Chapter 116: GOOD BIRD.

Chapter 116: 116: GOOD BIRD.

While June ran, Ryan followed closely behind while carefully observing the bird.

He studied the eagle as he ran, muttering to himself, "Cosmic Purple Eagle..." His mind scanned through everything he knew about it within a short moment.

Then, after a while, he suddenly ran forward and shouted at the top of his voice.

"June! Stop running!"

June was stunned when he heard that.

"Huh?! And why would I do that?! Do you want me dead?!"

"No, not that! Like... stop running and play dead!"

June gasped. "I’m sure I’d be dead for real if I listened to you!" His legs were already wobbling as he jumped over another rock, feeling his waist crack even further. "Exercise is important in your thirties, kids!"

"No, listen to me! Trust me and play dead! Don’t move! It won’t come for you then!" Ryan shouted.

June was skeptical, but he decided to trust Ryan. Besides, he was already too tired and lazy to continue running.

Immediately, June slid across the floor and fell.

He lay there stiffly without moving or doing anything, his eyes tightly shut as he played dead.

Almost immediately, the Eagle landed on the ground close to him. It slowly moved closer and stared down at June, studying him with its burning purple eyes.

June remained on the ground while his mind ran helter-skelter as the eagle carefully observed his "dead" body.

God, if you pardon me this time and let me live, I promise I won’t talk bad about the main character anymore. I won’t call him poor... or dumb... or stupid... Even if he is... But I’ll try and lie that he isn’t. Please, God!

His thoughts echoed wildly through his mind while he continued playing dead.

The eagle eventually stopped.

Then, it slowly turned its back on June and began looking around for something else—or perhaps someone else.

At that moment, June slowly opened one eye and peeked.

A smile appeared on his face.

Here comes an opportunity...

June immediately jumped to his feet and launched himself toward the bird. He mounted the eagle’s back, gripping it firmly as he began his countdown.

Ryan stood there staring in shock.

"What the...? Does he really want to die...?"

The eagle shrieked loudly and began struggling, moving violently from left to right as it desperately tried to throw June off.

But to no avail.

June held on firmly like a parasite until the countdown was finally over.

Then, he muttered.

"Stop."

The eagle instantly stopped struggling and stood completely still.

June smiled as he gently patted it on the head.

"Good boy..."

"What the...?" Ryan slowly approached, completely confused. "You did it again..." He stared at June suspiciously. "Do you have anything you haven’t told me?"

Immediately, more cracks appeared in the air.

Multiple enormous eagles burst through the cracks and entered the atmosphere before diving directly toward them.

June smiled as he stretched out a hand toward Ryan.

"Hop on. I’ll tell you everything on our way to find the others."

Ryan grabbed his hand and climbed onto the eagle as well.

"Hia! Move!" June commanded.

The eagle spread its wings and instantly took off into the air.

It flew through the other eagles, and following June’s command, it used its enormous wings to slap the attacking birds away as it moved past them.

---

Kael and Nyx had it hard.

The two were fighting within a chaotic atmosphere of violent wind and rocks flying randomly around them.

They stood on the surface with their staff weapons, swinging them against the endless rocks coming from different directions. Rocks of different shapes shot toward them from every corner alongside the powerful wind that refused to stop.

"Why the hell won’t this stop?!" Kael snapped as he used his double staffs, smashing the rocks one after another.

But they kept coming.

Nyx stood close by, trying to hold off the rocks with the single staff in his hand. It wasn’t easy for him either. He smashed several apart, but some managed to hit and brush against his body.

Then, a gigantic rock suddenly flew toward Nyx while he wasn’t paying attention.

A rock large enough to potentially smash him into a bloody mess.

But Kael instantly swung both his staffs and threw one toward it.

The weapon smashed directly into the rock, breaking it into pieces before boomeranging back into Kael’s hand.

The two continued fighting off the rocks amidst the violent wind.

"Thanks..." Nyx said.

Kael rolled his eyes. "Weren’t you some powerful F-rank Esper who cleared an Anomaly Dungeon? Why aren’t you doing wonders here?"

Nyx said nothing.

The pace of the attacks gradually became stronger, leaving Kael with no choice but to use his powers.

He closed his eyes and waved his staff.

Red dust immediately surrounded both his staff and hand as he stretched his arm forward. The red essence spread across the atmosphere and wrapped around the incoming rocks, holding them stiffly in place.

Kael closed his eyes, struggling to concentrate as he used the red essence he emitted to slowly tear the rocks apart.

Nyx watched as the red energy trapped the rocks around them.

Then, Kael clenched his fist.

The rocks instantly shattered, some melting away into clouds of red dust.

But blood suddenly dripped from Kael’s mouth.

"Are you okay...?" Nyx asked.

"Don’t ask. Help me with something," Kael said as more rocks continued rising from nowhere and flying toward them.

Kael persistently used his Red Venom energy to trap, shatter, and melt the rocks continuously while Nyx focused on blocking the attacks coming toward Kael, allowing him to concentrate.

"Don’t fight the rocks. Find its essence and strike it!"

Ryan’s voice suddenly echoed through the chaotic space as the eagle flew into the scene.

Ryan and June were riding on its back as it swept through the area, using its massive wings to brush several rocks away into the distance.

Ryan looked around and suddenly caught sight of a small purple flower growing in the distance.

From where he sat on the eagle, he connected with Kael through their minds.

"Listen to me..."

Ryan’s voice resounded inside Kael’s head.

"Direct your energy toward the venom... and poison it."

Kael didn’t argue.

He had no choice but to do as Ryan instructed.

His red essence crawled toward the small flower and wrapped around it, suffocating it until the flower gradually turned red before melting away into red dust.

Immediately, the wind stopped.

The remaining rocks puffed into purple dust as everything gradually returned to calm.

June stared at Ryan in surprise.

At first, he wondered whether he was simply overthinking things.

But now that he thought about it...

How did Ryan know all this?

How did he know how to create the team compatibility that would get them through the First Zone?

How did he know how to fool the eagle by playing dead?

And how did he even know that the flower was the core of the entire attack?