Praise the Orc

Chapter 190: Killing the Thunderbird (3)

Zankus headed in a direction different from where the ogres had charged. Crockta and his companions followed him as they had no other option.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Tiyo asked.

"I'm not sure."

Zankus ran without looking back once.

Crockta gauged the direction. The ogres were heading straight after the Thunderbird while Zankus was making a semicircle to approach without running into them.

Judging by the trajectory of Zankus, it seemed he already had an idea of where the Thunderbird's nest was located.

"Let's follow Zankus for now."

Suddenly, an ogre appeared. It seemed to have strayed from the group and was nervously looking around.

Then, their eyes met. The ogre bared its teeth.

Just as Crockta was about to draw God Slayer, the ogre's head exploded. An arrow had pierced through the ogre and flew over the heads of Crockta's group.

It was Zankus. Zankus, who had gone ahead, had turned around to shoot the arrow.

It was a metal bow that was perhaps too big to be called a bow. The arrow was also huge, looking more like a spear.

Tiyo stopped to pull the arrow stuck in a tree and swung it around. To Tiyo, it seemed overly large, more like a lance size.

"What a brutish arrow," Tiyo remarked.

Looking pleased, he spun it around, imitating spear techniques.

"I do have a knack for spear techniques too!"

Zankus simply grinned and turned back around. Crockta and his group followed him again.

They continued to push through the Great Sea.

Soon, a high mountain rose in the distance, looking as if someone had forced it to shoot up with its steep shape.

From its foothills, the ogres were climbing up the mountain.

"Hmm..."

Zankus shouldered his arrow, watching the movements of the Thunderbird. He had been contemplating something since a while ago.

"Let's get closer."

The ogres climbed the mountain like a swarm of ants, surrounding it to capture the Thunderbird. It was quite a spectacle.

Ogres were such creatures that even a few could be a threat comparable to a disaster in an average city. These ogres were swarming in dozens to hunt down a single Thunderbird. If such a group was released on the continent, they would utterly destroy at least a few cities.

"There's the Thunderbird."

Sensing danger, the Thunderbird circled its nest, warding off the ogres. When it flapped its wings, several ogres fell off.

"Guwaaaah!"

An enraged ogre wizard roared and swung its hand. The Thunderbird hastily gained altitude but was hit directly by an unknown force. It wobbled in the air, feathers scattering.

"Let's get closer."

Zankus and Crockta's group watched the fight and gradually approached the rocky mountain.

Suddenly, one of the ogres managed to climb quite high. It was just when it reached a small plateau on the mountainside.

The Thunderbird screeched and attacked the ogre, which swung the club it had tucked by its side. The giant bird and the ogre tangled, battling fiercely.

The Thunderbird's talons ripped through the ogre's body, but the ogre resisted until the very end with its bloodied body. The ogre wizard's magic again ensnared the Thunderbird, and the ogre's club hit it.

"The Thunderbird is in danger!"

Tiyo exclaimed upon seeing this.

Meanwhile, the other ogres were also climbing to the midsection of the mountain. Another ogre grabbed the Thunderbird's tail feathers. The Thunderbird flapped wildly, causing him to fall again.

The ogres persistently clung to the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird struggled to shake them off, but their resistance was formidable. They clawed and bit at the Thunderbird, continuing to cling together.

If this were to continue, the Thunderbird was going to be overpowered by the ogres.

"I have no idea why that bird is fighting those ogres, but..."

Thunderbirds were known to be legendary for their massive size, beautiful appearance, and incredible speed, but they were not particularly strong in direct combat.

The Thunderbird he knew would have circled around, picking off the ogres one by one, rather than tangling with them directly.

"I’ll try to separate the two."

Zankus aimed his arrow. His arm muscles bulged. The giant crossbow twisted tautly.

Zankus's archery skills were unique and different from Shakhan's. Each shot was like a cannon.

"Buuuuurn!"

Zankus roared, pulling the crossbow to its limit before releasing the string with a snap.

