'Hoo...'
[Ruler of the Skies].
As the name suggests, it's an ability that grants advantages while airborne—a straightforward yet immensely powerful trait.
Enhancement-type traits are generally better when they're simple rather than bound by complicated conditions.
'It's a rare trait to acquire... I guess taking down the Sky Megalodon really made a difference.'
That made sense.
It wasn't just about defeating a Grade-1 Aerial Beast like the Sky Megalodon. I had fought my way into the heart of the Beast Legion during a wave and brought it down.
And that wasn't the only reward.
[Grade-1 AerialBeast, Sky Megalodon, has been absorbed!]
[You can now use the abilities of the Grade-1 AerialBeast, Sky Megalodon.]
Finally, Janus and Horus had completely absorbed the blood and flesh of the Sky Megalodon.
Perhaps it was because they had previously absorbed the Queen Bee, but this time the absorption felt smoother.
Well, whatever the reason...
'I need to get out of here.'
Seeing the ground gradually getting closer, I quickly climbed onto Horus's back.
I had no intention of crashing to the ground along with the empty shell of the Sky Megalodon.
"Let's go."
[Kieet!]
Horus tore his bone tendrils free from the Sky Megalodon's body and began flapping his wings powerfully.
As Horus kicked off from the Sky Megalodon's body, it plummeted even faster toward the ground.
To the beasts on the ground, it was nothing short of a massive disaster.
BOOOOM────!!!
The beasts crushed directly by the falling Sky Megalodon died without even being able to scream.
[Grade-10 Beast, Hellhound, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Beast, Hellhound, has increases by 0.05%.]
[Grade-8 Beast, Skull Hound, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-8 Beast, Skull Hound, has increases by 0.05%.]
[Grade-10 Beast, Tropical Grassland Raptor, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Beast, Tropical Grassland Raptor, has increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[Grade-8 Beast, Starving Sabretooth, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-8 Beast, Starving Sabretooth, has increases by 0.05%.]
As I rode Horus away from the battleground, flying beasts continued to rush at me relentlessly, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Since there were hardly any giant bees left to cause chaos, it was no surprise.
'Well, it doesn't matter now.'
The primary objective had been achieved.
From here on, it was just about fighting.
Click.
I grabbed the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun.
Most of the high-ranking beasts and monsters nearby had already been taken down.
Now, there were hardly any enemies left in the sky that could stand in my way.
Of course, many high-ranking beasts and monsters had already headed toward the Ark, but I couldn't do anything about that.
This was war.
I couldn't handle everything on my own.
All I could do was minimize the damage to the Ark as much as possible.
The NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun began to spin fiercely.
If there's such a thing as a mobile turret, this was it.
RATATATATATA─!!!
The NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun spewed fierce flames, riddling the wings of the flying beasts with countless holes.
[Screeeech!]
[Kraaak! Kaak!]
Fragments of what were once beasts and monsters rained down from the sky.
Their outer shells were far too fragile to withstand the firepower of the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun.
[Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Vampire Bat, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Vampire Bat, has increases by 0.05%.]
[Grade-10 Arthropod, Giant Horsefly, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Arthropod, Giant Horsefly, has increases by 0.05%.]
[Grade-6 Arthropod, Red-Eyed Giant Dragonfly, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-6 Arthropod, Red-Eyed Giant Dragonfly, has increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
[Grade-5 Flying Beast, Dark Manta Ray, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-5 Flying Beast, Dark Manta Ray, has increases by 0.05%.]
Maybe because I had drawn so much attention with that display of firepower, the growls of beasts that had survived the battle with the giant bees now focused on me and Horus.
[Grrrr...]
[Kyaooo!]
[Grrrr, Grrr!]
Beasts began closing in from all directions.
Even though most high-ranking beasts were gone, the sheer number itself posed an enormous threat.
'I could use Ankelenth's Roar...'
Thanks to a decent rest and the nutrients absorbed earlier, Janus's energy had recovered.
If I wanted to use Ankelenth's Roar, I could.
However, I was more interested in testing the new ability I had acquired.
Having absorbed the Sky Megalodon, I wanted to see what this new power could do.
"Horus!"
At my call, Horus responded.
His tail swung wide, and the surrounding air began to ripple like a wave.
['Wave Surge' has been activated!]
A massive wave surged up—
Not from the ocean, but from the sky itself.
CRAAAAAASH───!!!
The intangible force swept away the surrounding beasts and monsters in an instant.
[Kyaaak!]
[Kreee!]
[Grooo!]
Some of the creatures caught in the wave were thrown all the way to the ground, crashing into the beast legion below.
BOOOM───!!!
[Grade-8 Monster, Mutated Scale Snake, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-8 Monster, Mutated Scale Snake, has increases by 0.05%.]
[Grade-9 Monster, Venom Claw Raptor, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-9 Monster, Venom Claw Raptor, has increases by 0.05%.]
