Never in a million years would anyone have expected Messenger Birds to show themselves here.
They were the weakest of the weak and could only rely on mob mentality and tricks to defeat their enemies. In this ceremony, it wasn't possible for such a race to achieve results!
But it was different for the Wind Spirit King. If he was able to ascend, the Messenger Birds would ascend with him and take their tyranny to even greater heights.
It was an unspoken fact that the Messenger Birds were scammers, and it remained unsaid for good reason.
Regardless of their cowardice or trickery, they still had the capability to maim and kill!
The Overseer's eyes widened as the sudden swarm enveloped him.
From all sides, Messenger Birds stabbed themselves into his body and used their beaks to penetrate his armor.
He swerved, trying to shake them off, but they were relentless. The skills that allowed them to reign over the creatures of the third layer were put on full display.
'Dammit!' The Overseer roared inwardly.
He spread his mana, throwing the birds off him and charging upward to meet the Wind Spirit King, but it was like they'd gained invincibility.
Somehow, they were completely unaffected by his attack and chased him, intent on not letting him go!
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
Messenger Birds whizzed through the air and forced the Overseer into a defensive position.
Killing them would just waste his mana and make him a target for other beasts, but escaping from them was also impossible!
If there was a downside to being born in the Severed World, it was that the concept of laws was vague.
The laws weren't complete in the first place, and the underdeveloped society didn't have enough education in place for the denizens to come in contact with these fragmented laws.
Their power was mostly physical, and they only used mana to support this strength or put pressure on their enemies.
Damien and the rest already had to use all their power to fight against these physical attacks, so they couldn't be looked down on, but in a situation like this one, it was an absolute negative.
If it was just Messenger Birds, there wouldn't be a problem, but the Wind Spirit King was actively using the distractions they created to attack the Overseer and chip away at his defenses.
They weren't even that different in strength.
The Overseer could be considered something of a coward.
He could've made it to the central region years ago, but he refused to be under others again after experiencing kingship in the third layer. His real strength was at not weak among the beasts of the central region.
The Wind Spirit King had a territory of his own and experienced the bliss of power as well, but the environment of the central region allowed him growth impossible for his counterpart, which always put him a level above.
Still, the Overseer wasn't slacking in his training.
The duo began a splendorous battle as they climbed the slope. They flew around each other, using their talons and wings to slash at each other and even getting petty enough to bite each other and tear chunks of meat off with their beaks!
It was a brutal battle that didn't seem like it would have a winner any time soon, but if others intervened, the result would be obvious.
There was nobody willing to offend the Wind Spirit King for no reason, precisely because of how annoying the Messenger Birds were.
So in this situation where the Overseer was being harassed, did he even have a way out?
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes was watching as the events unfolded.
Damien's eyes were narrow. He could clearly see the underhanded tactics being used by the Wind Spirit King, and he could feel the vein popping out of his forehead.
Those annoying little bitch birds were already bad enough, but they were being controlled by an even bigger scumbag?
He'd accumulated a great deal of grudges against those sky rats in the past days, and all of that hatred concentrated on the one who allowed them to act out, the big tree that shielded the monkeys.
He turned to Sia, his face twisted in an absolutely evil expression.
The grin on his face would immediately scare away any woman in the vicinity, and the cold and bloody killing intent in his eyes would do the same to men.
But the words that he voiced were utterly calm.
"Use your mana. Plant some of it in that fatass eagle and make sure it's pure enough to give off fluctuations. I don't want some bullshit only I can sense this time."
His words were not the tone of someone asking for a favor at all, but right now, Sia couldn't really care about it.
After all, his face clearly said, "If you don't do it, I'm going to push you off this cliff!"
She glanced at him and rolled her eyes, accepting her fate.
Since she joined this party, she had to pull her weight, right?
Otherwise, she couldn't expect them to fulfill their side of the deal.
These people clearly weren't as naive as Virgil's group.
And…
'As expected, my eyes don't work on him.'
Sia stepped forward and raised her arm into the air, gently flicking her finger.
An imperceptible wisp of mana shot through the air, rising and curving until it directly penetrated the Wind Spirit King's head!
"This is quite the gift you're giving them," Sia said.
"Whatever. It's worth it."
Damien's eyes turned crazier as he watched in anticipation.
Nothing happened to the Wind Spirit King when the mana entered his body, but a trace of its aura leaked into his mana fluctuations.
The surrounding beasts couldn't sense it, but…they weren't the ones it was meant for.
The Overseer and the Wind Spirit King continued their fight ignorantly.
The Overseer was massive, and the suppression he could exert was enough to floor countless beasts below him, but the Wind Spirit King was different.
His ability to read and move with the flow of the wind made him an enemy that couldn't be caught with effort alone.
The Overseer's talons swept through the air, slashing at nothing in an attempt to hit him.
Meanwhile, the Wind Spirit King himself made much more progress.
The Overseer's armor was already shattered and had reverted back to its necklace form. His body was covered in bloody wounds that were constantly emancipated before they were allowed to regenerate.
"You've become weak in your little nest!" The Wind Spirit King roared mockingly.
Slash!
"Khhh…!"
The Overseer gritted his beak, ignoring the pain of the new gash that appeared on his chest and counterattacking.
It was a losing battle from the start.
The Overseer already accepted this. The Wind Spirit King's tactics and speed were too much for him to win against.
But he'd never accept that he lost because he was weak!
"Dammit! I will kill you!" He roared.
His blood was leaking like a waterfall cascading down the mountainside.
It was unknown whether or not he'd be able to reach the Wind Spirit King again before he died.
But at least once…
At least once, he'd—!
WHOOOOOOSH!
A truly gargantuan shadow raced down the slope.
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!
The visceral and utterly terrifying roar of a beast was heard.
In that moment…
"What…?!"
The Overseer's shocked cry resounded.
…the Wind Spirit King had been devoured.
