Monarch Chapter 184 (Patreon)

Chapter 184

The moment the razorwing's beak clamped down around him, Rayne barely had any time to react. The creature had descended far too quickly for him to properly evade it, and before he could even swing his sword, its massive jaws had closed around his upper body. Yet despite the sudden danger, Rayne didn't panic.

His instincts took over almost immediately as he grabbed the edges of the razorwing's mouth with his left hand, forcing its jaws apart while his right hand drove his sword upward.

Mana surged through the blade as he stabbed directly beneath the creature's tongue.

The razorwing released a horrible cry that seemed to explode inside Rayne's skull, the sound reverberating through the open air and sending a sharp ringing through his ears.

The monster thrashed violently, and Rayne immediately realized what it was about to do. Its throat began to vibrate, the same tell he had already learned to recognize before a sonic wave was released.

He couldn't let that happen while he was still trapped inside its mouth.

Rayne poured even more strength into his left arm, forcing the beak farther apart while simultaneously driving his sword deeper into the creature's mouth. The razorwing struggled desperately, its jaws snapping close to his arms several times, but Rayne refused to let go.

With one final burst of strength, he managed to wrench himself free and stumbled backward onto the rooftop.

The first thing he did was look toward Weskins.

The old alchemist was staring at him with wide eyes, his expression caught somewhere between terror and disbelief. For several seconds, he simply looked at Rayne as though he couldn't understand how the young man was still standing.

"Are you done?" Rayne asked.

Weskins blinked before looking down at the bag clutched in his hand. "Yes."

"Good."

Rayne immediately turned back toward the wounded razorwing. The creature was still thrashing in pain, its wings beating against the broken rooftop as it struggled to recover from the wound in its mouth.

He didn't give it the chance. He rushed forward and drove his sword directly into its eye.

The razorwing released another shriek and flailed wildly, but its movements quickly became weaker.

It stumbled toward the edge of the ruined rooftop, lost its balance and disappeared over the side. A few seconds later, Rayne heard the distant crash of its body hitting the ground below.

He didn't waste another moment.

Rayne turned toward the stairs and began moving, already pushing [Weaver's Protection] outward. Threads spread from his armor and moved around his body, ready to reinforce him the moment another attack came. Weskins hurried after him, clutching the bag of bloodroot blossoms tightly in one hand.

They had barely taken a few steps down the staircase when more razorwings appeared above them.

Rayne heard the creatures before he saw them, their wings beating against the air as they descended through the open section of the mansion. One of them suddenly opened its beak, and [Danger Sense] immediately flared across Rayne's entire body.

He jumped.

A sonic wave tore through the staircase where he had been standing only a moment earlier, blasting apart several steps and leaving a jagged hole in the stone.

Rayne landed hard against the remaining section, quickly regaining his balance before looking toward the damage.

Then, he released a quiet breath. "That was close."

"Close?" Weskins stared at the destroyed staircase, having jumped at the same time. "We nearly fell!"

"Just keep moving."

Rayne continued downward, but they didn't get far.

A violent impact suddenly came from the wall beside them. Ancient stone shattered inward as two razorwings smashed through the side of the mansion, their claws tearing through the already weakened structure as they forced themselves into the corridor.

Weskins immediately stopped. "What are we going to do now?"

Rayne wanted to ask the same question.

He had expected the escape to be difficult, but he hadn't anticipated that the razorwings would simply begin tearing through the walls to reach them.

Their shrieks echoed from outside, accompanied by the sounds of more impacts throughout the mansion. Clearly, the rest of the flock was beginning to follow the same approach.

They could still try to rush downward, but that created another problem. The lower sections contained no nests and eggs, meaning the razorwings would have little reason to restrain their sonic attacks. If they reached those areas, the creatures could attack them without worrying about destroying their offspring by using the walls to target them.

There were simply too many of them.

Rayne's eyes moved back toward Weskins, who was already shivering as he watched the two razorwings claw their way farther through the wall.

Then his gaze dropped toward the collection of colorful vials hanging from the old alchemist's belt.

An idea suddenly formed.

It was crazy, and there was a good chance it wouldn't work, but at this point Rayne didn't have many alternatives.

