Damien looked up at the sky, his frown deepening.
"Yeah, we need to go now."
The sun was setting across the horizon. They maybe had another 20 minutes of sunlight at most.
Which meant…
'There's no point thinking about it if we'll be forced to experience it so soon.'
Damien didn't waste time.
He immediately started sprinting, the girls following behind him without question.
He scanned the area for any sign of proper shelter, but there was nothing of the sort.
The environment was ruled by aerial beasts, who made sure to keep the ground clear of too much clutter so they could pick their prey without too much hassle.
It was totally disadvantageous for those who couldn't fly, and Damien and the rest who had no status to go higher could only suffer the same fate!
'Is there no other way?' Damien wondered.
There was still one solution, but it was a risky one.
"What do you think we should do?" He said, sending a sound transmission to the girls to fill them in.
"Let's take the risk," Ruyue responded.
"From what you've said, it is far worse for us to find no shelter than to take shelter there."
Damien glanced at the other two before nodding.
"Haa, fine. I guess a peaceful night is wishful thinking."
He pushed his foot into the ground and pivoted to the right, continuing his dash powerfully.
His target was a grove of strange trees. Their leaves were like banana trees in the way they were long and floppy, but unlike those common trees, these were like bubbles of isolated space.
The leaves extended bulbously all the way to the ground, forming a spherical shield around the tree trunk.
And it wasn't an exaggeration to describe it as such. Because each of these leaves was metallic and far stronger than anything Damien could cut through with his current strength!
They were called Aegis Trees, named after their barrier-like properties.
It had already taken a decent amount of time to reach this grove, and the sky had darkened to an extent.
Clouds took formation in the sky rapidly as if they'd been waiting for the sun's retreat.
Slowly but surely, drops of rain fell into the rainforest.
"Quick!"
Damien and the girls picked up the pace and reached the tree grove within a minute, pushing aside one of the heavy canopies of the Aegis Trees and entering the bubble within.
"Phew…"
Damien put the lead back in its place and retreated to the tree trunk.
And…
Pssshhhhhh!
The sound of rain hitting the metallic leaves filled the air.
Skreee!
Skreee!
SKREEEEEEE!
The screeching Messenger Birds turned maniacal.
Their voices cut through the rain as if it didn't exist. Damien and the rest were shielded from them, unable to see as their eyes burned red and their gazes focused on every Aegis Tree in the surroundings.
BANG!
Something thudded against Damien's tree's defense.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
It was the beginning of an onslaught.
Without a care for their lives, the Messenger Birds threw themselves into the metal leaves of the Aegis Trees, putting dents in their surfaces that were emancipated by their companions.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
SKREEEEEEEEE!
It was terrifying to hear with no context.
"Aegis Trees produce Honeydew Nectar, which acts like a drug for Messenger Birds. Whenever night falls, they'll attack relentlessly until they can get that dew," Damien explained.
"Why only at night?" Rose questioned, warily watching the leaf walls.
"Because in the night, the Frenzy Rain comes. For normal beasts, it just makes them more aggressive and whatnot, but for Messenger Birds…"
BOOOOOM!
"…it's the most high-performance steroid imaginable."
Damien finished his words with a wry smile.
The boom that interrupted him came from another Aegis Tree that had been broken into.
The second its defense was pierced, the tree was absolutely ravaged.
The trunk was torn to pieces by thousands of Messenger Birds, who only became more crazed after getting a taste of the beautiful golden-brown Honeydew Nectar.
'It won't be long until they come for this one. They'll definitely attack us when they see us, which means we'll have no choice but to run. Yet, running is probably even more dangerous…'
Messenger Birds were demons in the night. Honeydew Nectar was their primary goal, but what if those who couldn't find any?
The inhabitants of the third layer would face slaughter from every Messenger Bird alive, a number that could only be described as disgusting.
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG!
The thudding of Messenger Birds against every tree in the grove made a harmony almost like music to the ears, and Damien's tree wasn't free from the attack.
He could clearly see the walls denting in every direction, without even a safe place to exit from.
'If there's no safe space, we'll just have to make one.'
The problem with the memories of a denizen is that they followed the laws of the jungle without question.
Damien could only infer what would happen in many situations.
Like this one.
If it came down to it, he could only hope that the Honeydew Nectar was enough to distract the Messenger Birds away from them!
"Come on, let's get ready to leave," he said solemnly.
It had only been around 30 minutes.
They had a whole nighttime to survive.
BANG!
It was far louder than before.
BANG! BANG!
Damien's eyes narrowed as he readied himself to sprint, signaling the girls to prepare as well.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The canopy split apart.
And a massive shadow filled every part of its interior.
"GO!" Damien roared.
He pushed his foot into the ground and dashed through the army of birds.
'We're good…we're good…we're good…we're not good!'
They only made it a few feet out of shelter before they were attacked by ten Messenger Birds that broke away from the pack.
"Try to avoid if you can! Worst case scenario, just kill! We can't be worrying about the consequences right now!"
The greatest upgrade Messenger Birds got in the nighttime was the sharpness of their beaks. Beaks that could pierce through metal several times harder and denser than iron could absolutely tear them to shreds with no problem!
Damien ducked and flashed around, abusing teleportation to get away from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Rose used illusions to do the same, protecting herself and her sisters.
They rushed forward, evading the birds to the best of their capabilities, but it wasn't enough.
"Dammit!"
Damien flashed back and held Rose's hand as she grabbed Elena and Ruyue.
Wap!
The four of them teleported several tens of meters forward with Zara in Damien's shadow already, but it still wasn't enough!
Anywhere they could go, there were Messenger Birds. It was like they were back in Ghost King's Valley again!
'This time, our mobility isn't limited and we have more options than just blazing through mindlessly. Hopefully, we can evade the worst-case scenario.'
Damien gritted his teeth.
There was no other choice.
If they wanted to make a quick escape, they needed to take risks!
Shing!
Mirage slashed an arc through the air, dicing the attacking birds into pieces of mincemeat.
"Don't look back!"
With that warning in mind, the group pushed mana into their legs and propelled themselves forward at insane speeds.
And behind them…
SKREEEEEEEEEEE!
The angered roars of the Messenger Birds spread as they found the corpses of their comrades.
'We'll be a target as soon as we're spotted.'
"Rose, use illusions to their maximum capability! Elena, try to use light refraction to support her! We need to conceal ourselves without hindering our movement!"
The girls followed his command, providing them with temporary safety, but how long with it last?
If one thing was certain it was this:
After experiencing the Severed World, Damien and his women had developed an extreme distaste for pack animals!
