The crow dived sharply, heading toward the Thunderbird that had just attacked him. Nix followed behind, somewhat clumsy in the abrupt dive, but he mimicked Ashvara's path as best as he could.
The targeted Thunderbird tried to ascend, but Ashvara flapped powerfully, generating a swirl of heated updraft that momentarily messed with the bird's flight pattern. Capitalizing on the opening, Nix accelerated, using [Ice Storm] skill to envelop the Thunderbird in swirling frost.
It might have worked beautifully—but the second Thunderbird reappeared, unleashing a sizzling chain of lightning from its wings that snaked into Nix's storm, disrupting it. The synergy between the two Thunderbirds was undeniable; they covered each other's vulnerabilities with near-flawless precision.
Ashvara mentally growled. "Damn them—they're as practiced as any pair I've seen."
Nix grimaced, their disadvantage plain. He recognized that their own synergy was precarious. Ground synergy was a different beast than aerial synergy. Times like this hammered the point home as the graceful swoops, the precisely timed dives, and the skillful weaving around allies required disciplined practice in flight-based tactics.
Despite that, neither Nix nor Ashvara intended to retreat. They weaved a fresh pattern of movement, circling each other to protect their flanks. Whenever a Thunderbird tried to strike from above, the crow unleashed spears of scorching air.
Whenever a Thunderbird tried to outmaneuver the crow, Nix unleashed lines of freezing air to corral them away. The coordination was rudimentary, but it was slowly coalescing into something functional.
Still, each missed cue and slight misstep gave the Thunderbirds opportunities to land damaging strikes. Nix and Ashvara bore scorched feathers and scales, rips in their membranes, and aches that made it increasingly difficult to maintain flight.
But they had definitely grown over the course of the fight. For every blow the Thunderbirds landed, the crow and dragon retaliated with better synchronization, inching them closer to bridging the gap in skill.
As the sun inched toward the horizon, painting the sky in glowing oranges, the Thunderbirds' synergy began to shift. They slowed slightly, perhaps from cumulative damage or caution.
Their once-seamless pincer attacks showed small cracks in timing. Ashvara and Nix noticed and though they remained under heavy pressure, a glint of hope flickered in their eyes.
"They're strong," Nix thought as he panted haggardly, "but we're adapting."
The sky, once a tranquil blue, was scarred with streaks of lightning and plumes of smoke from the crow's fiery flares. Below, far down on the plateau, Cain and Veyron watched with focused attention. They sensed that the battle's momentum was beginning to shift.
Both Nix and Ashvara were bruised and bloodied, their scales and feathers burned by the Thunderbirds' lightning. Despite this, they refused to falter.
"Now," Ashvara's telepathic voice echoed in Nix's mind. "We'll strike from two angles. I'll draw them in while you attack from behind."
Nix beat his wings once to ascend a few feet higher, tucking them in for a short glide. "Understood," he replied, keeping his voice steady despite the fatigue in his muscles.
In the prior moments, they had practiced small movements in sync—adjusting flight patterns, covering each other's blind spots. Their synergy was far from perfect, but it was enough to let them fight back.
Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds hovered a short distance away, exchanging sharp cries as they sized up their opposition. Electrical surges crackled along their wingtips, occasionally bursting into bright flashes of lightning.
Ashvara let out an ear-splitting caw, igniting the air around him in swirling flames. In response, the Thunderbirds recognized the sign of an imminent offensive.
The larger Thunderbird, sporting a vivid plumage streaked with yellow lightning, dove in as it used its [Sky Lance] skill, unleashing a concentrated bolt aimed directly at Ashvara's chest.
Reacting swiftly, Ashvara flapped his wings, releasing a wave of scorching air to deflect the lightning's trajectory. Sparks erupted where flame met electric discharge, forming a blinding flash. Ashvara spiraled upward, drawing the attention of both Thunderbirds.
"Go, now!" Ashvara's mental voice urged.
Seizing the moment, Nix soared behind the smaller Thunderbird with a vigorous flap of his wings, exhaling a swirling burst of [Ice Breath]. The subzero blast left a sparkling path of crystals in the air.
The Thunderbird, sensing the chill, tried to dodge, but Nix had aimed to cut off its escape route. Icy vapor clung to its wing, frost creeping over the vibrant feathers. With a startled screech, it flapped harder, shaking off shards of ice, but not without losing altitude.
