If I Couldn't Beat Them, I'd Run

Berserk was shorthand for a state in which all attributes were enhanced. Since most Berserk effects caused mental instability under the massive boost in power, it was given the word "berserk."

Generally speaking, Berserk effects mostly appeared in support-type skills. For example, the famous Berserk Team relied on a Ruyi Disk Spirit Master to cast Berserk. Even Oscar, the future Food God, had a fourth soul skill that was a Berserk effect without backlash.

However, for most top-tier Beast Martial Souls, there was basically a state similar to Berserk. The ultimate state pursued by the Strength Clan, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's unique Dragon Transformation, and even the manga-original character Ouyang Sun's Berserk state under his innate Ultimate Evil Body.

Although the Griffin was not ranked alongside the Titan Giant Ape, it could still be considered a top-tier Beast Martial Soul. Its ability to unleash a Berserk-like state surprised Flender, yet also made perfect sense.

Crack, crack, crack...

The Griffin before him grew even larger. Its powerful body even propped up the tops of the surrounding Iron Tree Forest, producing strange, crisp sounds.

Flender wondered if it was an illusion, but he felt a sudden chill in the wind around him.

"Shriek!"

After an ear-splitting roar, the Griffin charged straight at Flender. Its explosive speed left milky-white trails in the air.

Its ferocious lion claws lunged at him, and the bone-deep wounds had already healed instantly in its Berserk state.

Bang!

A gale exploded toward him like a cannonball, and the massive lion claw nearly brushed past Flender's nose.

!

"This lion is already going berserk?" Flender cursed inwardly. Only by focusing with all his might did he narrowly evade it, relying on the wind that arrived in advance under the Wind Domain.

But the Griffin's movements had already become almost crazed. Its claws struck without pause, tearing apart everything before them like a typhoon sweeping through.

With a crack, wind blades erupted from the Griffin's claw tips and slammed into a patch of Iron Tree Forest. Countless broken chunks of trees crashed to the ground.

Flender's wings tensed behind him. The wind he sensed told him that if he dared take even one claw strike from the Griffin before him, he would die on the spot.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

Earthquake-like thunderous impacts spread through the Iron Tree Forest. Every explosion marked another cluster of iron trees being shredded into fragments.

Flender danced through the air, performing the most dangerous waltz with the enormous Griffin.

Every physical attack from the Griffin stirred the wind in the air, and once those advance gusts reached Flender, they became his strength instead.

The moment the wind came, Flender knew he had to move quickly, dodging like a fly.

Looking levelly at the Griffin before him, Flender's eyes were filled with a hunter's calm.

This big fellow was far stronger than him, but that did not matter. They were both wind, yet it could not run as fast as he could~

Even if one mistake would basically mean his death, Flender was an agility-attack Spirit Master who had survived on this survival-of-the-fittest continent all the way to Spirit Saint rank. He had even made Zhao Wuji, a power-attack type, acknowledge him as boss. That meant only one thing!

"To this day, I've never made a mistake, and I won't start now!"

Flender gave himself a shout of encouragement. This big cat's Berserk state clearly came with a severe loss of intelligence. It probably would not last long. If he stalled, he would see the light of hope.

Besides...

Bang!

The Griffin struck with a claw. Terrifying power accompanied the hurricane, forming several tangible wind blades that rushed toward Flender, intent on slicing him into pieces.

Flender raised his wings, and his body drifted like a feather swept up by a gale. Before the wind blades could reach him, he leisurely evaded them once more.

A dull rumble sounded as the wind blades missed and struck the ground. Waves of dirt rolled up, leaving several trenches over ten meters long and several meters deep.

Now!

Seizing the opening in the Griffin's movements, while one of its claws had struck down and had yet to withdraw, the darkest and blackest of the six Spirit Rings around Flender lit up with a hum.

Sixth Martial Soul Skill—Soaring Ten Thousand Miles Body!

A hurricane gathered around Flender's entire body, spinning at high speed like an ocean vortex. His speed increased by one hundred percent, his defense rose by twenty percent, and his wind-attribute energy strengthened.

A violent gale erupted in the Iron Tree Forest. With the Wind Domain's enhancement, Flender's entire body became like a rapidly spinning drill as he thrust back toward the Griffin.

The Griffin reacted instantly. Its other lion claw immediately swatted at Flender, tearing the air apart layer by layer with its sharp talons and leaving streaks in the air.

"My speed is above yours!"

With a hum, the wind surged again, clinging to the Griffin like sticky candy. The Ultimate Wind erupted once more.

!

The Griffin's movements faltered. In that nearly imperceptible instant of lag, a smile rose on Flender's face. The high-speed whirlwind immediately skimmed past the Griffin's claw tips and ruthlessly slammed into the wings on its back.

A crisp crack rang out, and the Griffin let out another roar.

The hurricane around Flender dispersed. He immediately beat his wings and pulled away from high in the air.

The Griffin's body swayed crookedly, and one of its wings bent downward at an unnatural angle.

With a flick of his finger, Flender withdrew the Ultimate Wind that had been wrapped around the Griffin to suppress it, maintaining only the bare minimum needed for the Wind Domain.

"Whew..."

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Flender narrowed his eyes at the Griffin before him.

He still had half his Soul Power left, but he had already damaged the Griffin at its core. If he dragged things out until its Berserk state ended, the chances of killing it would be extremely high!

Maintaining one hundred percent evasion and energy suppression consumed an enormous amount of Soul Power, yet Flender had been fighting for less than five minutes.

"Not bad. At least I'm a little better than Ultraman's three minutes, when it comes to duration."

Flender comforted himself with that jab. After resting for a few seconds, he immediately tried to confront the Griffin again.

But for some reason, the Griffin across from Flender suddenly stabilized. Its deep eagle eyes swept over the surroundings, seemingly flickering with a trace of clarity.

"Shriek!"

It cried out again, but Flender could tell that the emotion behind this cry was completely different.

Elsewhere, the Royal Griffin was charging forward while fighting four opponents alone. Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and held on, several bloody holes and scars already covering his body.

Li Yusong had three deep claw marks across his chest. Although healing candy beans had treated him in time, his face was still slightly pale from excessive blood loss.

The cry of the ninety-thousand-year Griffin rang out. The Royal Griffin suddenly paused, immediately turned toward the other Griffin, and flew off with a beat of its wings.

"Don't even think about leaving!"

Zhao Wuji could not accept it. His iron-green face was filled with indignation as he roared and lunged after it.

But he was too slow. Though he leaped forward with all his strength, he still could not catch up to the Royal Griffin.

In an instant, the large and small Griffins were about to meet.

Flender made a decisive move. Who knew whether this Royal Griffin had some ridiculous technique? He summoned the wind, intending to intercept the two of them.

But...

The gale pressed down, and the Royal Griffin's movements immediately halted. The wind within its body was like loyal ministers meeting a wise and mighty king, instantly kneeling in submission.

"Shriek!"

The Royal Griffin immediately cried out, making an extremely uncomfortable sound.

The other Griffin did the same. It cast Flender a deep look, and then...

Hum!

The Griffin violently beat its one remaining wing, forcibly lifting its body into the air. Then it smashed through a section of the Iron Tree Forest and plunged deeper into the woods.

The Royal Griffin followed closely behind it.

Flender froze for a moment, then immediately realized what the two Griffins intended to do!

They wanted to run!