11.) Flame Griffin pt.2

"We run now!"

Kris tugged on Dawn's hand as the two began to run for their lives with an angry territorial Flame Griffin chasing after them.

"Neko-chan!" Dawn activated her contract and said, "Kris, we gotta attack! We can't just keep running!" shouted Dawn, to which Kris threw her an angry look.

"And how do you suggest we take out this stupid Flame Griffin!?"

"By attacking its legs and eyes! We gotta be quick and not give it enough time to build up its fire attacks!" After advising Kris on what to do, Dawn backflipped in the air and began throwing fire blasts at the griffin's legs.

"This woman is going to be the death of me," muttered Kris, before yelling, "Commander of the Undead! Obey and rise from the dirt!"

Dawn saw an ominous black spell circle shine underneath Kris's feet and from it arose black skeleton monsters carrying old swords and spears that they used to attack the Flame Griffin's hindquarters.

'So a necromancer, huh?' Dawn began to wonder about the identity of Kris's banker.

The Flame Griffin, on the other hand, didn't like that he was being teamed up against and released its fiery wings and shot out blades of fire that reduced half of Kris's skeleton army.

Dawn's new speed and reflexes allowed her to dodge most of the fire blades that were hurled her way, but she couldn't say the same for Kris. The boy's speed was nowhere near Neko-Dawn's level. The skeleton that he assigned to protect him had diminished after a single hit from the Flame Griffin's attack.

Left on his own, there was no way he could dodge all those incoming flame blades. Dawn saw that he was in danger and rushed to Kris's side, picking him up and carrying him to a location that offered protection from the Flame Griffin's attack.

"Stay here while I attack in the open!" Dawn told the boy before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Realizing that Dawn had saved him for a second time, Kris knew he had to get a better grasp on his ability.

When Kris first awoke his ability, he could only summon the skeletons of small rodents like rats and squirrels, but as he started leveling up, he started summoning actual human skeletons, but he soon learned that summoning skeletons and controlling them were two different things

The first skeleton he summoned almost tried to kill him!

'I can't drag her down!'

Pushing his insecurities behind, Kris concentrated on at least trying to keep some of his skeletons alive as he watched in awe as Dawn maneuvered her body through the air and ground like a professional gymnast.

"She may be a little crazy in the head, but she's got skill!" smirked Kris, watching Dawn land on the creature's wide back and dug her claws, causing it to thrash around, leaving itself open for Kris's skeletons to launch attacks.

'Yes! We're weakening it!' Dawn cheered and hope swelled in her chest as she continued to stab the Flame Griffin back.

Dawn was just about to claw at its torso when she felt something wrap around her leg and fling her into the air. Tossed in midair before she could question what was happening to her, she had the breath knocked out of her by the Flame Griffin's tail.

"Dawn!"

Kris panicked, calling out the girl's name as her body got smacked into the wall of the volcano by the griffin's tail. Before she could fall, her body was picked up by the Flame Griffin's tail again and slammed right into the ground.

'That son of bitch is toying with her!'

Kris gritted his teeth and mentally cursed, watching the Flame Griffin toss and slam Dawn's body repeatedly into the ground or the mountain walls like it was playing with a ball.

Dawn's entire body ached. She coughed up blood that spattered on the ground. When the monster slammed her one last time on the ground. She forced herself to stand, but the pain was too great, causing her to fall back down.

'I gotta get up. I must move, but... its hurts so much!'

Dawn couldn't stop the rush of tears that fell down her face, after hearing the Flame Griffin's mighty roar. She saw it glaring down at her, opening its mouth, ready to roast and devour her as fire built up in its belly.

"Damn it, Dawn, get out of there!" Dawn could hear Kris's voice, but couldn't find the strength to move.

'I thought I had changed, but I haven't. I guess... I really can't live up to you.'

The person who Dawn was referring to was none other than the main heroine of World Savior. The one person who she idolized and envied at the same time.

Ara was a girl who lived a sad and pitiful life before the start of the story. She was a daughter despised by her stepmother and unloved by her father. The one labeled as her younger sister, a girl graced with beauty and popularity, looked down upon her eldest sister as if she was nothing more than a speck of dust.

Ara felt she had no place in the world for a long time, but then the apocalypse happened, and her life took a drastic turn. Like many others, Ara became embroiled in a sick game organized for beings who reigned in higher realms.

Beings who belonged to various mythologies or mentioned in the Bible of Christianity and watched from afar, either benefiting from the events or seeing it as some form of entertainment to pass the time.

While trapped in the {Labyrinth of Diyu}, Ara almost lost her life many times, but she fought destiny and refused to perish which helped shaped and improve her character. Remembering the hell she had to endure while undergoing the {Labyrinth of Diyu}, Ara once quoted,

'Those who are weak can do nothing but cry and whine. While those who are strong, even when faced with uncertainty, will rise and rebel. In this new world, I'd rather die, knowing I fought and rebelled than give up like a coward!'

Recalling this empowering speech, Dawn regained her strength. "I might not be as cool as Ara, but..." Dawn wiped her bloodstained mouth, glaring at the Flame Griffin that still had its mouth open.

"I refuse to go down crying like a big baby! If I am to die, it should only be in a cool fashion!" Forgetting her pain, Dawn disappeared in a blink of an eye. Her figure was nothing but a blur, clawing viciously at the giant monster's body like its faces, legs, and anywhere she could reach as each wound burned with her purple flames.

Jumping high in the air, Dawn summoned a giant fireball that flew into the Flame Griffin's mouth.

"Chew on this, you oversized turkey!"

With this finishing move, the wounds all over the Flame Griffin erupted with purple flames, including its eyes and mouth, as the monster burst into pieces. Pieces of its dead remains fell from the sky, engulfed with purple flames.

Kris would've cheered for their victory, but that would have to wait. When he saw Dawn unconscious and descending from the high altitude, he ran with everything he had to catch her.