It was like a scene out of a movie.
Their view was hindered by mist, but it cleared away once they got close.
The true surface of Skyrend Mountain.
In terms of appearance, it wasn't the most extravagant mountain Damien had seen.
It was steep and rocky, without much vitality on its surface. It was, for lack of better phrasing, a lanky mountain.
It didn't have much width, but its height was amazing. Roughly a thousand kilometers of its body were revealed under the cloud layer, and one could only imagine what was hidden above it.
What stood out about Skyrend Mountain wasn't its actual surface, but it's existence.
It was a mountain forged by the Cloud Emperor as his perch, and it held such an aura that made the natives of this realm instinctually lower their heads.
To climb it was a sacred privilege regardless of one's personal circumstances.
There were many who knew this would be their day of death, but they had no intention to hide away because of this fact.
Any being with the capability of flight had arrived here, with the last groups making their way to the location now.
The sky was filled with them, but as this was a ceremony, they did not push their hierarchy into their positioning.
They formed a ring around Skyrend Mountain that spanned several kilometers, beasts of all orders hovering side by side in this formation without moving an inch out of their personal space.
When could one see a sight like this in their life?
In Grand Heavens Boundary, with such a widespread environment, many norms had been established, including the fact that beasts never showed their beast form after 4th class unless it was necessary.
They viewed it as a matter of pride, and with that pride, rituals and ceremonies deeply entrenched in their culture were slowly removed and replaced with more humanoid traditions.
The Severed World's isolated environment provided a glimpse into the time before conformity, when beasts existed as nothing more than beasts.
Perhaps their society was developed, but it was rich in a lovely atmosphere of history and tradition that couldn't be replicated in places where it wasn't cultivated naturally.
Damien found himself consumed by this environment.
He forgot everything, even the stranger who was now accompanying him, and got lost in the feeling.
The beating of wings around him, it sounded chaotic, but there was a rhythm to it.
A rhythm of excitement, anticipation, rivalry, and determination.
The winds carried a certain smell, as if the world itself was preparing for the arrival of something great.
Even the mana itself seemed to jump in joy, dancing around Damien's body like little spirits who'd found a new toy.
His blood boiled just being in the presence of this atmosphere.
He almost wanted to stand there forever and bask in the feeling.
But such a thing was stupid.
Why merely feel this atmosphere from the outside when he could experience it for himself?
"Overseer, it's time for us to part ways. I wish you luck in your climb," he said, placing his hand on the large bird's back.
"As to you," the Overseer responded.
"Regardless of the results, I hope we can maintain our friendship."
"That's natural," Damien smiled.
He looked at the girls and nodded.
"Zara, you ready?"
"I've been waiting for this since we got here. I'm more than just ready."
Damien's shadow expanded, and Zara's form appeared in reality.
She didn't waste time and jumped off the Overseer's back, expanding to her full size.
She was bigger than some of the strongest birds they saw, a fact that quickly drew attention to her.
But competition was competition. If they were going to do this, they had to do it right!
Damien, the girls, and Sia jumped into Zara's back and bid a final farewell to the Overseer, moving to a different part of the ring.
After all, they didn't want to come into conflict with him when the time came!
Hours passed.
More and more beasts arrived as night fell and the moon made its way through the sky.
When it changed places with the sun, the event would begin.
Damien took this time to observe the competition, but more importantly…
'Found you.'
There was a large eagle flying around a kilometer away. Its body was surrounded by smaller birds, a race very familiar to Damien's group.
'The Wind Spirit King.'
Damien memorized his general location for future use and sat down in meditation.
The night passed like that.
The silence was jarring. The utmost seriousness with which this ceremony was treated became obvious.
Those who tried to act arrogant or gain an advantage through tricks were killed before they could try to ruin the sanctity of the moment, and Damien rejoiced at the fact that their grudge hadn't affected them quite yet.
The cycle of night and day held great importance in the culture of these beasts.
And when the sun rose this time, something descended from the cloud layer.
It was a pure white Pegasus with the head of an eagle. It wore ornate armor of white and gold, and its arrogance was strong enough to be felt despite the distance between it and the crowd.
Its appearance caused a stir.
Huu…
It was an exhale that came from many directions as those participating in the ceremony steadied their breaths.
The Pegasus looked at them, indifference painting its eyes, and raised its head into the air.
Whoosh!
The wind that whipped in that moment could be heard for kilometers.
Wings furled and unfurled, positions were taken, final preparations were made.
This was the final second.
The final second before—
ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAR!
The Pegasus roared with all its power, spreading mana through the heavens.
The horns of battle were sounded…
…and the troops began to move.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
So many wings slammed against the air at the same time that a sonic boom spread from one side of the ring to the other, absolutely obliterating the wind for tens of kilometers outside its radius.
The aerial beasts charged forward, moving towards Skyrend Mountain so they could climb to its peak!
"Zara, let's go!"
"Yes!"
Bang!
Zara shot forward with the crowd, ducking and weaving through the beasts around her with total precision and using her shadow abilities to keep her stably in the middle of it.
They arrived at the mountainside within seconds, and then…!
WHOOSH!
Zara flapped her wings and pushed her mana, steeply arcing into an almost totally vertical ascent!
"Woah!"
Damien and the rest stumbled for a moment before he spread Vector Control to keep them anchored to her back.
He was honestly expecting some kind of grand entrance, but he was totally wrong.
Beasts were simple creatures that didn't engage in sophistry. Once the time came, they did what they needed to do without a single word!
Countless aerial beasts shot up the side of the mountain from all directions, creating a blanket that hid its surface from the outside world.
Many observers watched from the ground, enamored by the ceremony they could only dream of, while those participating could focus on nothing else!
There were already battles starting. The weakest beasts started to drop out, and in their final attempts, they tried to bring everyone around them down as well!
BANG!
Zara swerved to the side, avoiding a bird that exploded itself upon realizing its failure.
In consequence, she bumped into the beast flying to her right, angering it and starting a fight!
They'd only been on the mountain for a few seconds, and its pressure hadn't even started affecting them yet, but the competition was already so fierce.
The Ascension Ceremony had truly begun.
