Although there's absolutely no definitive proof of its existence, they still ascend to the sky, aiming to obtain a Sky camouflage robe or something equivalent, since they've already come this far.
First, Tatsuro and his companions completely ignore the sea, board Jeanne, and immediately start firing attacks towards the overhead area from the moment of takeoff.
Their reasoning is that there are hordes of monsters above anyway, so they might as well thin them out first.
After securing the safety overhead, they leap up to above the clouds, where Ai deploys a spirit shield, and Tatsuro, Ai, Leah, and Athena land there.
Cardina, Jeanne, and Nana were flying with their own wings in a transformed state.
"So our objective is—oh, looks like we've got additional info already. Ai, could you hold my hand?" (Tatsuro)
While Tatsuro laughs happily, holding hands with Ai, he scatters several small explosive light spheres around and deploys a two-layered barrier within a 30-meter radius: one layer of high-heat light wall and another of wind and hardened earth blades, blocking any intervention from enemies during their briefing.
The yellow bird-type monster, about sixty centimeters long with groove-like protrusions that become a drill-like beak when closed, gets hit by the explosive light spheres, and even if it passes through, its beak gets melted by the high-heat layer, dying. So far, no creatures seem to have reached the wind and earthblade layer.
"From now on, we'll use Ai's shield as our base and move while searching for and shooting down specific monsters in the sky. But Cardina and I will focus on the reconnaissance." (Tatsuro)
"Like before, the target monster might be good at hiding." (Ai)
"Right. So I want the rest of you to focus on eliminating the small fry. But I'm not sure how long this will take, so make sure to preserve some of your strength—hm?" (Tatsuro)
"What's wrong?" (Nana)
Nana, who had also materialized, tilts her head right in front of him, just like Tatsuro.
Tatsuro finds this slightly strange, but the Dispel magic he had deployed outside was informing him that the other side had started a new action.
"Looks like they can use some kind of wind magic." (Tatsuro)
"What kind of magic are they going to use?" (Nana)
"Wrapping their entire body in wind to create rotational power... oh, the rotation was from the start, hmm, I see." (Tatsuro)
"Stop muttering to yourself and explain quickly~" (Ai)
"Ah, sorry. So basically—" (Tatsuro)
There, Tatsuro shared the information he had learned about the opponent with everyone.
Apparently, the bird's primary attack method involves spinning horizontally and thrusting like a spear with its drill-like beak.
When spinning horizontally, it creates wind rotating around its body, using that to add momentum to its rotation.
However, this wind was initially just used to assist the initial rotation, but it seems that was only a small part of its skill.
The skill was originally meant to wrap wind around its body, using it as armor.
"It's like a wind version of my [Dragon Armor]." (Athena)
"Right. When activated momentarily, wrapping the body in the wind creates a tornado-like phenomenon. They were using that. Understanding that this wouldn't break my barrier, they've now charged in fully wrapped in wind armor. Because of that, a few have started reaching the second layer." (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro points to the beaks that have just poked out in the second layer of wind and earthblade.
"Really. Wow, but they're still getting taken down. Drill bird." (Ai)
"Drill bird? Oh, because of the drill-like beak. Wait, isn't that the point? But the fact that it can penetrate to that layer means we need to be careful." (Tatsuro)
"Certainly, maybe mom, Cardina-oneesama in a transformed state, or Jeanne-oneesama could withstand it directly. But if I, Leah, or Athena took a direct hit, we'd likely get wounded." (Nana)
"But I'll wear [Dragon Armor] from the start, so I'm fine." (Athena)
"Right, Athena should do that too." (Nana)
Smiling wryly at Nana, who casually omitted her own name, Tatsuro begins preparing to signal the start.
"Once I release this barrier, there'll be an absurd number of creatures around. Everyone, be careful not to get injured, and if you do get hurt, tell me or Nana immediately." (Tatsuro)
"Let's begin!" (Tatsuro)
Shouting this, Tatsuro instantly releases the currently deployed barrier outward and detonates all remaining explosive light spheres, scattering the surrounding bird-type monsters — or "drill birds" as Ai calls them.
