章 281: From above

The forest had erupted into chaos.

The unnatural peace that once weighed on them was now gone, replaced by a cacophony of sound and movement that sent shivers down spines and rattled bones.

Volk stood at the head of his massive horde, his radioactive glow flaring brighter in warning as his sharp gaze snapped upward.

From above, a howling wind began to sweep through the canopy.

The air itself seemed to grow claws. Leaves scattered like startled birds, spinning through the air as though desperate to flee.

Then—

WHOOSH.

Something streaked down from the sky, slicing through the branches with deadly precision.

A single, blackened shape whistled as it fell, followed by an explosive BOOM that sent dirt and debris flying into the air.

An Ogre roared as it stumbled back, its armored flesh now dotted with long, thin gashes where the wind itself had struck.

Volk's glowing eyes narrowed into slits. "What was that?"