Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 493 - 493 232 Soaring Ambitions

493: Chapter 232 Soaring Ambitions 493: Chapter 232 Soaring Ambitions The Pegasus knights formed up into tight aerial combat formations, resembling a flock of geese, streaking swiftly through the gloomy skies.

The two armies clashed fiercely in the heavens.

The Forbidden Guards wielded their revolving crossbows, which hummed and thrummed with powerful vibrations as they fired continuously.

With each mechanical click of the arrow nest, a crossbow arrow shrieked through the air, racing toward distant targets.

The Silver Mountain revolving crossbows, expensive enough to arm fully armored knights, were held indulgently in the hands of the King’s Guards, every soldier carrying one as if it were commonplace.

The dense volleys created a hedgehog-like rain of arrows that blanketed every direction, forcing the Scorpion-tailed Lions to circle defensively around the Orland knights, unable to approach in the short term.

Meanwhile, the Kantadar Lion Scorpion knights repeatedly drew their battle bows, firing arrows toward the soaring Pegasus knights in the skies.

But at distances of tens or even hundreds of meters, with both sides constantly maneuvering and flipping, the knights’ archery skills in mid-air were far less accurate than on the ground.

Whether their arrows hit relied almost entirely on the blessings of their ancestors and the gods.

Yet even relying solely on luck, just a few stray arrows injuring the wings of the flying war beasts—without even needing to kill the enemy—could permanently cripple a Sky Knight’s ability to engage in aerial combat.

This was what made aerial warfare far deadlier than battles on land.

Nonetheless, compared to the battle bows in the hands of the Kantadar Lion Scorpion knights, the Orland Sky Knights had the advantage at long-range skirmishes, as long as their crossbows weren’t depleted.

The King’s Guards used the crossbows’ mounted aiming sights, pulling triggers for precise rapid shots.

Once their ammunition ran out, they unreservedly discarded the costly empty revolving mechanisms, immediately replacing them with new arrow nests.

The more heavily burdened Scorpion-tailed Lions, their resilience bolstered by comprehensive armor, forced their way closer despite the danger posed by the rain of arrows.

Once the close-quarters aerial melee began, the fierce Lion Scorpions could easily kill the Pegasi beneath the Orland knights, potentially ending the fight in an overwhelmingly one-sided slaughter within moments.

…The roars of lions shook the heavens; the screams of horses pierced the air.

Bowstrings vibrated; arrows occasionally ricocheted off the armor of knights and war beasts.

Sometimes knights and mounts struck by arrows descended into the forest below in desperate bids to survive.

The blood-soaked conflict shifted from sky to land as grounded knights continued the broader battle that had started above…

Leon leaned forward, gripping tightly to the Griffin’s saddle, emerging from the clouds.

Spotting the skirmish below, he commanded Death Claw to accelerate its charge.

Closing in on the lower airspace of the battlefield, and before his enemies detected his high-altitude dive, Leon manifested Garner from its elemental state on his right arm, aiming a Thunder Spear at a Scorpion-tailed Lion lunging toward a Pegasus knight.

—Boom!

Thunder roared.

The falling lightning bolt immediately severed the Lion Scorpion’s flight path.

Blue arcs of electricity pierced its fleshy wings, shattering the bones within them.

Learning from past lessons, Leon targeted the war beast under the enemy knight.

Blood sprayed as the Scorpion-tailed Lion let out a pained roar, flailing unbalanced as it plummeted downward.

The terrifying weight of Death Claw combined with its dive’s velocity, wings brushing past the battling Lion Scorpions and Pegasus knights below.

With a pull of his right arm, Leon recalled the Magic Gun, joining his Griffin companion as they plunged into the fray.

Unfazed by the aerial overlord Scorpion-tailed Lions, unlike the Pegasi that needed to avoid their close-range attacks, the Griffin relied on its superior physical prowess to dominate.

Leon evaded the occasional stray arrow and closed in on the nearest Lion Scorpion, launching a direct assault.

From the saddle atop his war beast, Leon quickly assessed threats within his field of vision.

Raising the weighty Silver Mountain crossbow in his left hand, he fired repeatedly at a Lion Scorpion attempting to flank the Griffin’s rear.

The precious powerful crossbow borrowed from the King’s Domain army unleashed Breaking Sky Arrows, striking the head armor of the Scorpion-tailed Lion, forcing it to veer off course, narrowly avoiding an arrow nearly hitting its eye.

A Kantadar Lion Scorpion knight released his bowstring as his mount twisted its body, firing arrows at Leon while their paths crossed.

Leon shifted minutely, allowing one sharp arrow to hit the thick, sturdy armor of the Griffin’s back.

In a swift counter, he aimed at the massive wings of the enemy mount, firing the last arrow from the loaded nest.

