Turning
chapter-673

"You've arrived."

A single emotionless sentence, yet hearing it strangely made him feel like crying.

Amidst the overwhelming surge of emotions, Elpkins struggled to contain himself. Around him, chaos reigned supreme. Yuder scanned the scene quickly – the coarse shouting of Nukijo, the murderous intents charging from all sides, and the frantic movements of the VIPs attempting escape – before leaping down from the stage.

"Elpkins. Begin as soon as you're ready."

Yuder wore no armor that could provide significant protection, but he didn't consider this a major hindrance. After all, being armored didn't necessarily guarantee an advantage over an unarmored opponent.

Upon landing below the stage, Yuder effortlessly parried the onslaught of attacks using the forces of nature, his sword, and his entire body. Despite facing numerous opponents, he was not only unyielding but occasionally overpowered those who dared approach him. Elpkins watched, reminded of a predator leaping amidst herbivores.

Yuder quickly froze and then melted the spilled alcohol, causing Nukijo's henchmen to slip and collide with each other. Without even looking, he sent a would-be attacker flying with a single back kick. Attempts to ensnare him were futile, whether it was breaking iron weapons with a flick of his hand or catching and accurately returning thrown daggers to their throwers.

Among them were those who resorted to despicable tactics, like scattering sharp shards of broken glass or blindly lunging to grab ankles or hair, aiming for the eyes. Yuder remained undaunted by such attacks, simply exacting a devilish retribution twice as fierce.

Several thrown daggers aimed at Yuder in mid-air suddenly changed direction, striking Nukijo's other henchmen instead. Elpkins almost laughed, witnessing them scurrying under tables in terror. He had never imagined he'd live to see such a spectacle – it was truly magnificent.

But he had his own role to play, a task only Elpkins could undertake, as mentioned by Yuder the day before.

Yuder had asked, "Can you fly tomorrow?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, at the moment the signal drops, can you soar to the sky without looking back?"

Elpkins possessed a massive pair of wings. These wings were severely damaged, once broken at the joints due to Nukijo's gang's antics, and further twisted and cracked through numerous battles, rendering them grotesque.

Although possessing regenerative abilities, the extent of damage had once led him to fear he might never fly again. Kishiar had miraculously healed them to almost perfect condition, yet healing the bones and regrowing the feathers didn't guarantee immediate flight.

Elpkins had truly flown only once since he had grown his wings – a moment of awakening as he fell from a cliff. In that instance, he had been too distraught to realize he had grown wings or that he had flown desperately back to the ground. Since his awakening, the fear in people's eyes had kept him from using his wings at all.

But now, to rise swiftly into the sky at the signal – was that really possible?

Elpkins tentatively flexed his wings, feeling a throbbing pain due to their recent healing, and a suppressed groan escaped his lips. But still…

"I can do it. I'll try whatever it takes."

The direction in which to fly was inconsequential. If his benefactors wished it, Elpkins was determined to succeed.

"Yes. If it goes as you've instructed, one of us will be in tomorrow's first match. The moment the fight starts, we'll immediately stop everything and create a straight passage from underground to the outside. And you..."

With eyes as dark as the abyss, Yuder continued.

"You are the one who can use that passage faster than anyone else here."

That was why this task was meant for Elpkins alone.

Upon hearing Yuder's explanation, a shiver ran down Elpkins' spine.

No one had ever acknowledged his wings as useful. But now, it was different.

After being trapped on the third underground level, Elpkins spent a comfortable night for the first time, practicing moving his wings throughout. Initially, they barely twitched as if the bones had solidified. Even by this morning, there wasn't much improvement, but persistent effort gradually elicited a response. When he exerted strength, his wings flapped noticeably differently than before.

Elpkins took a deep breath and looked up at the hole Yuder had opened in the ceiling. It was just large enough for one person to pass through.

‘I can fly. I must!’

As his wings fluttered more vigorously, like birds practicing flight, Yuder defended the stage, ensuring no one could approach Elpkins.

In battles where one faces many, the lone fighter is typically at a disadvantage, but Yuder's situation was somewhat different.

