Dozens of monsters with wide wings quickly approached the fighter, cutting through the wind currents.
They resembled bats in some ways, especially in the shape of their wings. Their bodies consisted mostly of iron and gears, actively rotating to keep them alive.
They were not dangerous in appearance, and some inexperienced Phantom would not take them seriously - that would be his fatal mistake.
The fact that the mechanical bats could outrun a fighter controlled by an experienced pilot was enough to realize the level of threat they posed.
Well, that didn't mean they were adversaries for Adam. After all, in his current condition, he surely was one of the Top-20 strongest K1-Phantoms, due to a combination of many factors.
Sure, Adam could be even higher, for example, in the Top-10 or even in the Top 5, but everything depended on the situation, and it was impossible to know for sure his exact position in the rankings.
Adam effortlessly handled every mechanical bat, a few swings of the needle would be enough, but... after Fall Hill Prison, he didn't even need to take his hands out of his pockets.
His aura was more than enough.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
White flames spread around for dozens of meters, increasing its area of effect. Sure, the density of the aura suffered from it, but Adam condensed it into one large stream. He didn't need to use Spirit to defeat the mechanical bats.
The monsters tried to defend themselves from the white flames that they only saw for a moment, thanks to their weak auras. However... it was not enough.
The mechanical bats took serious internal damage and, one by one, fell down, spinning rapidly and approaching the ground. They didn't have enough resilience to withstand even the weakest attack by Adam's aura.
"Agh? Have they stopped?" Lang muttered in confusion, looking at the radar - the red dots were gradually getting farther away as the fighter moved forward.
Adam looked at the fallen mechanical bats and returned to his seat.
"Well, I've got them sorted out. You don't have to worry about that." Adam shrugged.
Lang gulped, then quickly glancing at Adam, he asked, "Hey... That was the so-called aura, right?"
Lang grinned, "That's right."
At the same moment, Adam jumped, opening his parachute when he was only a few hundred meters from the ground.
No matter how much stronger he'd gotten compared to the day he'd become a Phantom, heights were still as dangerous to him as simple physical gravity.
If he didn't use the parachute, he would turn into a bloody mess when he landed. Someone like Damien could just fall, his knees wouldn't even be hurt.
Bam.
At high speed, Adam caught the edge of the Iron Beacon, finding himself on its peak. He strained his arm to climb sharply to the top, where he could see the farthest part of the Rusty Ruins and the beginning of the Salt Village.
"Oh, this isn't bad at all... It's even romantic in a way. If it weren't Dead Lands, I'd want that view out my window." Adam muttered, looking at the unique landscape unfolding before him.
Distant structures and old buildings peeked out from under layers of salt, occasionally reflecting the light from the bright, blazing sun. This unusual white desert contrasted strongly with the land filled with rust, old metal, and iron dust that had long since become part of the land.
Adam turned around, leaning on the fence. Right below the Iron Beacon and almost everywhere else were Phantoms.
Adam could see nearly every squad, all of them, fighting monsters, planning their goals, or already resting while the Harvesters did their work.
The area around the Iron Beacon was huge, as was the density of monsters here, so sometimes random squads or lone Phantoms would run into each other.
The Mission Department had no way of controlling this due to the specifics of the area.
All the Phantoms here were K1s since K0s would just die here, and there was nothing for K2s to do here - missions were waiting for them in more difficult areas.
"Hmm... Teamwork definitely has its perks." Adam muttered, glancing at one squad in the distance - a girl with long blond hair was telling something to her mates.
They listened to her intently, nodding from time to time. Obviously, she was their leader, and a lot depended on her.
"Hah, their target looks pretty dangerous. I wouldn't have wanted to meet someone like that when I first got to Rusty Ruins." Adam smiled bitterly, looking at the huge monster a few warehouses away from this squad.