CHAPTER 379: ROC OR CHICKEN

The clouds above cracked like weak ice. Pale violet light spilled from the skies, spreading across the battlefield like cold fire. The Roc’s body glowed with that same eerie shade, his arms raised, mouth murmuring a word soaked in power.

"[Heavens Blade.]"

From the splintered sky, a shape began to descend.

A blade.

It looked like it was formed by mixing several different laws together, each one woven tightly into the other.

I could sense sharp gusts of wind swirling around its edges, making the air hiss with pressure. Strong traces of dense earth and heavy metals gave it weight and form, like it could cut through mountains.

But there was more, thin lines of space itself wrapped around the blade, making it shimmer, flicker, almost disappear between heartbeats.

Edgar snarled. "Oh no, you don’t."

He zipped across the sky, cold and black streaks coiling around his form as he sliced through a glowing sigil.

"[Shadow Reap]."

His shadow coated claws swung in a blur....one, two, three times, all slamming into the forming blade, trying to destabilize it.

The Roc winced, adjusting his stance midair.

"[Skybind Feathers]," he growled, and dozens of jagged, translucent blades shot out from behind him like exploding wings.

Edgar blocked the first wave but was forced back by the sheer number. His cloak tore. A shallow line of blood traced his shoulder.

Then, just as the Roc raised both arms again, two new figures blitzed into the scene, streaks of color through the clouds.

One slammed into the Roc’s right side with a spinning kick that detonated a ripple of Essence. The other hurled a chain of compressed stone and air that wrapped around the Roc’s left wing.

The first newcomer landed beside Edgar with a grin. "Did I miss the party?"

He was another Grandmaster, just finished with his own fight. Gray-eyed, his arms still glowed with swirling wind runes.

The Roc hissed, twisting mid-air, struggling against the chain wrapped around his wing. Wind howled around him, feathers burning with Essence. The glow from the Heavens Blade pulsed above, still descending slowly, unstable, but not undone.

"You think numbers make you brave?" the Roc spat, voice echoing across the sky. "Four against one? Cowards! I’ll bury you all in the clouds!"

The newcomer beside Edgar cracked his knuckles. "Big talk for someone getting strangled."

The second Grandmaster landed above them, standing mid-air on a ring of spinning runes. His body shimmered with stone and air, a defensive blend of earth and wind. His voice was calm, measured.

"Keep him distracted," he said. "I’ll deal with the blade."

Edgar gave a short nod and shadows swirl around his form.

The Roc roared.

"[Featherstorm Rend!]"

A cyclone of cutting wind exploded from his body. Thousands of razor-sharp feathers scattered in every direction, each one glowing with compressed space. They didn’t just cut, they pierced through space. The air bent around them as they tore through cloud and sky.

Cassian raised his arms.

"[Solar Shield]"

A wide dome of gold light snapped into place just in time, shielding the others from the brunt of the storm. The feathers hissed and sizzled against the barrier, melting into sparks.

Inside, Edgar shot forward.

"[Shadow Fang.]"

He pierced the barrier from within and reappeared just behind Roc’s neck. His arm flicked once, a clean slash meant to decapitate.

But the Roc noticed him and acted.

He spun mid-air, slamming a wing into Edgar’s side, sending him crashing into a nearby cloud. Lightning flashed where he hit.

The first newcomer dashed forward.

"[Gale Cleave!]"

A wave of condensed wind fired from his palm, slicing toward the Roc like a horizontal blade. At the same time, Cassian opened both hands.

"[Solar Ray: Twin Verdicts!]"

Twin beams of pure sunlight arced in opposite directions, then converged on the Roc from behind.

"ENOUGH!" the Roc bellowed.

He clapped his hands together.

"[Heaven’s Pulse.]"

A shockwave burst out in every direction. It rippled through the sky like a divine heartbeat, canceling the light beams, tearing through the wind, knocking both attackers backward.

But it had a cost.

The Roc’s body was dimming. His feathers looked scorched. The veins of violet energy under his skin were flickering now, unstable.

Above him, the Heavens Blade cracked again.

A jagged line split down its spine.

The second Grandmaster, the one hovering calmly near the blade, had reached it. Runes of stone, wind, and gravity spiraled from his body. He held both arms out, palms facing the blade.

"[Grave Seal.]"

Four massive chains formed from compressed stone and air, wrapping around the blade’s shape. The weapon struggled, vibrated, trying to finish forming.

But the seal held.

He clenched his fists.

"Break."

The chains glowed brighter and snapped inward.

The blade cracked, warped, then burst apart with a long, echoing shriek. The remnants scattered into the sky, fragments of space, metal, and pressure vanishing like sparks in the wind.

Below, the Roc froze mid-swing.

His face twisted in rage.

"You... fucking insect." His voice dropped to a low growl. "You will have to–"

Edgar reappeared right in front of him.

"I don’t care," he whispered.

He stabbed both claws forward.

The Roc blocked one. The other dug deep into his abdomen.

Cassian appeared behind him, light pouring from his eyes.

"[Solar Lance.]"

He jabbed forward with a spear of sunlight, piercing straight through the Roc’s back. The Contractor roared, twisted but a third blow hit him before he could recover.

"[Spinning Drive!]"

The wind Grandmaster slammed his palm into the Roc’s left wing with a spinning vortex of compressed air, ripping feathers free and tearing muscle.

The Roc screamed.

Feathers, blood, and light scattered through the sky. His wings faltered. He dropped several meters, spinning wildly, trying to stabilize.

But Edgar was already above him.

"[Void Edge]"

He came down fast.

A single black line suddenly tore through space and flashed on the Roc’s neck.

The Roc’s head separated from his body.

The eyes, once glowing with pride and hatred, dimmed.

His body drifted slowly downward, Essence leaking from open wounds, wings limp and folding in. His head tumbled once in the air, then vanished into shadow as Edgar reached out and absorbed it.

Silence followed.

The four Grandmasters floated there, chests rising and falling, breath heavy. Cloud and wind moved around them like nothing had happened.

The wind user gave a short whistle. "That... was something."

Cassian nodded. "He almost took us down with him."

Edgar just stared at the fading light where the Roc had been.

Then, without a word, all of them stared at the fight that Arkas was involved with.