Angel's Descent: The Wings of Rebellion

"Boss, don't be sad. You still have me with you, right? Don't worry. With my lifespan, I'll definitely outlive you!"

As Jano sighed, he was interrupted by a lazy voice from beside him.

Jano turned his head to find a small turtle standing on a stone, mimicking his posture with its claws folded in front. The little creature looked around, pretending to survey the landscape as though it were overseeing its kingdom.

Seeing the turtle's dramatic pose, Jano couldn't help but chuckle. "Little Eight, if you can't comfort me, just keep quiet! Living longer than me, huh?"

He paused mid-sentence. Little Eight—this turtle—had actually made it to the fifth chapter of the saga!

Jano, now in the third stage of his Extraordinary path, had evolved into the Saint Winged Walker. His previous Thunderwing powers had been surpassed by his mastery of Light, especially after the baptism of the Light Titan's blood. For twenty years, he'd honed these abilities, blending them into his evolving system of powers.

The third stage of Extraordinary is the strongest rank before reaching Legendary. Those who reached it were called "heroes" and had their lifespan extended to five hundred years. However, Jano knew that, like many other extraordinary beings, this increased lifespan didn't apply to all—his companion, Little Eight, was living proof. The small turtle had survived far longer than any normal creature, likely due to some special bloodline that still lingered within it.

Realizing he had been staring too long, Jano snapped out of his trance and rubbed the turtle's head with a smile. "You're right, Little Eight. It's thanks to you that I'm not so lonely over these long years."

As the sun rose higher and the sea breeze swept across the mountain, Jano and the turtle exchanged a few more words, when suddenly, a figure bathed in radiant light descended from the sky.

"Chief, there's a Troll Clan coming from the west, about ten thousand miles away."

"Troll Clan?" Jano furrowed his brows. "What are they doing here?"

This was the coastal region—didn't the old legends speak of the Sea Clan in these areas? Had they disappeared from the world?

After thinking for a moment, Jano gave his orders. "Roar, gather the Skywing Squad and come with me!"

The Skywing Squad was a group of warriors who had achieved extraordinary power over the past twenty years. There were about a dozen of them, most of them awakened with Light abilities. Their forms were far more impressive than the rest of the tribe—aside from their hands and feet, which were still in the process of evolving, their faces had lost all feathers, becoming more human-like. They resembled Jano more than the typical Hawkmen.

"Little Eight, stay here and keep the tribe safe!" Jano called out to the small turtle.

"I want to go with you!" Little Eight's tiny green eyes were filled with eagerness.

"Haha, Little Eight, I won't stop you, but you don't have wings!" Jano laughed.

The turtle deflated, realizing its limitation—no wings, no flight. In this age, only Legends could fly.

"Alright, Roar, get everyone ready, we leave now!" Jano commanded.

"Yes, Chief!" Roar answered.

Half an hour later, the Skywing Squad was ready.

"Let's go!" Jano shouted, drawing his bronze longsword and leading the way toward the west.

Several hours later, as the sun began to set, they reached the skies above the Troll Clan. Looking down, Jano saw a massive troll tribe, numbering at least ten thousand. However, they appeared ragged and displaced, as though they had been driven from their original homes.

As Jano observed, a deep voice rang out from below.

"Who are you, flying above us? We are the Greatwood Clan, servants of the Nature Titans. Come down and meet us!"