Spotting the second Thunderbird pivot to help its companion, Ashvara swooped in, releasing a barrage of scorching feathers that erupted from his wings like arrows as he used his [Solar Quills] skill.
They bombarded the larger Thunderbird, forcing it into evasive maneuvers. Dazzling arcs of lightning flickered as it tried to zap away the incoming flames, only to find the blasts thicker and more persistent than anticipated.
"Good," Ashvara mentally commended. "Keep dividing their focus."
Nix nodded mentally, though his body trembled from both excitement and exhaustion. He recognized that each successful maneuver came at a cost of energy.
The synergy they were forging was a precarious dance as one misstep could mean a punishing lightning strike. But with every beat of his wings, every swirl of ice, every angled swoop, he gained confidence.
The smaller Thunderbird, partially coated in frost, screeched in frustration. Summoning an electric aura around its body, it attempted to melt away the ice by generating intense heat.
Sparks cracked, and the frosty patches vanished in a cloud of steam. Without missing a beat, it attacked Ashvara with a crackling arc of lightning that spanned the entire sky as it used its [Storm Chain] skill, unleashing multiple offshoots of electricity.
Ashvara quickly conjured a protective swirl of flames around him that deflected some arcs, though a few bolts managed to pierce the shield, sizzling across his charred plumage.
He bit back a cry of pain, focusing on maintaining flight. Above him, the other Thunderbird regrouped, electricity coursing around its body. The atmosphere crackled with an intensified charge, foretelling another combined assault.
Nix was about to rush to Ashvara's aid when the smaller Thunderbird dove at him, wings folded to reduce drag. He recognized the tactic, a high-speed lightning dive.
With hardly a second to react, Nix banked to one side and used [Mirror Ice], conjuring a crystalline wall midair in front of the incoming foe.
Sparks flew as the Thunderbird's lightning-laced beak hammered into the reflective surface, rebounding the impetus back at itself. The bird squawked in shock, tumbling off its path with disoriented flaps.
Sensing a perfect chance, Nix launched an Ice Spike from his jaws, propelling a jagged spear of subzero energy at the stumbling Thunderbird. The spear nicked the creature's flank, leaving behind a sheen of frost that stiffened its wing.
Letting out a rattled cry, the Thunderbird tried to regain composure, flapping in staccato bursts that lacked its earlier grace.
"Now to handle the other one," Nix thought, adrenaline surging through his veins. He whirled around in midair, scanning for Ashvara.
The Infernal Sun Crow hovered a short distance away, locked in a deadly dance with the larger Thunderbird. Fire clashed against lightning in blinding flashes, each clash producing thunderous shocks that reverberated through the sky.
Ashvara glimpsed Nix from the corner of his keen eyes, broadcasting a silent message through the mental link, "We push them down."
The plan was clear, that was to let the Thunderbirds lower away from their advantage of open altitude and synergy, corner them near the plateau's edge, and land finishing strikes.
With a short mental affirmation, Nix soared upward, flying over the second Thunderbird, then unleashed a swirling [Ice Storm] to buffet it. Panicked caws erupted as shards of ice pelted its wings, forcing it to lose altitude.
Ashvara followed suit, igniting a corridor of flames that funneled the birds downward. Surprised, the Thunderbirds found themselves corralled against the plateau's rocky outcrops.
However, the avian foes weren't finished yet. They channeled their synergy again, arcs of electricity bridging the gap between them.
In an impressive show of midair collaboration, they flapped together, generating a sudden updraft that propelled them sideways.
Lightning arced between them as it used its [Electro Net] skill, a mesh of crackling energy that spanned the gap, aimed at capturing both Nix and Ashvara.
"Watch out!" Ashvara warned.
Nix used his [Frost Armor] skill, layering himself in protective ice. At the same time, Ashvara formed a swirl of scorching wind around his feathers to repel or at least mitigate some of the electricity.
The net collided, sending shocks rippling through the protective shells. Both the crow and dragon snarled in pain as the charge sparked around them, sizzling their feathers and scales.
But they endured. Nix roared with defiance, flapping his wings powerfully to break free of the net's final discharge.
Ashvara cawed, flaring his entire body in an inferno-like aura that disintegrated the last remaining threads of electricity.
Rattled though they were, Nix and Ashvara felt a surge of confidence. If they could handle the synergy of the Thunderbirds now, they could push further.