As soon as we saw the massive bird swooping down towards us, Hiroshi shouted for us to get down. We quickly bowed down, bracing ourselves for impact. The bird narrowly missed us, disappearing back into the clouds. Babu let out a sigh of relief, "I think we got rid of it!" But Mila's voice broke through the calm, "No, it's "Klodan"! The bird that protects the mountain's water. And it will continue to attack until we fall!"

Lezlie looked down, fear etched across her face, "In this case, we can't fight it, we have to go down!" But I knew it was too dangerous to try and climb down without a plan. I turned to the group and shouted, "We don't know where it's going to attack, it's too dangerous if we try to get down!"

Just then, we heard a loud groan from the sky, and the sound was getting closer and closer to us. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, and we could see the shadow of the creature. It was behind us in the clouds, about to attack the area where Babu and I were. This time we couldn't just bow down and hope for the best.

I quickly turned to Babu, "Use all your strength and push yourself as hard as you can with your feet!" He looked at me, confused, "What?" But I didn't have time to explain. "Come on, do it!" I urged him. Together, we pushed ourselves off the rope with all our might, dodging the bird's sharp claws by mere inches.

Babu followed my lead and we exerted all our strength to push ourselves backward, planting our feet on the rugged mountain terrain. With this move, we were able to escape the creature's razor-sharp claws that were almost digging into our clothes.

The creature had missed its attack and was now desperately clinging to the rocky surface with its beak and claws, frantically flapping its wings in an attempt to gain altitude. We had narrowly avoided its deadly grasp, but we were now dangerously close to the creature, making our escape a precarious endeavor. As we struggled to get away, the creature's wings flapped dangerously close to our faces, threatening to knock us off the mountain.

The creature eventually managed to free itself, but in doing so, the rope that Babu and I were hanging on to was severed, sending us tumbling towards the earth below. I quickly reacted and hurled the rope towards Hiroshi, shouting out urgently,

"Hiroshi, catch!"

However, before Hiroshi could grab the rope, the enormous bird snatched it up in its powerful beak, leaving us to dangle precariously on the end of the remaining rope, at the mercy of the creature's vicious attacks.

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We held on tight as the bird maneuvered the rope, trying to knock us off, and then began to fly towards a gigantic boulder towering above us, seemingly intending to use it as a weapon against us.

As we hurtled towards the rocky surface, I mustered all my strength and, throwing myself backward, used the force of my feet to strike the rock with all my might. With an ear-splitting crack, the boulder split in two, providing us with a last-second escape.

But the bird was not deterred and flew even higher up the mountain. Our journey took us beyond the clouds until we finally passed the summit. The bird suddenly stopped and threw us as high as it could from the end of the rope, causing us to lose our grip on the rope and quickly fall into its open mouth.

With great effort, I managed to hold on to the edges of the bird's beak, struggling to avoid being swallowed whole. But as Babu landed on top of me, my hands began to slip, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. In desperation, Babu looked behind the bird and exclaimed,

"Ryuu, hang on, I have an idea!"

"I'm trying! Hurry!" I yelled back, my grip slipping further and further.

Babu bravely stepped forward, pushing at the bird's menacing beak in an attempt to close it shut. But the bird, unamused by the interruption, grew increasingly agitated. With a sudden burst of energy, the creature flung me from its mouth and darted off into the sky. As I tumbled through the air, I grasped at anything in reach and thankfully caught hold of the rope that was attached to the bird's claw. Climbing back up the rope, I headed straight for Babu.

While scaling up towards my friend, I noticed a diamond-shaped piece nestled between the bird's feathers, attached to its chest like a mechanical device. An idea began to form in my mind.

Reaching Babu, I stated firmly, "We can't defeat this creature in the sky. It's nearly impossible, not to mention its thick skin."

"So what's the plan, Ryuu?" Babu inquired.

"Head towards the right side of the creature. When I give the signal, grab onto the feathers and act as a weight, but hold on tight until then."

Babu quickly complied, positioning himself on the right side of the creature and gripping onto the feathers with all his might. To carry out my plan, I crossed over the bird's head and used all my strength to pull out its feathers. In intense pain, the bird began to fly downwards, as I had intended.

As we plummeted through the air, I saw Hiroshi and the others far below. With a sharp whistle, I shouted out, "Hiroshi, we're here!"

Hiroshi tied his foot to the rope and positioned himself upside down to take aim. I signaled Babu and yelled out, "Babu! Now!"

Using all my power, I grabbed onto the bird's head and pulled it towards the right. With Babu's weight on the feathers, the bird was forced to lean right, opening its chest for Hiroshi to take aim. As soon as he spotted the diamond piece, Hiroshi fired a single shot, hitting it dead-on. The bird careened towards the mountain, and we crashed into it with a bone-jarring impact. Luckily, Babu and I were unharmed thanks to the creature's tough exterior.

After the dust settled, we were surrounded by a peculiar landscape that didn't resemble a mountain in the slightest. It was more like a hidden cellar. Hiroshi, Lezlie, and Mila quickly caught up with us, entering through the hole we had created.