## Chapter 401 – Harpy Lady
“How dare a human!”
To run away from me… I have no choice but to kill you. A strange courage and obsession gripped my brain. This harpy seemed quite confident in her abilities, but she was no match for this Heavenly Demon.
You little shit!
“Hehehe! Suck my dick, you bitch!”
A kind of joy welled up along with my fighting spirit.
The harpy in front of me is by no means strong. A weakling that I can manipulate as I please! That kind of weakling should become food for my sword!
I will kill you!
“Give me your neck obediently, you pest—!!!!!!”
I spread the fiercely surging mana throughout my body and charged towards the harpy hanging upside down from the ceiling. I’ll kill you with a jump shot!!
—Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!!!
At the same time, the enraged harpy screamed and kicked off the ceiling, leaping towards me. It was quite fast. Judging by her eyes rolling back, she seemed pretty pissed.
—Swoosh!
A demonic claw flew towards my face.
Of course, it wasn’t a speed I couldn’t react to. I swung my sword wide, intending to cut this harpy in half.
—Clang!
A roar erupted as the sword and claw collided.
“You little bastard!”
“Kieeeeeeeet!!!”
Because I was in the middle of a jump, I couldn’t use the Heavenly Demon Sword Art. Perhaps that was the reason, but the harpy knocked my sword away with her claws. —Pachut! Sparks flew. It was a reasonably agile movement.
“I’ll kill you, human!!!”
“Don’t go around saying you’ll kill people so easily, you son of a bitch!”
I immediately landed, twisting my body to avoid the claws. —Swaeak! The deeply lunging harpy brushed past my body. We were in close quarters, but because of my posture, I couldn’t find an angle to stab her with my sword.
“Asura Bloodburst Fist!”
—Pow!
I instantly took one hand off the sword hilt and unleashed the Asura Bloodburst Fist. However, the harpy’s flank was firmly protected by her wings.
I could tear the wings with my sword, but the Asura Bloodburst Fist, fired from an unstable position, couldn’t inflict effective damage.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!”
The harpy, moving nimbly, screamed as if craving a nightmare. It was truly the cry of a monstrous bird. She let out that shriek and moved out of my range.
But I am a man who never misses prey weaker than myself!
Today, I will cut down a harpy and grow with its blood…! The impulse to do so seized my heart.
“Kkieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!”
Unleashing the uncontrollable impulse, I chased after the harpy, swinging my sword. —Swoosh! —Pow! The enraged harpy resisted quite fiercely, calmly parrying my attacks.
Has she gotten used to the Heavenly Demon Sword Art?
“I’ll carve you up, dehyaaaaaaaaat!!!!”
“You’re laughable for a human!!!”
—Pasat!
—Pasasasak!!!
“Oh, shit!”
It was at that moment. The harpy, who had flown towards the entrance in an instant, flapped her wings violently, and countless feathers suddenly flew towards me. Startled, I raised my arms to block them.
—Pasat!
—Pabababak!!!
“You bastard! Is this sorcery!”
The sharp feathers brushed past my armor. They didn’t inflict any damage on the metal parts, but parts of the quilted armor were being torn.
If something like this hit my eyes, it would at least cause blindness.
You cowardly bastard! Shooting feathers like arrows.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeet!!!”
After the storm-like arrows of feathers subsided, the harpy flew towards me again. Yeah, that kind of sorcery won’t be able to beat me!
“Die, you bitch!!!”
The harpy’s speed was really fast. And the outstretched claws were also threatening. Of course, that’s only if they hit. I just need to cut her in half as she is.
With that in mind, I timed my swing. I will place the harpy’s head on the tower of corpses created by those who fell before my killing swordsmanship, honed to the limit!
—Swaeak!
The sword cut through the air for a moment.
“No!”
The attack didn’t land.
The harpy slightly changed direction, passed me, and entered the inner part of the cave. Incredible speed… Could it be that this bitch!
“Shit!”
I was caught from behind!
“Kihihihit!!!!”
I quickly turned around, but the harpy seemed to be even faster at changing direction. Her claws were already flying towards my face.
A technique of using speed to make a evasive maneuver and then striking from behind!
“Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng!!!!”
