On the other side, Ten Dawn Krogan had no choice, but to release his spell. He was the only keeping them afloat and without it, the ship started taking water. It was sinking! There was no other way, because if he persisted in spellcasting, he would be too distracted to fight properly. It would be an early death sentence! And it was the same for Ten Dawn Rosemary and Yvonne. Since they were casting their Yin-Yang Arrow, it was imperative that they devoted their full concentration on the spell. A slight hiccup here would yield a huge backlash! Just look at the late Ten Dawn Tengon's case, during the final battle with the emperor, his arm was shredded to pieces, forcing him to retire. Therefore, the two women changed their target to the incoming cranes! It was incomplete, but good enough! Yin-Yang Arrow!
The arrow, forged of intertwining water, light, and darkness-type magic, launched forward at incredible speeds. It was like a streak of moonlight, dancing across the sky! Reaching the birds in less than a fraction of a speed, the three colors merged into a seamless explosion of blue, white, and black! The explosive fireball was so gigantic that it dwarfed the flagship. It was potent enough to remove a city block off the map! The strong shockwave ripped through the air, creating tall waves and high winds, and rocking every ship nearby. If the flagship were smaller, it would have directly capsized. Everyone was momentarily blinded and deafened, while shocked and fearful.
Yet, the spell entered its next stage and started to rapidly compress to a single point. This hyper-compression reversed the expanding shockwave and pulled everything towards it! It was like a massive whirlpool! Even the flagship was yanked in its direction! Many birds were already destroyed by the initial detonation, but the compression stage sucked up far more. When the spell shrunk to the size of a marble, it released an unparalleled, cataclysmic explosion! Day was briefly inverted to night, as it released three times as much force as before. Creating waves higher than a building that slammed into the flagship and winds faster than a tornado that snapped the masts, it was beyond ridiculous. The flagship tilted as the sailors were knocked off their feet, some dropping in the water. Other unlucky souls were knocked unconscious by the concussive shockwave with some even dying. Furthermore, this fate was shared by other nearby ships. Yin-Yang Arrow was that unbelievably powerful!
When the light and sound faded, everyone remained terrified. That level of destructive potential was absolutely beyond these normal soldiers' capability. Heck, even the Royal Guards would have fared the same way without Martial Energy! It was no wonder that there was such a strong aversion towards Arcanists from the general populace. They were no longer humans. They were monsters! Seeing half of her cranes destroyed without a trace, Crus was impressed. In the first place, they were created due to her martial technique, Demon Wind Resurrection, so there was no real loss to her. Still, to witness that strong of a spell from humanity, it was an eye-opening turn of events.
Ten Dawn Krogan was right behind by creating sixteen thin stone spears, collaborating with his partner. Ten Dawn Iris deactivated her sensory spell and Bloodline Ability focused her wind-type magic to spin the spears. They spun so vigorously that they created small wind vortexes! It was not their collaborative large-scale destruction spell, but an extremely deadly spell nonetheless. On Ten Dawn Krogan's mark, the sixteen spears shot out and targeted the remaining sixteen cranes! Crus laughed as her technique effortlessly smashed through the spell. There was zero resistance! Because the Ten Dawns had too little time to prepare their spells, this was the expected result. These birds were capable of piercing through an entire warship, much less a few measly magic-enhanced 'spears'. They then tore across the heavens and rained down!
Everyone grew grim. As Sir Winstin said, it was impossible to block them. If so, then the only path for survival was evasion… but the doppelgangers were moving at sub-sonic speeds. Who could evade that except for Perception Realms? And how many Perception Realms were there in total? Aside from the Royal Guards and Sir Winstin, there was no one else, including Elizabeth and her friends! Even the Ten Dawns were unable to replicate the same. Not to mention… in a situation where things were already bleak, they had no way of counterattacking. As long as the Ten Dawns were too distracted, then Ludin and Crus remained in an invincible position. Everyone was destined to die! Just as the two sides were about to clash, a single voice echoed out.
"Stop!" Elizabeth yelled.
Then, as if magic, the sixteen birds froze mid-air, but not due to any interference from Elizabeth's part. Rather, Ludin and Crus's eyes widened in shock because she spoke in the common tongue, not humanity's Olden Anglo!
"We wish to negotiate!" she continued in her broken common tongue.
Ever since she learned that their attackers originated from the 'outside' world, she had this idea and managed with Rena's help. After all, they were facing an unknown threat with unknown numbers and unknown powers. The fleet's losses were already heavy, and if this continued, they would face complete annihilation. Therefore, she saw that this was the best way for them to survive and it seemed her gamble paid off!
"She knows the common tongue… How should we proceed?" Ludin asked.
Crus contemplated before saying, "If the heir apparent knows the common tongue, then it means that the Alzar Kingdom has connections with the rest of the world. This changes everything. We need to get in contact with them and find out what they know. If they have a communication array, then we need to see if we can use it."
"I agree. Although we have an 'alliance' with the Xingyuu Empire, our main goal is to resurrect the Featherwind Sect, not dabble in these human conflicts. Let's see what she has to say."
On the flagship, a deathly silence reigned as everyone kept their eyes peeled, staring at the white cranes frozen in perpetual flight. The sixteen birds almost appeared like statues, not obscene mass-murdering weapons! No one dared to breath, much less budge, in case the birds attacked. Time passed by painfully slowly…
"Elizabeth, what… did you do?" Shirley whispered.
"I didn't do anything," she replied slowly. "I asked for a negotiation."
"You did?" Freon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We will hear what you have you say," one of the birds said in the common tongue.
Elizabeth heaved a heavy sign of relief. She was really gambling with their lives here. Were this third-party allied themselves deeply with the Xingyuu Empire, to the point of being inseparable, then they would have been doomed. It would have been kill or be killed! But thankfully, this alliance was not as tight as it seemed. This was a huge breakthrough since it was her chance to learn more about her attackers and the empire's current situation. One of the birds broke out of its stasis and extended its wings to form a sort of 'platform'. Much to the horror of everyone, Elizabeth nodded, took one deep breath, and stepped on. Before anyone could argue, the bird rose into the sky. They went higher and higher, past the clouds to where the horizon could be seen. Despite the harrowing height and whipping winds, she was tranquil. How could she not be? It reminded her too much of her home, New Havens… Her calm attitude seemed to make her more unfathomable. Ludin opened a small passage through the barrier and she finally came face-to-face with her attackers!
"I am Elder Ludin from the Featherwind Sect," the cuckoo bird waved his wings.
"And I am Elder Crus of the same sect," the crane showed off her immaculate white feathers. "What do you have to say to us, heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom?"