Nirdo Longla was seen flying backward with immense momentum, yet Riyao's strike hadn't actually connected.
Riyao quickly looked up toward the sky. A pair of black-purple wings extended from the opponent's back; they were composed of countless tightly arranged feathers, not manifested through magic. Riyao's heart chilled; there was only one possibility—he was a Cyborg born from some mad experiment.
"Hahaha, looks good, doesn't it? These wings of mine are a wonderful masterpiece." Nirdo Longla laughed wildly in mid-air, his eyes full of pride.
"Ptooey, you feathered mutt." Riyao spat hard, his face full of disdain.
"Die, you foul-mouthed brat!" Nirdo Longla was thoroughly enraged, his eyes widening in fury, wishing he could tear Riyao into ten thousand pieces immediately.
"Stop! I have a question. If I die, where will the vitality come from? How can I be the vessel you need?" Riyao said calmly, unhurriedly.
Nirdo Longla froze for a moment, then, as if realizing he had been played, his face turned red with rage. He scratched his head and roared exasperatedly, "Don't worry about that! Just beating you until you completely lose the ability to resist will be enough. Now die!"
Before his voice had even faded, he violently flapped his wings. The black-purple pair resembled black giant waves in a gale. In an instant, countless black-purple feathers shot out like sharp arrows, each carrying the sound of breaking wind. They interlaced in the air to form a dense firing grid like a steel curtain, frantically covering Riyao. Murderous intent filled his eyes, completely ignoring his fallen comrade as his heart was consumed by a surging tide of rage toward Riyao.
Under this overwhelming feather attack, Riyao's figure darted left and right like a ghost, like a small bird struggling in a storm. However, it was to little avail; the black-purple feathers were simply too dense, like a swarm of frenzied bees. Within moments, his body was covered in feathers, leaving him in a wretched state. His clothes were shredded, and blood seeped from his wounds.
The corner of Nirdo Longla's mouth curled into a bizarre arc, a smile like a demon baring its fangs in the darkness.
Immediately after, the black-purple feathers flickered with a strange light that grew brighter and brighter, like a volcano about to erupt. Riyao's face changed instantly as a strong sense of crisis surged in his heart. Before he could react further, he was completely submerged by a sudden explosion in the next second.
"Boom..." The loud noise was like the earth cracking and the sky collapsing, as if the whole world trembled. The airflow from the explosion expanded wildly in all directions, kicking up a gale that uprooted surrounding trees and sent dust flying, obscuring the entire sky.
The aftershocks of the explosion raged like turbulent waves, leaving the surrounding ground pitted and uneven while rolling smoke and dust blotted out the sun. Nirdo Longla hovered in the air with a hint of cruel anticipation in his eyes, waiting for the dust to settle so he could admire Riyao's miserable state.
Just then, a gust of wind violently blew away the thick dust, and Riyao's figure gradually emerged. His clothes were riddled with holes, and blood flowed continuously from his wounds. He was swaying as if about to fall, yet he remained stubbornly standing. However, under the effect of the soft "Healing Magic: Hundred Battles," his injuries were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Riyao looked up, gave Nirdo Longla in the sky an international gesture of friendship, and cursed while baring his teeth, "That hurts like hell! I'm done playing with you. Nigerundayo!"
With that, he turned and ran without hesitation. It wasn't that he couldn't beat Nirdo Longla, but the current situation was truly troublesome. He had no long-range attack methods and could only take hits passively; if this dragged on, he would eventually be worn down to death. Besides, there were no hostages or other factors to worry about now. Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best—time to bolt.
His feet kicked up gravel as he sprinted toward the valley entrance like an arrow from a bow. Suddenly, Nirdo Longla's sharp, piercing laughter echoed from the clouds, his voice wrapped in magical power crashing down like splitting wind: "You think you can escape? If you dare take one step out of this valley, every resident of those three towns to the south will be buried with me today!"
Riyao's footsteps screeched to a halt, his boots scraping the sand and soil to leave a mark over half a meter long, nearly wearing through the soles. He gritted his teeth, his heart so full of helplessness and resentment that his chest actually ached. Holy shit! Maybe I should just go dark and give up, or just go deaf and blind so I can run away with a clear conscience! Why does my damn moral compass have to get stuck right here!
But once your weakness is seized, there's nothing for it. Riyao could only force himself to stop. He clenched his fists and turned around, his shoulders and back—which had just relaxed—instantly tensing like a fully drawn bow. Those feather bombs that he had originally shaken off but were now clinging to him like maggots on a bone indeed came pressing down on him again with a scorching, whistling wind.
Riyao dodged left and right under the feather attacks, but his body was still constantly slashed and blasted, blood flowing freely. Yet he remained stubborn, saying, "Yo, feathered mutt, is that all you've got? Which bald bird did you pluck these feathers from? They're so soft, are you trying to tickle me?"
Nirdo Longla screamed in rage. He expanded a black-purple magic circle and chanted, "Dark Wing Storm!" Instantly, the surrounding air became exceptionally cold as the black-purple feathers formed a massive storm that swept toward Riyao. Wherever the storm passed, trees were uprooted and deep gouges were carved into the ground.
Riyao was sucked into the storm. He felt his body being pulled by a powerful force, making him nearly unable to stand. Yet he still endured the pain and mocked loudly, "Is this storm just you farting? It stinks so bad I'm about to vomit!"
Inside the storm, countless feathers swirled around Riyao, the sound of explosions never-ending.
Nirdo Longla was beyond furious and increased his magical output, making the storm even more violent. Riyao struggled to hold his ground within the gale, his "Healing Magic: Hundred Battles" continuously repairing his injuries.
Riyao shouted at Nirdo Longla, "Feathered mutt, this is all the skill you have! If you've got the guts, come down and fight me hand-to-hand! Don't stay up in the sky like a shrinking turtle!"
Nildo Longla dived straight down, skimming past Riyao's head with a cold sneer.
"Do you think I'm stupid? Just surrender quietly. It is your honor to become Lord Zeref's vessel."
"You can have that honor yourself, you feathered mutt!"
Riyao picked up a stone and threw it at him with great force. If it hit, it would surely cause injury, but unfortunately, affected by the storm and the fact that Nildo Longla wasn't stupid, he dodged it easily.