章 24: Ablaze
"It's really good to have someone like you by my side," Zayn acknowledged while patting the Human Spirit jokingly.
He tried to force himself to smile while inserting his soul particles inside the Human Spirit, only to fail miserably.
Zayn had gone pale and his hands were smeared with blood. Looking at the corpses of the ten Frenzy Antelopes caused him to sigh every now and then.
After removing the Antelope's horns that could be used to create certain potions and arrowheads for trainings arrows, there was not much for him to do with the remaining corpses.
It would be a lot more convenient if he had a carnivorous Spirit that could regenerate its soul particles by feeding and digesting the bodies of the monsters they hunted, but it was not as if he could manifest Spirits out of nowhere.
Once he made his first few kills, Zayn's mind didn't blank out anymore. However, that didn't mean he had suddenly accustomed himself to the life of killing and reaping souls.
He was a little disheartened that his memories hadn't resurfaced to give him some mental support after killing a bunch of monsters but that was something he had to accept.
'My memories won't be able to protect me whenever something goes wrong.'
This lesson was very important and it was something Zayn imprinted in his mind.
Killing mindlessly had never been his plan but he was willing to become a hypocrite if that was needed to become stronger. The beings that died at his hand would become the nourishment for his survival, and the starting point for his greatness.
That change in his mindset allowed him not to feel guilty about the kills he just made. Feeling guilty because he killed someone would result in hesitation…and hesitation in a fight would result in his death. It was that simple.
When he finished using more than half of his soul particles to tend to the Human Spirit's wounds, they left the battlefield. The smell of blood and the commotion of the battle would inevitably attract the attention of other predators.
Zayn didn't want to encounter too many monster groups at once, let alone a big pack of predators, not when the Human Spirit would need a while to heal and as long as Zayn would require to replenish the soul particles.
Clenching his fist, he punched into the air with all his might. A faint gust was created from the force of his punch, giving Zayn a rough estimation of his current strength.
He was not physically exhausted from the fight against the ten Frenzy Antelopes because the Human Spirit was the one to have faced them head-on, but he had still a lot to digest, including the enhancement in his strength from the seven Soul Wisps he was able to grasp.
While walking over the flourishing plains, Zayn spread his arms wide open. The cowl of his cloak slid down his head because of the breezy wind that swirled around him. It was as if it wanted to play with him and he closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of freedom that embraced him in the wide open nature.
'This is really grea—...' He thought just as he smelled something odd. The sharp sound of twigs snapping into two along with the smell of something getting burned was perceived by his senses nearly at the same time.
Zayn turned to his right, his eyes wide open as a bunch of trees that were on fire entered his sight.
There weren't many trees all over the vast plains, and the small group of trees to his right were all ablaze right now. A few dozen red-feathered sparrows the size of Zayn's hand could be seen fighting against a Bison that was charging toward the group of trees, destroying them with brute force.
The Bison's body was riddled with numerous tiny holes, caused by the fire needles the red-feathered Sparrows fired through their beaks.
'Pyrat Sparrows? What are they doing here? The encyclopedia said that they had been exterminated in the central region a few years ago.'
Zayn clearly recalled what he had learned in the Academy, especially the topics he had been interested in. The Monster Encyclopedia was one of the most important things in Zayn's opinion because it was important to know what type of monsters were worth being awoken as a Spirit.
Some Monsters were especially useful as Spirits while others were utterly useless!
Feeling interested in the fight between the Bison and the Pyrat Sparrows, Zayn chose to watch how it would progress. He didn't even think about intervening at this point of the battle because the Pyrat Sparrows were still able to release more fire needles.
It was their special trait to congest soul particles within their beak, ignite the needle-shaped soul particles and release them with a shockingly high velocity.
However, as one could see clearly, the damage caused by the fire needles was not worth mentioning. The hide of the Bison and its flesh were highly resilient and more than enough to block the needles, preventing them from reaching any vital organs. As for the neck of the Bison, it was well protected underneath a thick layer of fur.
That was how the Bison had survived until now, and how it destroyed the small batch of blazing trees that had once been the home of the Pyrat Sparrows.
Hundreds of fire needles were shot through the surrounding area within seconds, and all of them targeted the Bison.
Zayn was not sure how the fight between the Pyrat Sparrows and the Bison must have ensued but it was definitely a battle of wits and strategy more than skills and abilities. The Bison might not be able to hit the Pyrat Sparrows because they were flying in the air but its defenses were remarkable!
Its defenses were more than enough to endure the attacks that impacted its body, no matter how many fire needles pierced through its skin, and it was not long after that the number of fire needles slowly diminished. The size of the remaining fire needles further shrunk as well.
'With so few soul particles, you guys won't make it far,' Zayn thought as he watched how the fire needles continued to shrink in size before the fire ceased completely.
The Bison was weakened from the dozens, if not hundreds of tiny punctures that covered its entire body, but it was still alive and strong enough to pursue the Pyrat Sparrows that were exhausted and about to collapse.
"You guys cannot release any more fire needles? In that case, it's my turn!"
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