Running, running, running.
The amount of physical exhaustion built up with this level of exertion was taxing even for Damien, let alone the girls who didn't have his physical capabilities.
They had no choice but to run, though, because the number of Messenger Birds chasing them only increased with every passing minute!
"Zara!"
Damien's shadow expanded and Zara jumped out into the world, rapidly expanding in size until she was half as tall as most of the surrounding trees.
"Hop on her back and follow! I'm going to start teleporting!"
Damien didn't have the convenience of teleporting multiple people anymore. At most, he could only take one along with him.
It was easier for the girls to use Zara as a transportation method since her shadow teleportation didn't have the same limits.
And since they didn't have to exert themselves running, they could focus on driving away the surrounding swarm!
SKREEEEE!
SKREEEEE!
SKREEEEEEE!
Relentless wasn't a strong enough word to describe the suicidal determination Messenger Birds held to get vengeance for their fallen.
Damien underestimated them severely. He knew they'd chase, but he didn't think they'd all do it.
Flash!
His body jumped forward several hundred meters, followed by Zara and the girls who hopped between the shadows cast by the ambient moonlight.
'The same heavy defense we used to hide from the Ghost King should work in this situation too, but it takes time to set up. If we want to survive through the night, we need to shake them off.'
Damien wasn't running away without a plan. Unlike Ghost King's Valley, he now had complete use of his awareness and available abilities, as well as a large amount of space he could traverse without worry.
Even now, he was moving with a destination in mind.
His body barely existed in the Real Plane anymore, flashing in and out of the spatial layers so fast the Messenger Birds almost lost sight of him.
But of course, that wasn't possible.
A swarm of tens of thousands circled them in the air like vultures, and groups of a few hundred would swoop down at a time aiming to impale the group with their sharp beaks.
Rose, Ruyue, and Elena were doing most of the fighting at this time. They used their abilities in tandem to make sure those that dove couldn't reach them, and even more so to keep those circling above from attacking all at once.
Minutes passed like this, with Zara using her connection with Damien to follow his untraceable steps, and finally, they arrived where they needed to be.
"Inside!"
Damien pushed aside a massive metallic Aegis Tree leaf and dove inside, slamming it shut the second Zara and the girls entered after him.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The birds chasing them slammed into the heavy leaf and exploded into blood mist. Meanwhile, the rest screeched even louder and slammed into the leaves in waves, intent on breaking through the defense.
"We only have a few minutes before they break through, but the plan was never to stay here. We're going to use Honeydew Nectar to split the group and get rid of them," Damien hurriedly explained.
"How?" Rose asked. "We can't cut through the trees; it's impossible for us to get the nectar."
"Yeah, that can't be changed, but we don't need to cut through. At the moment, the birds have all their attention focused on us, so they aren't attacking the trees wantonly…"
"I see. Once they break through and destroy the trunk trying to chase us, a portion of the group will break off to consume the Honeydew Nectar since they can't withstand its temptation," Ruyue continued.
"Right. We'll have to move from tree to tree and use this strategy until only an amount we can deal with is left. Once we've killed them, we need to find a cave to take shelter and set up a concealment formation to last us through the night."
"What about the morning? Didn't you say they'll never stop chasing us?" Elena asked.
"Ah, that…" Damien grinned. "I have another plan for that."
He didn't want to say too much before he confirmed it for himself, but he was sure he could deal with the problem of the Messenger Birds, at least temporarily, when the sun rose.
"Then, there's nothing left to say. Everyone ready?" He asked.
"No, but death doesn't sound fun, so let's go anyway," Rose responded with a smile.
He nodded and looked away. The girls prepared their mana and Zara dug her heels into the ground, ready to pounce at any moment.
And not even a minute later, the Aegis Tree lost its protection.
BANG!!!
The Messenger Birds swarmed in, a situation not too dissimilar from the one that landed them in this predicament in the first place.
However, this time, the birds didn't pay any attention to the Aegis Tree.
They charged at Damien and the girls who stood before its trunk without diverting their attention.
"Wait…wait…" Damien held his breath as the swarm approached.
Time seemed to slow. Slowly, slowly, hundreds of birds pushed their way through the hole in the Aegis Tree leaf, and when they were just barely a foot away…
"Now!"
Damien's body disappeared. Zara and the girls melted into the shadows and zipped out of the Aegis Tree's protection, rushing into the next nearest tree in the grove.
Unable to react in time, the forefront of the Messenger Bird wave slammed into the Aegis Tree's trunk, shattering it into a thousand pieces!
A viscous waterfall of golden-brown sap coated the splintered wood, emitting an intoxicating scent that couldn't be ignored.
The hundreds of Messenger Birds that entered the tree fought for the exposed sap, ignoring their original purpose entirely and turning on their fellows to gain a taste of the delicious nectar!
The rest, on the other hand, followed the scent of Damien and the girls to the next tree, continuing their endless onslaught!
BANG!
Another Aegis Tree exploded, and another several hundred birds separated from the crowd.
Damien and the girls continued their routine, leading the birds who were clearly lacking in intelligence through a maze of Aegis Trees and ruining their impervious formation.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
A new explosion rang out every few minutes.
One would think those who separated from the crowd at the beginning would have rejoined by now, but that notion was incorrect.
After all, Honeydew Nectar wasn't said to be a drug to them for no reason. The "high" they got wouldn't wear off for several minutes, and this was exactly what Damien was banking on with this plan!
Luckily for him, Aegus Trees were almost as numerous as Messenger Birds in the third layer, which gave him endless capital to wear down the crowd until it was small enough to suit his needs!
It was brutal.
Finding the timing to escape was crucial to make sure the Messenger Birds would properly destroy the Aegis Trees and act as he wanted them to, but it was an extremely mentally taxing task.
The closer they got before he teleported, the more of them could be trapped inside each tree.
But that also meant he had to nearly kill himself every single time.
Ah, the struggles one went through for survival!