That’s why fighting with unfamiliar bastards is such a pain in the ass!!! I swallowed my shock and tried to defend with my sword as quickly as possible.
If I get hit in the face by those claws, it’ll be at least a serious injury!
“I’ll violate you and chew on your liver!!!”
—Clang!
Sparks flew. As a result of blocking the attack in an unstable posture, the sword flew backwards—Damn it! As the sword flew out of my hand, an extreme sense of crisis tried to overwhelm my brain.
Where’s my knife? I dropped it when I was kidnapped!
The only viable means is hand-to-hand combat!
“Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!”
“Uoooooooooooooo—!!!!!!”
Now that it’s come to this, it’s all or nothing! I can’t pick up the sword right now, so I’ll have to make do with my body! —Swaeak! The claws fly again. Can I block it?
I have to block it.
—Pow!
I dramatically raised my hand and used the gauntlet to block the attack. —Pachichik! The steel plate was ground away, just like when I was attacked by Lisette. It’s an incredible power.
Fighting something like this with bare hands is no different from suicide!
—However.
“Heavenly Demon Fist Art, dehyaaaaaaaat!!!!!”
To me, the Heavenly Demon, master of the Ten Thousand Invincible, Unyielding Fist Art.
“Foolish, male! To think you’d fight barehanded as a human—”
Weapons are.
“—Heavenly Demon Descent.”
Unnecessary from the beginning.
As I stepped down with intense determination, extreme speed enveloped me. Since I don’t have a weapon in my hand anyway, there’s no point in creating distance. I throw my body towards the harpy as it is. Will it work? I don’t know. There’s no other way to do it right now.
—Chwajak!
The claws fly. I slightly tilted my head to avoid them, and the long claws brushed past my cheek. It stings. Judging by the blood splattering, it looked like I’d have a scar on my face. Cloudy would like that.
And.
“Heavenly Demon Sky-Breaking Palm.”
The harpy widened her eyes as if she hadn’t expected me to charge in. She was a strong monster who knew how to use her innate physical abilities, but she wasn’t a warrior who had survived life-and-death battles with similar opponents like me.
Improvisation, agility, and a murderous sense. She lacked those things compared to me. That’s what determines life and death in the first place.
—It feels like time is slowing down.
The power of the palm technique that will shatter the sky gathered in my fist. The feeling of using the true Heavenly Demon Sky-Breaking Palm is the same as using the Heavenly Demon Sword Art.
“Gut punch incoming.”
I instantly burst the mana concentrated in my forearm.
That’s all.
—Buuk.
The harpy’s abdomen, felt at the end of my fist, was quite firm. But it wasn’t as firm as steel plate. The Heavenly Demon Sky-Breaking Palm pushed through that skin. Then, the slowed time instantly regained its original speed, and full power was applied.
“Farewell.”
“Kkiyeheok?!?!?!?!”
I pushed her away as she was.
—Pow!
“Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!”
The harpy, shot like a cannon, flew straight and crashed into the cave wall. —Kwang! A roar and dust rose.
The counterattack landed perfectly. Since she was hit head-on by the Heavenly Demon Sky-Breaking Palm infused with the power of mana, her internal and external injuries would be severe.
“How does it feel to be hunted by someone you thought was prey?”
Taking advantage of the gap, I picked up my sword and walked towards the dust. The harpy, clutching her abdomen, coughed while spitting blood.
A birdbrain like this can never break Kim Kat.
“Ku… Kuhuk! Cough! You, human…! How dare, how dare you!! Kehak!”
“Who did you say you were going to violate?”
“Kueueu… To think you’d be such a strong male…!”
The harpy glared at me with wide eyes.
The thing in those eyes is resentment… or is it not?
What is it?
It’s a strange look.
“Yes. I am strong.”
I raise my sword.
“But it’s not because I’m strong that I won.”
If we only consider physical conditions, I don’t know if the harpy’s strength is similar to mine or stronger, but she was an existence that could fly thanks to her innate wings and possessed claws that could even tear steel plates.
But is that strength?
Can innate physical conditions be called strength?
“You lose because you were weak.”
No.
Only true skill, proven in actual combat after repeated training and practice, can be evaluated as ‘strength.’
As I declared that, the harpy, with wide eyes, bared her fangs and roared.