The arrow blasted off with a thunderous noise, striking just below the midsection of the mountain where the Thunderbird was struggling.

The entire mountain vibrated as if an earthquake had occurred. The ogres, who were barely clinging to the mountain, fell off in droves.

The backmost ogres hit the ground first, with those ahead piling on top. The ogres at the bottom were crushed to death.

Most of the ogres approaching the Thunderbird were swept away.

The Thunderbird, not missing this unexpected opportunity, vigorously shook its body. The clinging ogres fell off. After regaining its freedom, the Thunderbird swiftly swung its talons to snatch two ogres, one in each foot, and then ascended.

The Thunderbird, soaring high, dropped two ogres from its grasp.

The ogres plummeted to the ground, and their bodies were shattered by the impact of the fall.

The Thunderbird's screech echoed once again across the Great Sea. Yet, the ogres persisted and started to scale the mountain once more.

The ogre wizard, screeching in a fit of rage, continued to hurl its spells at the Thunderbird. As lightning flashed, the Thunderbird, with its dark blue wings spread wide, dodged the attacks. The two exchanged fierce glances, moving in a dazzling dance.

Despite the ogre's relentless assault, the Thunderbird did not flee but continued to circle its nest.

"Let's approach it first, " Zankus, who was watching the battle, suggested.

Without waiting for a response from Crockta and Tiyo, he sprinted ahead. Crockta and Tiyo followed suit.

"Ugh..."

But Anor couldn't muster the strength to move any further.

Exhausted, Anor stopped to catch his breath. He kept his head down for a moment, gasping heavily.

"Hey, guys...?"

By then, his companions had disappeared into the distance. Anor accepted the situation.

“Well, I guess that leaves me no choice...”

Concentrating deeply, Anor exuded his magical ability and summoned his necromantic powers.

“Oh, is this it?”

Anor, seemingly having found something, jogged to a spot. He clasped his hands together and concentrated his powers.

The earth split open, revealing a bone wing.

Anor intended to resurrect a long-dead avian creature using the power of the necromancer and ride it.

Soon, the owner of the bone wing, shrieking with a chilling voice from the netherworld, revealed itself.

“Squaaaawk... Squaaaaaawk...”

An undead sparrow emerged. It fluttered weakly and perched on Anor's shoulder.

“Squaaaawk...”

Anor’s arms drooped to his sides.

Its call was undeniably eerie, but the tiny skeletal sparrow, bouncing around curiously, was also undeniably adorable.

"Forget it," Anor sighed, sitting down.

The sparrow climbed atop Anor's head, continuing its shrill chirping.

* * *

Zankus approached the back of the Thunderbird's nest. Several ogres loitering around were blown into pieces by his steel bow.

It was a devastatingly powerful bow, no matter how one looked at it. Zankus retrieved his arrows and slung them on his back again. He looked more like a warrior carrying several spears than an archer with arrows.

"Let's climb up this way."

The Thunderbird was too preoccupied with the ogres to pay attention to that side.

"You guys try to climb up on your own. Feel free to imitate me if you think you can."

Zankus launched his massive arrow, embedding it in the cliff. Then he leaped onto it. The arrow bent significantly. Using the recoil and curling himself into a ball, he propelled himself upward into the sky.

"Woah!"

"......!"

With incredible jumping power, he quickly reached a high point. He grabbed onto the rugged crevices and clung to the cliff.

"Impressive."

He climbed the cliff like a spider. Assessing his position and the top, he leaped whenever it seemed possible, using the rebound to soar even higher.

"Alright, my turn!"

Tiyo followed Zankus, launching himself onto the arrow. Curling up fully, Tiyo sprung up. Thanks to being lighter than Zankus, he was able to reach higher than Zankus had. Despite his small stature, he agilely climbed up quickly by moving his limbs busily.

It was indeed a spectacle.

Zankus and Tiyo gradually became smaller in view.

"I guess it’s my turn now."

