly if this continued. It simply could not endure the constant harassment of these hateful "flies."

Thus, all three of the Chimera's heads let out hoarse hisses together. It made several feigned lunges, then seized the chance while the Eagle Guards scattered to evade and turned to flee.

It intended to retreat into a cave and hold out there.

Alger instantly saw through the Chimera's intentions.

"It's running!"

"Eagle Guards, prepare for a mass charge!"