Chapter 22: Flight

This Wind God Pterosaur thought that, just like before, it would easily obtain a meal. As it dove downward, it made no attempt to defend itself.

But it was sorely mistaken. Just as it was about to bite down on the paladin leader below, that very leader raised his longsword upward.

A sword light nearly ten meters long slashed toward the sky.

Even Wang Liang, standing far away, could feel the chill radiating from the sword light—how could the Wind God Pterosaurs, who acted mostly on instinct, not sense it as well?

Yet they were still a step too slow. The one pterosaur diving down was sliced in two on the spot, and the sword light startled several of the other pterosaurs flying nearby.

Having slain the Wind God Pterosaur, the paladin leader finally stood up slowly. He looked toward the white-robed figures. “Did you encounter creatures like these last time you came?”

It was clear he was addressing the brothers Niccolo and Matteo.

But these Wind God Pterosaurs were not native to this world. The brothers themselves were quite puzzled as to why they would appear here.

The bizarre food down below was tasty, but compared to their usual prey, it was far more dangerous.

Normally, they judged the risk of their meals by size, and had never imagined that something so small could actually harm them.

A few Wind God Pterosaurs that had arrived early were circling in the sky, as if waiting for the main group to catch up.

At this moment, Niu Xuanguang and Wei Ban arrived as well. They looked up at the pterosaurs in the sky and, as if these creatures weren’t their own doing, remarked, “What are those monsters?”

Seeing their anxious expressions, the paladin leader shot them a look. “I don’t know, but they’re strong. We can’t let them land. I remember you have a way to fly, right? Why don’t you join us and take them out?”

This was exactly what Niu Xuanguang had been waiting for. He replied confidently, “Of course.”

Wei Ban volunteered as well. “Count me in.”

As he spoke, Wei Ban took out the box containing his bronze cauldron and began assembling his mechanical crossbow.

But the paladin leader shook his head. “It’s not enough. They are very strong. The four of us alone won’t be enough.”

He was counting the weeping girl, who had already summoned her warhorse, among the four.

“What do we do, then?”

Watching as the pterosaurs began preparing for a second assault, Niu Xuanguang deliberately asked.

“I have a spell that can make everyone fly, but it only lasts half an hour. If we can’t defeat them in that time, we won’t get another chance.”

Hearing this, Niu Xuanguang’s eyes lit up. “What do you need from us?”

“Just trust me.”

With that, the paladin leader plunged his sword into the ground and began to pray facing west.

Seeing this, two Wind God Pterosaurs immediately broke from the group and flew toward them.

But Niu Xuanguang had no intention of letting them disrupt the ritual. He clapped his hand to his back, and a longsword flew out.

The sword slid through the air like a fish, aiming for one of the pterosaurs. The closer it got, the larger it grew.

By the time it reached the Wind God Pterosaur, it had transformed from a three-foot blade into a giant sword three meters long.

The pterosaur was no fool; it quickly tried to ascend to dodge the blow.

But the giant sword seemed to bend time and space, flickering suddenly before stabbing into the creature’s chest. The hilt twisted downward, dragging the Wind God Pterosaur as it fell.

The other pterosaur was intercepted by the weeping girl. She charged forward on her rouge-red steed, meeting the pterosaur head-on. Just as it was about to bite her, she swung her halberd.

As she struck, Wang Liang saw the murderous energy of a battle formation trailing behind the halberd.

It was clear that many lives had been lost beneath this move, for such killing intent to have taken shape.

Even the Wind God Pterosaur was startled by this aura.

That brief hesitation gave the weeping girl her chance. Her mount stamped forward, landing on the pterosaur’s jaw, and with a forward slash, the crescent blade of her halberd cleaved into the beast’s brow.

She put her full strength into that blow.

With a single strike, the pterosaur’s head was split open.

As the two pterosaurs fell, the paladin leader rose to his feet, spreading his arms wide. “Mass Flight!”

At his command, countless white feathers burst forth from his body, landing upon everyone nearby.

His voice rang out, echoing as if from the heavens.

“Everyone, pay attention to the number of feathers before you. Make sure you’re on the ground before they vanish.”

With that, the paladin leader took flight, followed by those armored paladins who were already prepared.

The white-robed men exchanged glances and began to rise into the air in small groups.

They seemed unaccustomed to flying this way, and even in the air, they sought somewhere to sit or stand, as if only by standing firm could they fight.

Wang Liang and his companions also gained the ability to fly.

Seeing this, Zhao Gongming muttered, “Do they think I’m the kind of mage who can’t fly? Don’t they know that flying just makes you an easy target?”

Though disgruntled, Zhao Gongming took flight as well. Instead of launching talisman attacks as before, he used a variety of talismans to protect himself.

He then reinforced Miss Ghost Head with even more talismans.

Only after all this did Zhao Gongming prepare to attack the pterosaurs.

But just as he was about to strike, he caught sight of Wang Liang and, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “Sorry, I’m used to only shielding magic users. On your end…”

“No worries. It seems I’m not needed here for now.”

Wang Liang, holding the Sword of Severed Life, floated gently in the air. It was the first time he’d ever flown unaided by any external power, and the sensation was entirely new to him.

He maneuvered his body at a relatively low altitude, practicing his flight. There were several others doing the same, so he didn’t stand out much.

Yet, for some reason, just as Wang Liang was getting the hang of flying, one of the Wind God Pterosaurs fixed its gaze directly on him.