Wings Of Change (6)

[Why is this one so much larger?!]

Berkah screamed inwardly, his eyes fixed on the large Wyvern hovering above him.

In addition to its large size, its scales were much thicker and appeared more sturdier, its eyes more red instead of gold.

"Don't tell me... was the one I fought... Its offspring?"

He whispered, glancing at the mummified remains of the Wyvern to his side.

The large Wyvern growled quietly, its red eyes slightly trembling as it beheld the almost unrecognizable remains of its child.

The glimmer of fiery light in its mouth grew larger, radiating with intense heat.

"So hot! I can feel it from all the way down here!"

Berkah spat, his skin absorbing the intense heat radiating from the large Wyvern's mouth.

[Dodging that would impossible.]

[But... do I need to?]

He mused, a confident grin laced with excitement adorned his face.

"With all this power flowing through my veins I'm certain I can fight it!"

Ever since he absorbed the red smoke that came out of the Wyvern offspring, he felt a surge of power that was much more potent than before.

It was clear that he had somehow managed to absorb the Wyvern's life force, thus increasing his mana pool.

The flame in the large Wyvern's mouth grew larger and more intense. It puffed up its chest maliciously intending to incinerate everything in front of it.

[If that hits me directly I'll be turned into fried chicken in a matter of seconds!]

Berkah balled up his tiny fist and prepared to draw the power surging within him.

"SCREEEEEECH!"

[!!]

A loud piercing sound that almost bursted Berkah's eardrums came from beneath the clouds.

Strangely enough, he could recognize the sound, like how baby birds recognized the call of their mothers.

*FWOSH!*

Anaise's figure pierced through the clouds, her long curly black her violently caressed by the winds of her velocity, her emerald eyes burning in rage.

The large Wyvern disregarded Anaise and spat out a beam of fire at Berkah.

[Sh-shit! I got distracted!]

Berkah cried inwardly, knowing that he had no time to gather his mana to counter the fire threatening to incinerate him.

*FLAP!*,*FLAP!*

With the flap of her white feathered wings Anaise put herself between Berkah and the Wyvern.

■■ Wind Cutter! ■■

She shouted through her pink lips, flapping her wings slightly and generating a fierce wind so sharp that it would cut through thick metal like paper.

*BOOM!*

Anaise's wind clashed with the Wyvern's fire breath, causing an intense explosion that shook the surroundings.

"How dare you try to hurt my baby?!"

Anaise spat, breathing through her teeth.

["Wind Cutter"? Did she just cast a spell?]

[That was awesome! Kick his ass Mama Harpy!]

*FWOSH!*

Anaise beat her wings fiercely, speeding towards the large Wyvern with such intensity that she left blurred afterimages behind her.

Even Berkah, with his super perception, had trouble tracing her movements.

She extended her sharp talons and aimed for the Wyvern's back.

*KKRRRR!*

Her sharp claws scraped against the Wyvern's pitch-black scales, unable to pierce through its defenses, but instead producing sparks that scattered through the air.

"Growl!"

The Wyvern turned its body to face Anaise.

[I have to lead it away from the nest.]

She mused, her green eyes glancing at Berkah.

Anaise flapped her wings and flew away from the nest.

The Wyvern gave chase, beating its leathery wings.

Though Anaise was faster, the Wyvern had little trouble keeping up with her speed.

As it drew closer to Anaise, it opened its jaws, threatening to bite off her legs.

But before it could snap its jaws, Anaise tilted her wings to make a sharp turn.

[This should far enough...]

Anaise thought, satisfied with the distance between them and the nest.

"*Snarl!*

The Wyvern cried out and turned its scaled body to face Anaise, its scarlet eyes laced in intense bloodlust.

It opened its mouth and spat a ferocious beam of flames.

■■Falcon Arrow! ■■

A gust of wind enveloped her wings as she cast the spell. She twisted her body and launched herself toward the beam of flames.

Her wings and body spun like a propeller, causing the fire breath to flicker and spread outward.

"Ugh!"

She felt the intense heat even though she had enveloped herself in wind magic.

Slight burns appeared on her thighs and torso.

But she bore through pain and charged at the Wyvern with her sharp talons, aiming to gouge out its eye.

*Ting!*

The Wyvern instinctively closed its eyelid to shield its eye from Anaise's sharp talons.

