"Eeeeeeek!!!!" A piercing shriek startled everyone. The Griffin was going down!
Up until this moment, even though the people below were cheering, they hadn't actually been able to see much of the fight. The battle had been raging a hundred feet in the air, and from the ground, they could only make out a tiny speck zipping around erratically. They could barely distinguish the human figure on the Griffin's back, repeatedly swinging a long sword. While the monster hadn't visibly bled, its agonizing screams made it clear that the brave fighter was inflicting serious damage.
What was most thrilling, however, was that the monster's recent shriek was clearly laced with terror and pain. Any experienced soldier knew what that meant: the monster was finished.
Sure enough, right after that ear-splitting scream, the tumbling speck in the sky began to grow larger. They were falling!
At this point, people could finally make out the figure fighting the Griffin—it was a Golden Knight! But the first thought that flashed through everyone's mind when they saw his armor was: The Lion!
His magnificent, ornate armor—a mix of gold and silver—was covered in so many lion motifs. Both of the Knight's shoulder plates featured sculptures of roaring lions, as did the center of his breastplate. The carvings were so lifelike that with every movement the Knight made, it looked as if the lions themselves were roaring in anger. The blue surcoat he wore was shredded, but the faint outline of a roaring lion could still be seen on the scraps, likely the Knight's personal crest.
---
While everyone's attention was fixed on the struggle between the Knight and the Griffin, no one noticed that King Uther's face had changed. There was surprise, disbelief, and a flicker of unmistakable hope.
He could never forget that crest!
The Roaring Lion Crest—it was the new family sigil he had personally granted to his son, Kay, the child upon whom he had placed all his hopes! Just moments ago, he had believed he would never see that crest again in his lifetime. Yet, the impossible was happening right before his eyes.
But King Uther couldn't bring himself to ask or confirm. It felt soft, unlike the King's personality, but he simply couldn't open his mouth. He was terrified of disappointment. This was a form of avoidance, a kind of self-deception, but Uther still chose to be momentarily weak.
Meanwhile, Prince Arthur was watching with rapt attention. He admired the warrior's courage while simultaneously envying the Knight's incredible armor.
It was absolutely gorgeous.
In Camelot, a basic set of Knight's armor cost around two hundred gold coins, the price of about forty cows. Arthur conservatively estimated that this warrior's Roaring Lion armor would cost at least five thousand gold coins. Such a price was something Arthur felt he could only dream about.
He knew his father would never shell out that kind of money for him. King Uther might have a reputation as a tyrant, but his private life was surprisingly disciplined, not extravagant. He was an exceptionally frugal king, both with himself and his son. Asking him to pay for such a flashy suit of armor for his son was simply out of the question.
As the Griffin let out another panicked shriek, the onlookers got a better look. It turned out that the warrior, who seemed to come out of nowhere, had tied the Griffin with a golden rope. It was this rope that allowed him to fight the beast in mid-air.
This only increased the crowd's awe of the warrior's bravery. To challenge a Griffin in the air with just a rope—was he incredibly skillful and daring, or just plain reckless?
The rope bound one of the Griffin's wings and a front claw, severely restricting its ability to fly. Its movements were clumsy and the creature looked unstable. Because its attacks were disjointed and awkward due to the rope, the Knight was able to seize the opportunity and deliver a brutal beating.
As the Griffin plummeted rapidly, the audience began to gasp. They didn't know what would happen to the Griffin, but the Knight was surely in for a bad time.
Perhaps the gasps of the crowd warned the Knight. Just as the Griffin was about to crash behind the castle wall, the Knight grabbed the rope and used the momentum of the Griffin's struggle to swing himself onto its back. He then quickly used the rope to loop around the Griffin's neck, planting one foot firmly on the neck and pulling backward with all his might.
The pull forced the Griffin's head sharply upward. The sudden jerk caused the monster's body to instinctively try to climb, but they were already too close to the ground. Combined with the rope still tightly restricting the wing, the Griffin didn't have the leverage to ascend immediately.
