Chapter 69: Ember Malediction

The Highland Griffin screamed as she turned toward Zishan again.

The Captain had stopped trying to preserve distance. Fire Mana was already gathering around Zishan’s hand, Gravitic Anchor continued to weigh down the creature’s body, and Beast King’s Authority had pushed far enough into their Taming connection that staying in the air was getting worse with every passing second.

If the Captain wanted Zishan dead now, he would have to come closer.

Zishan watched her approach without moving from his position near the damaged barricades. The Captain had already seen what happened when he tried diving toward the ground while Gravitic Anchor remained active, so there was no reason for him to make the same mistake twice.

Which meant he probably thought Zishan would increase the pressure again.

Instead, Zishan did the opposite. The Gravity pressing against the Griffin weakened. Her descent changed at once.

The Captain noticed it as well. Zishan saw his posture shift while the Griffin’s wings adjusted, allowing her to accelerate without having to fight against the additional weight that had been dragging her down throughout the battle.

Zishan lowered his hand slightly. ’Come on.’

The Griffin descended farther as Wind Mana gathered along her wings. The Captain continued feeding Mana through their Taming connection, while Beast King’s Authority remained pressed against the bond and forced him to spend more just to keep Zishan from pushing any farther into it.

The distance between them disappeared much faster now.

Several soldiers farther behind Zishan moved away after realizing where the Griffin was headed. The Captain leaned lower against his mount and kept his attention fixed on the white-haired Soldier standing directly in their path, while Zishan could already feel the pressure of the creature’s approach.

’Closer.’

Wind Mana began compressing inside the Griffin’s open beak.

Zishan narrowed his eyes but held his position for another moment.

’Closer.’

The Griffin released the attack.

A concentrated burst of Wind tore downward, and Zishan activated Rift Steps before it reached him. He disappeared from her path and crossed several meters to the side, leaving an electrical wake behind him as Thunderwake continued running through his legs.

The Captain turned toward him, but Zishan was already raising his hand again.

Gravitic Anchor returned at full strength.

The sudden increase in Gravity caught the Griffin while she was still descending, dragging her lower before she could properly adjust her wings.

Her wings snapped wider as the Captain reacted and poured more Mana through their Taming connection, forcing the Griffin to resist the pressure before the descent became uncontrollable.

That was exactly what Zishan had been waiting for.

He maintained Gravitic Anchor with one hand while Fire Mana gathered around the other, compressing into something far smaller and more concentrated than Wildfire Requiem. The Captain noticed the change in Mana and looked toward Zishan’s other hand, his expression tightening when he realized another Skill was coming.

"EMBER MALEDICTION!"

Fire Mana shot toward the Captain while the Griffin passed low above the damaged defenses.

The Captain twisted in the saddle and released Mana around his body, trying to stop the Skill before it reached him. Part of the Fire Mana scattered against his defense, though enough still slipped through and entered his Mana circulation.

Nothing happened at first.

Then, the Captain forced another surge of Mana through his Taming connection to stabilize the Griffin.

Ember Malediction flared inside him.

His body jerked as the ember reacted to the Mana moving through his circulation.

The Griffin screamed as the Mana reinforcing her became unstable, and the connection Zishan had spent the last several minutes attacking fluctuated harder than before.

Zishan felt the resistance against Beast King’s Authority weaken and pushed harder into the bond. The Captain gritted his teeth and forced more Mana through the connection, trying to push Zishan’s influence back while maintaining his control over the Griffin.

His control was no longer as stable as before.

The Griffin lost more altitude before beating her wings harder in an attempt to climb against Gravitic Anchor.

Zishan watched the strain spreading through the connection. ’There.’

Wind Mana gathered around his arm while Beast King’s Authority continued pressing against the weakened bond.

The Griffin tried climbing into the air again.

The Captain was still fighting Ember Malediction inside his Mana circulation while forcing enough power into his mount to keep them from crashing, and Zishan could see the damaged outer section of the same wing Stormwing Rend had struck earlier.

He aimed directly at it as Wind Mana compressed around his arm.

"STORMWING REND!"

The crescent of compressed Wind tore upward. The Griffin tried to turn away, but Gravitic Anchor made the movement too slow, allowing the attack to catch the already damaged section of her wing and tear through it.

Her scream drowned out the noise around the station as the injured wing folded beneath the damage, destroying what little control she had managed to regain over her descent.

The Captain shouted something as the Griffin rolled sideways in the air, though Zishan could no longer make out the words. Mana exploded around them as the man tried to force enough power through their connection to correct the fall.

The Captain kept forcing Mana through their connection, and each attempt caused Ember Malediction to flare again inside his Mana circulation until his control finally broke.

Zishan tightened his hand and increased the pressure from Gravitic Anchor.

The Griffin crashed into the ground.

The impact tore through one of the already damaged barricades and sent soil, broken timber, and shattered stone across the surrounding area. Zishan raised his arm against the debris while several soldiers farther away ducked behind what remained of the defenses.

Dust swallowed the area where the Griffin had fallen, leaving Zishan unable to see either her or the Captain for several seconds.

However, he kept Gravitic Anchor active.

Nothing moved as the dust slowly began to settle.

One of the Griffin’s wings had twisted beneath her body. The other remained stretched across the ruined ground, with the section torn by Stormwing Rend bent at an angle that made Zishan look away for a moment.

The Captain had been thrown several meters from the saddle, and faint Mana still flickered around his body. Zishan’s expression tightened when one of the man’s arms moved against the ground.

He was still alive.

The Captain pushed his palm against the ground and tried raising himself. His armor had broken across one shoulder, blood covered part of his face, and the Taming connection between him and the Griffin had become so weak that Zishan could barely sense it.

Mana still gathered around him, though the moment he forced more of it through his body, Ember Malediction flared again and drove him back onto one elbow.

Zishan walked toward him.

The Captain raised his head and met his eyes.

Neither spoke.