OOOOOOOOH!

The rainforest shook at the massive bellow.

The sun was just rising over the horizon. Only half of its form could be seen.

But as that being appeared in the sky, the sun became nothing more than a speck of dust.

WHOOOOOSH!

The winds whipped through the air, lashing all things in its path. A gigantic shadow blanketed the third layer, the form of a beast far greater than any mere Messenger Bird.

Its feathers were deep black, almost blending in with the shadow it cast, and ruffled in the wind majestically. Its eyes glowed with red light, making it look especially feral, but it didn't attack mindlessly.

This creature appeared like a mix between a raven and a vulture. Every flap of its wings was powerful enough to shatter the environment to pieces, and the bellow it released to let its presence be known immediately floored all beings under its gait.

VOOOM!

A powerful wave of suppression spread through the third layer.

The beasts in the skies and on the ground dropped and kneeled before the massive creature, but the Messenger Birds…

SKREEEE!!!!

They screeched angrily, swirling up like an inverted tornado to attack the creature's underbelly.

OOOOOOOOOH!

It let out another bellow, spreading its mana downward and easily dispersing the Messenger Birds.

Its bellow also brought light into their eyes, ridding them of the frenzy caused by the rain.

The atmosphere was misty with the aftereffects of the rain, but it had stopped as soon as the sun showed its head.

And with the actions of that creature, the Messenger Birds calmed down, returning to their usual routine of screeching and harassing their peers.

"The Overseer…"

Damien's mutter filled the cave that was currently enveloped in an atmosphere of wonder.

The Overseer was the most important creature Damien saw in the jaguar's memories.

It was the ruler of the third layer, the most powerful beast existing here.

It didn't act often. It spent most of its time perched in the tallest tree of the layer and, as its name suggested, overseeing the happenings of its territory.

It was indifferent to most things, but it did have one job it would complete without fail every morning.

It would appear and suppress the Messenger Birds that wreaked havoc in the night, bringing peace to the day.

Damien was ecstatic about its arrival.

Because of its influence, the Messenger Birds wouldn't be able to pursue their group during the day!

'It's like the purge happens every night in this place. We have peace for now, but once night falls again, we'll be forced into the same chase.'

They made it through the first trial, but if they couldn't figure out a way to lose the Messenger Birds' attention, they definitely wouldn't survive long enough to find the Primal Sovereign.

'Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I can't doubt that they'll continue pursuing us to the ends of the world if necessary. There doesn't seem to be any method to quell their anger, but…'

As they were considered envoys of the Cloud Emperor, Messenger Birds had no natural predators.

Including the central area, or Skyrend Mountain's truest ecosystem, the number of Messenger Birds present had to be in the millions, which meant any method that involved directly killing or suppressing them would be useless as well.

'The only one who holds some power over them is the Overseer. It would be best if we could bribe it, but it's infamous for its indifference in the face of all things…'

Damien frowned at the thought. There had to be something he was missing.

There was no such thing as an inescapable situation for him!

"Ah, that's right!"

Damien suddenly exclaimed out loud, dropping his fist on his palm.

"It's time for 'that' to happen soon, isn't it?"

There was one more interesting fact Damien learned from the jaguar.

This was something that every being living in Skyrend Mountain's ecosystem knew about, but never reached the ears of an outsider before.

"The Ascension Ceremony."

Class was an incredibly important thing to the aerial beasts of Skyrend Mountain.

If one couldn't fly at a high altitude, they'd be treated like and seen as nothing more than a weak peasant who could be bullied.

But beasts were constantly evolving. Setting a class system that couldn't be changed was idiotic at the very least.

The other option was endless slaughter to determine status, something the Cloud Emperor disdained.

Therefore, he created the Ascension Ceremony.

Every year, the aerial beasts of the mountain held this ritual to determine their positions.

They gathered together in the fourth layer during a time of absolute nonaggression and took part in a ceremony where they flew up the side of Skyrend Mountain and faced its growing pressure, racing and competing with each other to get as high as possible.

However far they could reach was the highest elevation they could occupy for the year and their status in the hierarchy.

It was a simple mechanism, but it was of absolute importance to the denizens of this realm.

And this very ceremony…

…was going to take place in less than a week's time!

'The Overseer might be the most powerful in the third layer, but it probably stays here because it is just a part of the crowd in the central area. Taking the nature of beasts in this environment into account, I shouldn't be wrong in assuming that it is desperate to climb the social hierarchy.'

Every being had ambitions.

If Damien could abuse this fact, couldn't he solve his own problem as well?

"Alright, that's how we're doing it," he decided.

He turned to the girls and began explaining his plan.

"So basically," Rose said after hearing him out, "we have to bribe the Overseer with something that'll help it in that Ascension Ceremony in return for it suppressing the Messenger Birds for us?"

"Yeah, that's the best solution we have right now. Although it's only temporary respite, it should be able to keep us safe until the day of nonaggression, and that's when we can deal with the problem once and for all," Damien said with a nod.

"Can we deal with it? Didn't you say there were millions of them?" Elena asked.

"We can," Damien replied definitively.

"Even Messenger Birds have to abide by the laws of this place, as we saw when they were suppressed earlier. As long as we can reach a higher elevation than them in the ceremony, we'll be safe from their harassment."

"Are we able to participate?"

Damien smiled at Ruyue's question.

"Of course!" He said with a smile.

"Any flying beast has the right to participate in the ceremony. We can't fly, but don't we have the most talented flying beast alive with us right now?"

All eyes turned to Zara, who was quietly resting in the corner.

She raised her head, her wings flapping in curiosity.

Damien and the girls grinned.

"Right, we do indeed."

The peak of Skyrend Mountain was likely where the 2nd Primal Sovereign stayed, so participating in the ceremony was a must for them regardless.

There was no better use for the phrase, "killing two birds with one stone," than this!