Apocalypse Baby

Alex grinned as he leaped off the edge of the cliff, the cockatrices screeching in surprise as they watched him fall.

The creatures scrambled to the edge, expecting to see his body plummet toward the rocky abyss below.

But what greeted them wasn't a helpless descent.

Alex's back arched, and from his shoulders, a sleek, shimmering cloak unfolded on activation.

The air around him shifted, and in an instant, he wasn't falling anymore.

He was soaring.

The human with no physical features that could possible enable him fly was soaring through the air.

The cockatrices froze in stunned silence, their talons scraping against the rocky edge of the cliff as they wondered how Grey got wings all of a sudden.

The answer was the [Glider's Cloak], an accessory Alex had equipped.

The wind whipped around him as a pair of shimmering, wings extended from his back.

[Gliders Cloak] didn't just for boost speed—it came with a unique ability to generate wings that allowed him to glide through the air with grace.

Wings large, translucent, and aerodynamic, stretching out like a bird's, catching the wind as they unfurled.

Alex shot upwards, rising with a graceful, controlled motion.

With the cloak, Alex could ascend and descend as he pleased, though it had one critical flaw: its lack of speed.@@novelbin@@

Realizing their prey wasn't falling to his death, the cockatrices erupted into a frenzy.

Furious screeches echoed from the flock as they took to the skies.

Alex glanced over his shoulder on seeing the cockaatrice and simply smirked.

More cockatrices perched on nearby cliffs spotted the commotion and joined the chase on seeing Alex, screeching loudly as they spread their massive wings.

Soon, dozens of the beasts were in the air, their sharp eyes locked on Alex as they moved to cut off his escape.

The sky above the canyon filled with the beating of wings as the flock organized, encircling Alex from all directions.

Their agility in the air was unmatched as weaved through the currents with ease, quickly closing the distance between them and their target.

But Alex wasn't worried. In fact, his grin widened as the chaos unfolded around him.

With a bold yell that echoed across the canyon, he shouted:

"Let the chaos begin!"

In that instant, he snapped his finger activating the hidden bomb he had secretly planted on one of the cockatrices with [Exploding Touch] during their earlier skirmish.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted in mid-air, turning the unfortunate cockatrice into a shower of blood and jagged pieces of bone.

The force of the blast sent shockwaves rippling through the flock, throwing them into disarray.

One cockatrice, caught completely off guard, was struck square in the face by a sharp fragment of bone. It screeched in pain, swerving wildly to the side and nearly colliding with another bird.

Another cockatrice flying too close to the explosion was also hit by the shockwave.

The blast stunned the creature mid-flight, its wings faltering as it spiraled helplessly toward the canyon floor, disappearing into the depths below.

But Alex wasn't finished.

Not even close.

He smirked and activated another explosion.

Snapping his finger three times.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

More explosions rippled through the air as the bombs he had managed to plant on other cockatrices detonated in rapid succession.

Feathers, smoke, and debris filled the skies as the carnage spread.

Each blast took out not only its target but also the cockatrices unlucky enough to be flying too close.

Suddenly, one of the cockatrices ahead of Alex screeched furiously and charged straight at him, its sharp beak gleaming and talons poised to strike.

But Alex didn't flinch.

His grin only grew more feral as he took a deep breath, his chest expanding.

Then, with explosive force, Alex unleashed a [Sonic Blast].

The sound wave roared from his mouth, visible as ripples of vibrating energy.

The cockatrice charging at him was hit point-blank, the force of the blast slamming into it like a wrecking ball.

Its screech was cut short as it was hurled backward with brutal force, crashing into the rocky side of the cliff with a sickening crunch.

The shockwave from the [Sonic Blast] didn't stop there.

It rippled outward, catching several other cockatrices in its path.

Those closest to the blast were flung backward like ragdolls, wings flapping uselessly as they tumbled through the air.

One crashed into another cliffside, while others were thrown into chaotic spirals as they fought to regain control.

Alex wasn't slowing down.

With a wicked grin, he activated another explosion.

And then the last.

Explosion tearing through the air, sending shockwaves rippling across the sky.

The cockatrices began to fall one after another, spiraling down like shattered comets.

The sky erupted into chaos as screeches of pain and panic echoed through the canyon.

