The high pressure and heat suddenly climbed to another level.
The hems of Snake Tongue's clothes and her hair had begun to curl.
In the third barrage, the number of "gun positions" had not increased much over the second wave, but they were clearly more purposeful. The first two barrages had likely exposed every strong and weak point in the Time-Space Bubble's structure, allowing the enemy to identify them.
This round of attacks clearly focused more on a limited number of points. The high pressure imposed on the cargo ship varied in intensity, forming strangling vortices that were even harder to dissolve and convert.
Snake Tongue seemed to hear the distorted tremor of the Time-Space Bubble's structure collapsing. Or perhaps the cargo ship bearing the load could no longer endure it?
And it was not over yet. The aberrant species surging in from the shore like a countertide, whether or not they excelled at hunting on or beneath the water, showed no loss of momentum as they charged the river ship.
The first to strike were the birds.
Ferocious falcons and ospreys seized the gaps exposed when the three barrages compressed, displaced, and destroyed the Time-Space Bubble. They fixed their eyes on those remaining Stitching Monster specimens on deck that had yet to collapse and shatter under several rounds of high pressure... and, of course, Ronan and Snake Tongue as well, before diving down in suicidal plunges.
Their sharp beaks were like spikes, their beating wings like blades. Most had already broken the Sound Barrier in short bursts, and combined with their flesh-and-blood mass and the extraordinary energy they carried, they were little different from guided missiles.
Snake Tongue's breathing grew heavier.
She had no time to look at Ronan's expression, nor did she pay any heed to the impact