"Weskins, throw me the green vial. Hurry."

The old man stared at him. "What?"

"The green vial."

"Are you crazy?"

"We don't have time to think about it." Rayne pointed toward the two razorwings as they continued forcing their way into the corridor. "Get these two out of here as well, and we'll have a chance to escape the mansion."

Weskins looked at him as though he had completely lost his mind, but the situation around them left little room for argument. The razorwings continued tearing apart the wall, their claws scraping against the stone as they tried to reach them.

Finally, Weskins reached toward his belt and pulled out the green vial.

"Fine!"

He threw it toward Rayne.

Rayne caught it cleanly, pulled the stopper free and swallowed the contents without hesitation. The taste hit him immediately.

It was bitter, foul and strangely metallic, almost like eating a dead rat that had been left to rot in the sun. Rayne nearly gagged, but he forced himself to swallow every drop before looking toward Weskins.

The old alchemist had already taken his own vial and drank it as well. His face twisted in disgust.

"This is horrible."

Rayne ignored him. Something strange was already spreading through his body, beginning somewhere deep in his stomach before moving outward through his limbs.

"Weskins, hurry!"

"I know!"

The old alchemist reached into his bag and pulled out an explosive potion. With practiced ease, he hurled the vial toward the two razorwings.

It struck one of them directly in the chest. For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then the potion exploded.

Flames erupted through the narrow corridor, engulfing the first razorwing and catching the second in the blast. Both creatures recoiled violently, their furious cries echoing through the mansion as smoke and fire filled the passage.

Rayne tightened his grip on his sword and watched the flames spread across the corridor.

The moment the two razorwings stumbled backward through the flames, Rayne didn't waste another second.

As soon as their burning bodies fell through the broken section of the wall and disappeared toward the ground below, he grabbed Weskins by the arm and pulled him forward.

"Hey!"

Rayne ignored the old man's protest and moved straight through the flames.

The heat washed over his armor as he took the shortest possible route toward the nearest opening. He twisted around falling debris and avoided the worst of the fire, dragging Weskins behind him until they finally reached the edge of the broken floor.

Then, they jumped.

For a brief moment, there was nothing beneath them.

Gravity immediately took hold, and both of them dropped toward the ground far below.

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

Weskins's scream was almost lost beneath the rushing wind. His robes flapped wildly behind him while his hair whipped across his face, and the ruined mansion rapidly disappeared above them as the ground came closer.

Rayne’s heart beat wildly in his chest, but he simply waited, and finally, the potion took effect.

The sensation was bizarre.

Their descent suddenly slowed, almost as though an invisible force had grabbed hold of their bodies and begun pulling them upward. The wind that had been rushing past them weakened, and Rayne felt their momentum gradually disappear.

The potion worked.

Rayne's stomach, unfortunately, felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out. The taste had been horrible enough, but now whatever the potion was doing inside his body made him feel violently nauseous.

Though, he could do nothing about it. As long as it kept them alive, he could endure it.

As he fell, he looked upward and saw the razorwings were still circling around the mansion, but they

hadn't noticed what had happened. Their attention remained focused on the damaged building, giving Rayne and Weskins the opportunity they desperately needed.

The ground rose toward them. Rayne adjusted his body in midair before finally allowing his boots to touch down.

The moment he felt solid ground beneath his feet, he released a long breath.

They had made it. Beside him, Weskins immediately collapsed onto the ground.

The old alchemist pressed both hands against the stone and lowered his head as though he intended to kiss the ground.

Rayne stared at him for a moment before scoffing. "We need to run."

"My legs aren't working."

Rayne's expression hardened. He looked down and realized Weskins wasn't exaggerating.

The man's legs were trembling so badly that he could barely stand, likely a combination of the potion and the fall.

Rayne gritted his teeth, and immediately said, "Get on my back."

"What?"

"I'll carry you."

Weskins didn't waste time arguing. He immediately climbed onto Rayne's back, using whatever strength remained in his arms to hold himself in place.

Some of the vines were still wrapped around his back, and Weskins pushed one leg through the remaining loops so he wouldn't fall during the sprint.