And what was revealed outside was a scene reminiscent of nothing but birds, birds, birds everywhere.
Jeanne and Nana fly into the sky and charge, Leah and Athena start attacking from the shield, while Tatsuro and Cardina concentrate on reconnaissance.
Ai shoots from a distance with her bow, and if they get close, she'll crush them with Gundari Myoo, gem sword, or fists, also taking on the role of guarding Tatsuro and Cardina.
While Tatsuro and Cardina search for specific monsters.
Jeanne, with her massive body, [Super Hardened Skin], and the defensive network of [Magic Reduction Particles], stands like a wall, further forward than anyone else.
And the drill birds, undaunted, charge in like divine wind, prepared to self-destruct.
But the closer they get to Jeanne, the more their wind armor gets scattered like chaff by the white platinum particles, almost disappearing by the time they reach her skin.
However, their momentum remains, but such a half-hearted attack couldn't possibly leave a scratch on Jeanne's steel-like skin.
Upon direct impact, their hard beaks shatter from their own momentum, and they're instantly killed by skull fracture.
Jeanne was already a threat just by being there, yet the opponents continued their attacks undeterred.
Jeanne, also practicing her newly acquired Wood magic, extends two thick, hard plant vines from her back and swings them like whips.
With each swing, massive numbers of drill birds are knocked down and fall.
Gradually increasing the number of vines to three, four, eventually reaching ten.
This seemed to be the limit of what Jeanne could simultaneously control.
Though she makes a dissatisfied sound, it would be impossible for a normal human to simultaneously control ten vines using Wood magic.
But Jeanne was looking even higher. That was the source of her dissatisfaction.
Deciding she needed more practice, she continues defeating drill birds using both her vines and hands.
With Jeanne covering the front half, Nana flies through the sky after pre-applying detox magic to everyone, biting drill birds to death with her dragon fangs and scattering poison and curse magic as a bonus.
However, the troublesome wind armor mostly deflects the poison and curse magic, barely weakening them.
So, as the one assigned to the rear, her battle results were not impressive. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel~fire~net
"Wind armor... seems we don't get along well." (Nana)
Hearing Nana's grudging words, Athena thinks, indeed, maybe making wind her second attribute could be good.
Until now, she had been thinking fire magic would be fine with her original combat temperament and go-getter spirit.
So, offensive lightning and fire. Offensive and flexible lightning and wind.
She secretly stores this information in the back of her mind for future reference.
While doing so, she cuts through the slightly weakened drill birds using three-way cutting: both hands and the three blades of her [Dragon Armor] tail.
The countless drill bird blood vaporizes through lightning created from [Dragon Armor] and dragon power smoke, creating a crimson mist around her.
Overwhelmed by the scene, Leah swings her hammer with precise one-hit kills, skillfully using attribute grenades to protect herself and defeat the drill birds.
What she showed was similar to what she demonstrated to Tatsuro but with rich variations.
For example, with earth attributes, she could create an earth wall by throwing it at her feet, or by hammering it in front of her, creating a pointed earth mass that pierces the enemy.
For an ordinary person to create this would require years of magical skill study and mastery.
At the current technological level, one could only create a wall or a pointed earth mass.
To create this, one would need to precisely understand the descriptive formula that drops the magical skill into formation.
However, with her [All-Seeing Eye], Leah completely understands magic and knows more precisely than anyone how to create magical formations to manifest magic.
Moreover, multi-attribute magic formations like wind and explosion (as with rocket launchers) would be equivalent to out-of-place artifacts in current technology.
At this era's technological level, it would be like completely mixing water and oil.
If scholars knew she was casually throwing such things, they would shed torrential tears and try to stop her, begging her to let them research it.
But Leah uses her maximum capabilities while still maintaining energy.
Any drill birds lucky enough to pass through Jeanne, Nana, Leah, and Athena's gauntlet would face Ai's endless spirit arrows and six-handed devastation.
And even if they somehow got closer, they'd face Ai herself, the final defensive line.
