At last, the angels arrived. At Draculis’ command, the Dragonkin Warriors charged at the angels. ‘Can they win?’ Siegfried wondered. He had his doubts. The angels were incredibly difficult to fight without divine power, so he didn't believe that their attacks would be effective against them. However, he was proven wrong almost immediately. Even without divine power, the Dragonkin Warriors easily fought the angels. ‘What? How is that possible?’ Siegfried was shocked and couldn’t make sense of what was happening. The angels were almost impossible to damage without using divine power, but the Dragonkin Warriors seemed to be capable of inflicting damage to them. ‘Well, that’s that.’ Siegfried thought as he shifted his attention to Draculis. “The time for your judgement has come, fallen angels,” Draculis said. He wielded his massive lance with incredible ease, making it look as light as a toothpick. Moreover, he seemed so proficient in it that the massive lance moved in an extremely smooth manner. He stabbed the angels with his lance, impaling them one after another. Then, Draculis suddenly spun around, striking the angels with his thick, powerful tail. The angels collapsed. “Heup...!” Draculis opened his jaws and took in a deep breath before unleashing his breath at the angels. Flames shot out from his mouth, engulfing the angels in a blazing inferno. The angels were impaled by the lance, struck by the tail, and then burned alive by the fiery breath until they were charred beyond recognition. ‘Oh?’ Siegfried was impressed by how Draculis killed the angels with ruthless efficiency, and he couldn’t stop admiring the raw power that the Dragonkin Warrior was displaying. Draculis’ movements had almost no feints or trickery to them. His attacks were straightforward—no, the word "honest" would be a better word to describe them. However, they were executed with devastating strength and blinding speed that made it almost impossible for the angels to block them. ‘His attacks look rough and brutish, but he’s actually attacking with pinpoint precision. When he unleashes his strength upon his enemies, he makes sure that the attack will end them. This guy is definitely the real deal.’ Siegfried was convinced that Draculis had undergone an advanced level of training, much like the Masters he had encountered in the past, such as Betelgeuse and Shakiro. He had yet to see Draculis’ full power, as this was merely a skirmish and not a full-blown battle, but he could tell even from this brief encounter that Draculis was undeniably strong. “Well done,” Siegfried said, approaching Draculis. “It was nothing,” Draculis replied casually. “How did you defeat the angels so easily? They’re supposed to be almost impossible to defeat without divine power.” “We carry the blood of dragons in our veins.” The Dragonkin were a subspecies of dragons, so naturally, they shared genetic similarities with their mighty ancestors. “What does that have to do with this?” “The duty bestowed upon dragons by the Creator was to maintain balance in this world and fend off external invaders. That is why the attacks of our kind are particularly effective against invaders who do not belong to this world.” “Angels, too, are considered outsiders. So even without divine power, our attacks work on them naturally.” Siegfried thought it over and realized it made perfect sense. Why did the angels go to such lengths to hunt dragons using the Dragon Slayers when the dragons had no divine power? The answer was simple—dragons didn't need divine power to fight the angels. In fact, they could take them down far more efficiently than humans could ever hope to. ‘It all makes sense now,’ Siegfried thought. He finally understood why the angels were so desperate to exterminate the dragons. “Are there any more enemies around?” Draculis asked. “No, there aren’t any more around here,” Siegfried replied. “Good. Then let’s resume our search.” With the skirmish over, Siegfried once again began scouring the area near the airship crash site in search of Brunhilde. The search was anything but easy. All that remained at the crash site were the scattered wreckage of the airship, and there was not a single trace of Brunhilde. ‘Please, be safe... You have to be safe...’ Siegfried prayed. The longer the search dragged on, the more anxious he became. Was Brunhilde injured? Had the angels captured her? Or... did she die in the crash? As these dreadful thoughts started to cloud his mind, Draculis said, “Perhaps it would be wise to take a break? It has already been ten hours.” “Ten hours? Has it already been that long?” Siegfried checked the time and was surprised. Draculis was right, as ten whole hours had passed since they started searching. He had been so desperate to find Brunhilde that he completely lost track of time. “Yeah, let us rest for a bit,” Siegfried said, leaning against a boulder. The fatigue from playing the game for too long was finally catching up to him. “Do not worry too much. I am certain that your wife is still alive,” Draculis said in a calm, reassuring tone of voice. “I think so too,” Siegfried replied firmly. The thought of Brunhilde dying was not something he even wanted to imagine; he refused to accept that such a thing was even possible. “What do you think about getting some sleep? It would be good if we rotate every hour and take turns keeping watch.” “That sounds like a good idea.” “You rest first. I will stand guard.” “Then, I will take you up on your offer.” Thanks to Draculis’ kind consideration, Siegfried was able to catch a brief yet much-needed rest. ‘Just hold on a little longer. I’ll be there soon—’ Siegfried furrowed his brows after noticing something above him. A strange-looking bird perched on a tree branch above him was staring down at him. It was a massive bird that was nearly the size of an eagle, and eagles were birds that were far bigger than most people could imagine. Its feathers had a fiery shade of red, as if they were ablaze, its beak gleamed a golden yellow, and its tail was as vibrant and extravagant as that of a peacock. However, the most striking of all was its eyes. Its radiant eyes shimmered with an ethereal glow that gave it a mysterious vibe, but the long, elegant eyelashes made them look strikingly beautiful at the same time. “That’s a fine looking bird,” Siegfried muttered. Impressed by the bird’s majestic appearance, Siegfried flashed his Rune of Insight at it to examine it more closely. He was simply curious and wanted to know the name of this dashing creature. [A mythical bird that goes through an endless cycle of death and resurrection.] [It is said to have been born from the