"Target has reached the designated position — activate!"
Urgent transmission voices, carried through secret marks, rang out simultaneously across five locations.
Upon hearing the signal, Leilin let a crimson glow emanate from his hand and pressed it directly onto the stone pillar before him.
Boom!
A tremendous surge of spell array power erupted in an instant. Multicolored spell light blazed to life, enveloping the vulture flock like a cage.
"Gaagaa!" The Vulture King let out a sharp cry. The fleshy caruncle atop its head rapidly flushed red, swelled in size, and then detonated!
"Eeeeek!"
Piercing sonic waves reverberated endlessly through the array. The remaining Grevv vultures trembled in unison, their own head caruncles pulsing as if amplifying the sound.
"This kind of attack…" Leilin's eyes widened. His head felt like it had been struck with a hammer — dizzy and muddled.
Under the bombardment of sonic waves, the spiritual light on the array flickered violently, nearly sputtering out entirely.
"This beast's attack is actually that powerful — and with the flock amplification effect! If the vultures from before were still here, it would have shattered our trap in a single blow!"
"Abandon the original plan — move directly to Phase Two!"
Lancer's voice crackled through the secret mark, tinged with considerable agitation.
"Received!"
Leilin whispered to the secret mark and swiftly shifted into a new spell configuration.
"Array self-destruct sequence initiated. Estimated time: ten seconds." The Chip's notification rang out at that moment.
"Move!" Leilin glanced at the vulture flock still thrashing within the array and swiftly vacated his position.
Boom!!
Ten seconds later, at the original stone forest, a violent explosion erupted.
Shockwaves swept outward. Black flames surged skyward.
Within the inferno, multicolored potion powders and other substances burst apart and dissipated in all directions.
To increase the array's self-destruct威力, Leilin had added large quantities of Explosive Potion, Combustion Potion, and other substances into the mix.
"Haha! Beasts will always be beasts!"
Watching the vulture silhouettes writhing in the flames, the big fellow let out a satisfying laugh.
Two thin lines of blood trailed from beside his ears — clearly, the Vulture King's earlier attack had not left him unscathed.
"This Vulture King has awakened a racial ability! The caruncle on its head can emit sonic attacks, and it receives amplification from the flock. The danger rating needs to go up at least two levels! When we get back, I'm making those merchant scoundrels pay up!"
The old man cursed and grumbled.
"Pay negotiation later — there's still a big one to deal with!" Leilin pointed toward the center of the explosion.
The flames gradually died down, and from where the stone forest once stood, a colossal bird wreathed in fire emerged.
The Vulture King's blood-red plumage had been burned away across most of its body, the rest scorched jet-black. Its crown was bare, with a large patch of blood — a comical sight. But not one of them dared underestimate it.
"That explosion had at least thirty degrees of power, and it still…" Lancer's jaw dropped in shock.
"It's not some frail wizard after all — it's a high-energy creature renowned for its powerful physical body!" Leilin said quickly. "Go stop it — it's going to flee!"
"Damn it!" The leader cursed through gritted teeth, watching the Vulture King struggle to take flight on its battered wings. He immediately began chanting a spell.
Moments later, pale cyan breezes gathered across his back, coalescing into two enormous wings of light blue energy.
"I've been the bait and the interceptor — I'm getting an extra share when this is over!"
The old man roared, beating his conjured wings and propelling himself airborne.
Whoosh! The old man's speed was impressive, and his aerial maneuvers were remarkably agile — he had clearly devoted considerable effort to this skill.
"Gaagaa!" The Vulture King shrieked in fury. Unfortunately, with most of its wings severely damaged, it was now outmatched in the air.
After several circling passes, the old man seized an opening and pierced the Vulture King's wing with a beam of green light.
Bam!!
With one wing crippled, the Vulture King lost balance and plummeted to the ground, sending up a huge spray of sand.
"Now!"
Lancer, Leilin, and the other three rushed in, surrounding the Vulture King on all sides.
Blood seeped from multiple wounds across the Vulture King's body. Looking at the wizards closing in around it and the figures circling overhead, an unmistakable expression of despair surfaced in its eyes.
"Haha! Damned beast — I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands!"
The big fellow snickered coldly. A layer of grey-green stone skin materialized across his body as he lunged at the Vulture King.
"Gaagaa!"
The Vulture King's cry soared to a piercing pitch. It beat its wings!
Its sole intact right wing sliced through the air like a blade — each feather bristling like steel. It collided head-on with the big fellow's fist.