The five elder birds were unaffected by his display and why would they be? Their Sect Master was a greater Rank 3 King! They immediately charged the man. They would not give him a chance to recover! As the strongest bird, Elder Argo led the assault. He strengthened his wings with Martial Energy, creating large gusts of wind that doubled his speed. The falcon became a blur as he whizzed across the battlefield! Elder Ludin and Terus conjured multiple Magic Circles at the same time. Unbelievably, they were triple-casting! What was so legendary for the human world was awfully ordinary to them. Elder Ludin created a barrier to block off the Sword King's retreat, protected everyone in shimmering shields of energy, and enhanced their armors' durability again. Elder Terus altered the Sword King's perception, disguised everyone's motions, and created an array of stars around the enemy. Over fifty beams of light converged on the Sword King! Elder Crus coordinated with Elder Argo and Elder Terus using her doppelgangers. Ten identical cranes fanned out and swarmed the man. As for Elder Unvo, he was poor on the battlefield, so he played a supporting role at best.
Their attacks reached the Sword King in the fraction of a second, yet he simply raised his sword hilt up. He hated what he was about to do, but he had no choice. An unfamiliar energy surfaced from deep within him towards his sword. Something shocking happened afterwards which was… A Magic Circle appeared! It was magic! The Sword King was actually casting magic! That was not all because the five birds could clearly sense his Core Level: Low Condensed Drop! People would have gone crazy if they knew that the Sword King excelled in Arcania too, and that his accomplishments rivalled the Ten Dawns. It seemed like he could do everything! However, the five birds were not particularly surprised. After all, they knew that one of the many requirements to becoming a Rank 3 King was to have both Martial and Magic Energy simultaneously. What they were more concerned about was what he could do with it.
Rows of magical swords then formed around him before flying out in a chaotic storm! There were so many that the skies were briefly filled! Despite that, they were deceptively fast and hard to track, even for a Perception Realm. Under the Sword King's guidance, they accurately targeted his attackers. Bang! Bang! Bang! Multiple loud explosions blasted the battlefield. He used fifty swords to counter Elder Terus's fifty beams of light, another twenty to counter Elder Crus's ten doppelgangers, and another thirty to counter Elder Ludin's barriers. He overpowered two Medium Condensed Drops and a Perception Realm Novice in an instant! However, Elder Argo was a Perception Realm Master, once a Half-Instinct Realm. He easily evaded the hundred swords sent his way and advanced on the Sword King!
In that time, the Sword King used his Martial and Magic Energy to forge a new sword. It was the same length and size of his old one, except a majestic rainbow replaced the blade now. It was formed of pure energy! When he waved it, the colors shifted and created afterimages in its wake. The aura and appearance were much weaker than before, but Elder Argo remained on-guard. He felt things were not that simple! The Sword King took a stance and slashed the air. Elder Argo instinctively dodged, fearing another flying strike, yet it did not come. Instead, mid-way through the Sword King's strike, the blade suddenly elongated to an enormous scale and narrowly missed Elder Argo! The force was so extreme that it screeched through the sky and whipped a storm of wind. The bird paled. How fierce! Additionally, it was super fast, seeing as the man had already retracted the blade back.
Ignoring the consequences of overburdening his energy, he directly charged at the five birds. He would cut them down himself! This time, when he slashed at Elder Argo, four more identical blades appeared in parallel like a demon swiping down! Cloud Sea Style: Demon's Claw! When Lanar performed the same technique in the Maelstrom Gulf, it bisected entire ships. Now that the Sword King did it, its power multiplied many times over. It was far stronger than before! Elder Argo dodged, but the Sword King anticipated it. Bang! The double-layered barrier Elder Ludin casted was destroyed in an instant, giving a chance for Elder Argo to react. Sparks flew as the Noble Grade armor fought valiantly and Elder Argo spurted blood. The four birds rushed in to support him, allowing him to retreat and recover. Boom! Boom! Boom! The two sides exchanged countless blows across the heavens in an epic battle!
"Shouldn't we be doing something?" Benedict asked nervously. Seeing his master struggle against the Featherwind Sect shook his confidence. His master might really lose!
"Things are looking bad if our master has to use his Core." Hidek had an awful expression. Normally, an Instinct Realm should have been more than enough to sweep through those five birds. Their resistance was something no one could have expected. "Lanar, let's step in and support him."
"At this range? What can we do?" Lanar snapped.
The fight was so high up that they strained their Perception Realm senses just to see it. None of their techniques reached that far. As for going up there themselves, that was also impossible. They might have shocked everyone in the Battle of the Maelstrom Gulf by standing on water, but the difference between that and standing on air was chasmic. It required the extremely powerful and refined control of an Instinct Realm like their master to achieve. And even if, by some miracle, they managed it, the martial technique would require a monstrous amount of Martial Energy to maintain. It was not something a Perception Realm could handle. Therefore, they had no options, but to stay and watch.
"Elizabeth, can you do anything about it?" Shirley questioned. Elizabeth had a bow and magic. It seemed like she had the greatest range out of everyone here.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Attacking at this range without a Perception Realm level awareness would be courting disaster," Freon said. "Not to mention, we'd risk exposing our positions and our survival."
"Freon's right. Let's trust in the Sword King," Elizabeth added.
"The Sword King accomplished his goal of luring the Featherwind Sect away. Regardless of who wins or loses, they won't have enough power left to affect our battle in Guanhuang. I think this is an opportunity," General Petra remarked.
"Wouldn't this interfere with our overall strategy?"
"I think the opposite, Your Highness. It would be stranger if we didn't act."
"Very well… You may proceed."
"Understood, Your Highness."
On her command, the kingdom's armies advanced onto an unfamiliar Guanhuang. The land was scarred by craters and ravines from the Sword King's battle, which terrified the soldiers. The battle was so far away yet it could do this much damage. It was unthinkable! From time to time, they could hear the thunderous clashes between the Sword King and the Featherwind Sect. There was one word to describe them: monsters! The city's defenses had taken a severe blow too with their destroyed moats, gatehouses, and walls. The originally mighty and defendable city was no more! With the empire's forces absent, the kingdom's forces stormed towards the new openings.
Unit Commander Haea was quick to notice and redeploy her troops. Three defensive lines were hastily erected behind the three new openings, barely in time to fend off the incoming wave of attackers. The roars of fighting soon began, drowned out by the clashes of metal and flesh. Despite the brief interlude, the Battle for Guanhuang had finally begun! The commander was gloomy. The city walls could have held off the kingdom's siege for a long time, long enough for the northern and southern fronts to conclude their battles and converge here. But now that they lost their chief advantage, the situation spiraled out of control. Their victory was no longer certain. It became the worst outcome! What comforted her was that their two biggest threats, the Featherwind Sect and the Sword King, were busy fighting themselves. They could not interfere in this battle. The question became who would win first? The Imperial Council in the northern and southern fronts? Or… the Alzar Kingdom in the central front?