No. They were not vampires. But not less terryfying than them.
Aegis and Felix saw with their own eyes: A massive bird like creature, swallowing a human whole with their massive beak.
[ Target Identified: Blood Eagles ]
[ Power Rank: Steward (E) ]
[ Abilities:
• Blood Sense – Can detect living beings through the scent of blood and fear within a wide radius.
• Crimson Wings – Have extreme aerial speed and sudden direction changes.
• Life Drain (Passive) – Absorbs vitality from consumed prey, rapidly recovering stamina and minor wounds.
Felix's pupils shrank.
"They're practically killing machines. And there are so many of them."
"So what? Scared already?" the arrogant voice came from behind them.
Aegis looked back, his eyes narrowing. He clearly recognized that person.
Sylus stepped forward with a domineering air.
"Watch me, mongrels."
Aegis noticed that Bella was present as well, her gaze fixed on Sylus's back.
He had already decided that there would be no connection with her, and yet seeing her infatuated with her fiancée made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Felix, noticing the strange atmosphere, leaned closer.
"Your grace, That idiot don't know what he's doing. Those Blood Eagles Won't go down that easily."
Aegis said nothing else. He just waited to study these creatures more.
On the other hand, Sylus raised his hand and unleashed violent wind maguc around him.
Swish!
With his command, a sharp gust of wind shot forward, forming a compressed blade of air that struck one of the weaker Blood Eagles mid-flight.
Screeech!
The creature shrieked as it was slammed into a nearby branch, blood splattering across the bark.
"Haha... So weak!"
Sylus laughed and cast a proud smile toward Bella, as if silently declaring his superiority.
However, Bella looked at him as though she were staring at a fool.
The next moment, the same Blood Eagle rose in the air again.
Its wounds were closed, as if nothing had happened at all.
Its crimson eyes now burned with feral hunger.
Before Sylus could react, the Blood Eagle vanished from his vision.
What followed after was a brutal impact.
Its sharp talons tore into Sylus's back, ripping through his defenses and carving an inch deeper with a sickening sound.
Blood sprayed into the air as Sylus let out a startled cry, "ahhh!"
His body stumbled forward.
"Blurgh!" he staggered and coughed out blood.
"Help!" he shouted desperately.
Hearing his cry for help, only then did his allies rushed forward. They shouted and unleashed their abilities in panic.
Blood Eagle retreated with an enraged screech as fire, wind, light, swords erupted together.
Sylus dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. Fresh red blood stained his fashionable clothes.
"So they can regenerate even when they are not consuming at the moment," Aegis analyzed calmly.
He made a mental note of it. That meant he had to kill them in a way that left no room for recovery at all.
And nothing was more suitable than his technique: Blades of Frozen Mist.
"Your Grace, one is coming up!" Felix shouted, snapping Aegis back to the present.
Aegis lifted his head to see massive Blood Eagle was descending rapidly, crimson feathery wings cutting through the air with terrifying force.
But it was not targeting them alone.
All around the upper branches of Tree of Life, chaos erupted.
Swarms of Blood Eagles poured down from above, diving toward the thousands who had climbed too high, too confidently.
"Ahh! Save me!"
"Help!"
Screams filled the night.
People ran. Some fell. Some never even had the chance to flee before massive beaks swallowed them whole or claws ripped them from branches and platforms.
It was hell unleashed.
The Blood Eagles moved with ruthless proficiency, as if delivering punishment.
This was not a random slaughter. It was a punishment for trespassing their territory.
Coincidentally, Aegis and Bella moved at the same time, though their thought processes were currently completely different.
Bella acted fast.
She gracefully lifted into the air with the Ice petals blooming beneath her feet.
Her expression was cold and detached, as if everything before her was already decided.
She then raised her hands, and several sharp Ice Spears formed instantly.
With a flick of her wrist, they shot toward the Blood Eagles like javelins tearing through the sky.
Whoosh, woosh, woosh...
Aegis, on the other hand, did not move a single muscle.
He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
With that single sound, several massive Ice Blades formed above him, spinning in a mesmerizing circular motion.
They radiated a chill so overwhelming that they look both beautiful and terryfying at the same time.
It also revealed the terrifying depth of his control over his element.
Feeling it was time, Aegis waved his hand calmly.
And then, the blades shot forward in a zigzagging pattern, their trajectories constantly shifting, making it nearly impossible for the Blood Eagles to dodge.
"Screech! Kraaaah!"
The night echoed with shrill cries.
Those Blood Eagles struck by Bella's Ice Spears were instantly frozen, their bodies turning into solid ice statues as they fell from the sky.
However, the Blood Eagles struck by Aegis's Ice Blades met a far worse fate.
They were not just frozen.
Their bodies disintegrated at the molecular level, shattered into nothingness before they could even fall.
There was simply no flesh left to regenerate.
No blood. No remains. Not even ash.
As the icy mist dispersed into the night air like sparkling snowflakes, the humans below stared in stunned silence.
They had never witnessed such terrifyingly precise magic control.
Whispers spread rapidly through the crowd:
"Is that Aegis's true power?"
"Yeah. That is definitely not a simple skill."
"How can he wield both Ice and Water at the same time?"
"Fool. Ice is just another form of water. Did you miss science class?"
"Then what about our Ice Goddess? Why can't she do the same?"
"Haha. Isn't it obvious? Her talent is far inferior compared to our Water Tycoon."
"Yeah. She might be powerful, but there is no way she can compare to Aegis."
"What about that fool lying there? He couldn't even defeat a single one. And I heard he is from a powerful military family from old world. What a joke!"
After hearing the whispers, Bella's eyes narrowed, while Sylus' face turned unsightly.