Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Feather of Night
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The Sage had died, bringing eternal night. And with eternal night came the activation of Feather of Night.
「Feather of Night LV1」
Permanently consume one feather to temporarily acquire Feather of Night.
※Activation Condition: Eternal Night.
So that's why I hadn't been able to use it until now.
"Shwoosh, shwoooong!"
Shungshung frantically scattered bundles of silver coins in every direction from its pouch.
It was trying to block the Scarecrow's approach somehow and buy me time to escape.
I slightly lifted my wing.
"Shung...? Shwoooong!"
Shungshung dove straight into my embrace, as if it had been waiting for this.
Normally, I wouldn't have let it get this close to my body.
I would have just told it to flee somewhere else.
At least Shungshung could survive that way.
But I'd changed my mind.
Muna was the Sage.
For a Sage like that to sacrifice himself to save me, there had to be a reason.
For example, maybe because I could take down that Scarecrow.
To honor that sacrifice, I raised my head and stared straight at the Scarecrow.
"Gawk... caw... pretty... yooouuung...."
What I'd been given was the newly liberated Feather of Night.
A wildcard created by the Sage throwing his body into the fray—I had to make use of it somehow.
「Feather of Night LV1」 used.
The resource consumed by Feather of Night was none other than a feather bearing a trait.
I had stockpiled feathers over the past week, so it wouldn't be an issue.
I didn't know exactly what effect it would have yet, but this wasn't the time to sit back and observe.
It was right then, as I reached to pluck a handful of feathers—
'Caw, caw.'
A crow's cry echoed—not from outside, but inside my head.
A sinister sound, ominous enough to feel downright eerie.
The foreboding crow call soon cut off.
'That won't be enough.'
Someone's voice rang out.
I could tell instantly it was the same entity that had made the crow cry.
At the same moment, against my will, a different feather plucked itself free.
'Green. Yes, green will do nicely.'
The crow's cry echoed once more.
Even without my beak grasping it, a single green feather slowly floated up into the air.
The feather from the Venom Mantis.
The one that had first allowed me to fly through the skies.
「Venom Mantis's Green Feather」 permanently lost.
The green feather transformed into light.
Temporarily acquired 「Feather of Night (Green)」.
That light gathered toward me.
Amid my black feathers, countless green ones sprouted forth.
Long feathers that could be called black-green grew out.
The Scarecrow watched my transformation with a rigid expression.
For some reason, it wasn't interfering with me right now.
'Not a bad offering.'
As the voice echoed in my head, the silver coins Shungshung had scattered everywhere evaporated in an instant.
I could tell some unidentified entity had recognized them as an offering and taken them.
I couldn't complain about it stealing my offering.
This power I'd been granted was far more precious.
「Feather of Night (Green)」
A green feather blessed by the night crow.
Acquire 「Storm」 while equipped.
I finally understood why I hadn't evolved into a Night Crow.
Night Crow.
In other words, the night crow was a distant superior species.
And now...
With the night crow's feather, I had become a being that could be called a Night Crow.
"Grraaah... guroooh.... C-caw, c-ca-caw croooowww!"
At last, the Scarecrow began to move.
More precisely, it had finally become able to move.
Now that Feather of Night was fully equipped to my body.
「Storm」
Talent to command the winds. All winds will obey your will.
I spread my wings.
This was my first time wielding this power, but I knew instinctively how to use it.
The Scarecrow swung its massive scythe in an instant.
Shweeeeeen!
I flapped my wings toward the scythe.
Kwa-gagagak!
A sudden gale halted the scythe.
"Kgh... grraaah...!"
No, was it merely halting it?
Shwaaaak!
A blade-like wind pierced the Scarecrow's shoulder in a flash.
Splurt!
Black blood sprayed everywhere.
"Gawk, gurooooh!"
The Scarecrow must have been thrown off.
It thought it had seen all my tricks, but this was an attack it never imagined.
On the surface, the odds had swung dramatically in my favor.
But reality was different.
I knew the Storm trait was incredibly powerful, especially advantageous against this Scarecrow.
The problem was my stamina.
Powerful attacks consumed stamina in kind.
I was so exhausted I couldn't even muster Shadow Form once, so I couldn't sustain this ability for long.
That meant I had to press the assault now.
Before it could recover.
My maximum output.
"Groooh, guroooh!"
Kwa-gagagak!
Blade-like winds slashed wildly at the Scarecrow's limbs.
Blood sprayed, but it wasn't lethal.