[Grade-10 Arthropod, Diligent Worker Ant, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Arthropod, Diligent Worker Ant, has increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
[Grade-5 Primate Beast, Devil Arm Chimpanzee, has been slain.]
[Damage to Grade-5 Primate Beast, Devil Arm Chimpanzee, has increases by 0.05%.]
Even the beasts on the ground were swept away, proving that the Sky Megalodon's ability was indeed optimized for aerial combat.
'The only drawback is the lack of destructive power.'
Excluding those that fell to the ground and died from the impact, the wave itself didn't directly kill many enemies.
While it might lack sheer power, its range and effect made it an undeniably useful ability.
'It's perfect for repelling enemies.'
If I could enhance it with Aether, its power would undoubtedly increase even further.
'It's an ideal ability for handling large numbers of flying beasts.'
And it wasn't just that.
'If Horus can use this ability, then Janus, who also absorbed the Sky Megalodon's blood and flesh, should be able to use it too.'
'Though it might lose a bit of power when Janus uses it on the ground... still, it's better than nothing.'
Thanks to the brief respite created by Wave Surge, I was able to take a look around.
'Oh, right... There was another ability that Horus absorbed.'
Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Statue Gargoyle.
Earlier, Horus had absorbed its blood and flesh, inheriting its power.
Though I hadn't yet figured out what ability it was, considering the Demon Statue Gargoyle's known abilities, I had a rough idea of what Horus could potentially use.
'Still, it would have been more efficient if he had shared it with Janus... but it couldn't be helped.'
Just as I was feeling a bit regretful, one of Horus's bone tendrils extended toward Janus.
At first, I wondered what he was doing, but when I saw the bone tendrils from Horus and Janus touch and connect, I realized it was a form of nutrient exchange.
Clunk, clunk...
[Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Statue Gargoyle's ability has been partially transferred!]
[You can now partially use the ability of Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Statue Gargoyle.]
Hah...
I didn't expect something like this to be possible.
Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.
'Well, good things are good, after all.'
Just as I was about to shift my focus back to the battlefield—
'...Wait, then does that mean Ankelenth's ability can be transferred too?'
[Kikik!]
As if reading my thoughts, Janus responded negatively.
Maybe it was because Ankelenth's ability was inherently too unique, or perhaps Janus hadn't fully digested it yet.
Or maybe it had just been too long since he had absorbed it.
Either way, it seemed impossible.
'That's really disappointing.'
If Ankelenth's ability had been transferred to Horus, he would have become far stronger than he was now.
[Kyaaaaah!]
[Kieek! Kieek!]
Unfortunately, that brief moment of relief was over.
Flying beasts had already begun crowding around me once more.
But unlike before, I now had a wide-area attack ability, so I didn't feel threatened.
'I'll take down as many flying beasts and monsters here as possible.'
With my objective clear, I gripped the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun once more.
Even though the beasts kept swarming endlessly, I felt no fear.
Because now, I wasn't fighting alone.
"Let's do this."
[Kieet!]
[Kikik!]
["...Do I have to fight too?"]
The war was gradually approaching its climax.
* * *
An unprecedented massive wave.
Well, to be precise, it wasn't entirely unprecedented.
On the infamous D-DAY, when all human cities except Ark were destroyed, a massive wave of incomprehensible scale struck.
Fortunately, this wave didn't seem as severe as that one, but it was clear that the size of this wave was more than double the usual scale.
Amidst the chaos, Lieutenant Colonel Banol listened to the reports coming from the front lines and felt an odd sense of incongruity.
He was sure the damage would be significant, yet surprisingly, the frontline casualties were much lower than expected.
To find out why, Lieutenant Colonel Banol quickly moved into action and soon arrived at one conclusion.
'There's an unusually low number of flying beasts threatening the Ark.'
After analyzing the types and grades of beasts reported from each line, he came to that realization.
But it was strange.
'Why?'
There was no apparent reason for it.
If the wave had increases in scale, the number of flying beasts should have at least doubled as well.
Yet, the number of flying beasts attacking the Ark was not significantly different from normal—or even fewer.
He couldn't think of any reason for this anomaly, but for some reason, one man's name popped into his head.
'...Carl Marcus. Wasn't it said that he gave a warning about this massive wave?'
When Lieutenant Imosha first reported it, Banol hadn't been overly concerned with the authenticity of the information.
He simply increases the front line defenses several times over, because even if the report turned out false, it wouldn't cause much harm.
More importantly, he couldn't afford to ignore Carl Marcus's words.
'And in the end, a wave of unprecedented scale really did hit.'
Carl Marcus remained a man shrouded in secrets.
Frankly, Banol had no idea what kind of schemes he might be plotting.
However, one thing was certain—Carl Marcus was gradually gaining the trust of Ark, and his every move seemed to bring tangible benefits.
'Carl Marcus...'
If he survives this war, maybe I'll invite him for a drink.
Lieutenant Colonel Banol sincerely thought so.