While the flying ship appeared small when observed from the ground, the sudden explosion drew everyone's attention upward. Everyone saw the flying ship! Then, like a magical spell, the battle halted as though time stopped. Everyone rubbed their eyes and pinched themselves in disbelief, their minds failing to process the scene before them. They wondered if they were dreaming. A flying ship? They must be mistaken! However, as they looked around and confirmed the fear present on each other's faces, they realized it was reality. There really was a flying ship in the sky! Whether it be the Imperial Council or the Alzar Kingdom, both armies began panicking and fleeing. They abandoned their posts and broke formation, trampling over one another to escape faster! It descended into pandemonium!
"Formation! Stay in formation!" the officers shouted to no avail. Their voices were drowned out by the masses.
"What are they doing here?" Unit Commander Haea hissed. She recognized the Featherwind Sect's flying ship with a glance. With their misdeeds in Liguang, they were the last people she wanted to see.
"Unit Commander Haea, what are your orders?" the generals looked to her.
"Pull back the defensive line and fortify the other gates. Ready our archers and standby for further orders. Prepare to engage our new enemy," she said calmly.
"What about the Yijiang Gate?"
"Abandon it. The kingdom has better concerns than Guanhuang." The woman glanced towards the direction the flying strike came from. She pondered what the kingdom might do next before taking shelter herself.
Meanwhile, Benedict was dumbfounded. "Is… Is that a flying ship? Does anyone else see the same thing I do or am I going crazy?"
"No, I see it too… That's definitely a flying ship," Shirley replied blankly.
"Who cares what it is? That's the Featherwind Sect! They know we're here now, so we should get out of here!" Freon panicked. He was about to grab his friends and flee when General Petra's voice rang in his ear.
"Silence! You're making an embarrassment out of yourself," she scolded coldly.
"But…"
"She's right, Freon," Elizabeth said. "Although a flying ship was a little outside our expectations, we still thought they might appear. We prepared specifically for them. Sword King Sin, can you sense how many and how strong they are?"
"I can sense five on that ship: one Perception Realm Master, two Medium Condensed Drops, one Perception Realm Expert, and one Perception Realm Novice."
"…That's it?"
"That's it."
Elizabeth grew suspicious. How could a weak group of five birds kill eight thousand in the Battle of the Maelstrom Gulf? Or destroy the entire town in the Battle of Liguang? She had trouble believing it, especially after meeting the Sword King and his disciples. One Instinct Realm, and two Perception Realm Masters, all of which had frightening grasp over Martial Energy… From their realms alone, they were vastly superior to the Featherwind Sect, yet even they admitted that those feats were beyond them. Something did not make sense because this felt like a trap.
"We'll continue as planned. Halt the offensive and enter a defensive formation. Ranged units prepare for my command. We'll strike on my mark!" General Petra announced to a messenger, who relayed her orders.
Before long, the kingdom's forces pulled back from the Yijiang Gate, much like the empire's forces. The two sides reached an unspoken agreement to deal with the Featherwind Sect first! Rows of archers, crossbowmen, and Arcanists stood at the ready, their aim pointed to the skies. Unit Commander Haea and General Petra signaled the attack at the same time! Thousands of projectiles suddenly filled the open skies in a deadly storm, dense enough to slaughter an army! However, the flying ship sailed through the sea of projectiles with complete leisure. Normal arrows and crossbow bolts had no chance of penetrating the hull of the Greater Noble Grade ship. They bounced off harmlessly. The Arcanists from the Zino Kingdom were the exception, but their numbers and strength were too low to inflict any noticeable damage. The ship remained afloat, seemingly looking down at the human world. Was this their limit?
"Sword King Sin, we'll have to rely on you. Lead them away if you can," Elizabeth said.
"You should have said that sooner," he laughed.
"Master, will you want our help?" Hidek asked warily. He felt things were not as they seemed.
"For a couple of chickens? Our master is more than capable," Lanar sneered. Even he felt he could handle the Featherwind Sect, much less their master.
"You can sit here and watch. I'll settle this quickly!" the Sword King declared.
Boom! His energy and aura erupted to monstrous heights, wreathing him in a majestic coat of blue flames, and continued to rise! The shockwave created from his awakening forced Elizabeth and her friends back. A step too close, and they might have been rendered unconscious from his presence alone! Even then, they kept retreating as the Sword King continued to channel his Martial Energy. He was fully releasing his Instinct Realm power! His aura felt as vast as the oceans themselves! Beautiful rivers of rainbow World Energy manifested around him, symbolizing his incredible influence on the world. His foot slammed down, fractured the ground, and sent him high into the sky with a flash. Cloud Sea Style: Moon Flash!
He appeared above the flying ship, so high that his figure overlapped the suns above, like a king standing over the mortal world! His might was supreme! Holding his sword with two hands over his head, another surge of Martial Energy burst out from him and moved towards his sword. The violent energy coiled around his blade, transforming it from an ordinary dull sword into a heavenly slaying weapon! It shook violently in his hands, as if it hungered for battle. It was Sword Intent! He kicked off the sky and launched himself towards the ship at near-sonic speeds! His Martial Energy trailed behind in a fiery streak, reminiscent of a shooting star. He crashed down onto the ship with earthshattering momentum! It was his most powerful technique, Cloud Sea Style: Star Rain!
A gigantic flash of light followed by a thunderous explosion appeared over Guanhuang. The two armies were momentarily blinded and blown back by the resulting shockwave! Windows shattered, trees snapped, and snow flew. Even from this distance, Elizabeth felt a searing heat on her skin. The explosion was so potent that it made destroying the Yijiang Gate a joke. Had it happened closer to the ground, then half of the city would have been wiped out in an instant! This was the Sword King's true power! At the point of impact, the Featherwind Sect conjured the same barrier that blocked the Sword King's previous strike. The two sides engaged in a fierce showdown and sent chaotic streaks of energy in every direction like a lightning storm gone mad! One stray streak of energy landed in the city and demolished three buildings. Another hit a brigade and killed several hundred people! Just spectating was this dangerous already! Unit Commander Haea and General Petra ordered their troops to retreat further.
The Featherwind Sect's barrier soon collapsed under the pressure and shattered! It was a Greater Noble Grade ship that specialized in speed and mobility, not defensive power, after all. The skirmish with Commander Infernal Witch King also depleted much of its strength and the Sword King's attack pushed it over the edge. He pierced through and crashed into the ship's deck, causing the vessel to list from the heavy impact. With a cruel smile, he looked over the five birds, Elder Argo, Ludin, Crus, Terus, and Unvo, like dead meat walking. The outcome was already set!
Outside, it was eerily quiet, as though the fight never began. There was no further movement from the ship or the Sword King. Everyone looked up with a curious gaze. Was the fight over? Who won? Elizabeth was especially nervous because the Sword King was their best bet to cull the enormous threat the Featherwind Sect posed. If he fell here, then it would be disastrous for the kingdom and their fight in the Samfeng Province. Their lives might be forfeit too. Just as she contemplated her next options, six figures soared off the ship and into the sky. It was the five elder birds and the Sword King! It was not over yet. The sounds of a battle soon followed!