Chapter 529: Chapter 42: Flock of Wind-Eroded Birds
Something... feels off.
A moment ago, several people were safely inside the Order Bureau, and the next, they found themselves in this unfamiliar environment. Intense ether waves enveloped the surrounding area, storm clouds rolled with thunder, gradually advancing from the sea toward the cliffs.
It was like a gloomy gray iron curtain, continuously compressing people’s living space, facing it alone was enough to feel an overwhelming pressure bearing down.
Not to mention in that storm, countless twisted and bizarre figures were intertwining, leaping, with the faint sound of sharp, dreadful screeches.
After a brief haze, Palmer’s mind completely cleared up. He walked to the edge of the clock tower, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and overlooked the dire castle built along the cliff.
"That’s right... we’ve reached the Wind Source Highlands, this is the Clarks’ dwelling, the Fortress of the Morning Wind."
The sight before him differed somewhat from his memory, but Palmer would never forget the scent mingling fresh grass and ocean.
This is the unique aroma of the Wind Source Highlands, already engraved into Palmer’s bloodline, impossible to forget.
Several others also reached the edge of the clock tower, overlooking the land. The fierce wind blew, interspersed with cold raindrops, as if the end of the world was upon them.
The Clarks family resides at the edge of the Wind Source Highlands, atop the coastal cliffs. Viewed from afar, the Fortress of the Morning Wind resembles a few wandering paths, both standing endlessly along the steep edges, but the scale and grandeur of the Fortress far exceed those of wandering paths.
The Fortress of the Morning Wind refers not just to a single castle, but a series of castle clusters built along the highland cliffs. They stood like walls blocking the edge of the sea, intricate high towers soared, on this storm-whistling plateau, seemingly born from divine power.
Wind Source Highlands, the origin of endless gale.
Few know that the rampant wind on the highland does not originate from this land. This vast wilderness is merely the starting point of these hurricanes.
All winds originate from the boundless sea.
Adjacent to the Wind Source Highlands is a sea area called Angry Sea by the world. It features erratic and bizarre weather, perennial strong winds raging, frequent storms surging, sweeping over the Wind Source Highlands.
It is the forbidden land for all sailors; no routes go near here. Coupled with the Fortress of the Morning Wind at the edge of the highland, periodically sweeping storms, over time, this place gradually faded from the sight of the world, wrapped in a layer of mystery.
The fierce wind blew over the castle cluster, polishing the rough rocks. Bologue struggled to open his eyes, and then a shadow continuously enlarged in front of him.
Aimou warned, "Watch out!"
Bologue reacted quicker than she imagined. At the moment he sensed danger, a swarm of snakes crawled out from beneath his sleeves. Cold iron extended into dense thorns, tearing the shadow to pieces just moments before it approached Bologue.
Chunks of flesh and blood evenly slapped onto the walls, splashing all over Bologue, staining the inner lining of his white clothes red.
Large fragments of limbs crashed into the clock tower. After a brief identification, Bologue could confirm that it wasn’t a human but some kind of bird-like monster.
Broken wings were clad in tough feathers, edges sharp as blades. The monster bird’s torso was shredded by Bologue, leaving hind limbs covered in steel-like bird claws.
Within the storm clouds, more similar monster birds were flying around; they gathered together like a storm of blades, capable of slicing living beings into fragments easily.
"Are these the little pets your family keeps?"
Bologue was somewhat angry. He was wearing a new outfit, and upon arriving at the Wind Source Highlands, it got soaked in blood.
Palmer shouted, "Do you think my family would keep something like this?"
"They should be some kind of alchemical creatures..."
Aimou examined the corpse, but before she could conclude, Church identified the monster and explained, "These are Wind-Eroded Birds."
Church’s expression turned grave, evidently an occurrence he had been worried about had happened.
Mentioning Wind-Eroded Birds, the group recalled related information. They are alchemical creatures bred by alchemists; officially prohibited by the Order Bureau. These monster birds possess extremely aggressive attributes, large size, wings sharp as steel, highly bloodthirsty, and move in swarms.
Bologue looked out the clock tower, sharp screeches echoed continuously, gloomy clouds turned pitch black, and then thousands of Wind-Eroded Birds broke through the clouds, circling above the Fortress of the Morning Wind like a flock of death-dealing crows.
"Your house suddenly has so many ghostly things; do you think this is reasonable?" Bologue shouted at Palmer, regretting having come here.
Palmer yelled, "Are you kidding? How could this be reasonable in any way?"
Bologue responded with laughter, he indeed was joking, though Palmer didn’t appreciate the humor.
"They’re here!"
Aimou warned the group. The Wind-Eroded Birds noticed the group’s presence; they hovered above the clock tower, forming a dark cloud-like mass, wings slicing the fierce wind, emitting sharp cries of death.
Church decisively retreated to hide behind the group. His Secret Energy·Faceless Man could deceive humans but not these monsters.
