CHAPTER 304: CHAPTER 303: LUCIEL IN ACTION 2

The noisiest area was definitely around the base walls, where the soldiers were firing artillery to deal with the large birds.

But it wasn’t just the walls. Other parts of the base were just as loud, filled with the sounds of people screaming for help and trying to fight off the birds swooping down to attack them.

Aside from the base walls, the noisiest areas were the base market and the temporary settlement zones. The chaos there was overwhelming—people shouting, running, and being chased or attacked by birds from above.

Other parts of the base were also under attack, though they were faring a bit better. The bird numbers in those areas weren’t as dense, making it a little easier to defend.

Luciel noticed one district where a lot of ability users lived. The people there were putting up a fight. Even though they had to struggle, they were managing to hold their ground against the birds.

He also looked toward the military’s main area—where the command offices and supply storage were located. That area was holding up well. They had plenty of guns and manpower, so they could keep the birds at bay without too much trouble.

Then he spotted Treyton and the others. They had successfully reached the hospital they’d planned to go to and were now fighting off a large number of birds trying to force their way into the building.

From his position atop the six-story building, Luciel could clearly observe the flow of people all across the base.

Many civilians still outside—especially in the market—were rushing toward nearby military zones or areas where ability users could protect them.

Others from the temporary settlement zones were running toward the base walls, trying to seek shelter behind the soldiers fighting there.

Meanwhile, the soldiers clearly wanted to help those in the market and temporary areas, but they were pinned down by the constant attacks.

As for Treyton’s group, they couldn’t leave the hospital either. They were the strongest force there, and without them, the people in that building wouldn’t stand a chance.

Taking in everything—the people’s movements, the chaos, and the battles—Luciel quickly decided the route he was going to take while taking down the huge birds in the sky.

Luciel planned to circle the base while taking down as many large birds as he could along the way.

His planned route was to head to the market area first, then move to the research center, after that to the hospital where Treyton and the others were fighting, then to the temporary zones, and finally circle back to their villa.

He decided to move in a loop around the base because he had no idea how long the birds would stay.

If they retreated quickly after seeing many of their kind get killed by the base’s defenders, then that would be ideal. But if they kept attacking for a long time, it would be better for him to move around the base so he could return to areas that had already been cleared, especially the area near their villa.

It was almost guaranteed that more large birds would come to attack it again after some time.

If it were just a few, Wes and the others could handle them. But if the attacks were relentless, then they would eventually be overwhelmed and start to suffer casualties.

With his route decided, Luciel didn’t waste any more time.

He quickly made his way toward the market area, immediately spotting a huge bird trying to descend. He reacted fast—his vine shot out, coiling around the bird’s body. He used it to pull himself up onto the bird’s back.

Another large bird flew nearby. Without hesitation, Luciel sent out another vine, wrapping it around the second bird while keeping his focus on killing the one he was riding.

He continued to travel this way—jumping from bird to bird, using the flying monsters as transport while killing them one by one.

While he was on top of one bird, he would strike at any other large birds within reach, eliminating them before moving on to the next.

If there weren’t any more huge birds nearby to latch onto, he would land on the tallest building in the area and begin targeting the birds that had swooped down to attack people on the ground.

If there were any large birds attacking people below, Luciel would prioritize jumping onto them and taking them down before dealing with the ones flying higher in the sky.

He continued with this approach until he finally arrived at the base market.

Up close, the market was even more chaotic than it had looked from a distance. Luciel didn’t even have to worry about finding birds to use—there were more than enough swarming the area, attacking anyone they could reach.

He immediately spotted several birds already carrying people in their claws. Without hesitation, Luciel sent his vines out to grab and pull those birds down, trying to give their captives a chance to survive.

He didn’t have the time or luxury to check how badly those people were injured. All he could do was try his best to pull the birds down before killing them so that their victims wouldn’t fall to their deaths when the birds died midair.

Luciel focused first on the birds actively attacking people or already carrying someone, making sure to prioritize them over the others.

Only after dealing with those immediate threats did he shift his attention to the rest of the large birds in the area.

The market was crawling with huge birds—some over a meter in size, others around half a meter—but all of them were aggressive and dangerous.

Because of the sheer number of birds, it took Luciel longer to clear the area compared to before. He moved quickly, but the constant wave of large birds kept him busy.

Finally, after killing the largest threats and most of the half-meter-sized birds, Luciel turned his gaze toward the next destination in his plan: the research center.