Published at 9th of February 2026 7:22 am

Chapter 1720 Attack The Bird

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It wasn’t as if Crawley had never seen anyone break through his feather vortex before. In his time as an AFC instructor and a guardian of the Howlers, he had faced powerful enemies who possessed the raw strength to shatter his techniques. However, for a man to do it so effortlessly, with such surgical precision, was a different matter entirely. This wasn't just strength; it was something far more refined.

Anyone looking at the man’s arms could see the transformation. They weren't just human limbs anymore; they were conductors for a terrifying energy that hummed with a high-pitched whine.

“I see. So you were hiding your Altered powers after all,” Crawley said, his voice dropping into a combat-focused lulls. He stretched out both hands, and the black feathers floating in the air began to coalesce. They swirled and hardened until a second large, obsidian blade formed in his left hand. “To be able to manifest elemental powers even without a full transformation... that is very impressive. But it won't be enough.”

Now wielding two feathered blades, Crawley locked his eyes on his opponent, his predatory instincts taking over.

“Wait, no! That’s not it! I’m not an Altered!” Marcus called out, his frustration mounting. He could see the look in Crawley’s eyes, and he knew it was too late for words. The "Teacher" of the Howlers had already committed to the kill.

Crawley kicked off from the ground with explosive force, diving straight ahead in a blur of black feathers. He swung both swords in a crushing X-shaped strike, designed to shear through bone and armor alike.

Seeing that he had no other choice, Marcus exploded his foot with a concentrated burst of Qi and lightning. He didn't just move; he darted forward like a bolt of electricity. At the exact moment Crawley’s blades were about to converge, Marcus thrust his hand forward. His fingers, reinforced with Qi and sparking with electrical discharge, struck the precise junction where the two blades met.

A thunderous shockwave rippled outward, the sheer force of the collision vibrating through the nearby buildings. The onlookers gasped, unable to believe that a human-looking man could match Crawley’s momentum with his bare hands.

“He isn’t even transformed, and he caught those blades!” one Howler shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“Did you see that speed? It was like he turned into lightning itself!”

Crawley quickly retracted his blades, spinning his body in a lethal whirlwind of steel-hard feathers. Marcus responded in kind, his movements fluid and calculated. He spun and parried, his hands deflecting the blades with the rhythmic precision of a master duelist.

‘It’s a good thing I’ve spent years training with the sword myself,’ Marcus thought, a grim satisfaction settling over him. ‘I know the flow of this kind of combat. But I’m genuinely surprised the Howlers have someone this talented, someone I’ve never even heard of. Is this the kind of strength Gary used to topple the other Kings?’

They both pushed away from each other, creating a brief pocket of silence in the middle of the street.

“I can see you are no ordinary person,” Crawley admitted, his breathing slightly heavy.

“Exactly! I already told these guys,” Marcus said, gesturing to the unconscious grunts. “I am the leader of the Dark Guild. Now that you’ve experienced my skill firsthand, are you more inclined to believe me?”

“Dark Guild,” Crawley repeated, the name tasting foreign on his tongue. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

Marcus blinked, stunned. Crawley had been an AFC teacher, not a career gangster. Although he had agreed to help Gary and train the Howlers, he didn't concern himself with the politics of the underworld. To him, names like "Dark Guild" were just noise that drifted through meeting rooms. He knew his enemies, and he knew his allies; everything else was irrelevant. The Dark Guild, being an organization of shadows and secrets, was exactly the kind of group a man like Crawley would simply overlook.

“Seriously? You don’t know who we are?” Marcus sighed, his shoulders slumping for a split second. “Well, I guess that means I’m going to have to go with Plan B.”

Crawley, seeing that the ground-based fight was an even match, beat his wings hard to elevate himself into the air. He planned to rain down a combination of long-range feather volleys and diving strikes. After the brutal battle with the Lupus group, Crawley had learned the value of caution. He wasn't going to take any more unnecessary risks.

“I’m sorry,” Marcus said, looking up as Crawley ascended. “That might have worked against anyone else, but not me. You see, there’s been a rather popular game coming out recently, thanks to Altereds appearing all over the place. It’s taught people a lot about elemental matchups.”

Marcus planted his feet and channeled every drop of Qi he could muster into his palm. Lightning began to arc violently across his chest and down his arm. He stomped the ground, twisting his torso to put the full weight of his body behind the strike.

A powerful discharge of electricity erupted from his hand with a crack that sounded like a localized thunderclap. It was far too fast for Crawley to dodge while mid-ascent. The lightning streak slammed into Crawley’s chest, the high-voltage jolt seizing his muscles and stalling his wings instantly. He was blasted out of the air, his body crashing through the glass storefront of a nearby building with a violent spray of shards.

“Lightning is super effective against bird types,” Marcus muttered, a bit of wit returning to him as the electrical glow faded. “But don’t worry, I calculated the output. You should be strong enough to walk away from that alive.”

As Marcus began to turn away, hoping the fight was finally over, he felt a sudden, sharp tug. Something cold and thin wrapped around his arm, coiling several times around his forearm with a vice-like grip.

Looking down, Marcus saw a long, black tether snaking back into the shadows of a nearby alley.

“Is this a... whip?”

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