The moment I turned around, a gust of wind hit me—not from the natural currents of the sky, but from the beating wings of something alive.
There, hovering in a tight formation, were winged figures—humanoid in shape but in no way human. Harpies, and it was six of them.
Their upper bodies were distinctly feminine, with pale blue-gray skin stretched taut over lean muscle, each movement of their arms blending seamlessly into wings of feathered grace. Their faces were fierce, angular, with slanted crimson eyes that glowed faintly with killing intent. Long, tangled hair—ranging in color from ashen black to blood-red—whipped wildly in the wind. Their legs were like talons, elongated and scaled, ending in clawed feet sharp enough to tear through steel.
Each one radiated mana—wild and unforgiving. Even at full health, it would be troublesome to deal with them they were probably rank A or A+
My mana reserves were running thin. Just staying in the air was taxing. Worse yet, my high-rank skills Ancient dragons’ wrath and Ice embodiment were off the table. They required more mana than I could safely channel. The ice embodiment didn’t require that much mana but it had to be maintained continuously which was a leak in a tank.
Running away wasn’t an option, with six of them winged and at least as fast at me or even faster and stood no chance, taking on the vultures in the sky which was their dominion was a bad choice.
Still, I clenched my fists and getting a firmer grip on my sword ready to take action.
Their leader floated slightly ahead of the others. She was taller, her feathers darker, and a faint aura of wind magic rippled around her wings. A twisted gold ring circled her left ankle—clearly some sort of magical artifact.
Her eyes locked with mine, and without warning, she screeched—a deafening, grating cry that vibrated through the air like shattering glass.
They had seen the battle. The vultures—likely relatives or rival kin—had been slaughtered. Whether out of vengeance or duty, the harpies had come for blood.
"I don’t have time for this..."
The first harpy lunged at me, her claws flashing with wind-infused mana. I dodged sideways mid-air, but the delay in my response caused her claws to scrape against my shoulder. The ice coating my skin held, but cracks formed across it like fractured glass.
I gritted my teeth and retaliated, launching a Shadow Ice shard at close range. She spun mid-air, letting it graze her wing before retreating. Another came from behind, screaming, her talons aimed for my back.
I twisted and summoned a bunch of low Ice walls—barely enough to block her assault.
A third harpy swooped in, grabbing at my ankle, dragging me downward. I summoned an ice spike beneath her to force a release. She dodged it, but it broke her grip.
The sky became a blur of feathers and talons. I was outnumbered and overwhelmed. They didn’t fight like the vultures—predictable and brute-like. The harpies were coordinated. Fast. Deadly. They flew with instinct and intelligence.
I cast Ice in a spiral to push them back, but only two were affected. The others had anticipated it, diving and rising in the air beyond the spell’s range.
Their leader finally moved.
With a cry that sounded almost like a chant, she opened her wings wide and gathered wind into a small tornado at her chest. A lance of cutting air erupted toward me, and I braced myself with a defensive wall of layered ice.
The collision shattered it completely I barely managed to parry it with my sword.
The force knocked me backward, spinning in the air like a falling leaf. I coughed, blood rising to my lips.
Too fast. Too many. Too little time.
Still, I wasn’t done yet.
Using what little Mana was left in me, I retreated a few feet away with a burst of mana, then struck back—launching a wave of icy shadow shards towards them. One dodged, the other was nicked in the thigh, falling back with a cry. The leader retaliated immediately.
This one I couldn’t avoid.
It hit me square in the abdomen, breaking the ice wall around my core and throwing me backward into the groud.
Another harpy dove in, slashing me across the back. I twisted, retaliated with an upward slash of my sword, but I was too late. Her claws raked through the thin protection left on my skin. Pain surged through my side.
I was bleeding now I froze my wounds so that I could stop the bleeding temporarily.
Mana drained rapidly. The sky tilted. The air grew colder, but not by spell—just the altitude and exhaustion.
But I had to make my escape.
Gathering every ounce of mana I had left, I summoned Blizzard Storm—one of skills I could still afford to cast as I could adjust the amount of mana required depending upon the damage I wanted. If I wanted more damage, I had to pour in more mana.
A swirling vortex of snow and freezing wind exploded, spreading outward in chaotic spirals. Visibility dropped in seconds. The howling winds pushed the harpies back, forcing them to scatter.
I used the storm as cover and dashed through the fog, plummeting downward. I reached the edge of the forest and darted through the trees, barely dodging a descending claw from behind. The harpies shrieked in frustration.
They hadn’t given up—but they had lost sight of me.
I ran, stumbling through roots and branches, my hands trembling, I reached the clearing. My cave.
I dragged myself toward it, every limb aching, the blood vessels and veins in my body spasming from overuse.
Lilith stood at the mouth of the cave, her eyes blank.
The last thing I saw before blacking out was the glint of her amulet as she knelt beside me, her face unreadable, the frozen wind still howling behind me.
All of a sudden, I felt light, no pain, no tiredness except for a low glow in the distance, in the darkness, even the dimmest glowed. I really wanted to just lay down and rest there since I was mentally tired, but my body wasn’t, hence I ran towards the light of hope.