Meanwhile, Leon shot upward through the air, wind screaming past his ears. His wings cut through the turbulence with sharp, powerful strokes, each beat propelling him higher. The library ruins were already far below, shrinking the higher he got.
Sparks flickered through the clouds ahead, the Thunderbird's aura rolling like a storm. Lightning danced across the sky, painting the night in flashes of white and blue.
After the Thunderbird noticed Leon, it didn't waste time before trying to shoot him down—using its mana to create lightning within the clouds and then firing it out at him.
The blasts were fast—but not so fast that Leon couldn't dodge.
"But still… I can't believe this guy is just one rank higher than the Ravengers—wow," Leon muttered, twisting through the air as a bolt missed him by inches.
«Believe me, it only gets worse,» Al said, observing Leon's movements. He flew well—too well for someone who had just grown wings.
«But from him, I guess it's to be expected,» Al whispered to himself.
Leon materialized his weapon of choice—the Blood Sword. It appeared as massive as the first time he summoned it, and he could feel that if he channeled more blood, it would grow even larger.
«Like your girlfriend said, you need to get high enough to drop down the center. Of course, it's easier said than done.»
Leon continued to gain altitude as he listened to Al, all while dodging the constant lightning strikes. He rolled, dove, even looped through the air—doing anything to avoid being struck. Then, swooping low to evade another blast, he used the momentum to fling his sword toward the center of the storm clouds.
The Thunderbird was still busy trying to blast Leon out of the sky when its eyes caught sight of the blood-red blade tearing through the clouds toward its chest.
It panicked at first—but then calmed when it realized the sword wasn't moving very fast. It banked sharply, dodging aside, and the weapon whizzed past harmlessly.
The Thunderbird scanned the storm, its gaze slicing through the thunderclouds—but Leon was nowhere to be seen.
A low rumble rolled through the sky as the creature stirred the charged air in agitation.
Up above, beyond the storm's crown, Leon hovered silently. Up here, the world was eerily calm—no lightning, no wind—just a vast, quiet sea of clouds stretching endlessly beneath him.
And just like Livia said, right at the center of the Thunderbird's storm was a huge hollow column—a clear pocket where no clouds or lightning touched. Through that gap, Leon could see the beast below, crackling with power at the eye of its own tempest.
He grinned. Perfect.
Without a sound, he folded his wings and dove.
Air howled around him as he plunged through the clouds, his body a blur of motion. The Thunderbird never looked up—it was too busy searching below.
By the time it sensed something above, it was too late.
Leon broke through the cloud layer, a streak of red light falling from heaven.
The Thunderbird shrieked and tried to pull back, but—
SHRRK!
The Blood Sword came hurtling down from the storm behind it, spinning through the air before burying itself deep in one of its wings. The creature screamed, lightning bursting from its feathers in every direction.
Leon extended his hand. The sword twitched—then ripped itself free of the Thunderbird's flesh, flying back into his grasp like it had been summoned.
He grinned again, blood-red energy glinting in his eyes.
"Wow… it really came back," he muttered.
«Why do you sound surprised? Did you think I was lying?» Al said, clearly offended.
A dry laugh escaped Leon. He had doubted it, but he wasn't about to admit that.
"Anyway…" Leon beat his wings once, hard, leveling himself as the Thunderbird roared in fury, lightning veins flaring across its body.
His grip tightened on the sword.
"Let's end this."
With a powerful beat of his wings, he surged forward.
But then—everything changed.
The clouds vanished in an instant. The lightning stopped. Even the sound of thunder went silent.
Leon froze mid-flight. His instincts screamed.
"What… what's going on?"
Across from him, the Thunderbird hung motionless in the air. Its wings weren't moving. Its entire body seemed frozen—almost lifeless.
«Shit, I forgot,» Al's voice cut through the silence, sharp and low.
«Leon, be careful. It's entering its second form.»
Leon blinked. "Second form? What's that supposed to mean?"
«It means,» Al said grimly, «things are about to get a lot worse.»
Leon's eyes darted back to the Thunderbird. Its feathers began to flicker—sparks dancing along their edges—then glowing deeper, turning crimson.
The air grew heavy. The bird didn't feel stronger… but it was definitely more menacing.
Suddenly, its entire body trembled—and then burst with light.
Red lightning exploded outward, flooding the sky in a violent, blinding glow. Leon threw his hands up, forming a blood shield to protect himself.
The light burned for several seconds before fading.
Leon lowered his arm; the shield liquified, flowing back into his hand and hardening into his sword again. The air was thick with static. The sky—empty.
The Thunderbird was gone.
He hovered there, eyes scanning the haze. "Where…?"
«Leon!» Al's voice snapped. «Above you!»
Leon's eyes shot upward—
CRASH!
The Thunderbird slammed down from above like a crimson meteor. Its claws ripped through his blood shield before he could react.
Damn it—it's faster! he thought, flipping midair just in time to block another strike. Sparks burst as his blade met the Thunderbird's talons.
The two clashed midair, a blur of lightning and blood-red energy. Leon swung; the bird countered, its claws shrieking against his blade.
It darted across the sky, slashing again and again. Leon barely kept up—not from lack of strength, but because the Thunderbird was much faster.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
In just a second, it attacked four times, Leon barely blocking each one.
The relentless onslaught continued for minutes, until the bird struck once more. Leon blocked—but his sword rattled, and he let out a tired grunt.
Then the Thunderbird lost its balance. Despite his exhaustion, Leon seized the moment. He darted forward. The Thunderbird lashed out, but Leon twisted, dodging by inches before bringing his sword down in a brutal arc.
SLASH!
His blade carved deep into its wing, slicing through feathers and flesh with a burst of crackling energy. Lightning flared across the Thunderbird's body—but it didn't scream.
Something was wrong.
The air shifted—wild and unstable. Then came the light.
A blinding, violent glow formed beside his face. Leon turned sharply—and saw it.
The Thunderbird's head was facing him, its beak open. In front of it, a ball of lightning was gathering—dense, spinning, alive. Arcs of energy snapped outward as the air itself screamed.
Leon's heart dropped. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me—"
The lightning sphere grew bigger and bigger, right in front of him—until suddenly, a streak of fire shot past his shoulder.
BOOM!
The fireball slammed into the Thunderbird's face, detonating in a flash of orange and red. The creature screeched and plummeted, its lightning attack collapsing before it could fire.
Leon blinked through the haze, stunned. He turned toward where the fireball came from—and sighed. Half from exhaustion, half from what he was seeing.
"Leon! Did you see that? I blasted it!" Lara shouted, a huge grin on her face, both arms outstretched like she'd just fired a final flash.
(A/N: Those who know… know.)
But Leon's attention wasn't on her words. It was on the reddish-orange, draconic wings now spread wide behind her back.
She flapped them, wobbling as she tried to stay airborne. Leon quickly flew forward and wrapped his arms around her, steadying her.
"Careful before you fall on… air?" Leon joked, grabbing her waist and pulling her close.
"Thank you," Lara said with a cheeky smile—then immediately buried her face in his chest.
Leon smiled, clearly forgetting he had been in the middle of something just a moment ago.