No matter how hard the beak, no matter its penetrative power, her fists would shatter everything. Her gem sword would slice everything.
And she even adds spirit slashes while cutting.
Thus, the drill birds piled up corpses without even reaching the tip of their beaks to Tatsuro and Cardina, who were conducting reconnaissance magic.
Tatsuro falls even more in love with her brave figure while seriously searching for monsters other than drill birds that might be hiding.
If they're like the sea dogs from before with assimilation skills, they might be disguised in the sky.
That's why Tatsuro, together with Cardina, earnestly looks up at the seemingly empty sky, using [Spirit Eyes].
But no matter how long they wait, there's no response.
"Strange. If this were near the sea, they would have come out after having so many companions killed... Maybe it's not a monster that can assimilate and hide?" (Tatsuro)
"Ah, even if I ask you, you wouldn't know. My bad. But if it's not assimilating, it should be more obvious. Either way, I can't understand why it's not coming out. Hmm..." (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro and Cardina cross their arms and groan, casually looking at the clouds spread below.
"Ah—. Right, I was too caught up in fixed ideas." (Tatsuro)
Things in the sky are not limited to the sky. Clouds are one of them.
Since the bottom is protected by Ai's solid spirit shield, they had been concentrating their reconnaissance upward without much vigilance.
But when he looks at the cloud masses spreading beneath with [Spirit Eyes], he sees a faint suspicious energy color in his vision.
"Cardina, let's investigate there!" (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro points directly below and concentrates his Dispel magic's power on the cloud group.
And successfully finds what they were looking for.
"So that was it. Rather than not moving, it couldn't move." (Tatsuro)
Blocked by the hard spirit shield, unable to attack from there, it was forced to reveal its location.
If it tried to move outside the shield, the unnatural clouds would start moving around, which Jeanne and Nana would surely find suspicious.
Tatsuro surmises that the monster assimilated into this large cloud below was observing quietly for these reasons.
"We know its location, and if it can't make a move from there, we'll make a move ourselves. Ai—"(Tatsuro)
"Can you remove just this side of the shield momentarily when I signal, and then immediately restore it?" (Tatsuro)
"Then, please." (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro, having lightly coordinated with Ai, begins maximizing the magical power of light, fire, and explosion magic.
Holding his staff downward, he concentrates and converges the magic power.
With the remaining resources, he widely constructs a vacuum layer beneath the shield, taking soundproofing measures by leaving a small part of the bottom open.
This time it's not a laser, but essentially a bomb.
Since SP recovery can be done by capturing some of the many drill birds around, he chose this method, thinking it's safer to kill an unknown enemy before anything happens.
He drops a teardrop-shaped, red glowing droplet right to the shield's edge and signals Ai.
The moment Ai removes one layer of the spirit shield, Tatsuro drops the magic that was about to fall from his staff's tip.
Then he immediately closes the vacuum layer he had opened at the bottom.
Ai's shield closes immediately and increases its strength to prevent breaking from the impact.
The monster assimilated with the clouds, realizing it was discovered, and tries to shoot down the droplet-shaped bomb by firing small air particles like a machine gun.
Its attack lands in an area closer to the monster and explodes instantly.
"Whoaaaaaa" (Tatsuro)
The impact was tremendous. Despite Tatsuro designing it to explode downward, the shockwave alone was powerful enough to crack Ai's shield and completely erase not just the monster but the entire cloud beneath.
"Geez. You overdid it! What if the shield breaks!" (Ai)
"Sorry... Seems I underestimated myself too much. I was operating with pre-level-up sensations. I'll be careful from now on." (Tatsuro)
"Hmm. Then it's fine!" (Ai)
"Much appreciated" (Tatsuro)
While bantering like a comedy duo, a treasure chest suddenly drops in front of Tatsuro.
"A chest appeared, but... how should I say..." (Tatsuro)
"It looks pathetic." (Ai)
However, compared to the previous sea dog defeat, this chest was considerably larger, but it was just an iron box...
In one word: "shabby". That's what it was.