The grotesque gargoyle stood nearly two meters tall, its demonic wings spanning over five meters even halfway folded. It flew straight towards him, occupying nearly the entire space as a fierce gust of wind swept over. Brand's breath hitched, realizing he had no room to dodge.
He immediately raised his right hand and shouted with all his might, "Oss!"
A buzzing sound—
The air in the narrow space expanded forward with a sharp whistle, followed by four booming sounds, the embedded glowing crystals in the tomb wall shattered one after another— the spiraling wind bullet struck the winged beast head-on, the knife-like currents crashing against the monster's iron-like surface, scattering in all directions. But the gargoyle's body bent backward as if a kite with its string snapped, plummeting back.
A loud thud echoed from afar, dust billowing in the tunnel.
Brand coughed once amidst the smoke and grabbed his sword, rushing forward. His game experience told him that gargoyles have 60 life points, and one wind bullet wasn't enough to take it down easily.
Indeed, he found the heavily injured gargoyle behind the smoke, its half-broken wing completely shattered, oozing a neon blue liquid that formed a bright line on the ground. The creature opened its mouth and let out a string of screams towards Brand, while its other claw hung limply down, seemingly hurt.
Strike while the iron is hot!
Without thinking, Brand stepped forward, swung his sword with all his strength, and delivered a blow. The first strike hit the monster's chest with a clang, catching it off guard and pushing it back a step.
The second strike followed immediately, but the gargoyle instinctively spread its wings to shield itself, the longsword sparking against its iron-hard wing.
Exhausting all his strength still resulted in futile attacks, Brand felt his wounds were about to burst open. Yet, he didn't lose hope; the previous attacks were meant to force the gargoyle into a defensive state—this was the chance he needed to bypass the creature.
But the gargoyle screeched, flaring its wings, and a force of four energy levels surged like a powerful tide. Brand's longsword slipped from his hand, clanging against the tomb wall, and landed far down the tunnel.
He himself was hurled against the wall on the other side, letting out a muffled groan, his body almost falling apart. Only his mind stayed alert: Brand realized that the creature's unexpected move had brought him close to Girande's tomb chamber.
This thought cleared his mind like a calming agent, guiding him to understand his next move. He shouted, mustering up his strength and, despite the tearing pain, struggled to stand and charged towards that direction.
Gargoyles are mechanical beings, typically guarding tombs in places like this, so there must be something that commands them. Right, the Stone Ghost Talisman!
Opportunity knocks but once.
The light ahead grew increasingly bright, the gentle white glow warm enough to soothe the soul and calm the spirit. But Brand's heart still pounded; he had only seconds left to live, his success hinging on this moment.
He then heard the sound of a heavy object swooping behind him, his heart tightened, instinct honed through countless battles made him leap forward, but he was still a second late. In mid-air, Brand felt a tight grip on his ankle—the cold gargoyle had extended its long claw and dragged him back.
Brand crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up blood. Although he had faced worse in the game, none had felt as urgent as this moment; failure meant death, what could he do?
Unyielding Talent had ten seconds left, should he gamble on it? This thought illuminated his mind like a ray of light.
He gritted his teeth, flipped over, and as if divinely inspired, raised his right hand once more, aiming his finger with the glowing cold ring at the gargoyle—
Eight seconds.
A flicker of fear appeared in the gargoyle's green eyes. It screeched and flew backward, releasing its grip on Brand's claw instinctively. Bujia's wizard craftsmen were undoubtedly the smartest in the world, creating war creatures that were both strong and deceitful. Yet at this moment, Brand took advantage of this characteristic—
Wisdom is like a double-edged sword or the tempting apple hanging on a tree. Once a being has wisdom, it learns to think, fear, and preserve itself.