—Swish!

The arrow pierced the Lion Scorpion’s fleshy wing, leaving a gaping wound.

Though insufficient to down the beast, the injury caused it enough pain to lose control, becoming more agitated and harder for the rider to manage.

Spying the Scorpion-tailed Lion behind him circling for pursuit, Leon prepared to respond—but suddenly felt a jolt, as the saddle straps and chains securing him wrenched his body.

His vision spun wildly.

Beneath him, his Griffin was roaring ferociously.

Death Claw had collided head-on with another charging Scorpion-tailed Lion, and the two airborne behemoths were now locked in savage combat.

Their vastly different wings spread wide, great beak against sharp fangs, talons against claws.

Rolling in a bloody descent, their primal battle unfolded.

The Griffin’s steel-hard beak ignored the Lion Scorpion’s horns and fangs, smashing its lower jaw to pieces.

The frantically resisting Lion Scorpion lashed its venomous tail, stabbing through a gap in Death Claw’s Griffin Armor.

The upside-down Kantadar knight discarded his battle bow, seizing a cavalry spear from his back and twisting his body to stab it fiercely at the Griffin’s eagle eyes.

With quick reflexes, Leon abandoned the chain-hung crossbow, twisting his body forcefully.

He swung Garner with both hands, meeting the enemy’s spear head-on while channeling Magic Power into his wand to summon a Gale.

—Thump!

A Wind Hammer burst forth from the magic position, crashing violently against the Lion Scorpion knight below.

The immense force snapped the iron chains securing the enemy to his saddle, throwing him off the Scorpion’s back.

Screaming, the knight fell freely from the sky hundreds of meters below, almost simultaneously as his Lion Scorpion was torn apart—its throat and abdomen shredded by the Griffin’s front and rear claws.

Death Claw’s wounds from the venomous tail stinger began to show a faint purple hue.

However, the toxins potent enough to paralyze dragon beasts and elephants failed to overwhelm the Griffin’s extraordinary immune system.

Feeling little effect, the airborne monarch abandoned the bloodied Lion Scorpion, rising with wingbeats in a climb, using its formidable flying capabilities to shake off another enemy attempting to keep up.

In mere moments, Leon and his Griffin had slain two enemy Scorpion-tailed Lions, reversing the perilous situation for the Pegasus knights.

Gaining height, Leon glanced back, scanning the skies to check how many Pegasus knights remained aloft.

Twelve…

Seven or eight Sky Knights were already unaccounted for, their fates unknown.

Surveying the heavy losses of his allies, Leon also fixed his gaze on the six remaining Lion Scorpion knights on the enemy’s side.

…Not enough.

The enemy must pay a heftier price to compensate for the Pegasus knights’ casualties in this battle.

Gripping the chains strapped to his body, Leon retrieved the crossbow he had just discarded.

Tucking Garner under his arm, he loaded a new arrow nest into the emptied device.

Loosening his hold, his right hand gripped the shaft of the weapon again.

Calling upon his partner to attack again, the Griffin roared and dove back into the fray, carrying Leon armed with both crossbow and Magic Gun.

The relieved Pegasus knights now flanked the Griffin rider in formation, regrouping for a counteroffensive.

Witnessing several comrades’ losses, the Kantadar Sky Knights seemed to lose their footing.

A leader among them, his cloak billowing, turned his mount and abruptly sounded a horn.

With nearly half their forces decimated, the remaining Scorpion-tailed Lion knights obeyed the order, ceasing their engagement with the Orland forces.

They broke away from combat, diving swiftly to lower altitudes and regrouping in a disorganized retreat.

Death Claw’s arrival had utterly turned the tide, changing what was previously an enemy-dominated battle into a near-total rout by the Orland forces…

…Under the dense canopy of the western riverbank’s forest, a few silent pairs of eyes watched the retreating Kantadar Lion Scorpion knights as they drew closer to the territory where their observers waited patiently.

Steadying himself against the rugged terrain, Archer held his massive bow and loaded a Dragon Hunting Heavy Arrow onto its string.

Beside him, other war leaders and skilled members of the tribe similarly nocked arrows and raised their bows.

“…Together with your horse-eating beasts, perish…” Urian muttered vengefully, channeling the hatred from their crushing defeat ten days ago.

His face contorted as veins bulged on his arms, slowly drawing back a bowstring requiring unimaginable strength.

The metal-covered bow shimmered faintly crimson, emitting unsettling creaks as its material strained under tension.

Finally, sensing the shadow of the Griffin enter their range, Archer released his string.

—Hum!

—Hum!—Hum!!

Several massive heavy arrows launched like cannonballs from various angles, roaring as they pierced through gaps in the treetops and surged toward the sky…