Chapter 361: Fleeing

Helag was in his Power of the Titan form, clad in dark golden armor.

The Crawlers couldn’t bite through the armor; their sharp teeth left no marks.

Helag frowned at the black ooze on his leg, shaking the Crawler off with force.

Gathering magic, he formed a fireball, launching it at the fallen Crawler, engulfing it in flames.

Unaffected by pain, the Crawler staggered forward, burning, until its legs gave out, leaving it crawling.

Helag drew the World Tree Bow, firing an arrow to shatter the Crawler.

Dealing with one Crawler was just the beginning; more surged from all directions.

The sheer number made Helag’s scalp tingle.

He retrieved the Feather of Flight from his spatial ring, activating it with magic, attaching it to his left hand.

A light step launched Helag into the air.

With the Feather of Flight, Helag instinctively grasped flight, as if born with it.

However, this flight wasn’t as powerful as in the Abyssal Plane; speed and control were limited.

He could fly, but not much more.

From the air, Helag saw the ground teeming with Crawlers.

They reached for him, but couldn’t touch him.

Flying offered a broader view.

He saw more Crawlers approaching from afar.

The area was crowded, blocking distant Crawlers from reaching him.

Helag was grateful for the Feather of Flight; handling so many Crawlers would be difficult otherwise.

Killing them one by one would be exhausting.

The situation remained troublesome; the Crawlers were fixated on him, howling below.

Their collective howls resembled a concert, the noise overwhelming Helag.

Staying was impossible; it would attract larger threats.

Helag flew toward the city outskirts, the Crawlers following below.

The city was no longer safe; more Crawlers were awakening and approaching.

Helag wondered why the city housed so many Crawlers.

Crawlers were once humans; their numbers suggested many died here simultaneously.

After death, they became Crawlers over time.

Helag couldn’t determine what caused so many deaths.

While pondering, he sensed danger, dodging aside.

A large stone flew past.

Below, a Crawler picked up stones, hurling them.

The Feather of Flight’s power wasn’t strong; Helag’s aerial movements were sluggish.

He dodged another stone, barely avoiding it.

Throwing was instinctive for primates; the Crawlers retained this.

One Crawler’s throw inspired others to follow, hurling debris.

Wood, stones, mud, even other Crawlers’ limbs—anything throwable.

Helag struggled to dodge in the air, overwhelmed by the barrage.

Fortunately, his armor was tough, protecting him.

But this couldn’t continue; Helag flew toward the city outskirts, dodging projectiles.

Observing the Crawlers’ throws, Helag had a thought.

The Crawlers seemed to have some learning ability.

Their actions hinted at something deeper.

Helag noted these observations, flying out of the city.

He didn’t fly too high; the polluted zone’s sky was thick with gray clouds, their contents unknown.

Helag feared attracting attention by flying high, preferring caution.

As he flew, the Crawlers followed below.

Thousands chased him, a daunting sight.

Outside the city, the Crawlers continued pursuing, howling as they ran.

Helag increased speed, flying onward.

The Crawlers showed no sign of stopping, closely following.

Now over open plains, Helag saw the Crawler horde behind, unnerving him.

He needed to lose them; their presence was too conspicuous.

Half an hour later.

“Why won’t they stop?” Helag wondered, seeing the relentless Crawlers.

He suspected his strong life force attracted them.

Crawlers were drawn to life force; Helag’s was like a beacon.

In Power of the Titan form, his life force was irresistible to Crawlers.

Helag pushed his speed, but the Feather of Flight had limits.

He couldn’t outrun them.

He considered landing and running.

But flying was more efficient, easily crossing difficult terrain.

Running would drain energy and be slower.

Glancing at the pursuing Crawlers, Helag searched for terrain to lose them.