The Author's Viewpoint
Chapter 143 - Trapped in the Sky

Chapter 143: Chapter 143 - Trapped in the Sky

Tave dove faster than he ever had before. This wasn’t just a fall. It was a full-force plummet through the sky, his wings screaming against the wind as he chased Panpan.

The demon hadn’t held back at all.

Panpan’s body was spinning violently. She was falling far too fast.

But then. Something changed.

Tave’s eyes locked on her, and he saw it. The fall slowed.

Just enough.

She had used her Air Element, not to stop the fall, but to drag herself, hold herself just long enough.

That was the moment.

Tave beat his wings harder, twisted downward, and caught her.

His arms locked around her, and the wind blasted past them as he adjusted, his wings flaring out to slow the descent.

"Tave!" Panpan gasped, holding onto him tight as her voice barely cut through the rush of air.

He didn’t let go. Not even for a second.

He pulled up, wings straining, flying level again.

Panpan had saved herself just enough to let him catch her.

He nodded to himself. No time to speak.

"I see him!" Panpan shouted next. "The demon’s coming after us!"

Tave could feel it too.

He adjusted, shifting Panpan in his arms so she was cradled securely, and her arms looped instinctively around his neck.

But the threat wasn’t just behind them.

From below, five flying lizards, each one mounted by a demon, were racing up to meet them. Another group was closing in fast from the side.

Surrounded.

Tave gritted his teeth.

No choice now.

"Panpan!" he shouted, barely audible through the wind. "I’ll fly, hard and fast! But I need you to hold them off! Just buy us space, whatever you can do!"

She didn’t hesitate. "Got it!"

Tave flared his wings and launched forward, darting through the sky, angling upward and away, picking the one opening where there were no enemies yet.

All the demons turned, chasing him.

Tave flew faster. Harder. Every beat of his wings burned. But he didn’t care.

He held Panpan tighter.

Now, it was both of them against everything.

Tave pulled Panpan closer, cradling her against his chest, adjusting her position so her arms could rise over his shoulders. Immediately, she reached for her bow.

Just before she aimed, Panpan lowered the arrow slightly toward Tave. He placed his hand over the shaft, and with a focused surge of energy, Soul Fire ignited at the tip—black flames flickering, twisting in the wind.

"Panpan—make sure that arrow hits the most critical spot," Tave shouted through the wind. "I can’t keep doing this over and over."

"I’ll try," she replied, steady and sharp.

Tave leveled out his flight path as best he could, holding Panpan steady while the air rushed past them like a storm.

With great effort, Panpan pulled the bowstring back, aiming while being jostled by speed, motion, and the awkward angle of shooting from midair.

Thwip!

The first arrow shot forward, vanishing ahead into the sky.

A second later.

SCREEEEECH!

A demon’s scream echoed from behind.

It hit.

Panpan reached again. Tave imbuing another arrow with Soul Fire, then another. One after another.

Two.

Three.

Four.

"Sorry, one slipped," Panpan shouted, frustrated.

"I only have a few more in me," Tave called back, his breath heavy.

"Yes. I’ll make them count."

Tave didn’t look back. He couldn’t. All that mattered now was getting away, staying high, staying fast. Below, more flying demons chased, waiting. Dropping lower wasn’t an option.

"I’ll try to shoot down the ones below," Panpan added quickly.

Tave didn’t answer.

He just flew.

Hard. Fast. Focused.

After some time in the air, Tave felt it again.

A sudden surge in his chest. Power rising, burning, crashing against his core like a wave. It was both a curse and a blessing. The timing couldn’t be worse, and yet... it was everything he needed.

"Panpan!" he shouted over the wind. "I need to close my eyes! Guide me. I’ll fly forward blindly!"

He was serious.

He’d done it while running.

Now, he had to do it while flying.

His heart pounded like it was trying to escape his chest. His limbs were starting to go numb. The fire inside him wasn’t just burning anymore. It was tearing through him.

If he pushed just a bit harder, his core might snap.

But it was better than dying here. Better than letting the demons catch him.

He had come too far to fall now.

Tave clenched his jaw, closed his eyes, and focused. Deep. Fast. Sharp. He let everything else go.

The fire rose.

His wings faltered.

One of them twitched. Then collapsed. He dropped sharply, the air howling around them.

Damn it!

But he didn’t open his eyes.

He felt something else.

A push.

A soft, controlled lift. Panpan’s Air Element kicking in, holding their path steady. Her wind was guiding them, keeping them aloft while he finished what he started.

But even in that calm. Fang’s instinct pulsed through him.

The demons were closing in.

No more time.

Then. The second wing snapped open again. Full power. Reignited.

They beat hard, catching the wind, sending them soaring forward.

Tave gritted his teeth.

Come on. Come on. Absorb it. Pull it in.

And then.

[ You have advanced to Level 30. ]

Tave’s eyes snapped open, glowing bright with heat.

Level 30.

He could feel it in his bones, in his blood. The fire of Soul Fire had burned through enough enemies, consumed enough souls to push him faster than he ever thought possible.

It had carried him here.

Tave surged forward, his wings beating with renewed strength. The fresh power from hitting Level 30 surging through every muscle, every nerve. It felt like a storm had cracked open inside him.

While, Panpan was focused. Calm in chaos.

Using Fang’s shared vision, Tave occasionally glanced into the space behind them. He could see what she saw, how her arrows flew, how they struck.

Each shot was precise.

Her aim was sharp enough to thread through gusts of wind and angles of flight. One arrow sliced across the sky, curving downward and slamming into a demon’s wing.

Another was caught by a claw. But the Soul Fire ignited instantly, burning into the demon’s arm.

One arrow, perfect, pierced an eye. The demon let out a distorted screech and spiraled out of control, losing all balance.

Another hit clean through a wing, causing the demon to slow midair, faltering in formation.

Every second counted. Every shot pushed the enemies back, even if just by moments. The Soul Fire didn’t kill instantly, but it worked deep. It clung. It burned. It weakened.

Still, Tave knew this wouldn’t last forever.

They couldn’t fly forever.

They needed cover.

They needed ground.

He angled downward, scanning for anywhere to land, to hide, to breathe, but.

From the darkness ahead, he saw it.

And his heart dropped.

A nightmare.

Dozens of flying demons were cutting through the night sky, coming from the front, fast and wide, like a wave of teeth.

Damn it.

Tave dove right, wings tight, yanking Panpan with him. She gasped, clutching his shoulders, and he tightened his hold to steady her.

There was a demon there, too.

He dropped lower, fast.

Another demon below.

Everywhere.

They were everywhere.

He pulled up and froze midair, wings flaring wide as he came to a sharp stop, hovering.

Around him, they floated.

All of them.

Demons on every side. Above, below, front, back. Dozens.

No one spoke.

They didn’t need to.

They had him surrounded.

And for a brief moment, the silence screamed:

Tave and Panpan were trapped in the sky.