...
At an altitude of six thousand meters.
This was the highest altitude Low Tier Transcendents could reach. The thin air and biting wind were harsh, but not deadly. Occasionally, a few lost migrating swans or a High Tier bird of prey patrolling its territory could be seen gliding through the clouds.
The Knights of the Stuka Corps lay prone on the backs of their birds. Relying on the formidable constitutions of Transcendents, they endured the low temperatures that would have frozen the blood of an ordinary person.
They buried themselves deep within the dense, tight feathers of the Big Thief Gulls. This thick, natural cold-weather coat allowed the aerial predators to feel little of the chill, and they maintained their high degree of alertness.
The Hivemind Terminal on the back of their necks flickered faintly, converting all surrounding information into a visual data stream.
Above their field of vision, several enormous green dots of light hovered.
Those were the "Kirovs."