A bluish shimmering light released from Bologue’s eyes, the Flame of the Cauldron ignited from his arms, further extending to the swarm of snakes.
"Don’t tear down my house!"
In the moment before the battle erupted, Palmer tried to dissuade him, but unfortunately, it seemed Bologue could not hear him.
The Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid self-replicated and proliferated, swiftly spreading into colossal silver-white serpents that surged out of the clock tower, rising against the harsh wind and rain. The serpents intertwined, resembling a long spear thrusting toward the sky.
The black mass of birds came rushing in like an inverted funnel. In the instant before they collided, the serpents twisted together, cold scales scraping against each other and sparking profusely.
In the rapidly advancing silver radiance, tinges of crimson appeared. The sparks ignited the crimson, raising some flames, then the Flame of the Cauldron swept over, fully detonating the Red Mercury.
Blazing Scale Burst.
The spear piercing through the flock exploded into a sky full of flames, like a flare reaching its zenith. The intense fire burned on the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid and at the moment of contact with the birds, the spear expanded into dense iron branches, impaling Wind-Eroded Birds one after another.
The flames kept spreading. Looking up, the black flock was interspersed with constant flashes of fire. After the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid’s attack, it gradually drifted out of Bologue’s command range, losing the support of Ether, and the self-created Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid dispersed one by one.
Along with them vanished the ceaselessly falling Wind-Eroded Birds, easily pierced by steel, their wings burnt through by the fire, disintegrating into ashes, continuously withering and breaking apart on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the ground below was piled with corpses, blood continuously seeping through the crevices in the steps. But compared to the vast flock of birds, only a few had died, not affecting the group’s offensive.
Bologue could only block part of the attack. On the other side of the clock tower, the Wind-Eroded Birds came whistling in, targeting the flesh inside the tower. Yet as they approached, their light wings grew heavy, pressure suddenly increased, like invisible hands pressing them down, forcing them to crash into the ground.
With his back to Bologue, Palmer temporarily restrained the birds’ assault with the surging air pressure, but it was merely a temporary measure. The Wind-Eroded Birds had targeted them, circling the tower, their dark, sullen shapes obscuring everyone’s view.
Some Wind-Eroded Birds found gaps, getting close enough to scrape against the tower’s surface, leaving marks like sword slashes on the walls.
Aimou shouted, "We can’t stay here forever!"
"I think so too."
Bologue wielded the Flame of the Cauldron, the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid expanded outward, and then swiftly transformed from a solid state to a liquid, turning into countless droplets bearing green flames. As they struck the Wind-Eroded Birds, the Red Mercury detonated, leading to a ceaseless fiery rain.
"Let’s get out of here first!"
Palmer agreed with this idea. He needed to know what had happened at the Fortress of the Morning Wind and where these Wind-Eroded Birds came from.
The Angry Wind Pardon summoned gusts of wind, and a hurricane lifted the burning Red Mercury, gathering into a blazing storm around the clock tower, temporarily blocking the Wind-Eroded Birds’ attack.
Aimou and Church descended the stairs, followed closely by Bologue and Palmer. Halfway down, Palmer suddenly remembered something, turned to grab his suitcase, cursing all the while.
In the castle built along the Cliff, towering like a city wall, a man lay comfortably on the sofa, flipping through the novel in his hands.
The castle where the man resided was the tallest and largest in the Fortress of the Morning Wind. Within the castle was an almost sky-reaching tower named the Celestial Vault Tower. It was said that relying on the Void Realm covering the Fortress of the Morning Wind, a Condenser could easily summon a storm sweeping the plains at the tower’s apex.
The castle was thus named Celestial Dome Castle, holding a special significance, vitally important to the Clarks.
If the Fortress of the Morning Wind was the core of the Clarks in the Wind Source Highlands, then the Celestial Dome Castle was the core of the Clarks within the Fortress of the Morning Wind.
The man put down his book and looked at the stormy clouds outside the window, frowning slightly.
He felt something was off; amidst the raging storm, he sensed a familiar Ethereal Fluctuation, a fluctuation that shouldn’t have appeared here.
Putting the book down, the man slowly stood up. Though he looked young externally, his eyes full of vitality, unfortunately, the knife of time still left scars at the corners of his eyes, with fine wrinkles indicating his age.
"Are you going to intervene?"
The young man beside him asked as he noticed the man stand up, trying to dissuade him, "It’s just some small tricks from the exiled Night Race. It will be over soon."
"No... I just remembered something."
The man waved his hand, "I remember the Order Bureau is sending someone today to confirm the ’vow’, right?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
The young man glanced at the recent schedule and indeed found such an entry.
The man continued, "Then, considering the time, he should be arriving too..."
Oh no!
The young man silently exclaimed in his heart, nervously looking out the window. If the staff sent by the Order Bureau arrived, they would face the bird flock directly.
"Don’t worry, since he’s from the Order Bureau, there would only be a problem if he died so easily."
The man’s words echoed in the room, and when the young man noticed, the man had disappeared, leaving only the open window swaying in the gale.