Its arm movements were mitigating some of the damage.
Shwaaak!
But that was fine.
Forcing it to move like that meant I was dictating its actions.
I swiftly flew through the air.
Sturdy beak, sturdy skull, sharp beak.
A combination that would normally throw off my balance.
But now, it was a perfect fit with no reason not to use it.
Shwaaaaaak!
While it was distracted by the blade winds...
Shweeeeeen!
Riding the winds, I charged straight for its neck.
Creeeeak!
"Gurooooh!"
Even in that moment, the Scarecrow jerked its neck to dodge the direct hit.
But it couldn't evade completely.
A massive hole gaped in its neck.
"Ptui."
I chewed a few times on the straw that had gotten in my mouth and spat it out.
So that's what Scarecrow tastes like.
In other words, utterly disgusting.
"Groogagak... gurooh...! Doooroothyyy!"
The Scarecrow flew into a frenzy at the sight.
Shweeeen!
It swung its scythe wide, but there was no way I'd take a hit like that.
In this state, my speed surpassed the Scarecrow's.
Kriiiik!
Its sharp scythe had to settle for slicing nearby trees.
"Shwoooong...."
Shungshung peeked its head out from under my wing, looking at me with worry.
Being the closest, it knew better than anyone.
That I was almost out of stamina.
"Shwoooong...."
It wore a gloomy expression.
With all the silver coins gone, it must have thought there was no way it could help me now.
I stroked Shungshung's head with my beak.
This little one didn't realize how valuable it was.
Right now, Shungshung shone brighter than ever in my eyes.
"Graaah... gurooh...! Neeaaah... muuuu... koooon...!"
Discarding its scythe on the ground, the Scarecrow crawled toward me on all fours.
Stretching its neck to maximum length and spinning its body wildly, it put on a grotesque display.
But I couldn't afford to laugh.
A mere graze from that attack would kill me in my current state.
No matter how ridiculous it looked, this had to be its final form.
Even if I took to the skies, its transcendent physical prowess would catch me immediately.
Evasion wasn't an option.
I had no time left.
So what I chose was to confront it head-on.
"Caaaaaw!"
I cried out like a crow.
Soaring into the air, I flapped my wings to whip up the winds.
Kwa-gagak!
A tremendous gale blocked its approach.
"Grooh... geeeerup... jaaaang... eeee!"
Suddenly, its mouth gaped wide.
And from that maw erupted a deafening roar.
Krooooom!
A sound so fierce it could be mistaken for thunder.
Maybe this was the lion's roar from wuxia tales.
But there was no time to admire it.
Its roar canceled out my gale.
With the raging winds losing power, the momentum naturally shifted to it.
Its right leg thrust forward at tremendous speed.
Evasion impossible.
All I could do was trust my traits and endure.
Flash and Sturdy Skull.
Creeeeeng!
Light blinded its vision, and leading with my sturdy skull, I withstood the attack.
But even with my larger size, the overwhelming power difference meant I was helplessly sent flying.
Kwaaaang!
I flew a long way before crashing into a tree and finally stopping.
"Cawww...."
Blood streamed from my beak.
It didn't miss the chance and charged again.
Once the flow shifted, regaining it was nearly impossible.
And that was precisely why I'd braced for the bleeding to take the hit.
Squeezing out my last reserves, I summoned the winds.
Kwa-gagagagak!
A storm erupted right beneath it.
The massive storm swallowed its body whole.
"Grooh, gurooooh...."
The storm's blades tore into its flesh.
"Kgh... gawk...."
But it grinned grotesquely.
Convinced this attack couldn't kill it.
And that seemed somewhat true.
The storm's power was waning, but it still had reserves left.
The forced power I'd wrung out ended here.
I had no more means or methods to attack it.
"Shwooooong!"
But the little ghost—not me—was different.
The moment it was knocked away by its foot, Shungshung slipped into its shadow.
Clutching one of my shadow feathers.
The shadow feather in her tiny hand dropped at the Scarecrow's feet.
Whoosh!
The attack I'd inflicted that dealt it the most damage so far.
Shadow flames instantly engulfed its body.
For fire has always loved dancing with the wind.
Kwa-gagagagak!
The storm ripped its flesh, and the flames seared its wounds.
"Graaaaaah! Guroooooh!"
No trace of a smile remained on the Scarecrow's face.
It merely screamed in agony.
Whoosh!
The black flames consuming the straw grew larger and larger with the wind.
Bright enough to illuminate this eternal night.