Chapter 724 Annoying Delay (2)
The remaining Zephyrwings regrouped, flying in tight formation as they circled around Erik and June. Though they lacked the raw power of Galewings, these cunning Thaids still possessed some command over the winds.
Erik could sense the air currents shifting and could feel the Zephyrwings channeling their mana.
While releasing piercing screeches that seemed to be made out of rage, the Thaids flapped their wings in unison, generating slicing gusts that coalesced into pale white blades of wind.
However, these wind blades were comparable to those made by Erik. The reason was that, albeit their brain crystal power wasn't comparable to his, they still had almost double the amount of mana Erik possessed.
The wind blades screeched like banshees as they tore the air, the sound a haunting echo of their deadly purpose.
This eerie screech was born from the sheer force with which they were sent through the atmosphere.
The problem lay in the sheer numbers. Each of the 11 surviving Zephyrwings made a minimum of 10 wind blades. As a result, a relentless barrage of hundreds of these deadly tear splitting slices hurtled toward their position, leaving them in a dire situation.
"Stop!"
Erik yanked June's feathers. They banked hard in opposite directions as five wind blades sliced through the space they were going to occupy. The blades dissipated into wisps moments later - the Zephyrwings could not maintain them for long.
Erik, perched atop his colossal bird companion, June, faced a daunting aerial onslaught. He gripped June's feathers tightly, his eyes scanning the chaos unfolding around them. Hundreds of wind blades, conjured by the Zephyrwings, hurtled through the air with deadly intent.
As the wind blades screeched and whirled, Erik and June moved in perfect harmony, evading the deadly projectiles with an unmatched grace.
Erik's skilled command over June allowed them to weave and dip through the storm of blades like a well-rehearsed dance.
He leaned low over June's back, their movements synchronized as they banked left and right, dodging the relentless onslaught.
The wind howled in protest as Erik and June maneuvered among them, avoiding the blades that sliced through the surrounding air. Erik's heart pounded in his chest.
He knew these were strong enough to bisect both him and June, and he didn't know if his clone was fast enough to avoid them all.
June's massive wings beat, propelling them higher into the sky and out of harm's way.
Erik could feel the power in June's sinewy muscles as he flapped them. However, the Zephyrwings did the same and gained altitude.
Erik's eyes remained locked on the battlefield above, searching for every inch available to avoid the blades.
Through their deft maneuvers, Erik and June evaded the deadly barrage of wind blades.
"MOVE!"
But more wind blades were already forming above and below. June pumped his wings, increasing his speed. Two blades crossed scant inches from Erik's head, ruffling his hair. A third grazed June's talons as he evaded upward.
"We need to get out the encirclement! The frost area is doing nothing!"
June then started flying forward, but the Zephyrwings gave chase, trying to box in the pair with crisscrossing wind blades.
Erik and June performed an aerial dance, reaching the point where they had to dive or spin abruptly on themselves to avoid the attacks.
Erik's Instability powers buzzed warnings whenever a thaid was making an attack and he alerted June to air currents that signaled attacks.
They stayed alive, but the endless evasion left no chance for Erik to counterattack.
Another pale, almost transparent blade sheared off a few of June's armored feathers as it narrowly missed. They could not keep this up forever.
Erik focused his mana into his slime sword, channeling frost energy along the blade's edge. As June leveled out from a steep dive, Erik slashed the air, launching a crescent wave of frigid wind mana.
The freezing blast created a vast dome of frosty air. Erik made the move in a brief lull moment. The wind acted like a gigantic wall, and hit two Zephyrwings, encrusting their wings with ice. Their frozen bodies dropped away, crashing far below.
[ZEPHYRWINGS KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 11833 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
The flock scattered from the deadly frost-wind mana, breaking their formation.
Erik realized that fortuitous chance had given them an opportunity which he had no intention of letting pass.
While hurtling more freezing waves from his sword, he intercepted two more thaids. It wasn't hard since they were getting distance from Erik's previous attack, and by predicting their trajectory, he released the attack that landed on them like a homing missile.
There were only 7 remaining Zephyrwings, and the battle dropped its difficulty by several degrees.
But the survivors got far enough from the attacks and the subsequent frost area quicker than Erik expected, resuming their wind blade assaults within moments.
June's reflexes were pushed to their limit as he snapped into aerial rolls and last-second dodges, but it was easier than before now that there were at least 40 less wind blades around. Though, an errant blade grazed his back, drawing a pained screech.
<AAAAAAAAAAH! >
"June! Are you ok?!"
"Not that much, Master! It hurts!"