primordial flame, and it is the only known creature to have transcended the shackles of mortality.] [This bird is extremely rare. One would not find one even if one scoured the entire continent.] [Type: Neutral Creature] [Level: Immeasurable] [Note: Capturing it is nearly impossible. If you ever encounter one, consider taking a picture as proof.] Siegfried gasped and jolted upright after realizing that the enormous bird staring down at him was none other than a Phoenix. “H-Hold on?! A Phoenix?!” To defeat the Blue Knight of Death, he needed to summon the Avatar of Life, Terra, but one of the key components for that ritual was a Phoenix. “Hm? What is the matter?” Draculis asked. “L-Look! T-That’s a P-Phoe–!” Siegfried immediately got down on the ground and subtly gestured toward the branch above him while speaking in a hushed voice, as he was wary of scaring away the mythical bird. “Ah, a Phoenix,” Draculis replied without much enthusiasm. “Yes, I can see that.” “Y-You’re not surprised?!” “I see them from time to time.” “It seems to inhabit Mount Amon. I believe I see it once or twice a month?” Siegfried was completely floored after hearing that this mythical bird that was so rare even searching the entire continent might not guarantee seeing one was just casually living in this mountain. “We have to capture it,” Siegfried said. “The Phoenix is absolutely essential if we are to stop this world from being consumed by death.” “Capturing it would be impossible.” “Still. We have to try at least,” Siegfried said before slowly getting up. Siegfried kicked off of the ground and lunged at the Phoenix. This was his one chance to catch this mythical bird, so he couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip away. Thus, without hesitation, he attempted to catch the mythical bird. However, the Phoenix’s reaction speed was far faster than what Siegfried expected. A crimson streak of light flashed in an instant and— “Huh?” Siegfried blinked in confusion. —The Phoenix, which had been perched on the branch just moments ago, had vanished without a trace. “Where... did it go?” As soon as Siegfried landed on the ground, he frantically scanned his surroundings, but the Phoenix was nowhere to be seen. “It’s over there,” Draculis said calmly while pointing in a specific direction. Sure enough, the Phoenix was now perched far away, tilting its head as it stared curiously at Siegfried. ‘When did it get over there? Did it teleport?’ Siegfried wondered. The Phoenix was perched on a branch that was at least twenty meters away from the previous branch. “Capturing the Phoenix is impossible. Even among my kin, many have attempted to capture it, but not a single one of them has ever succeeded,” Draculis advised. “Maybe it was a skill issue,” Siegfried grumbled in response. “Well, I am different.” The moment Siegfried finished speaking, he shot forward like a bullet and charged straight toward the Phoenix in the distance. ‘I’ll just freeze it if I have to.’ Siegfried activated Embrace of Despair and summoned a flurry of radiant aura swords infused with water-attribute energy. On top of that, he was prepared to activate Absolute Zero at a moment’s notice. No matter how fast the Phoenix was, there was no way it could escape from the debilitating slow debuffs. “Hoho... You will only end up frustrating yourself,” Draculis said, shaking his head as if he already knew exactly how this would end. ‘I’ll catch it. No matter what happens, I’m catching that bird.’ Siegfried unleashed thousands of aura blades at the Phoenix, but— —The Phoenix vanished once again. ‘Again?! Oh, come on!’ Just as Siegfried was fuming— —He felt something drop onto his head, causing him to reach up to touch it. “Wait, what the hell? No way... is this...?” Siegfried muttered in confusion. Then, his face contorted after realizing what it was. The Phoenix teleported above him and took a dump on his head before escaping. As if that was not enough, the Phoenix chirped mockingly while perched on a branch. It was like the Phoenix was laughing at Siegfried. “You little shit...!” Siegfried wiped his head clean with his sleeve while glaring at the Phoenix. “I swear that I’m going to pluck every single one of your feathers, gut you open, stuff you with glutinous rice... ginseng... jujube... and simmer you in a pot until you’re falling off the bone...” “You’re fucking dead, bastard.” Siegfried kicked off the ground once again and charged straight at the Phoenix. Just as Draculis predicted, Siegfried failed to catch the Phoenix. He used every skill in his arsenal in a desperate attempt to capture the elusive mythical bird. In the process, nearly half the trees around them had been obliterated, which was a testament to just how serious he was. At one point, he even attempted to trap the Phoenix within the World of Despair, but it also failed. The Phoenix never let him get close enough to activate any skill, as its teleportation had no cooldown or range limit. Siegfried even attempted to use Waves of Oppression to stop the Phoenix from teleporting, but it was completely useless against the mythical bird. After nearly two hours of a game of cat and mouse, Siegfried was left gasping for breath. On the other hand, the Phoenix flapped its wings, as if it was openly mocking and taunting him. ‘So it’s really impossible to catch...’ Only now did Siegfried fully realize that Draculis was not exaggerating when he said the mythical bird was impossible to catch. The Phoenix was so fast that it was almost untouchable, making it impossible to catch. Then again, if a creature as mythical as the Phoenix could be caught so easily, then it would be rather ironic. ‘Damn it... My luck’s been in the gutters ever since I got on that damn airship...’ Ever since reuniting with Captain Alfred, things had been going south for Siegfried. He ran into one misfortune after another, and things weren't going the way he wanted them to go. ‘That damn old man must’ve stolen my luck—’ He noticed that a green dot, picked up by Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance, had appeared on his mini-map. ‘She’s close. It’s one and a half kilometers at most. “You just wait! I’ll come get you!” Siegfried shouted at the mythical bird before immediately turning and sprinting toward Brunhilde’s location. It was all because a group of angels was chasing after Brunhilde. As annoying as that damn Phoenix was, rescuing Brunhilde was his top priority. “Where are you going?!” Draculis called out after him. “My wife is over there!” Siegfried replied. “Then let us go together!” Draculis hurriedly gathered the Dragonkin Warriors and followed right behind Siegfried.