The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 380: Straight Lines in a Crooked World (12)

Reidar watched through the Sky-Hunters' vision as they led the flying monster toward the Ignis. The insects were dying fast, but enough remained to keep the creature moving in the right direction.

The flying monster descended through the ash clouds as it chased the Sky-Hunters and snapped at them with jaws that could tear through stone. The creature was massive—easily forty feet from head to tail—with scales that reflected the red light of the burning city.

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

The Sky-Hunters scattered, diving toward the street where the Ignis were running, while the flying monster followed, roaring as it broke through the ash clouds and into clear air. Then it saw the Ignis.

The creatures had been chasing Reidar's trail until that point, going through all his lines of defense, and when the flying monster appeared above them, some of the Ignis stopped and looked up.

The flying monster saw its opportunity for an enormous feast and stopped caring for the critters, focusing instead on the larger source of energy the Sky-Hunters were leading it toward.

The flying monster didn't hesitate; it folded its wings and dropped like a projectile, slamming into the center of the Ignis group.

The impact dealt massive damage to the monsters; the shockwave even cleared the ash from the street for fifty meters in every direction. Multiple level 485 Ignis got killed under the weight of the level 550 creature.

The flyer's talons tore through the hides of the Ignis as it snapped its snout to bite the heads off a dozen monsters and swallow others. However, the Ignis were feral and lacked a self-preservation instinct, which meant that when faced with a challenger, they would hardly retreat. That was what happened—instead of fleeing, the other Ignis swarmed the larger creature.

They used their blade-arms to hack at the flyer's legs and underbelly, and while the level difference was high—nearly 70 levels—the Ignis had numbers and a relentless hunger. Because the flyer was grounded, its primary advantage of flight was neutralized, but it continued to slaughter the lower-level monsters.

But there were too many of them.

The Ignis kept coming, climbing onto the flying monster's back to cut into its scales while the creature thrashed, trying to shake them off, but more Ignis joined the attack.

The flying monster's wings beat hard as it started flying, rising twenty feet, then thirty, dragging several Ignis with it. Though the creatures clung to its body, and increased the number of wounds.

The flying monster twisted mid-air and slammed into a building, crushing two of the Ignis against the stone wall, and they fell to the ground in pieces, but the rest held on.

The creature roared again and dived back toward the street, hitting the ground once more and rolling to crush more Ignis beneath its weight; when it stood, blood was streaming from dozens of cuts across its body.

The Ignis still didn't stop; instead, they surrounded the flying monster and attacked it from every angle. The creature fought back, killing three more with a sweep of its claws, but the Ignis were relentless.

Reidar watched the fight through the few remaining Sky-Hunters.

The flying monster's movements were clearly slowing down. Its wings were injured in many places, and deep gashes were on its flanks. Yet it still killed another group of Ignis, then another, though at that point it started bleeding heavily.

Then the creature made a choice. Since it realized the cost of the meal was exceeding its value, despite it being powerful enough to kill every Ignis in the street, it would suffer permanent damage or lose too much blood in the process.

With a powerful beat of its damaged wings, the creature lifted off, and the Ignis that had been clinging to it dropped away as it rose, while those still on the ground leaped upward but failed to catch it.

It let out a screech, beat its massive wings to create a windstorm that pushed the pack back, and disappeared into the ash clouds to hunt easier prey. The Ignis screeched at the sky, but it could not follow.

So, they turned their attention back to the tracks of the only remaining target: Reidar.

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

Almost all the Sky-Hunters died, killed by the Ignis as they refocused on the hunt. Reidar lost the connection to the battlefield and pulled his focus back to his body.

<The flying monster retreated. Good.>

He was still riding the spectral horse, and the edge of the city was only two blocks away now. He could see the boundary ahead, where the buildings ended and the ash-covered wasteland began—a jagged landscape of deep, rocky crevices.

Reidar kicked the horse one more time, urging it forward, and then crossed the last stretch of street and broke free of the city.

<I made it.>

But things weren't done already. Reidar had to fly away if he really wanted to escape, but couldn't do so if the flying monster was still around, so he had to wait.

Reidar scanned the area, looking for a place to hide, but the visibility was bad. The Ignis were still coming, and he couldn't outrun them forever.

Then he saw the crevices.

They were fifty meters ahead, a series of narrow cracks in the ground where the earth had split apart. The fissures were deep, maybe ten feet across and twenty feet deep, and they ran parallel to the city's edge.

<That'll work.>

Reidar rode toward the crevices and dismounted when he reached them, dismissing the spectral horse before climbing down into the nearest fissure. The walls were rough stone, and the bottom was filled with ash, but it provided cover from the open ground above.

He crouched in the shadows and checked his mana reserves. He had spent a fortune during the escape, but he still had enough to summon a few more units.

<I need to stall the Ignis again.>

The Quadraginta was still with him, though, so there was no need to summon something else.

"Go stall the monsters," Reidar said. "I need as much time as you can buy. Do not engage directly. Hit and run."

The Quadraginta turned and galloped back toward the city, and Reidar watched them go before focusing on the remaining Sky-Hunters; there were only twenty-three left, but they could still be useful.

"Same orders. Harass the Ignis. Keep them occupied."

The Sky-Hunters flew toward the city, buzzing low over the ash-covered ground.

Reidar settled into the crevice and waited. Five minutes, maybe ten, just enough for the flying monster to get far enough away that it wouldn't come back.

The seconds ticked by slowly. Reidar's muscles were tense, and his heart was pounding. He kept his focus on the Quadraginta and the Sky-Hunters, watching through their shared vision as they approached the Ignis.

The Quadraginta reached the pack first. The Ignis turned to chase them, screeching as they lashed out with their blade arms, but the horses were fast.

The Sky-Hunters joined the attack, diving at the Ignis and buzzing around their heads. The creatures swatted at them, killing a few, but the insects kept moving.

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

Reidar ignored the notifications. The summons were doing their job.

The timer hit three minutes. Then four.

Reidar's hands were shaking. He forced himself to breathe slowly, focusing on the countdown.

Five minutes.

"Fucking finally!"

Reidar stood and climbed out of the crevice. He couldn't waste any more time hiding.

He reached into his mana and summoned the Apex Menagerie once again. The ravens materialized, Reidar jumped on one of them, and then took to the sky.

<Scout ahead. Find a safe route away from the city.>

The ravens split up, flying in different directions.