[Damn it! Even its eyelids are as hard as steel!]

Anaise chewed her lips.

[!!]

The Wyvern shook its head and...

*Thud!*

It used the side of its large head and slammed it into Anaise's body with enough force to propell her.

"Argh!"

Anaise vocalized her pain, a trickle of blood flowing down her left wing, dying her snow white feathers in a streak of red.

[I won't be able to fly properly!]

Noticing Anaise's injury, the Wyvern took the opportunity and prepared to burn her to a crisp.

The Wyvern shot its flame breath at Anaise who was struggling to maintain her flight with one wing.

The bright orange light from the flames illuminated Anaise's being, threatening to burn her to a crisp.

■■ Air Branch! ■■

She cast a spell and her legs stood firmly in thin air, like she was standing on solid ground.

Anaise coiled up her legs and utilized the leverage caused by her spell to leap into the air above the Wyvern, narrowly evading the blast.

■■Air Branch! ■■

She hung upside down in the air like a bat, her emerald eyes filled with anxiety.

[I'm running out of mana...]

The Wyvern opened large mouth once more to spit out its flames.

[And... my wing is completely broken.]

She glanced at her limp wing.

[But... I have to do this or else!...]

She bit her lower lip as she imagined what would happen to her baby if she could not defeat the threat.

[I don't care if my wings break or my body gets burnt to a crisp! I will protect you!]

She spat inwardly, her emerald eyes now burning with determination.

*FWOSH!*

she gathered all her strength and flew directly at the Wyvern with tremendous speed.

Thick mana coursed through her veins and enveloped her wings, giving them a feint greenish hue.

The speed of her descent rapidly increased.

■■ Gust to Gust! ■■

She launched both of her wings at the top of the Wyverns snout, unleashing a ferocious gust of wind that forcibly shut the Wyverns mouth.

*BOOM!*

The Wyverns fire breath exploded inside its mouth, whilst the force of Anaise's attack dislocated its jaw.

Its large body flipped and its vision became blurry.

[Did I... do it?]

Anaise who was slowly being claimed by gravity mused, the stinging pain on her wings now worsened by the attack she just unleashed.

"Growl!!"

Vigor returned into the scarlet eyes of the Wyvern.

The Wyvern utilized the momentum of its body flipping and unleashed its thick scaly tail, aiming to crush Anaise's head.

[!!]

She instinctively raised her wings above her head to protect herself.

*POW!*

The Wyvern's tail violently connected with Anaise's body, breaking both her wings and ferociously propelling her body downwards.

"Nooo!"

Berkah cried out helplessly from the distance as he watched his Harpy mother's body be swallowed up by the clouds beneath.

"Ugh..."

Anaise groaned, blood gushing out of her forehead.

"B-berkah..."

She muttered the name of her precious baby.

"I can't... die... yet..."

She whispered in an exasperated tone, gravity greedily tucking at her being.

Anaise attempted to flap her wings but they were stiff and limp.

"*huff*,*huff*."

[I barely have any mana left... but...I need to... go back...]

[Even if I have to squeeze out every last drop of mana.]

"Arrgh!"

She squeezed her mana veins.

■■Air Branch! ■■

Her body ceased its descend and blood trickled down her nostrils.

[I may never use mana again after this...]

A bitter smile adorned her face and she squeezed again.

"Argh!!!"

A sharp pain pierced her chest and bulging veins appeared on her soft forehead.

Winds gathered and enveloped her being, and began glowing in a light green hue.

"*Cough!*"

She coughed up blood, but still persisted.

*FWOSH!!!*

Anaise tore through the air like a rocket.

Above the clouds the Wyvern was still a bit dazed from Anaise's attack and was attempting to recollect itself.

*SCREEEEEECH!*

The familiar call of a Harpy coming from beneath the clouds sent chills down its spine.

It sensed tremendous mana coming from beneath the clouds and instinctively spat its fire breath.

Anaise's figure broke through the clouds and easily tore through the pillar of fire that was raining down on her.

[This is it... my last magic... my last everything.]

She screamed inwardly, her emerald eyes literally ablaze.

She lifted her knee...

■■ Peregrine Clutch! ■■

*BANG!*

A powerful gust of wind magic pierced through the Wyvern and blew its snout in half, sending its blood, teeth and tongue into the air.