Chapter 75: The Strength of Party

A heavy tension filled the atmosphere as the battle between bird and humans had entered a new phase. With a vicious battle shriek, the Four-Winged Dark Crow swooshed around in the air in its berserk state, its body clad in its vile mystic power as it flapped its wings, hurling a few arcs of spiraling wild wind attacks towards its enemies.

"Everyone get behind me! Mystic Barrier Dome!" 

Leya said as she adopted a combat stance, holding her staff before her as one of her hands faced forward with its palms open, a barrier then formed around her, Quon, and Illiak, who were both gathering power for an attack.

Bang! The dome-shaped barrier shook as the many different wind arcs crashed into it from above, some of the remnant energies seeping into the earth around it, as it sliced through like a knife through butter, crushing their surroundings.

"Her barrier grew stronger... is it always like this, or is it because she's under pressure?" Marius muttered as he observed from his position of the hill's summits. Still, as his thoughts reached here, his eyes flickered when he stared at Quon and Illiak with even more interest.

The Four-Winged Dark Crow couldn't get any angrier as it saw how easily its prey prevented its innate attack. Not bothering to hold back anymore, its body erupted with immense mystic power as it swooped from the air with its talons held outward; planning to crush them all together in one go.

Leya's face shrunk as she could feel the danger from the incoming attack; she shouted, "Guys, I won't be able to block this; hurry and take it down!"

Quon, who seemed to have gathered a large amount of mystic power, nodded as he firmly gripped a dazzling green arrow and nocked his bow in full.

"Illiak, I'm ready; it's all on you," Quon said, not daring to take his eyes from the incoming danger, swooshing down through the shrieking winds like a comet ready to hurl destruction.

"R-right," Illiak said a bit hesitantly as if one looked at him, they wouldn't see the look of a confident man but one full of uncertainty.

Leya gulped at this. She felt her heart racing, her sweat running from her forehead as she thought to herself, 'I... can I trust these guys?'

She wasn't anxious that Quon couldn't pull his end, but she was beginning to grove nervous when it came down to Illiak. 

Caw! The savage cry of the crow sounded as it had now descended upon them, its giant talons swooshing towards the barrier with immense force, causing it to show signs of cracks due to the wind pressure.

"Hurry! Whatever you're doing, do it now!" Leya cried out in alarm.

Quon also had sweat running from his forehead, but he didn't dare to complain or take his eyes from the monster; he knew Illiak well and decided that he would trust him always.

Marius narrowed his eyes as he saw this; he held his arm forward, prepared to act. But at this time, he looked in surprise as he thought to himself.

"Oh, it looks like I underestimated them... or rather, that fellow."

With death staring him right in the face, Illiak felt as though time as stopped. He wasn't one to act out directly and would rather keep a low profile, even more so due to his meek and weak nature.

Yet, at this moment, though fearful of the incoming danger, he bit his lips tightly, his pale face turning even paler.

'I... I must live up to my mission...'

With those words said, Illiak's mood seemed to have changed by a section as he grew colder, almost like ice. His palms left a series of afterimages as they clasped together before grey energy scattered from his body, forming a gray field a few meters around them.

"Gravity Fall..." Illiak's cold voice said as time returned to normal, followed by a shocking change.

Bang! The sound of something crashing into earth resounded as the earth before the Four-Winged Dark Crow exploded, causing it to vanish behind a sea of dust and dirt. 

Looking at the scene before her, Leya was shocked; she would have never expected such a change to happen no sooner than a blink of an eye.

She turned and glanced at Illiak, noticing that he now held his arms together with an icy gaze, glaring at the pit before her with glowing silver eyes as if it were an enemy.

'This guy... he's stronger than I thought, and those eyes, they aren't normal. There's something not quite right about him,' Leya thought as she grew curious about Illiak.

As if he sensed her gaze, Illiak stared at her, but because of his distraction, his power faded as he soon after returned to his usual meek and weak mood. His hair fell over his face as it once more covered his now mysterious silver eyes.

Unlike both Leya and Illiak, who were distracted, Quon knew his role; his eyes peered through the dust cloud, glowing with a strange light as it soon formed an outline of the crow's body.

"Found you, now die! Raging Gale Bolt!" 

With Quon's shout, it startled both Illiak and Leya, who were distracted, forcing them to look as he fired off his dazzling green arrow that tore through the cloud of dust, pushing it away as it soared towards the now immobile Four-Winged Dark Crow.

Sensing the danger, the Four Winged Dark Crow felt alarmed. It was originally trying to pick itself up from the craters, but due to the boulders that crushed its wings from the sharp fall, it couldn't react in time.

With a gruesome sound and a pitiful shriek, the arrow blasted a large hole in the skull of the crow's head. Instantly, ending its tale as it slumped over into the pit that was now its grave.

"Whew, that was a close one. Haha, Illiak, you came through this time," Quon said as he wiped his forehead with a smirk on his face.

"Hehe, that's right, we'd have been a goner if not for that technique of yours," Leya said as she stared at Illiak with a smile.

Illiak lowered his head a bit shy, not saying anything; even though it didn't seem like it, it was clear he liked being praised.

Watching his party members speak idly out in the open after a vicious battle in these wild mountains, Marius shook his head and facepalmed, even more so as he saw the shuffling silhouettes rushing through them from all angles.

Marius jumped from his position in a battle-ready posture with a heavy sigh, staring down towards them while thinking with sharp eyes.

"They're not bad, but they have a lot to learn..."

His figure bolted down like thunder bringing a startle to the party once more as a new battle unfolded in an instant.