Chapter 59

"My Devil Boy"

The words spoken by someone made Kiyotaka instantly alert. Understanding his inability to fight yet due to the strange adamantine chains, he decided to act passively and waited for the person to come.

Soon, a figure of a stunningly beautiful maiden in a regal blue dress appeared. It looked more like what military generals would wear.

Her black hair and eyes created a serious and cold aura. Despite that, Kiyotaka could see a trace of craziness in the depths of the woman's eyes.

One notable thing was that she was clearly at a realm of strength Kiyotaka couldn't understand, not like most of the Awakened.

Looking at her, he speculated her strength.

Transcended human.

That's what he was looking at.

"Today I want to see you fly~"

Her sweet words echoed through Kiyotaka's mind as he assessed the situation.

Kiyotaka's now red eyes remained emotionless as he gazed at the adamantine chains binding him.

"How can I fly if I am chained?"

The woman laughed softly.

"Silly, you aren't chained."

Kiyotaka was confused by that statement for a second before suddenly heavy mental fatigue assaulted him. The scenery before his eyes changed as he found himself in the vast expanse of the sky. In the distance, towards the ground, the mighty gates of the Ice City could be seen.

His mind froze, not understanding what had just happened. As he tried to think of something, he suddenly became aware of his surroundings.

He was in the air.

Falling through the skies.

'How...'

This felt so surreal.

One moment he was chained in an underground chamber, the next moment he was freely falling through the sky.

'Teleportation?...or something else...memory loss?'

Kiyotaka always had a perfect memory, even back in his own world. The eidetic memory coupled with his intelligence helped him to remember things clearly as far back as when he was a little baby.

That made him confident in his ability to remember anything that had ever happened around him... However, in this world full of strange Aspect abilities, he didn't want to bet on his memorization.

Looking towards the ground which seemed to get closer and closer, he thought about summoning his [Wing of Fall], but dismissed it as at such speed it wouldn't hold out. He quickly assumed the belly-to-earth position and tried to spread his wings wide.

Needless to say, it wasn't a successful try. Kiyotaka had never had wings as part of his body, so trying to move them was no different from a baby trying to walk for the first time.

Falling through the snowy winds also made it harder for him to balance.

Not that he couldn't adapt to it.

Letting his blood flow to his muscles on his back and wings, he manually controlled their movements, guiding them to spread slowly.

Gradually, his fall speed started to decrease, the air resistance getting stronger as he spread his wings fully.

The speed of fall seemed to decelerate until it reached a state where it remained constant. A state when air resistance and gravity were somewhat in balance.

That said, he was still falling.

And the ground was getting near.

As he gazed below, he quickly understood that he had two options.

First was to try and learn how to fly in under a half minute.

Second was to find somewhere to fall with minimum damage.

He quickly went with the second option as he began studying the layout below him.

Soon, he found a rather large pile of snow to the east of the city. Immediately, he tilted his body slightly, adjusting his fall direction towards the east.

The snow pile loomed closer and closer. Kiyotaka braced himself, angling his body to hit it with as much control as possible. He curled up his wings as they enveloped his body fully in a cocoon.

As he collided with the snow, Kiyotaka summoned his Bloodsword and Abyssal Reaver Sword, desperately trying to slow his descent. He drove the blades into the snow and ice, creating a trail of resistance that slowed him slightly but not entirely.

The impact came suddenly, his body piercing through the snow, which cushioned his fall but not entirely.

He felt a sharp pain shoot through his back as his wings crumpled under the force, the bones snapping audibly. He cried out in agony, his demonic form writhing in the cold snow as he continued to sink.

He broke through the surface of the snow pile and continued to fall, piercing through the icy crust below. He landed heavily in an icy cave, its walls shimmering with frost. Below him was some kind of large white creature with fur. However, he couldn't concentrate on it as pain assaulted him.

The pain from his broken wings was intense, making it difficult to move.

Kiyotaka lay there, the cold seeping into his bones, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. The demonic wings on his back were twisted at unnatural angles, the bones clearly broken. Blood, dark and cursed, oozed from his injuries, staining the pristine ice.

He tried to push himself up but collapsed back onto the icy ground, the pain too overwhelming. His vision blurred, the edges of his consciousness darkening.

For now, all he could do was endure and try not to fall asleep.

His Transcended memory [Blessing of the Wind and Ice] was already taking effect as the wounds started to heal.

Gritting his teeth, he manipulated his blood to adjust the bones on his back. The process was painful as he had to be very precise for him to heal properly. After what felt like an eternity, his wings returned to their original shape, but Kiyotaka knew he wouldn't be able to use them for now.

Just as he finished healing his wings and other cuts on his body, he heard a soothing whisper of a spell.

[You have slain Awakened Monster, White Eyed Wolf Cub]

[Your war spirit grows stronger]

Confused, he looked below him and saw a little wolf cub, its fur fully white, just like its lifeless eyes. It seemed he had fallen on top of it.

Suddenly, he heard many growling sounds all around him.

Looking around, he saw many similar wolves with the same white eyes surrounding him. One didn't need to be an expert to see the crazy bloodlust emanating from their eyes. However, they didn't move, as if waiting for something...or someone.

At the center, there stood a towering figure of a larger wolf...its figure not so different from the others. Nevertheless, Kiyotaka could clearly feel the strength behind its...her eyes.

Summoning his sword, he forced himself to stand up and looked at the wolves' den he seemed to have gotten himself into.

'What a way to start a nightmare...'