Tuale's orders went unanswered. The dozens of guardsmen present were all struggling to fend for themselves, while the onlookers had fled far away, afraid of getting caught up in the chaos.
Not many guardsmen had fallen dead, but plenty had been left with torn flesh or even had their eyes gouged out.
This situation probably wouldn't last much longer, though. The guardsmen stationed at the port and in the city, along with personnel from the Governor's Residence, were rapidly converging on the area.
Tuale knew that by then it would be too late. He gritted his teeth and pulled a palm-sized wooden token from his coat. It emanated a strange spiritual aura, and a bizarre design had been drawn on it in something resembling blood.
Stirred by the spiritual energy, a translucent sea serpent burst from the strange wooden token and circled Tuale continuously. At the same time, an egg-shaped protective shield appeared around his body.
The seabirds' sharp beaks and claws struck the shield but couldn't budge it in the slightest. Instead, the force of the impact injured them.
Tuale ignored the seabirds and was just about to head for the port when a shudder from the depths of his soul stopped him in his tracks.
"Caw..." Three crows with crimson eyes suddenly broke through the flock and appeared beside him. Their talons struck the shield almost simultaneously. With a piercing screech that set teeth on edge, the shield began to ripple, its light dimming.
"Clang..." The three sharp crimson beaks struck the shield again. It shuddered violently, but quickly settled. A faint cracking sound followed, and a fissure appeared in the wooden token.
Even so, the shield's defensive power was astonishing.
Tuale was terrified. Yet the slender sword in his hand shot toward one of the crows like