357: Gliding Hawks

Gliding Hawks

Miles looked at the birds in awe. They looked like hawks but were really small compared to the other monsters. They weren't bigger than hawks one would see on Earth. But they weren't fully hawks, there were some characteristic differences one could observe at first glance.1

Their metallic beaks were the first thing that drew his attention. The red metallic sheen was reflecting the sun. Their talons were also bloody colored but duller than the beaks despite having the same metallic feeling. Their wing spans weren't larger than 2 meters. The azure feathers were covering them from tail to head but the change was getting darker towards the head.

What was most out of place was their eyes. At first, Miles thought the sockets were devoid of any eyes, but only after looking closer, did he realize that it wasn't that they didn't have any eyes but they were so black, he failed to see them. It felt like looking deep into the abyss. And the abyss, at that moment, was looking back at him.

"Kee-eeeee-arr" the one at the lead cried in pain. Miles, all of a sudden, was washed by emotions. He felt the pain of loss and anger in the cry. But none was directed at him. The pain, the yearning, and the loss had no target. But anger, the will to destroy, the wish to avenge was directed at the ants standing not far from him.

At the same moment, ants also saw the hawks, and the underlings were shivering in their boots. The queen looked irritated. Its ultimate was destroyed and the human was still breathing and now new enemies appeared.

"Can it be that those hawks are the parents of the eggs the ants were trying to eat the other time?" Miles thought to himself.

"So much has passed. Isn't it a big coincidence?" Coin commented in his mind.

"I thought that at first as well, but you have to understand that ants are living underground most of the time. The Hawks had no chance to draw them out. Also, ants were strong. The only reason they are in this position now is that I drew them out and weakened them with ultimate." Miles thought it was highly possible. The tree where the eggs were was close to where they were fighting. The hawks were probably waiting for an opportunity like that one.

"That makes sense." Coin nodded his imaginary head.

"This is a chance for me. I just hope hawks won't attack me after we kill all the ants." Miles hoped as he charged. Now that the ultimate was broken, the poison got out of the barrier. It was both good and bad for him as he couldn't kite the ant towards the poison anymore but he had more room to move too.

Miles drew out the dagger he received from his father in the new year. The dagger on his left hand and the claw on the right he charged with Frontal Rush. The ants had already gathered their wits and grouped together behind the queen. Now the poison was gone, they could finally support their queen and if it wasn't for the hawks that appeared out of nowhere, Miles would escape long ago.

When Miles arrived in front of the queen, the underling ants wanted to stop him but with tens of bird cries, the hawks descended with record speed behind them and wind blades on their wings stopped the underlings. Only the hawk at the lead was still in the air. It cried with all the emotions it could muster and dove towards the queen beak-first.

The queen raised its leg to defend against the beak with the exoskeleton, but it was still not enough. The drill-like beak with all its metallic sheen passed through the exoskeleton and drew blood from the queen for the first time. Miles looked at it in awe but didn't forget to attack. Because of the hawk, the queen was defenseless now and to defend against the beak, it had to raise its front body, which in return gave Miles an opening. An opening that he wouldn't miss to exploit.

Miles stabbed the dagger with everything he had towards the soft-looking belly. The dagger with the piercing element sucked Miles's energy dry and penetrated the softer exoskeleton and drew the second blood.

"WEEECH!" The Queen cried in pain as it jumped back. Miles blocked the voice once again with energy and slashed with his right hand. The wind elemental energy mixed with the water on the claw and a waterspout started to move towards the unexpecting and wounded bug who was crying in pain.

The hawk didn't miss an opportunity and created a whirlwind of its own and sent it towards the queen from the other side. It was also rotating in the opposite direction. At first, Miles thought it to be stupid, but it wasn't so. For some reason, the whirlwind didn't cancel the waterspout he sent but merged with it. It was spinning in the opposite direction but two forces were working in tandem. It was against every physics law he knew.

The hawk didn't sit and watch. The queen was amidst the two attacks and couldn't free itself: It was bleeding harder and harder every second but the hawk was filled with rage. Its beak shone with a dangerous light as it dove down. The wind was like a road to it. It could read where the wind was blowing from or which direction it would go. It was surfing on the wind with its two azure wings.

When it was in front of the queen, its beak penetrated its back. Then again, then again. Over and over again, the queen was drilled by that beak. Miles watched it in amazement and fear. The hawks could use the wind to speed up and sharpen their attacks. He wasn't sure if he could escape from them if they were to attack him.

In no time at all, the queen fell to the ground on its last breath. Miles couldn't waste any time. If the monster was killed by another monster, no orb would drop. He brandished his dagger and rushed at the queen but the hawk was still brimming with anger. It too glided towards the queen. And at the same time, the dagger and claw hit the queen on the neck, separating it from the rest of its body.

Miles cursed under his breath as he cut open the ant's chest. There, he found an orb shining in purple light.

"Thankfully it is an orb." He sighed in relief as he took it in his hand and looked at the armor swimming inside of the orb. "Lightning armor. Finally!"

Before he could rejoice, he was jerked awake by the bird's cry. He turned to look at the battlefield and noticed all the ants were destroyed to the limb. He gulped in fear and looked at the leading hawk that was gazing back at him in fear. The abysmal eyes were staring at his soul but Miles couldn't feel anything in them.

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