Chapter 356: Hunt in the Smog

The smog-choked sky of Sector 9-Vex erupted into absolute chaos.

ROOOAAAR!

Kael’s Dark Wyvern let out a deafening, guttural roar that shook the rusted towers below. The beast’s jet-black scales shimmered with demonic energy as it beat its massive wings, hovering in the thick, polluted air.

Across from them, the two Ironhide Rhino Beast-kin (Rank 5 Spirit Soul) and the Storm-Devil Hawk-kin (Rank 5 Spirit Soul) rallied, flanked by a dozen red-masked House of Crimson riders.

"Vyra, Darian. Clear the trash," Kael commanded, his voice cold and muffled by the liquid shadow of his mask.

"Yes, My Lord!"

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Vyra and Darian leaped off the Wyvern’s back, plunging toward the lower scrapyards. Vyra’s Spirit Soul Rank 6 aura exploded outward. CRACKLE! A massive storm of jagged ice and freezing winds erupted from her blade, instantly freezing the wings of three smaller Crimson flying beasts. SCREEEECH! The beasts plummeted, shattering into icy chunks against the rusted metal below. Darian landed beside her, his massive shield CLANGING against the assault of the red-masked riders, covering her back as she unleashed her devastating frost.

Kael ignored the chaos below. His silver-flecked eyes were locked onto the fleeing Crimson-Feathered Roc.

"After them," Kael ordered.

FWOOOSH! The Dark Wyvern surged forward.

The two Ironhide Rhino Beast-kin roared, slamming their massive, metallic-plated fists into the air, creating a massive wall of compressed earth and iron to block Kael’s path. THUD! THUD!

Kael didn’t slow down. He leaped off the Wyvern’s back as his gaunlet immediately covered his right hand as he landed directly on the floating earth wall. His eyes flashed with a cold, analytical light.

Shatter-Point Fist.

BZZT! Kael’s aura flared. His vision fractured, revealing the structural weak points of the metallic skin and the dense earth constructs. He saw the microscopic fractures at the joints of the Rhinos’ armor.

Kael drew his right fist back. The Aura Amplification Gauntlet on his hand hummed, glowing with a brilliant, golden light.

Sky Destroyer Palm.

BOOM!

A colossal, golden palm formed entirely of dense Aura erupted from Kael’s hand. It slammed into the exact weak points of the earth wall and the Rhinos behind it. CRACK-KABOOM! The metallic barrier shattered like glass. The golden palm didn’t stop. It engulfed the two Rhino Beast-kin, blasting them off their mounts and sending them hurtling into the smoggy abyss below.

"What a waste of my time," Kael muttered, landing back on the Dark Wyvern as it swooped beneath him.

He left the remaining riders to Vyra and Darian, his focus entirely on the Roc. The Dark Wyvern flapped its massive wings, propelling them forward like a black arrow.

Ahead, Sebastian was sweating profusely, his face pale as a ghost. "Faster! Go faster, you stupid bird!" he shrieked, kicking the Roc’s sides.

Kael calmly formed a hand seal, his eyes glowing with a lethal blue light.

"Silence."

CRACK-BOOM!

A massive pillar of pure lightning descended from the heavens, tearing through the smog. The blinding light illuminated the scrapyard as the lightning roared toward the Roc.

"DO SOMETHING!" Sebastian screamed, his voice cracking with pure terror.

The bone-masked figure beside him finally moved. She raised one slender hand. BZZZZT! A terrifying, suffocating aura erupted from her—the aura of a Peak Spirit Soul Rank 9.

CLATTER-CRACK!

Thick, dense bone structures erupted from the air itself, weaving together into a massive, skeletal dome around the Roc. BOOM! The lightning pillar slammed into the bone dome, shattering the outer layers but failing to penetrate the core.

The bone-masked lady lowered her hand, her voice cold and mocking. "Young man, it seems you’re impatient."

Sebastian scrambled backward, pointing a trembling finger at the approaching Wyvern. "That’s him! That’s Kael!"

The lady paused, turning her masked face toward Sebastian. "Kael?" she questioned, her voice dripping with sudden interest.

"Yes! Kael Cassian Vorn!" Sebastian babbled. "He’s a monster! He survived the Void Realm! He has the Demonic Asura Flame!"

The lady turned her gaze back to Kael. Her eyes behind the bone mask gleamed with unbridled greed. Kael Cassian Vorn. So he’s the one with the Heavenly Flame. If I can capture him and take it back to the Crimson Lord, I’ll surely be rewarded beyond my wildest dreams. Perhaps even enough resources to break through to the Origin Realm.

"Keep flying, you idiot!" Sebastian shrieked, noticing that the Roc had stopped flapping its wings, hovering in the air. "Why are we stopping?!"

The lady replied coldly, "Shut your mouth, boy. If I wanted to run, I would have. A mere Spirit Soul Rank 4 is nothing to me."

Kael smirked beneath his mask. The Dark Wyvern hovered a few dozen meters away, its wings beating slowly. "Why the sudden stop? Did you finally realize running was futile?"

The lady laughed, a raspy, unpleasant sound. "Futile? Child, you overestimate yourself. Hand over the Heavenly Flame, and I will grant you an easy death. You are just a Spirit Soul Rank 4. You are nothing but an ant in my eyes."

Kael chuckled, a dark, arrogant sound that echoed through the smog. "An easy death? From a masked hag riding a chicken? I think I’ll pass."

Whoosh!

Kael reached into his storage ring and pulled out the Elven Starwood Bow. The elegant, glowing wood of the Special Grade weapon hummed with natural energy.

The lady burst into laughter. "A bow? Against a Peak Spirit Soul? Seems you’re—"

Her words caught in her throat. Her eyes, filled with arrogance, suddenly widened as she sensed the terrifying aura radiating from the bow. A Special Grade treasure! Her heart pounded with greed. The heavens truly favor me today! First the Heavenly Flame, now a Special Grade bow!

Kael ignored her shifting expressions. He nocked an arrow made of pure, condensed darkness mana. The arrow hummed, vibrating with gravitational energy.

TWANG!

The dark arrow shot forward like a black meteor.

"Hmph!" The lady snorted, pulling out a Tier 1 silver blade. CLANG! She expertly deflected the dark arrow, knocking it off course.

"Such a waste of mana," she mocked, looking at the arrow as it shattered into dozens of tiny, needle-like fragments in the air. "Did you really think a cheap trick like that would work on—"

AHHHHH!

A blood-curdling scream tore through the air.

The lady spun around. Her eyes widened in shock. Two of the tiny dark needles had bypassed her entirely and were now lodged deep in Sebastian’s shoulders. SPLURT! Blood spurted from the wounds. The remaining needles had pierced the wings and neck of the Crimson-Feathered Roc. SCREEEECH! The beast let out a pained cry, its flight faltering as dark energy began to corrode its flesh.

Kael lowered his bow, a sadistic smirk evident even through his mask.

"I wasn’t aiming for you, bitch."