Chapter 81

In a fraction of a moment, everything seemed to come to a complete halt. The birds, which had been furiously diving and slashing, suddenly froze mid-air, their wings unmoving, as if caught in the invisible grip of an unyielding force. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the groans of the wounded. Soldiers, bloodied and terrified beyond reason, used what little strength remained in their battered bodies to flee in every direction. Their retreat was as disorganized and chaotic as a colony of rats scattering at the first sign of light.