By now, Logan had learned how to steady himself atop a flying mount, but the thunderbird's lack of experience made the journey to the battlefield challenging at first. Adjusting his position, Logan used Zephyr's wind magic to support the bird, easing the strain of his weight and creating a guided tunnel of air that propelled them swiftly to their destination.
"This is where I get off. Try to calm your kin, or things will get bad for them," Logan warned as he leapt into the fray, using his wings to join the battle. He cast Sacred Sanctuary—a powerful skill that consud most of his mana in one decisive move. The spell created a radiant cage of light, forcefully pushing back the thirty or so thunderbirds and granting the mantises a brief reprieve. Huddled together, the mantises regrouped while strange beast stood in fear at the edge of the battlefield, hoping to avoid the chaos unfolding around it.
Logan's attention shifted to a creature resembling a bear. Voltar quickly inford him it was the wolverine he had brought for Logan to ta.
[You know well, Voltar. You're getting extra crystals after all of this,] Logan acknowledged with gratitude, as Sacred Sanctuary held firm. Despite the relentless assault from the colony of thunderbirds, the ultimate shield remained impenetrable.
Surveying his companions, Logan noticed none of his new creatures were fatally injured. While a few had lost limbs from the battle, their insect nature and the imminent evolution ensured their survival was not in jeopardy.
Logan's thunderbird was working relentlessly, attempting to stop its flock from attacking his new master. Even resorting to shock therapy, the bird struggled to control the frenzy, finally crying out to Logan for assistance.
[Can't control my flock, need to run!] it warned, the urgency in its tone forcing Logan to accept the gravity of the situation—this was going to be far harder than he had anticipated.
"Voltar, have the mantises protect ! This shield will only hold for a few more seconds!" Logan shouted, grabbing the elixirs stored away for ergencies. Mana water wouldn't suffice now; he needed the precious liquid that could fully restore him in monts.
The elixir, unlike mana water, bypassed his stomach entirely, flowing straight into his mana core the instant he swallowed it. Logan felt the concentrated energy surging within him, his core heating up as the elixir worked its magic. These rare potions had been crafted by the hero of alchemy in the empire, and acquiring even three had cost Logan a fortune in crystals—but it was an investnt that now proved invaluable.
"I did not want to hurt you, but it seems you don't want to listen…" Logan growled, his voice laced with frustration. Drawing upon Zephyr's magic, he began casting Cyclone Vortex, a skill designed to wreak havoc on flying creatures dependent on the wind to stay aloft.
"Now get ready—this will be painful." Logan's tone darkened as he layered the spell with Frostfall, Riptide's most devastating ability. The combination created a storm of razor-sharp ice shards that swirled within the vortex, freezing the creatures' wings and forcing them to either plumt to the ground or be blown away by the gale.
Seconds ticked by as Logan adjusted the powerful combination of skills, his focus unyielding. The mont Sacred Sanctuary finally dissolved—its golden, cage-like structure disintegrating into glowing particles of mana—they were drawn into the growing vortex, fueling its size and power.
The imnse cyclone beca impossible to contain, and Logan released it, unleashing a tempest upon the thunderbirds. The sheer force of the attack scattered them in every direction. Only his own thunderbird managed to escape unscathed, retreating as it realized the folly of challenging such a human.
The vortex struck the first few birds attempting to counter it with lightning, but the icy shards within froze them in midair, forcing them into the tornado's spiraling winds or blasting them over twenty ters away with trendous force.
As the storm raged, Logan ceased pouring power into the tornado. Gradually, it lost montum, subsiding into a flurry of snow that scattered in all directions. The thunderbirds caught in its grip were left half-frozen, though most managed to remain airborne by sheer determination.
Seeing his flock struggle to stay aloft, Logan's thunderbird sprang into action, using its electric shock to shatter the ice encasing their wings, saving them from plumting to the ground.
Fortunately, no lives were lost—controlling such imnse power without causing casualties had been an extraordinary feat. Still, it ca at a price. Logan, drained of mana, had to rely on Voltar to carry him on his back as an escape option if necessary.
Surveying the battlefield, Logan saw that none of the thunderbirds had the will to continue the fight. A weary smile crept across his face as he felt the burn in his chest, a reminder of the imnse strain from expending too much mana too quickly. While recovery would take ti, he was relieved that he hadn't pushed himself to the dangerous state he'd experienced before.
Logan had just a few tasks left before he could take a much-needed rest. First, he needed to ta the wolverine, which was curled into a ball, desperately trying to hide from the earlier chaos. Thankfully, this was an easy task—the wolverine surrendered imdiately, rolling onto its back like a submissive dog, exposing its belly in defeat.
The second task, however, proved more challenging. Logan had to decide which of the thunderbirds to ta. This required a discussion with his own thunderbird to determine whether it should beco the monarch of the flock or if another bird was better suited for the role.
In terms of size, the bird Logan had already tad was the largest in the flock. It made sense—the group had wisely chosen their strongest mber to guard their precious eggs while the others hunted.
[Will you be able to lead so of those in your flock?] Logan asked, carefully phrasing his words in a way he thought the bird might understand. While intelligent for its species, it had not yet evolved, and Logan doubted its current thinking capability would make such a decision easy.
[I am… chosen leader, but will help you fight demons. I can only take one of my kind, but we will carry three of our eggs,] the thunderbird declared. Its reason for limiting its companions was clear—thunderbirds were essential to maintaining the electric fields under storm clouds. If too many left, the electric clouds could weaken, threatening the balance that sustained the electric spirits' power.
"That's fine… bring whoever you want. You can, however, make the rest of your flock your followers," Logan replied, resolving to take the chosen thunderbird and assist in hatching the eggs later.
He knew the process wouldn't be easy—according to legend, each egg required 1,000 strikes of lightning to hatch. The task ahead would be nothing short of difficult, but Logan was prepared for the challenge.
With the battle settled, Kryst finally had the freedom to move about. She stayed close to Logan, her presence comforting as she began healing the wounded thunderbirds and mantises around them. Her abilities had grown imnsely, reaching a point where even severed limbs were regenerated within seconds, leaving the creatures whole once more.
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