Huff... huff... huff...
Heavy breathing spread through the surroundings.
The Shandian warriors' hearts burned with a passion like molten lava.
They believed that this time, they would surely defeat the priests, then overthrow the so-called gods and Sky Islanders, and reclaim their homeland!
Gathered outside Cloud Concealment Village, they silently put on their masks, strapped Wind Dials to their feet, readied the iron weapons they had plundered from the Blue Sea people, and steeled themselves for battle...
Today! Today!
They would reclaim their homeland!
"Let's go!" Wyper, descendant of the great warrior Calgara and known as the "War Oni," was the only one without a mask. With a cigarette stolen from the Blue Sea people hanging from his lips, he spoke calmly with a powerful presence. "Let's take back our home—"
A huge red balloon suddenly burst through the cloud layer below.
As if it were a signal, one massive balloon after another shot out of the clouds.
One hot air balloon was already enormous; thirty of them practically blotted out the sky.
And the sharp-eyed Shandian warriors could see baskets beneath the balloons, with people inside.
That was the most terrifying part.
Where had this suddenly appearing army come from?
The Shandians had always been renowned for their combat strength, often able to fight one against ten. If the Sky Islanders had not occupied their ancestors' island and possessed vastly superior numbers, how could they possibly have stood against Shandian warriors?
And that was indeed the case. Before the god Enel and his four priests came to Sky Island, the situation had been completely one-sided: Sky Island, ruled by the former god Gan Fall, had been steadily losing to the new generation of Shandian warriors.
The reason the "War Oni" Wyper possessed such immense influence and prestige was entirely