Mutated Bird Flock, Blooming Thunder-Colored Lotus

That wasn't some thin little sapling, but a thick, sturdy tree!

Even if you used an axe or logging tools, it would take some time! How could it possibly be knocked over just by something being kicked into it?

Just how much strength would that require?!

Never mind mages who awakened elemental abilities; even those who awakened beast-type abilities wouldn't be able to do that, would they?

You don't happen to have a physical-type ability in addition to Metal and Space, do you?!

So it's not a dual-element ability, but a triple-element one?

This is definitely cheating, right?!

Bai Xuan was also somewhat surprised by this; he hadn't expected his whip kick to actually blow that mutated creature apart.

Was his strength too great?

Or was the mutated creature's defensive capability too weak?

Just a moment ago, he had sensed a surge of astonishing malice rushing toward him from not far away. Without much thought, he had kicked out instinctively, never expecting to blow it to pieces.

He sighed softly. According to his original plan, he had intended to avoid damaging the flesh as much as possible so he could cut off some parts to take back for cooking.

One could only say that plans rarely keep up with changes.

He walked forward and looked at the corpse on the ground, which was now covered in blood and nearly torn apart. Bai Xuan frowned; it was indeed a bit disgusting, but still within the range of what he could tolerate.

Although the body had exploded, it was still vaguely identifiable as a bird.

He just didn't know which kind.

But as for birds, they rarely appeared alone. As if sensing something, Bai Xuan turned his head to look in the other direction and muttered to himself:

"They're here."

"Chirp, chirp."

"Chirp, chirp."

"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."

A chorus of bird calls rang out in the air, and in Bai Xuan's field of vision, countless birds flickering with a faint silver light were swooping in from the distance.

Some hovered in the air, while others perched on tree branches; in the blink of an eye, dozens had gathered.

They were similar in size to crows, with bodies primarily brownish-grey, but the edges of their wings emitted a silver glow under the sunlight, giving them an extremely sharp appearance.

"Has an entire flock mutated?"

"Well, over seventy percent of humans have awakened abilities now; it's perfectly normal for mutated groups to appear."

Bai Xuan nodded as he thought this, then looked at the wings of the mutated birds with interest. They resembled steel, yet their sharpness remained undiminished, and their flight speed was incredibly fast.

Of course, none of that was the most important thing.

Perhaps because Bai Xuan had killed their companion, their emotions toward him were filled with clear malice—a feeling that they desperately wanted to kill him.

And as time passed, this murderous intent only continued to grow.

"I hope it's truly because I killed your companion that you are so hostile toward me. If it's for some other reason..."

Bai Xuan didn't continue.

If their hostility toward him was without reason, that would be truly terrifying.

"At this speed, practicing close-quarters combat seems like a good idea."

There was a hint of anticipation in Bai Xuan's eyes. Even though he could easily kill these mutated birds by relying on [Nature Authority], for some reason, he seemed to enjoy that kind of close-range combat.

The feeling of using Metal elements to kill the giant red tiger earlier was completely different from the feeling of blowing up a mutated bird with a whip kick.

The former had no fun in it at all, while the latter always brought a sense of enjoyment.

Could it be that every mage had a heart for melee combat?

"Chirp, chirp!!!"

The mutated birds didn't know what Bai Xuan was thinking. Accompanied by a piercing shriek, the birds in the sky were the first to shoot toward Bai Xuan, and their movement acted like a fuse; the other mutated birds followed suit, one after another, as if they had gone mad.

Countless silver glints flashed through the air, their terrifyingly sharp silver wings cutting through the wind with the intent to slice Bai Xuan in two.

The shrill chirping was maddening.

"At a time like this, this is definitely the power I should be using."

There was anticipation in Bai Xuan's eyes. He clenched his hands, and a pale white halo emerged, tightly wrapping around his fists.

"BOOM!!!"

Amidst a violent roar, the air seemed to tremble. The birds shooting through the sky looked as if they had been hit with a pause button; after a momentary halt, they fell from the sky one after another.

Beyond that, although some continued to shoot toward Bai Xuan, their speed and explosive power were far inferior to before.

"Boom!"

"Crack!"

As Bai Xuan's fist made contact with a mutated bird, a sound like breaking bones rang out in the air. A violent force acted directly within its body, and unable to withstand the power, the fragile creature was sent flying in an instant before turning into a mist of blood in the air.

"As expected, it's still not quite possible to replicate the effects of Pops Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit as seen in the anime."

"Relying solely on the power of vibration isn't enough."

That power, which made space seem to shatter like a spiderweb, could not be achieved through simple vibration alone.

Bai Xuan shook his head, and the white halo in his hand dissipated.

"Crack!"

He extended his right hand, and streaks of blue electric arcs coalesced within his palm. In an instant, a blue lotus composed of thunder and brimming with terrifying power manifested in his hand.

"Melee combat will have to wait for next time."

"I feel like it would be more appropriate to pair the vibration power with a blunt weapon, like a mace or a baseball bat, when the time comes."

"For now, I'll just use this to say goodbye to you all."

Bai Xuan murmured to himself as the blue lotus, flickering with electric light, flew from his hand and drifted slowly toward the flock of mutant birds that had landed on the ground.

"Boom!"

"Chirp!"

"Chirp, chirp!"

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!!!"

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the sky-filling lightning bloomed from Bai Xuan, and countless electric arcs darted through the air like silver snakes. The air was filled with the wails of the mutant birds, but within moments, these cries came to an abrupt end.

When the lightning faded, the mutant birds on the ground had long since been reduced to charred, pitch-black husks.

"Let's go."

Bai Xuan watched the scene with indifference and spoke, prompting Su Yue to snap out of her daze and hurry after him.

She had lost count of how many times she had been stunned today.

It was too exaggerated, truly too exaggerated!

After the metal element, spatial ability, and immense physical constitution, Bai Xuan had now unleashed such terrifying lightning!

That was already four abilities, and every single one of them was so powerful.

How was she, a mere user of a single ice element, supposed to handle this?

Even though this mission was meant for the two of them, how did it end up with her feeling like a mere extra?

But then, thinking back to the crimson giant tiger and the flock of mutant birds from just a moment ago, well, she supposed she might as well just be an extra.