"Keep focusing. If we do not pay attention, we will die! I know it's hard, but you have to make it!"
While Erik fought, he was constantly using his instability power. He was using it to predict when and where the creatures were going to attack, and at the start of the battle, he also used it to destabilize the monsters.
However, he realized that wasn't enough. He needed to destabilize them more if they wanted to win, but that power required a lot of mana.
Though there wasn't much he could do, he had to push all the mana he had available and close the game quickly.
At the same time, seeing their opponent injured, the Zephyrwings circled like sharks, preparing for their next coordinated attack.
"They seek to finish us, Master," June said, panting from exertion. "And my stamina wanes."
"Stay focused, June. I have an idea." Erik said. "We've weathered worse storms. This won't be the one to take us down!"
Through it all, June wove around Erik, guarding his back from the frenzied attackers. His armored hide protected him from some of the attacks, but he still got injured a little.
It was at that moment that Erik pumped a massive amount of mana into his instability brain crystal power.
With that, he created a massive wave of fear into the Zephyrwings, but that was enough to kill only 4 of them. The remaining three had to be killed without Erik's help.
The problem was that the Zephyrwings' massive amount of mana naturally contrasted Erik's from entering their system. The instability brain crystal power was hard to detect, but required a lot of mana to push through the minds.
"Focus on those two!" Erik said. June did as instructed and lashed out, hammering the two Zephyrwings with physical blows. Two more plummeted away as Erik's clone twisted their heads off mid flight.
"Two more down! Only five remaining!"
Three Zephyrwings rallied as Erik focused on the last two Zephyrwings he could target. They regrouped for a coordinated dive.
The thaids folded their wings and hurtled down in a v formation, talons aimed at Erik and June. As he sensed the intent through his instability power, Erik prepared. He kept channeling mana into his instability power, but dissolved the slime sword and picked up his Flyssa.
"Break left!" he shouted.
June executed a sharp bank in mid-air, allowing Erik to leap from the giant bird's back.
As he moved, Erik's blade flashed like lightning, severing the head of the first Zephyrwing he landed upon. The creature crumpled beneath him, lifeless.
In a fraction of seconds, Erik bounded forward, landing on the back of the next Zephyrwing. In one fluid motion, he repeated the sequence, beheading the second monster with a precise strike.
However, as Erik dispatched the two, he made a pivotal decision. He stopped channeling mana into his instability power.
In the blink of an eye, he conjured another wind blade, and with a single, masterful swing, he cleaved the remaining thaid into two separate, lifeless halves.
The Zephyrwings fell from the sky, defeated and vanquished. June scrambled to pick Erik up and stop his free fall.
But the remaining two Zephyrwings he had stopped with the instability power attacked June with a tangle of wings, claws and beaks.
June screeched, smashing his talons into one attacker. But the other clawed viciously, shredding wings and drawing blood. Erik kept free falling, waiting for June to help.
"Master!"
With a move, June disengaged from the Zephyrwings that kept chasing the gigantic bird.
It took little for June to reach Erik, and once he gripped his feathers and jumped on his back, he shouted.
"STOP!"
June furled his wings as Erik raised his sword overhead, channeling a huge amount of mana into his Frostwind blade. The air crackled as icy winds coalesced along the blade.
The remaining Zephyrwings arrived at the speed of a torpedo.
With a mighty slash, Erik unleashed the freezing mana-powered attack. A very large sharp wind blade with chilling energy exploded outward, peppering the two last Zephyrwings. Their bodies seized up as the frost instantly penetrated flesh and feathers. The frozen Thaids spun out, trailing frozen mist as they tumbled away.
[ZEPHYRWINGS KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 11833 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
<Incredible, Master! > June exclaimed as the frozen Zephyrwings dropped from the sky.
Erik breathed, drained from channeling so much mana. <We made it, my friend. Your aerial skill saved us from their blades. >
June preened at the praise. <I live to serve, Master. Though next time, perhaps we can take some steps to avoid being surrounded by a frenzied flock of Thaids. >
<It's not like it's my fault. I told you they were coming! >
Erik chuckled weakly. <But yes, let's avoid that if we can. > He leaned forward, resting his head against June's feathered neck as they glided clear of the dissipating icy shards.
Erik and June hovered alone in the clearing skies, the air chill with lingering frost energy. Though exhausted, Erik still clutched his sword tightly, wary of any last attackers.
While looking downward, Erik saw the broken bodies of Zephyrwings littering the landscape far below. Caelora City still shone ahead, beckoning them onward.
Erik sheathed his blade. <Let's go on foot for the remaining time. Shall we? >
<Yes, Master. It's a great idea. >
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