Chapter 697

Chapter 697: The Vulture of Malicious Words

The sharp and chilling cries echoed through the cliffs as a grotesque bird flew out from a cave. Its body was quite large, with a wingspan of about ten meters, and its feathers were grayish-brown, giving off a hard and sharp feel.

This strange bird had no feathers on its head, similar to a vulture, and behind it trailed a writhing snake tail that made a metallic sound, like a rattlesnake.

As it flew out, it still carried traces of blood on its body, with purple-red blood staining its scalp, and its eyes were filled with ferocious light, searching for the one who attacked it.

Soon, this strange bird locked its gaze on the floating black-clothed young lady above. It let out a strange cry and spread its long feathers, charging directly at her.

[Scold Vulture]

Status: Injured (chest pierced)

Sequence: Necromancer Sequence 6 · Scold Rat Vulture (Rating: Rare Pearl)

Talent:

Scolding [Rare]: Its cries instill fear, causing ordinary creatures to scatter their souls, and can also intimidate and stun extraordinary beings.

Abilities:

[Iron Feathers] (Excellent): Feathers as hard as iron plates, providing protection and causing harm.

[Pestilence Claw] (Rare): Extremely sharp claws capable of easily piercing through metal and stone, carrying pestilence toxins. Once wounds are opened, it can cause the opponent to fall ill and die without treatment.

Skills:

[Dive Claw Strike Lv.7] (Outstanding): Years of hunting have made it adept at diving and high-speed attacks, making its claws even more resilient and sharp. It poses significant danger to many extraordinary beings. (Affected by talent ability, originally Lv.4 → Lv.7)

[Beak Tear Lv.4] (Excellent): A sharp beak, after self-strengthening, is equivalent to an extraordinary weapon, capable of tearing muscles and bones.

It indeed looked troublesome; no wonder the village and its surroundings couldn’t handle it.

While Lolan Hill was still pondering, the two birds beside her let out sharp and panicked cries, clearly showing their fear.

For them, such an enemy was too powerful, capable of crushing and molding them, making them inevitably fearful.

Despite being injured, this strange bird did not slow down much in its flight. Its wide wings flapped like iron fans, then it charged forward.

The young lady dropped her peachwood bow, transforming it into a vine network to temporarily mitigate the impact of the strange bird, then drew another peachwood sword from behind, holding it tightly in her hand.

A single arrow wasn’t enough to kill it; she would have to bleed it.

The strange bird flapped its wings in the air, like an iron knife, slicing through the disruptive vines, and swooped down again towards the young lady, emitting a shrill scream, as if metal sheets were rubbing against each other, causing irritation and heart palpitations.

Lolan Hill found it annoying but felt nothing else, but the two birds beside her couldn’t bear it, being shaken unconscious and falling from the sky. Fortunately, the young lady summoned a gust of wind to catch them, preventing them from getting hurt.

Seeing the strange bird charge at her, the young lady acted swiftly. Instead of retreating, she dove from the sky. Her black coat fluttered violently in the air, resembling black wings. The long sword in her hand carried high-pressure airflow, slashing down.

Slash!

The tip of the sword grazed the feathers, sparking a flame, followed by a shower of blood blossoms in the sky.

After the clash in the sky, both returned, facing each other from afar.

The strange bird opened its bloody mouth, revealing layers of serrated blood-colored beaks, filled with rage and ferocity. The young lady’s peachwood sword was worn down significantly, leaving only the hilt.

Indeed, it’s still convenient to use a suitable weapon. Lolan Hill looked at the sword hilt in her hand, threw it away, and pulled out the last wooden sword from behind.

This wooden sword had a bright red blade, and the hilt had black scorch marks. After being held by the young lady, it emitted a wave of heat.

[Fire Paulownia Sword] (Gold Grade, Excellent): Made from scorched tail fire paulownia wood (Gold Grade) and inscribed with the Hui Lu inscription, it increases skills related to flames and is very lightweight. [Red Flame Lv.4][Swift Lv.1]

This was a weapon given to Lolan Hill by the faction after her initiation, although its enhancement domain was unrelated to wind, at least the material was excellent, making it less prone to damage.

Injecting mana, hot patterns appeared on the sword, and the surrounding air slightly distorted, creating a sensation of heat even from a distance.

In the sky, the strange bird let out several vicious cries, seeing that they were ineffective against the young lady. It swooped down again from the sky.

The mottled iron feathers, gray and brown, streaked across the sky, and the sharp claws beneath glimmered.

These claws used for hunting were each a meter long, with jagged joints and claw tips like black jade. If used against ordinary extraordinary beings, they could easily tear apart someone like Lolan Hill.

The shadow in the sky rapidly grew larger. Lolan Hill no longer hovered in the air, but soared upwards, her flame wooden sword emitting a crimson heat wave, leaving a trail of red clouds.

When the two charged at each other, their relative speed reached extremely high levels, making it a moment of extreme danger for both. Victory meant a decisive strike to kill the enemy on the spot, while defeat meant immediate death.

Boom—

In the dark sky, the slender black figure, entwined with red flames, collided head-on with the descending vulture. The fire exploded, momentarily halting the gray-brown vulture’s body.

A long black claw hooked onto the fire sword, though several joints were severed, the remaining fingers clung to the sword tightly, even if the foot was roasted and useless. Meanwhile, another claw stabbed at the young lady like a sharp knife.

Seeing that she couldn’t pull out her sword, Lolan Hill decisively let go, dodging the sharp claw with a side step. Unfortunately, it wasn’t over yet. The wing struck like an iron palm, causing pain in her right hand, breaking her forearm.

In a flash, Lolan Hill endured the intense pain, moving again to avoid the hook-like beak.

Unfortunately, her outer garment was not so lucky, torn by the beak like a piece of cloth.

After separating, due to the temporary fracture in her right wrist, Lolan Hill extended her left hand, aiming at the ferocious strange bird. High-pressure air gathered, compressed, and exploded in her palm.

Under the chaotic air currents, the strange bird separated from the young lady, letting out a furious cry.

Indeed, she was still too weak now. The overly comfortable life had made her forget the harshness of survival.

After separating, Lolan Hill supported her arm, a cool energy flowing through her arm, repairing the injured area.

Unlike the practice sessions in Emanas, where both sides were restrained, and different from later spellcasting in the military, where she had numerous companions assisting her.

In this life-or-death battle, the cold and ferocious nature of the strange bird caused the young lady to suffer a minor loss, but it also made Lolan Hill calm and composed.

Both rose again, breaking through the clouds, competing for higher skies.

The sky above the flowing clouds was crystal blue, with cold air silently and rapidly flowing, gradually forming a jade-green spear.

Its color was like sky blue, cold and sharp.

(End of Chapter)