The man and the beast crashed directly into a stone house not far from the castle wall.
All buildings in Camelot were made of stone, so the impact was earth-shattering. Fortunately, the alarm bells had rung when the Griffin first approached, and the residents near the wall had already fled to the city center for safety, preventing casualties.
The crowds on the castle wall immediately rushed to the inner side to continue watching the spectacle.
---
Thankfully, King Uther was a competent ruler and didn't let curiosity consume him. He made the correct choice, drawing the longsword from his hip and pointing it in the direction the Griffin had fallen.
"Camelot! Charge!!!"
The surrounding Knights and soldiers finally snapped out of their daze. This was no time for sightseeing. Now was the best chance to finish the Griffin while it was injured; if it escaped, it would be the common people of Camelot who suffered.
One by one, they rushed down from the wall.
Just as they were descending, a tremendous sound of shattering stone erupted from the collapsed house, and a massive creature burst through the ruins.
It was the Griffin!
It was alive!
However, judging by its ruffled feathers, matted fur, and the blood trickling from its front leg and head, it was clearly in bad shape. Seeing this, the soldiers and Knights quickened their pace.
The Griffin was a magical creature and very intelligent. The moment it regained consciousness, it knew it had to retreat or it would be captured. So, the instant it burst from the rubble, it prepared to flee.
But as it turned to take to the sky, a massive jolt of force hit its throat, wing, and front claw, flipping the huge creature onto the ground.
The rope was still tied to it!
"Ha ha ha, I finally caught you! You really thought I'd let you get away?" A cheerful masculine voice called out from the ruins. "It's time for Round Two!"
It turned out that the Knight who fought the Griffin was also fine. At some point, he had secured the rope to a giant stone block, which was partly buried deep in the ground and very stable—there was no chance the Griffin could break free.
As soon as the man finished speaking, he unclipped a large battle-axe from his belt and charged toward the Griffin.
The Griffin reacted quickly. Hearing the man's voice, it immediately rolled over, pointing its head toward him. Seeing the man charge with the axe, the Griffin's eyes flashed fiercely, and it rose to meet him. It understood that to escape, it had to eliminate this man.
The Griffin was huge, standing nearly six and a half feet tall at the shoulder, and its charge was intimidating. But the man didn't hesitate, instead accelerating his own run. The moment they were about to collide, the Griffin suddenly reared up on its hind legs and lunged with its two front claws, aiming for the man's head from above.
The attack was completely unexpected. Though the man reacted instantly, he was still struck on the head. His quick reflexes saved him, however; he managed to lean back just as the claws hit, preventing the Griffin from getting a solid grip.
The blow only managed to rip the Knight's Lion-crested face-guard off his helmet, sparing the Knight himself. While the force of the Griffin's attack sent the man tumbling backward, he immediately rolled back to his feet and darted low toward the Griffin's side.
As the man reached the monster's flank, his body seemed to spring off the ground. He leaped into the air, swinging his battle-axe in a wide arc and bringing it down hard on the Griffin's head.
CLANG!
A deafening sound of metal on metal echoed. On the surface, the Griffin seemed unharmed, though sparks flew. But the sheer force of the blow made the monster's body stagger sideways.
Before the Griffin could recover, the man's attacks came one after another. He ignored the recoil in his axe and attacked even more ferociously. The battle-axe was a blur in his hands.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Seven continuous, non-stop strikes, all landing on the exact same spot on the Griffin's head!
When the assault ceased, the Griffin's massive body crashed to the ground like a felled tree and did not move again.
It was at this moment that King Uther finally arrived with his men.
The man turned to face the crowd.
When he saw King Uther leading the charge, the man broke into a wide smile. King Uther, upon seeing the man's face, froze completely, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The man ignored the King's shock, naturally placing the battle-axe on the ground. He put his left hand on the upper joint of his right arm, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and said, "My respects to you, Your Majesty!"
Arthur, having been delayed helping his trailing friend Merlin, arrived a few steps later and witnessed the scene.
"Kay!"