Crockta sniffed and ran, jumping to land on the arrow.

Crack!

But seemingly due to the accumulated impact, the part of the cliff where the arrow was embedded broke off. Crockta tumbled down.

"Kugh!"

He slammed into the ground, kicking up dust. After lying sprawled out for a while, Crockta got up, spitting out dirt.

"Kahahaha!"

Tiyo's laughter echoed from above.

"Keke, kekeke."

Crockta shook his head, laughing.

"You dare to anger me?" Crockta said as he glared at the cliff.

The enraged Crockta didn't resort to any cheap tricks. He faced the challenge head-on, as he always does.

Like a cicada, he clung to the wall and began to climb. Crockta's grip, fueled by anger, didn't miss a single crevice, supporting his large frame.

He was scaling the steep face of the mountain as if he had glue on his hands.

As Crockta madly ascended the cliff from behind, Zankus and Tiyo, sensing an indescribable sense of urgency, hurried their pace.

"Wooooaaah!"

"Slow down, Crockta, y-you’re scaring me!"

"Wooooaahh!"

"It's shaking!" Tiyo exclaimed out of fear.

Feeling as if a monster was chasing them from behind, Tiyo and Zankus moved even faster.

They soon reached the midsection.

Bits of ogre flesh that were shredded by the talons of the Thunderbird were scattered everywhere.

Climbing further, as much as they did, would get them to the Thunderbird's nest. However, now that they were in a wide-open area, they couldn’t hide from the Thunderbird anymore. The Thunderbird, having noticed their presence while keeping the ogres at bay, occasionally glanced over at Zankus and Tiyo.

"Didn’t you say you were going to hunt that thing? Now seems like a good time to do that." Crockta caught his breath and asked, after just reaching the midsection.

To Crockta, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The Thunderbird was busy fighting the ogres and not paying attention to Zankus. If he could snipe the Thunderbird while its attention was diverted, even the swift Thunderbird couldn't escape.

"Let’s put that on hold for now."

Zankus looked up, surveying the steep rock mountain where the Thunderbird's nest was located.

"There’s something I want to check first."

And Zankus once again picked up his steel bow.

If Crockta's God Slayer was more of a mace than a greatsword, then his steel bow was not a bow but a ballista.

Zankus fired another arrow, but it was not aimed toward the Thunderbird. It flew toward the ogre wizard.

The massive arrow grazed the ogre wizard's shoulder as it darted by. Just the slight impact was enough to knock the ogre wizard to the ground. His shoulder was ripped open, bleeding profusely. The ogre wizard roared in rage.

"Guoooooh!"

As enraged as one could possibly be, the ogre wizard started attacking the Thunderbird with all its might, seemingly determined to kill every single being on the mountain.

The ogre wizard bombarded the Thunderbird with magic. The Thunderbird, too, got riled up and dived toward the ogre wizard.

The ogres clung to the Thunderbird. The ogre wizard's magic incinerated both ogres and the Thunderbird indiscriminately. The Thunderbird's talons and wings tore the ogres apart. Blood splattered, and lightning flashed.

It was utter chaos.

"Let's climb."

After diverting the Thunderbird's attention in a rather rough manner, Zankus climbed the cliff again. He sped up.

The peak of the rocky mountain. Zankus and Crockta’s group finally reached the Thunderbird’s nest, which once seemed unapproachably high.

“Are we here!” Tiyo asked.

At the peak of the rocky mountain, there was a cave. It looked like it was carved out by the Thunderbird itself. It was a dwelling with solid outer walls that could protect the inside of it from even the roughest of the storms.

“What on earth did we come all the way up here for?” Tiyo asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Shush,” Zankus signaled with a finger over his lips.

“...?”

“This is...”

As the group silenced themselves, they heard a sound coming from inside the cave. Crockta and Tiyo were taken aback by the sound.

“Did you know...?” Tiyo asked, whispering.

“It was just a hunch.”

The group stepped inside the large cave. They were met with a completely unexpected sight.