Re;Blade

Chapter 68 - Crows part 1

As the flames lit the area, the crows turned to the house.

Faela didn't move and made no sound. She could only watch.

There's too many of them, Tetsuko projected to her wielder. Even focusing, she couldn't sense every infected bird. Stupid smoke dampening my senses...

All the crows opened their wings at the same time. The next moment, they batted their wings. The wind extinguished the outer flames. It wasn't enough to put out everything, but the feathers destroyed the house.

"Crap," Faela muttered as she took cover in an alley. The house became dust and the fire grew weaker. Soon the darkness was back.

There's no way you can fight that many, Tetsuko said when she sensed what her wielder wanted.

"If you can cut them, I can kill them."

I can. But you won't see them.

"You'll have to be my eyes."

I don't know if I can with this smoke. Even if I could, how are you gonna fight them? I doubt they'll come down from the roofs.

Faela peered her head out the alley. Though it was hard to, she could see the outlines of the monster crows still on top of the house, breathing in the smoke.

"Can't you bring them down?"

I'm a sword. How am I supposed to do that?

Before Faela could answer, the birds turned to her.

"Shit!" she shouted and ran deeper into the alley.

A moment later, the gust blew and a rain of black razor-sharp feathers destroyed where she was, reducing the stone floor to dust.

"They won't let me go up."

They're smarter than they look.

"We can never catch a break," she muttered as she looked around them. "Is there anyone in these houses?"

Tetsuko forced her concentration. Despite the smoke falling, she could sense faint traces of Celeste inside.

"Damn it," she said when the sword informed her. "We need to take them out of here."

How? In this darkness, they can't see either. And take them where?

Faela grew quiet as she thought. Before she could come up with anything, an orange streak came flying against the crows. It took a moment for them to realize it was a flaming arrow.

The beast birds didn't even bother with it, they just watched. When it hit one of them, however, instead of brushing off on the razor-sharp feathers, the arrowhead buried itself on the animal. Then it exploded, sending fire metal shards and feathers in the air.

That was a living metal arrowhead. Just like the ones we used in the mountains, Tetsuko thought.

Faela raced back to the end of the alley and peered her head out. At the end of the street, over a hundred soldiers came marching led by Sergio.

"Shot!" he shouted with his sword raised. The arches at the rear released another volley of flame arrows.

This time the birds knew better and batted their wings. The wind was enough to stop the arrows in midair, but not enough to put out the flames. Before they fell on the ground, they exploded, sending flaming bits of metal everywhere, hitting and wounding the animals.

The crows screeched and their black and yellow eyes with the Mark of the Demon turned to the soldier. The next moment, they all spread their wings at its full length as if one.