His fists struck vital points with precision. His swordplay effortlessly deflected weapons wielded by much larger opponents before slicing tendons in an instant, rendering them powerless. With the elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, his movements were a flash here, a flicker there, upending his enemies' tactics in the blink of an eye.

Yuder moved with the freedom and ferocity of a fish in water, using his entire body as a weapon. If there were ever a person born to fight, using every part of his body as a weapon, it was him. His movements were so predictive of enemy attacks, it was hard to believe he wasn't actually forewarned.

Was he born for combat?

Everyone thought so, observing his perfect, restrained movements, never wasting a moment, never superfluous.

This was entirely different from the knights who performed their pretty, demure swordplay. This monster was too accustomed to this ruleless melee. The cruelty with which he wielded an unconscious man's body as a shield against incoming attacks made even Nukijo cringe. This was a being closer to a demon than a paragon of justice.

Absolute strength. An existence like a natural disaster, without hesitation or mercy.

Though many of Nukijo's men still remained, they began to fear Yuder.

No matter how numerous the herbivores, they cannot overcome a single predator. This black-haired monster was a born predator, and they were mere prey, a realization that struck them to the bone. Once they acknowledged they could not overcome him, fear and anxiety spread through the group in an instant.

"Damn it! Don't back down! How can we not take down that one man! Not even a scratch on him, how is that possible!"

Nukijo, seeing his men falter and lose spirit, screamed in frustration.

"Hold on! Kill him by any means! Anyone who retreats will die by my hand!"

"With the roof blown open, it must be noisy outside by now. I hope those on the other side are keeping the intruders at bay."

Yet, as if sensing Nukijo's thoughts, Yuder, who had been fighting fiercely, shouted.

"Elpkins! Is it not ready yet?"

"No, it is done now!"

Done? What was done?

Preoccupied with Yuder, Nukijo had only just realized Elpkins' presence.

"Why is he here? Wasn't he scouring for us till yesterday?"

Gone were the terrible wounds. Elpkins' body was now as clean and healthy as the day he first stepped foot here. A pair of giant wings, densely feathered, stretched from his back like unfolding arms. As everyone momentarily lost their gaze in awe,

"Uaaaah!"

Elpkins finally kicked the ground and soared, wings flapping vigorously.

As he ascended shakily toward his target, Nukijo quickly realized where he was headed. He was flying towards the hole in the ceiling.

"Shoot him, shoot!"

As Nukijo yelled, his men, who had been busily firing crossbows at Yuder, panicked, not knowing what to do.

"We've used all the arrows on that one...!"

"What? Already?!"

In Nukijo's astonishment, Elpkins soared powerfully. The more he flapped, the more stable his movements became.

"I've found one!"

"Shoot quickly!"

As one of Nukijo's men found a remaining crossbow bolt from afar and aimed, Elpkins did not stop. Just as he reached the hole Yuder had made, the loaded arrow was fired.

Elpkins braced for pain but did not alter his course or relax his wings.

"…Aaaah!"

But the pain did not come. The scream came from elsewhere. As he passed through the ceiling hole, Elpkins saw the arrow, redirected, pierce Nukijo. The feat was clearly Yuder's, with the power of the wind in his hand.

"Go up!"

As their eyes met, Yuder mouthed the command.

Elpkins responded, never looking back, only upwards, as he powerfully flapped his wings. Pieces of the broken ceiling and floor grazed him, leaving wounds, but he paid them no heed.

For the first time since being trapped underground, the sky was suddenly close, then filled his view.

Elpkins was now atop the Black Orca Tavern's roof.

"What is that?"

"My goodness. A man with wings!"

As people below pointed and gaped in shock, Elpkins gasped for air. His wing joints ached as if they would break, but he felt no pain.

He inhaled the cold, sweet air outside deeply and then shouted,

"I am an Awakener! I've just escaped from an illegal fighting ring below! Please help!"

This was the line Kishiar and Yuder had instructed him to shout as soon as he emerged.

At last, everything was accomplished.

Shivering with the tremendous sensation of having accomplished what he once deemed might be impossible, his own mission, Elpkins shed tears.

It was, at last, an escape.