Rayne adjusted his grip before immediately taking off.

He covered as much distance as he could in seconds, but then the razorwings screamed.

The sound echoed across the sky, followed almost immediately by several powerful sonic waves crashing down around them.

The ground exploded. Stone and dirt were thrown into the air as craters appeared along the street, forcing Rayne to change direction repeatedly.

He immediately pushed more mana into [Weaver's Protection].

Threads poured from his armor and spread above them, rapidly intertwining into a broad protective shield. It was easily the largest formation he had created with the skill, and maintaining it while carrying Weskins and running at full speed was exhausting.

But it was necessary.

Soon, a sonic wave slammed into it. The threads vibrated violently, but held. Another struck from the side, shaking the entire formation as Rayne pushed forward.

He couldn't maintain the shield forever, but he didn't need it forever.

He only needed enough time to get out of the area of the mansion and into the ruins.

The ground beneath his feet suddenly collapsed with another blast.

Rayne's body tilted as the street broke apart, but [Balance] kept him from falling. His foot found a narrow piece of stone before he shifted his weight and continued forward without falling.

Another crater appeared ahead. He jumped over it, landed on unstable rubble, and immediately adjusted his footing again.

Weskins clung tightly to his back while the ruins around them continued collapsing, but there wasn't much distance left. He only had to run for a minute longer and they would be out of the razorwings nesting grounds.

Then another cry echoed through the ruins.

This one was far too close.

Rayne's eyes snapped forward, and his expression immediately changed when he saw a razorwing hovering directly ahead of them. The creature had stopped in the middle of their path, its leathery wings beating steadily as it stared down at them.

Then, its throat began to vibrate.

Rayne widened his eyes. He couldn't create another large formation of [Weaver's Protection] in front of himself while most of the threads were already stretched over his back and Weskins

There wasn't enough time to rearrange them either.

The razorwing opened its beak. A sonic wave erupted directly toward his face.

Rayne immediately swung his sword.

Death mana burst from the blade, forming a dark arc that crashed into the incoming attack. The two forces collided in the middle of the street, and for several seconds, the death mana managed to hold the wave back.

But it wasn't enough.

Rayne was already using too much mana maintaining the shield above them, and the arc quickly began to break apart. The sonic wave pushed through and continued toward him.

Rayne raised his strapped shield. But before the attack could hit, several glass vials flew past his shoulder.

The explosive potions collided with the sonic wave, and a series of explosions erupted directly in its path. Fire and smoke filled the street as the attack was disrupted, the resulting shockwave pushing Rayne backward.

His foot slipped against the broken ground.

For a moment, he nearly lost his balance, but [Balance] came in use again. He caught himself, lowered his body and immediately pushed forward again.

The razorwing cried out again.

Rayne knew it meant another wave. He glanced toward Weskins, but the old alchemist's hands were already searching through his belt. There were probably no more vials coming.

If he had any explosive potions left, he would have thrown them already.

Rayne clicked his tongue. That left him only one option. The razorwing was directly in their path, and there was no room to go around it without getting into the range of other sonic waves coming from above.

If he tried to defend against another attack from the beast in front, he would either exhaust his mana or be knocked back into the cratered ruins behind him.

He needed to get past it. And to do that, he could only think of one way.

"Don't panic," Rayne said.

Weskins's voice immediately rose behind him. "What do you mean, don't panic?"

Rayne didn't answer. Instead, he increased his speed.

Mana surged through his legs as he forced his body forward, pushing every remaining bit of strength he could into his sprint. The ground blurred beneath his feet as he charged directly toward the razorwing.

The monster narrowed its eyes. Its throat vibrated again. Rayne's [Danger Sense] erupted across his body.

The sonic wave came. This time, Rayne was ready.

At the final possible moment, he twisted his body and sharply veered to the left.

The attack passed beside him. The ground behind him exploded.

Stone shattered as the sonic wave tore through the ground, sending debris and dust into the air. Weskins screamed as Rayne suddenly changed direction, but he ignored him.

He had already committed to his plan. The razorwing had probably expected him to run away from its attack.

Instead, he sucked in a deep breath, tightened his grip around his sword and sprinted directly toward the monster's face.