Chapter 354 Crash And Burn [Part 1] Fifteen minutes before Alcapone called Thirteen… "Hey, this scouting mission is taking forever," one of the Valkyries complained as they rode behind the 69th Battalion. The armor of the Green Lanterns was nearly blinding, so they were wearing sunglasses, which the Dvalinn Federation had provided for them. "I know, right? If only we could fly in the sky, then we could have already mapped the entire surroundings in less than five minutes," another Valkyrie replied. "There are only Rank 1 up to Rank 3 Monsters so far. This place is at the very edge of the continent. I reckon that even if we fly, we'd only be facing Rank 3 Flying Monsters at most. We can easily kill those things!" "Captain, how about we just do it?" the prettiest Valkyrie in the group asked. "We'll just fly for a minute or two and complete this scouting mission. After that, we can return to the base. We won't need to spend an hour or two following these guys." Viola, the captain of the squad of twelve Valkyries, pondered for a bit as she considered her member's suggestion. Their Commander had briefed them that flying was strictly not allowed, so they had no choice but to rent Night Wolves from the Dvalinn Federation and use them as temporary mounts. However, the Valkyries were used to traveling and fighting in the skies. Making them travel on land was giving them an itch that they couldn't scratch, so they were getting more and more restless. "We can't do it." Viola shook her head. "The Commander's orders are absolute." All the Valkyries sighed after hearing their Captain's words. In the end, they decided to endure and follow behind the 69th Battalion, feeling miserable that they were the squad chosen to accompany the battalion in this Scouting Mission. Suddenly, the formation of the 69th Battalion changed, and one of them decelerated to inform the Valkyries why they were changing their formation and route. "Our scouts have spotted a Giant Eagle heading in our direction," Pietro, who was at the rear of the formation, said. "We will be doing an evasive maneuver and prepare to engage it just in case it decides to attack us." The Valkyries all nodded in understanding, but deep inside, all of them were feeling excited. They had seen how the 69th Battalion fought on the battlefield, Their teamwork and strategy were very amazing, so the Valkyries were thinking about showing off what they could do. Unfortunately, flying was banned, so they couldn't execute their strongest formations. They were also not used to riding Night Wolves, so their strategies wouldn't be as effective compared to when they were riding their Pegasus in the sky. When the Giant Eagle appeared in their location, it saw hundreds of Night Wolves running together. However, its gaze focused on the back of the group, focusing on the twelve Valkyries who had caught its attention. Unlike the Green Lanterns, who were nearly invisible in its eyes, it could see the Valkyries were as clear as day. Because of this, it didn't hesitate to dive down and target the Valkyries, who all grinned at the same time. "Captain, it's targeting us," one of the Valkyries said. "Maybe it's thinking that we're just small fries." "Captain, this is self-defense, and the enemy is a flying monster," the prettiest among the Valkyries commented. "Isn't this a good reason to engage it in combat? After all, we are being attacked by it." Viola thought that this was indeed a legitimate reason to use their flying mounts to engage the opponent. Since it was self-defense and they were only dealing with one opponent, she believed it was justified to temporarily lift the flight ban and engage in combat. "Formation Daedalus!" Viola ordered, making the Valkyries cheer together. They unsummoned their Night Wolves and summoned their Pegasus. As they rose to the skies, they felt liberated as if they had just been freed from prison. The Giant Eagle, which was a Rank 5 Monster, screeched and attacked them, but the Valkyries easily dodged the attack with fearless smiles on their faces. They might not be good in land battles, but in the air, they were confident in their abilities. After dodging the Giant Eagle's attacks, they unleashed their own abilities. The prettiest among the Valkyries unleashed silver chains, making it wrap around one of the Giant Eagle's wings. "Eat this!" The Valkyrie then unleashed an electric attack, which she transmitted through her chains, making the Giant Eagle screech in pain. Viola used that opportunity to summon several flaming spears and shot them to the wing being restricted by the Silver Chains. Their protocol for dealing with flying monsters was to destroy their wings, making them lose their ability to fly. Once their enemy was on the ground, they could take their time eliminating it with their aerial superiority. The other Valkyries also unleashed offensive attacks, targeting the wing bound by the Silver Chains. Half a minute later, the Giant Eagle screeched helplessly as it lost its ability to fly, causing it to crash to the ground. Viola and her squad exchanged knowing looks with each other as they all dived down from the sky to finish off their prey. Although it was a Rank 5 Monster, the Valkyries were all Masters except Viola, who was a Grandmaster. As long as they worked together, it would be very easy for them to eliminate a mere Rank 5 Giant Eagle. Perhaps, thinking that this was an opportunity to show off their prowess, the Valkyries took their sweet time in attacking the Giant Eagle who had lost its ability to fly. But before it breathed its last, it let out an ear-piercing screech, forcing Viola to give it the killing blow. The Giant Eagle finally collapsed, dying at the hands of the Valkyries, who had toyed with it before going for the kill. Just as the Valkyries were about to celebrate their first battle in the Rigel Continent, several screeches spread in the sky, making the Valkyries, as well as the 69th Battalion, look to the North. There, they saw a bird, which was three times larger than the Giant Eagle, heading in their direction. Behind the Giant Bird were Giant Eagles, who were all looking at the Valkyries with eyes filled with killing intent. Viola, who sensed that the current opponent was way out of their league, immediately ordered a hasty retreat. However, the Roc wouldn't allow the ones who killed its subordinates to get away so easily. With a single flap of its mighty wings, it traveled hundreds of meters in an instant. Just like its subordinates, it only wanted to do one thing. Feast on the flesh of Wanderers and make them pay dearly for the crime of killing their brethren, who had died a very pitiful death in their hands.