Hironobu Kume, Pt. 2

A path about five meters in width stretched before us, surrounded on both sides by sheer cliffs.

The craggy walls let in very little sunlight, and we trudged through semi-darkness.

It was the perfect place for monsters to lie in wait.

Whether he was aware of that or not, Tsuyoshi marched on with the ease of someone taking a stroll in his own garden. The rest of us followed at a distance.

“Eeygaah!”

The creature appeared from above, letting out a blood-curdling shriek.

“A harpy...”

The words slipped out of my mouth.

I’d seen those creatures often in online games.

They were a half-human, half-bird hybrid, whose chest and above was that of a woman. They had wings instead of arms, and the lower half of their body resembled a bird.

In the games I played, the harpies were depicted as beautiful maidens. These creatures, however, were so ugly they didn’t even look human.

“Damn. I may be starved for women, but that ain’t it.”

“Actually, I think she’s borderline acceptable.”

Kotaro and Jiro snickered like the idiots they were.

Seriously? This wasn’t the time for jokes.

The harpy swooped down at a terrifying speed, heading straight for Tsuyoshi’s head with its sharp talons outstretched.

Clang! There was a loud sound like metal striking metal, and the harpy’s talons bounced off Tsuyoshi’s body. His skin had changed in color.

“That ain’t gonna work.”

Tsuyoshi said, closing his hand around the harpy’s neck.

Tsuyoshi’s hardening skill allowed him to make his body as hard as iron while he held his breath.

There was a sinister-sounding snap, and the harpy stopped struggling and went limp.

Although it didn’t seem like he squeezed it very hard, he’d apparently broken its neck.

“Aieee! Reeeaaaggg!!”

The other harpies began shrieking, realizing that one of their kin had been murdered. Another harpy immediately charged at Tsuyoshi.

“Hooah!”

This time, Tsuyoshi grabbed the harpy’s head before it could attack him, his movements swift as a catcher receiving a ball.

He then slammed the harpy to the ground, and its head cracked into pieces like a split watermelon.

“Holy shit! You’re awesome, Tsuyoshi!”

“Dang, he’s really gonna wipe them out all by himself!”

While Kotaro and Jiro whooped, still unconcerned, Kyoya fixed his eyes on the cliff’s top.

“This is bad. I underestimated the situation.”

Jolted by Kyoya’s words, I followed his gaze.

What I saw made my blood run cold.

It wasn’t dim because we were surrounded by cliffs.

Hundreds of thousands of harpies flew above us, darkening the sky.

“Crap! Let’s get out of here, Tsuyoshi!”

Kyoya yelled a fraction of a second too late.

A massive flock of harpies swooped towards Tsuyoshi.

Before we knew it, they’d covered him from head to toe, and he vanished from our sight.

More and more harpies appeared. Here I was, witnessing a person being torn apart alive by birds.

I couldn’t help turning away from the surreal sight before me.

“Ah...AAAAAHHH!”

Kotaro, who’d been clowning around until then, suddenly yelled and unleashed a spear from his hand.

Kotaro’s long spear skill allowed him to lengthen his spear as much as he wanted.

The spear stretched all the way to the mound of harpies surrounding Tsuyoshi and pierced it right in the center.

“Y-you idiot! What the hell are you doing?!”

The usually calm Kyoya shouted at Kotaro, for his attack had drawn the harpies’ attention to us.

“Aiiieeeee!!”

It happened so fast.

Kotaro, who’d been clutching his spear, was swarmed by harpies like Tsuyoshi.

His final screams were filled with agony.

“K-Kotaro! NOOOOO! KOTARO!!”

Kotaro’s best friend, Jiro, howled, wild-eyed and frantic.

“Forget it! It’s too late! Let’s get outta here!”

“NO! He’s my best friend! We’ve always stuck together no matter what!!”

Jiro dove into the swarm of harpies, ignoring Kyoya’s attempts to stop him.

By that time, I’d already flung all the bags I was carrying and had begun to run.

I’ll escape while these guys become bird food. Anything to buy some time!

I ran as fast as I could, not daring to look back.