CHAPTER 124: CH 124: THE VORTEX OF WIND- PART 2

Back in the human world, Rick stood in front of the tall screen displaying news reports and public commentary on Legion’s recent activities.

The headline read:

[Legion’s Tower Expedition Earns Public Praise—A Step Closer to Peace?]

Rick crossed his arms and let out a small hum of satisfaction.

He turned to face Fredric, who stood by the office window with his hands in his pockets, staring out into the sprawling skyline like it personally offended him.

"You know. Fenrir’s really pulling his weight. People have been favouring Legion even more ever since our expedition to the Tower started. Our stock is rising, the media’s calling us humanity’s best shot. We even got a diplomatic message from the Council."

Rick began, his voice casual, Fredric didn’t respond. His shoulders were tense, his expression unreadable.

Rick tried again.

"Fenrir’s been keeping up with the potion deliveries too. Every scheduled date. He’s making sure the public doesn’t get angry at the lack of direct updates. That’s... pretty impressive, considering he’s alone in there."

Fredric turned sharply, his expression cold.

"Is there any actual progress inside the Tower?"

Rick flinched slightly at the sudden edge in his tone.

"Y-Yes. Of course."

He straightened quickly, pulling up a digital map of the Tower’s floors.

"Our first official party has cleared the first floor. They’re heading toward the second now. And...they also found Fenrir was on the first floor at the time. He... helped the people. Opened the gate to the second floor."

He hesitated, then added.

Fredric’s brow twitched. The air in the room dropped a few degrees.

"He’s gaining attention. But it’s... good attention. It reflects well on Legion. The people trust him. They’re rooting for him.

Rick added quickly,

Fredric’s jaw tightened.

"Find him. Soon."

Rick gave a nervous nod.

"Understood."

Meanwhile, in the storm-lashed wilderness of the fifth floor, Fenrir emerged from the cave.

The wind was still wild, but he could walk through it now with the support of the gear he’d prepared.

His cloak whipped behind him and his boots left deep prints in the wet, unstable ground.

With the newly crafted arrows secured on his belt and the potent potions stored safely in his bag, Fenrir took a deep breath of the charged air. His eyes shimmered with purpose.

"No more hiding. It’s time."

He muttered.

Opening his system interface, he searched for the trace of his sealed power—what had once been taken from him after his fall, hidden deep within the Tower’s labyrinth.

The scan flickered for a moment before locking onto a signal. A dull, throbbing marker appeared on the map in front of him.

Fenrir smirked.

"So that’s where you’re hiding."

Nedrax flew down from above, having finally adjusted to the storm with his wind-resistant wings flared out.

The dragon landed beside him, still in his large, feral form. His scales sparked lightly with electric mana.

"Where to?"

Nedrax asked, already crouching low for a flight.

Fenrir pointed toward the hills ahead, where lightning continuously struck the same mountaintop again and again.

"My power is there. And conveniently enough... so is this floor’s boss."

Nedrax huffed, eyes narrowing.

"You planning to take them both on at the same time?"

"I’m not planning to, I’m expecting to."

Fenrir replied calmly.

The wind roared louder, almost like the world itself objected to his plan. Fenrir just smiled.

"This makes things easier for me. One fight, one clean sweep."

With that, he jumped onto Nedrax’s back, gripping the dragon’s rough scales tightly. The storm tried to push them back, but this time neither of them faltered.

With a defiant roar, Nedrax launched into the sky—lightning dancing around them, the ground below shrinking rapidly as they soared toward the mountain that held Fenrir’s lost strength... and the monster guarding it.

The boss—an enormous, eagle-shaped creature of condensed storm clouds and lightning—hovered above the tallest peak like a tyrant watching its prey.

Its glowing eyes scanned the skies with intelligence and malice. When it spotted Fenrir and Nedrax approaching through the clouds, it paused, wings beating in rhythm with the thunder itself.

But it didn’t charge.

It watched.

Fenrir narrowed his eyes.

"It’s not attacking?"

Nedrax flapped his wings harder, struggling against the pressure.

"It’s watching. That thing knows it has the advantage in this weather. It doesn’t want to waste energy chasing us around."

"Smart beast."

Fenrir muttered.

They flew in silence for a moment, the wind screaming around them, tearing at their cloaks and scales. Fenrir leaned forward and asked.

"Can you take us closer?"

Nedrax glanced over his shoulder, scowling.

"You’re not built for this kind of pressure, master. That storm around it? It’ll crush your lungs and bones before you can blink."

"I don’t need to get too close. Just enough to take the shot."

Fenrir replied, hand drifting to the special arrow he’d crafted. The metal still glowed faintly, forged from rare materials and enchanted to slice through wind itself.

Nedrax grumbled, clearly unhappy, but he nodded.

"Fine. But one shot. If you miss, we’re retreating. I’m not hauling your body out of the air."

"Deal."

With a beat of his wings, Nedrax lowered their altitude, flying just above the jagged hills. The closer they got to the boss, the thicker the storm became.

Rain lashed at their faces. Lightning danced through the sky like a living net.

The storm eagle finally moved. Its wings flared, and with a shriek, it launched a focused blast of air toward them—a piercing gust sharp enough to cut skin and metal.

"Brace!"

Fenrir yelled.

He activated Master of Earth just in time.

A massive slab of hardened rock shot up from the terrain below, forming a makeshift wall between them and the wind attack.

The gust slammed into the barrier.

The impact was explosive. The entire earth block shattered instantly, raining shards of stone in all directions.

Nedrax swerved sharply to avoid them, roaring in protest as the storm eagle let out a deafening cry of challenge.

But they were unharmed.

Fenrir looked down at the shattered stone, then up at the boss.

"That was close."

He said calmly, unfazed. He drew the special arrow and nocked it against his bow.

Nedrax hissed through clenched teeth. "Whatever you’re planning, make it count."

The storm shrieked like a living beast, a cyclone of fury that clawed at Fenrir’s cloak and battered Nedrax’s wings.

The fifth floor had become a battlefield of pure chaos, wind tearing through stone and hurling chunks of the earth skyward like paper.

In the center of it all was the boss—a monstrous eagle made of stormclouds and steel feathers, its eyes glowing like twin suns and its talons sparking with raw energy.

Fenrir clung to Nedrax’s back, his fingers tight around the dragon’s scales.

"Circle right!"

He shouted.

Nedrax roared in response, dodging a spear of wind that cut through the air where they’d just been.

"This is insane! That thing doesn’t even need to aim—it’s everywhere!"

The dragon bellowed.

"We’re getting close. Just hold steady. I only need one shot."

Fenrir growled, pulling the first of his special arrows from the quiver.

The wind intensified, shrieking louder as if the boss sensed Fenrir’s plan. It extended its wings and summoned a tempest that swallowed the entire battlefield, cutting off sight and sound with roaring pressure.

Fenrir squinted into the maelstrom, eyes locked onto the shifting silhouette of the storm eagle. He took a breath, drew the string, and fired the first arrow.

The projectile spun forward, slicing through the wind like a knife—then veered off course just as it neared the boss, knocked aside by a sudden updraft.

"Damn it!"

Fenrir cursed.

"That was your best shot! Do you have a plan B?"

Nedrax shouted, banking hard to avoid another slicing current.

Fenrir’s jaw clenched.

"We go closer."

"That’ll kill you.."

"Then fly lower! I’ll cover us!"

Fenrir barked.