Parallel Vol. 5

Chapter 16: Corridor Guardian

Ten minutes later, Zuri flew out onto the third plane. Shockingly, the third plane was much busier than the previous two. Many more avians were flying across the skies. Intriguingly, a good portion of them was either sparring or fighting strange flying monsters.

"Hehe. Is this your first time on the third plane?" An avian guard chuckled as he observed Zuri's stunned expression. "It is a whole world different from the previous floors, isn't it? Everyone here trains hard so they can defeat the Corridor Guardians and advance to the next floor." The guard rubbed his chin as he muttered wistfully, "If it were not for my injury, I would have beaten the seventh floor."

Zuri listened attentively and got the general gist of things. So, she needed to defeat a Corridor Guardian before she could advance to the next floor. That made things simple. "Where can Zuri fight the Corridor Guardian?"

The guard's brow jumped in shock. "Aren't you a little too young to—" He paused, and his eyes widened as he recalled a recent rumor. "Wait. I heard the second plane had birthed a young genius. But, I was under the impression it was a boy. Heh, I'm sure this will shock a lot of people." The guard then said as he pointed towards the North-East where an air corridor connected to the next plane. "You'll find the Corridor Guardian next to the Air Corridor. Be careful, child. You might be a genius, but they are pretty strong."

"Thanks!" Zuri thanked the avian guard and then zipped across the sky toward her destination.

"Ah, youth." The avian guard happily rubbed his chin as he admired Zuri's speed. She was fast, even for an adult. Perhaps, she would really defeat the Corridor Guardian.

"Hahaha! I, Somo, have finally emerged from training! Today, a new legend is born!"

The guard turned to look at the golden-feathered avian who caused a commotion as soon as he stepped out of the air corridor. The avian was no more than a child, that looked to be in his early teenage years. Despite his age, the child oozed uncommon confidence that bordered on arrogance and possessed a powerful aura that suppressed even the guards.

The child, Somo, grinned when he saw the wary glances cast his way. "Ah, sorry. I was so excited that I failed to control my ki." He then promptly withdrew his aura, and his presence reduced to that of a handsome, cute child. Still, no one would forget the previous visage. Right now, he only looked like a sheathed sword.

Somo laughed as he spread his wings. "Get a good look! You are all bearing witness to the beginning of Zuma's greatest legend." With those words, he flew toward the next Air Corridor at an inconceivable speed, shocking all those left behind.

The avian guard stared at the silhouette that shortly became a dot on the horizon. 'Hold on. If he is the rumored genius, then who was that girl?"

Elsewhere, Zuri sped through the skies, zipping through the skies like a bullet. Within a few minutes, she finally reached the next Air Corridor.

Unlike the previous two, this Air Corridor was heavily guarded. Several guards closely watched the surrounding avians, their presence a heavy deterrent against any who thought they could sneak through.

Zuri watched as some warriors challenged the guards. Those that won received a medal and were allowed to pass, but those that failed were told to return later. Importantly, though, the fights were non-lethal. They fought with wooden weapons provided by the guards. The winner was whoever delivered three clean strikes first.

Zuri was confident in her victory after watching the guards. Defeating these guards should not prove too difficult. She was just about to fly down when a loud guffaw broke the solemn atmosphere.

"Hahaha! The great Somo has arrived!" a golden radiance shone under the sun as Somo appeared before the crowd. "You all pay attention! You're about to bear witness to a legend!" With those words, Somo arrived before a Corridor Guardian. "I choose you, sir. Be thankful. You will have a story to tell the future generations."