Those unlucky enough to fly too close to the cockatrices carrying bombs didn't fare much better.

The concussive force of the explosions stunned them mid-flight, their wings faltering as they plummeted helplessly.

Others were struck by chunks of flesh and bone, sharp fragments ripping through their feathers.

Some wounds proved fatal, and the lifeless bodies of the birds rained down to the ground below.

Amid the chaos, one cockatrice locked its blood-red eyes on Alex.

Fueled by rage, it dove at him with incredible speed, its sharp, blade-like feathers glinting ominously in the sunlight.

With a shrill screech, it reared back mid-air, preparing to slice him apart.

But Alex saw it coming and didn't panic.

Instead, he smirked and did the unexpected.

He temporarily deactivated his [Glider's Cloak], allowing himself to drop like a stone. The cockatrice's attack sliced through empty air where he'd been moments before.

As Alex descended, he twisted his body mid-fall, pulling his blade free.

With precise timing, he slashed at the cockatrice's exposed back as he passed by.

Blood sprayed into the air as his strike found its mark, the creature shrieking in pain as it tumbled downward, out of the fight.

Another cockatrice took the opportunity to strike, seeing Alex as vulnerable without his gliding cloak.

Its sharp talons flashed as it closed in.

But...

CLANG!

The sound of metal meeting an invisible barrier echoed as Alex activated [Aegis Arcane], the protective aura shimmering in front.

The cockatrice's talons glanced off harmlessly, its momentum throwing it off balance.

And Alex didn't waste a second.

With a swift swing of his sword, his blade cut cleanly through the creature's neck.

And the cockatrice gave a gurgling cry before its body went limp, falling to the earth below.

Alex reactivated the [Glider's Cloak], wings flaring out as he met an approaching cockatrice head-on.

Without hesitation, he unleashed a [Sonic Blast], the powerful soundwave ripping through the air.

The cockatrice screeched in agony as the force slammed into its body, sending it careening into a nearby cliff.

More cockatrices began to converge on him, their cries echoing like a war chant.

Alex's sharp eyes narrowed as he reached into his inventory and pulled out a handful of [Blastshards]—small, grenade-like stones pulsing with raw energy, hurling the shards toward the flock.

And with a snap and flick of his wrist, he activated the bombs mid-air.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The explosions lit up the sky like fireworks, engulfing the cockatrices in fiery blasts.

Feathers, flesh, and blood rained down like a crimson storm, painting the rocky cliffs below.

The smell of scorched feathers filled the air as the wounded creatures spiraled downward, their wings too damaged to keep them aloft.

As Alex darted through the chaos, [Eclipse Edge] gleamed in the sunlight, slashing through any cockatrice foolish enough to get too close and killing the injured ones.

Every swing of his sword was precise and deadly.

And paired with his quick reflexes and the agility granted by the [Glider's Cloak], Alex was a force of nature in the air.

To the onlookers he looked like a raging bat in the midst of his enemies, dominating an airborne battle against creatures born to rule the skies.

His movements were a perfect balance of grace and brutality, weaving between attacks, striking down his foes, and dodging their desperate retaliations.

Soon there were no more cockatrice in this sky and Alex grinned rather satisfactorily.

Despite the intense fight, Alex found himself smirking as the mid-air battles against the oversized chickens was easier than he thought.

He hadn't even needed to enhance his attributes yet with his stats point.

The battle was exhilarating, but it didn't pushing him to his limits.

However, Alex knew the real challenge was yet to come.

The two cockatrice generals guarding the king's lair would be a completely different story as they would both have special abilities. And the cockatrtice king himself.

He quickly opened his system interface while evading another attack, glancing at the fifty stat points he had yet to allocate.

On top of that, there were even more points he hadn't spent from defeating the three generals earlier.

Alex opened his system window, the glowing holographic display floating before him as he...

=================

Quick heads-up, readers!

I realized I left out an important detail about creature rankings. While two creatures might share the same rank, their strength can vary significantly. Why? Because ranks are divided into three levels:

- High (R)

- Medium (Y)

- Low (G)

From now on, every introduced creature will have its rank level clearly specified. So don't be surprised on seeing this symbols.

I'll also go back and update earlier chapters to include this detail where it was missing.

Thanks for your support and for sticking with the story!