Angel's Descent: The Wings of Rebellion

Under the stars and through the night,

With the sun rising and setting seven times,

Crossing mountains, rivers, deep valleys, and dense forests,

Jano finally led the warriors of his tribe to Oceanwood.

Oceanwood was an immense, boundless forest, its greenery vast like an endless ocean.

A long river wound through the forest, flowing gently into the distant sea.

This was the border of the realm ruled by the Thunder Titan Atre, neighboring the domain of the Ancient Blue Dragon King Alirethos.

The two factions had fought for many years, yet neither had gained a decisive victory.

At this moment, Oceanwood resembled a massive military camp, with numerous races gathered here.

Jano saw centaurs patrolling the forest, hawkmensoaring above, trolls encamped in the jungles, dwarves riding goats in the valleys, goblins chopping wood, merfolk and fishmen resting by the river, mixed-blood giants acting as overseers, fairies and treants watching from the treetops, and wild boarmen lying on the ground…

These races were mostly subjugated by the Titans, who had ruled half of the world since the Titan Epoch.

The Ancient Dragons were no less powerful.

Jano turned his gaze further north into Oceanwood and saw a massive stone throne towering over the northern forest, as if carved from an entire mountain.

Sitting upon that throne was a titan nearly two hundred meters tall, with purple hair and golden eyes, radiating a terrifying aura.

His presence was as formidable as a mountain or an ocean, and the immense pressure it exerted left Jano in awe.

At all times, purple lightning coursed through the titan's powerful body, like a boundless prison of storms.

"That is Aterri, the Thunder Titan!" Jano thought.

According to the legends of the Fifth Epoch, Titan Giants were born legendary, reaching semi-divine status upon adulthood.

Even the great Titan King, though not seated upon a divine throne, possessed god-like power that made him one of the most formidable beings in the world.

This was the Titan Giant, the ruler of half the ancient world of Felande.

Feeling the overwhelming aura of the Thunder Titan, Jano became even more cautious. His pride as a traveler was buried deep within.

He was still a mortal, not even extraordinary by the standards of this world. In a world filled with unimaginable power, where death could come at any moment, only by proceeding carefully could one survive.The hawkmen warriors flew across the airspace of Oceanwood, unnoticed by the patrolling hawkmens and harpies, allowing them to land directly in the hawkmen camp.

As soon as they landed, soldiers from the royal court of the hawkmens approached them.

One of the soldiers, a middle-aged hawkmen draped in wolf pelts, stepped forward. Though he lacked any supernatural aura, his battle-hardened presence was palpable.

He asked casually,

"Which tribe do you come from, and who is your leader?"

Jano stepped forward and answered,

"Esteemed elder, I am the leader of our tribe. We are from Eagle's Nest Peak."

The middle-aged soldier gave a dismissive grunt, clearly having never heard of Eagle's Nest Peak. His eyes quickly scanned the bronze weapons and armor they carried, but he wasn't impressed.

A small tribe of hawkmens, with even female warriors among them—hardly worth noting.

"Follow me. The hawkmen tribe from the East is led by Lord Windwing."

The soldier led them through the camp, passing by a vast and disorderly encampment. Trees had been felled, leaving only a barren expanse of dirt and grass.

Jano took in his surroundings, his sharp eyes calculating the situation. Roughly ten thousand hawkmen warriors seemed to be stationed here, their dark gray wings scattered across the land like an ominous web.

The middle-aged soldier casually pointed to a corner.

"Settle there for now."

Without another word, he turned to leave.

After all, to him, these were just expendable pawns—warriors who would soon die in battle. There was no need for further interaction.

But Jano quickly called out to him, his tone sincere.

"May I ask your name, elder? Also, where can we find Lord Windwing's camp? How should we await his orders?"

This place was chaotic, with tribes mingling in confusion. It was unclear how anyone could issue orders.

The middle-aged soldier glanced back, his eyes filled with contempt, as if the very idea that these lowly tribes would ask such questions was absurd. He chuckled derisively.

"You have no right to follow Lord Windwing's orders. Someone will come for you when the time comes."

He pointed to a nearby camp where a warrior, holding a bone spear, was hovering in the air, shouting orders.

"You, you, you, and you—gather your tribes and follow me!"

The selected tribesmen did not dare resist. They hurriedly gathered their people and followed him without hesitation. Some tribes had only a handful of warriors, others more than ten. In their eyes, there was a numb resignation.

It was clear that they had been summoned like this many times before. The fate of these tribes was inevitable—fifty warriors were called for each time, and the ones who were sent out never returned.

Jano's gaze darkened as he watched the scene unfold.

"I understand," Jano said quietly.

The middle-aged soldier gave a slight nod. "Good. I don't need to say much more. You small tribes that live under the royal court's protection should be grateful. If you follow orders, perhaps a few of you will survive when the war ends."

As he turned to leave, he added,

"You don't need to know my name."

He pointed to the edge of the forest.

"One more thing—don't even think about escaping. See over there? That's what happens to those who try to flee!"

Jano followed his gaze, and his eyes widened with shock. There, rows of hawkmen bodies were impaled on wooden spikes—pierced from the mouth and out through the lower body, blood dripping onto the earth.

Jano fell silent, his heart heavy. The middle-aged soldier burst out laughing,

"Foolish child. You and your tribe are nothing more than ants, grass, and weeds in the eyes of the royal court. They let you live because they allow it. If they wish for you to die, you will die. Understand your place."

With that, the soldier flapped his wings and took off, leaving Jano standing there, fists clenched, his eyes burning with resolve.

"Such a royal court," Jano thought bitterly. "What future could the hawkmen people possibly have under such tyranny? No wonder we've become the weakest of the magical beasts. I'll take their place sooner or later!"

Behind him, the hawkmen warriors who had grown up alongside him looked on with suppressed anger, but they held their tongues.

Once the middle-aged soldier was out of sight, one of the warriors stepped forward and asked,

"Jano, what should we do next?"

Jano glanced up at the hawkmen patrols flying overhead, then smiled and said,

"They can shout their orders all they want. We'll do things our way. Lei, take out the bone spears we made before. We'll conduct our own patrol."

One of the hawkmens stepped forward and handed Jano a long bundle wrapped in animal hide. Jano unwrapped it and pulled out a bone spear. With a grin, he addressed the others,

"From now on, I'm an officer of the royal court. We'll patrol on our own, and everyone follows me!"

"Understood!"

Jano's eyes gleamed with determination. He had no intention of blindly following the royal court's orders. He was here for a purpose. He would explore the whereabouts of the old tortoise, even if the royal court didn't command it.

The path he took would be his to decide, and as for whether they would be discovered, he could not care less. In the end, death was certain for him, but if he wanted to awaken his extraordinary powers, he had no choice but to take risks.