Due to their size, Griffons need a stretch of ground to sprint and accelerate before they can take off. At low altitudes and low speeds, it is extremely easy for Griffons to fail at taking off.

If the Griffons resting on the ground were forced into the air, the Griffons of the Eternal Domain, already numerically inferior, would undoubtedly suffer significant losses in combat.

Moreover, observing the pre-battle reactions of these Griffons and Gryphon Knights, Yan Xing was certain they were not mercenaries at all.

Their quality suggested they were Temple warriors in disguise.

Facing a regular army, there was even more reason not to let them take flight.

The Eternal Domain's Griffons divided into several squads to implement hit-and-run tactics; some drew the attention of the airborne enemy Griffons while others sought opportunities to break through.

For the enemy Griffons facing such tactics, the best response would also be to divide their forces. However, in the heat of battle, communication was difficult. Separating was easy, but regrouping would be far more challenging.

His forces were already outnumbered in the air. If they divided further, the enemy could concentrate their superior numbers to pick them off one by one.

In aerial combat, both sides moved at extremely high speeds.

A moment's hesitation could create a major vulnerability; sometimes, even a wrong decision was better than indecision.

Yan Xing led his Griffons in several formations towards the enemy Griffons that were taking off. The defending Gryphon Knights reacted slower than he had anticipated.

It also somewhat exceeded Chui Chui's expectations.

She had just formulated an offensive strategy based on the anticipated reactions of a comparable enemy. Now, it seemed the crushing superiority of an information-based command system was exceptionally potent.

Chui Chui swiftly submitted the newly optimized attack plan to Yan Xing. After his approval, it was relayed to the Gryphon Knights organizing the attack.

The formation of Yan Xing's Griffons changed again. They shifted from a drawn-out line formation—meant for harassment and to stretch the enemy—to rapidly forming a spherical encirclement around the thirteen defending Griffons.

In the eyes of the defending Gryphon Knights, a monstrous warhorse that could gallop through the sky led thirty Griffons towards them in a wide front. Their attackers' formation looked scattered, yet it created the illusion of outnumbering the defenders severalfold.

It seemed as if the enemy intended to swallow them whole in one gulp.

The mercenary Griffons, arrayed in a defensive cover formation, quickly tightened their ranks, bracing for an aerial collision.

However, just as they tightened their formation, the opposing Griffons changed shape once more. Adopting a high-to-low diving attack formation, with the soaring warhorse as their spearhead, they charged the Griffons below who had not yet fully taken off.

These consecutive formation changes were executed in little more than ten seconds. They successfully feinted the defending Griffons with a false show of attack, creating an opening for their entire squadron to dive through comfortably.

This time, Yan Xing led his thirty Griffons to attack the Griffon Troop that had just taken off, committing all his forces without holding any back for containment.

According to Chui Chui's data, the enemy's two airborne units would not be able to effectively threaten their Griffons during this strike.

Although the airborne forces of both sides were so close, Yan Xing chose to trust Chui Chui's calculations.

A crucial few-second window had been created.

The enemy Griffons taking off were accelerating in a long line below. Until they reached a certain speed, they were incapable of evasive maneuvers.

Yan Xing and his Griffons cut in from behind this line of frantically flapping Griffons.

His longsword swung, unleashing a sweeping arc of sword light.

The crescent-shaped sword light carved a bloody groove across the back of a Griffon below. Its momentum carried it forward to slash the back of a Battle Griffin in front, incidentally sweeping the Knight from its back.

Behind Yan Xing, Gryphon Knights armed with double-barreled cavalry guns fired on the nearby enemies. Their Griffons spread their Li Zhua, grabbing at foes below.

The twenty-odd Griffons, still in the process of taking off, were all defenseless targets.

Bullets pierced the backs of Knights and Griffons alike.

The Griffons seized Knights with their Li Zhua, flinging them from the sky. They then grabbed the backs of enemy Griffons again, fiercely breaking their necks with their sharp beaks.

The mercenary Griffons and Knights, subjected to the aerial raid, plummeted from the sky, their blood spraying like a downpour.

Facing such an attack, they had no capacity to resist.

Except for five Griffons that managed emergency landings during the attack, all others were wiped out.

After completing one devastating pass, Yan Xing and his Griffons quickly broke into several squads again.

Some used ground structures to lure the pursuing enemy Griffons, while others seized the opportunity to climb and gain an altitude advantage.

Then, the Griffons that had gained altitude formed an encirclement.

The Griffons acting as bait drew the pursuing enemy into the encirclement.

Attacking from high to low, with superior numbers against fewer, they picked them apart layer by layer, like peeling an onion.

Facing such opponents, the mercenary Gryphon Knights realized they were utterly outmatched in aerial combat.

They couldn't understand how their opponents executed such complex formation changes mid-flight.

They couldn't fathom how their foes created tactical openings through precise coordination amidst the chaos of battle.

All their attack methods were anticipated. Their foes evaded the Magic they unleashed as if equipped with eyes in the backs of their heads. Conversely, the enemy's attacks seemed to predict their own flight paths; at times, it felt as if they were flying right into them.

In a brief aerial engagement, the mercenary Gryphon Knights were utterly routed.

They wanted to flee but found no escape route.

Enemy Griffons surrounded them, signaling them to 'surrender'!

Surrender was their only option.

The remaining mercenary Gryphon Knights voluntarily lowered their altitude, exposing their backs, and then dropped all their weapons to the ground.

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