“Ki, Kiyaaaaaaaa—!!!!”
“Dieeeeeeeeee!!!!!”
I swing my sword.
—Clang!
Of course, the harpy was still a harpy, even though she was injured. She barely managed to block my sword using her still intact claws. The vitality of these monsters is extremely tenacious compared to humans.
They can even draw out their last strength in a wounded state.
“Hehehe! Now you can only put up a cute resistance!”
I need to calmly whittle down her stamina and finish her off.
The bastard is already injured. Let’s be careful not to be countered by trying to finish her off at once. I don’t know what kind of power the harpy is hiding.
As I continued to swing my sword.
“Kiiiit…! Kiyat!!!!”
“Oh, shit!”
—Pasasak!!
At that moment, feathers flew. I reflexively covered my face and plunged my sword down. No way, she can fire feathers even in that posture?!
I didn’t think of th—
—Paat!
“No, you bitch!”
At that moment, the harpy, unleashing her last bit of strength, kicked off the ground and shook her wings. Then, her body floated up, and explosive speed erupted, flying towards the cave entrance!
“Oh, shit!”
And so, the harpy flew out of the cave.
Damn it!
I missed the bird I had caught!
“Hmph…”
I looked at the entrance of the cave. It was already night, as the sun had set. Feathers were fluttering before my eyes. First, I felt a sense of futility, and second, that feeling disappeared.
“Ha, shit. Yeah. What’s the point of killing her anyway. I’m here anyway.”
In the first place, even if I killed that bastard, nothing would change much. It’s the same whether she leaves or dies.
Losing strength, I leaned against the cave wall and slumped down.
I don’t know the whereabouts of the other three. They were captured by the harpy, so they will surely be violated by them. One will cry, and one will laugh.
And what the hell are those bastards Falchion, Zenith, and Anna doing right now?
Did they report my kidnapping situation to the guild after returning to the guild? Of course, even if they reported it, they wouldn’t exactly try to rescue me. The guild isn’t that full of compassion.
If I’m lucky, there might be a harpy subjugation quest… The man who was crying earlier said it had been ten days since he was kidnapped.
If the harpy is kidnapping people, there must have been news… I don’t know.
It’s an unknown matter.
Even if Cloudy and Winia know, it will take several days.
“Damn it.”
How the hell am I supposed to escape from here?
I got up and headed towards the entrance of the cave.
“…”
A hole in the cliff. A front yard in front of it. I stood there and looked up at the sky. Stars were twinkling, and a few dark harpies were flying. The bottom of the cliff was as dark as that dark sky.
Going down there without anything is nothing but suicide.
“I’m screwed, really.”
I drank water from my canteen and chewed on the dried rations.
To think something like this would happen.
This isn’t something that can be solved by killing a few harpies.
Should I climb up the cliff?
That seems to be the most effective method at the moment, but if I get attacked by a harpy while climbing the cliff, it’s a free pass to the River Styx.
I can’t die here.
Let’s leave that as a last resort.
For now, there’s nothing much to do, and it doesn’t seem like other harpies are coming, so I decided to rest. Escape is impossible if I don’t replenish my stamina.
I went back inside the cave, lay down, and closed my eyes.
Of course, I couldn’t sleep properly because I had to maintain a constant state of tension.
“Ah.”
And when the sun rose.
I instinctively felt that I was screwed.
“Kikikit! There’s a male who defeated Sheila?”
“How could such a strong male be kidnapped by those children?”
“It’s not that he’s a strong male, it’s that Sheila is weak! That bitch was always weak!”
“Weak! Weak!”
A noisy sound is heard.
I had already finished preparing for battle, but this time, honestly, there was no other way to describe it than “screwed.”
“Oh my, oh my, I think that’s him!”
“He’s dark! He’s dark!”
“Kyahahat!”
What appeared were harpies who were tall and slender like the harpy I had defeated yesterday—harpies with colorful hair. A group of pretty-looking naked monsters had come to find me.
They pointed at me and started laughing among themselves.
“Hey, hey! Say something!”
“Are you the one who defeated Sheila?”
“Did you defeat her! Did you defeat her!”
It’s a mountain range upon mountain range, damn it.
“Suck my dick, you bitches.”
