Chapter 107: One Punch? What are you, a Twig?
Silas.
The name escaped one of the girls’ mouths almost unconsciously. The pink-haired young man looked nothing like the composed S-Rank awakened shown on television.
He wore loose gray pajama pants decorated with tiny sleeping cats, a black long-sleeved sleep shirt that had clearly been thrown on in a hurry, and fluffy slippers that looked entirely out of place on a battlefield.
Beside him stood Alpha, who looked as though he’d been dragged from his bed against his will. He wore an oversized white hoodie that almost reached his knees, loose navy shorts, and bunny slippers.
"You people..." Alpha muttered, looking around at the burning streets. "...Could’ve waited until tomorrow."
Behind them, Anna wore an oversized pink shirt that barely reached the middle of her thighs, paired with black shorts hidden beneath it.
Chloe had simply thrown on a white hoodie over her sleepwear, her long white hair still slightly messy from resting.
Then there was Gromda.
The gigantic orc woman looked ready to start a war despite wearing nothing more than a tight black tank top and white sleep shorts that hugged every dangerous curve she possessed.
The contrast was ridiculous. It looked less like humanity’s defenders had arrived and more like five friends had accidentally walked into the apocalypse during a sleepover.
"..."
Even the terrified family found the scene surreal.
"I was looking forward to a peaceful evening," Silas sighed.
A loud... CLACK!
His Thread Sight expanded, and he saw more monsters. Dozens. No... Hundreds. The streets had become absolute chaos.
Cars burned, and buildings had collapsed. People screamed while fleeing in every direction. The rift was still vomiting monsters into the city. Most of them were giant chickens, seven to eight feet tall, covered in crimson feathers. Some possessed black plumage, while others had silver claws capable of carving through concrete.
"What kind of cursed poultry farm is this..." Silas muttered.
The system answered immediately.
[Species Identified!]
[Crimson Warfowl.]
[Rank: D.]
[Danger Level: Moderate.]
[Recommendation: Remove from existence.]
"Gladly."
A loud explosion interrupted them. Three Crimson Warfowl burst through the wall of a nearby convenience store, their glowing eyes immediately locking onto the humans. Without hesitation, they charged, causing the asphalt to shatter beneath their talons.
"So fast!" Dominic shouted.
Silas stepped forward and said.
"No abilities."
Anna blinked. "Huh?"
"I wanna test something."
Before anyone could ask, Silas vanished. The ground exploded from his sudden movement, sending a powerful shockwave around. He appeared directly before the leading chicken, his right fist casually shooting forward.
The sound was strangely soft after it hit the monster right on the beak. The seven-foot monster froze.
"...?" Silas blinked. "Did I miss?"
A second later, the Warfowl folded, literally. Its entire body bent inward around the point of impact. The monster exploded into feathers, blood, mana particles, and chunks of meat that flew dozens of meters away.
Silas stared at his fist, then at the empty road.
"...One punch?" He slowly looked around. "What are you... a twig?"
Silence... complete silence engulfed the place. In fact, the silence was so loud that even the remaining chickens stopped moving for a brief moment. Anna covered her mouth, while Gromda proudly crossed her arms.
"That is my mate."
Alpha slowly turned toward Silas.
"I’ve officially stopped trying to compare myself to you."
Chloe just smiled.
"I knew that would happen."
Silas scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I... wasn’t expecting that."
The system chimed in.
[Reminder: You possess the physical strength of an Exalted Orc King. Combined with Heartweaver Physique. Combined with Perfect Stature. Combined with your natural statistics. In conclusion, you hit very hard.]
"Thanks."
The remaining Warfowl finally snapped out of their shock. Over twenty of them screeched simultaneously.
CLAAAAAAACK!!
The sound of their screeches shook windows. Instead of charging one by one, they all attacked together.
"They’re learning!" Alpha shouted.
"Finally," Silas exclaimed with a grin. His fingers flicked, and invisible threads spread across the street. Web Domain and Razor Threads combo. The charging monsters never noticed. One crossed an invisible line, and its legs vanished.
Another jumped, only for its neck to be separated cleanly. A third tried to flank him, but four nearly invisible Thread Spears erupted upward from the asphalt and intercepted the monster: The monster became a feathered kebab before disintegrating.
Alpha slowly looked at the carnage and looked back at Silas like he had a grudge with him, which he did. "...Why do I even exist?"
Silas laughed.
"Comic relief."
"I hate you."
"I know."
More Warfowl poured from side streets. This time, Gromda moved, smiling excitedly.
"Mine."
The seven-foot giantess shot forward with frightening speed. cracking the asphalt under her feet. She caught one chicken by its neck, lifted it, and swung it like an oversized club. Her arms glowed with a dim green light, her ability activating instinctively.
Three more chickens were launched through a storefront. One embedded itself into a traffic light, another disappeared into a second-floor apartment, while the third exploded against a bus. They were literally playing Chicken Invaders, but with thought spaceships and missiles. They were missiles themselves.
Anna looked at her in disbelief.
"She weaponized the chicken."
"Efficient," Chloe answered calmly.
Alpha sighed. "I guess I should help."
He disappeared quietly. Something had changed within him after his spar with Silas. He instinctively knew what to do, how to move, even how to fight. He twirled the daggers Silas had handed him, not bothering to ask where they came from. He already knew Silas’s answer.
One second, he stood beside Silas. Next, he simply wasn’t there. A Warfowl suddenly stumbled, its neck split open. The heads of several chickens slid off almost gracefully.
Silas whistled. "It really worked."
Alpha’s footsteps couldn’t be heard. Not even by Silas without actively using Thread Perception. His Camouflage affinity was beginning to awaken. This wasn’t just the ability but the true Camouflage of his ancestor, Cupid.
The battlefield had become absolute chaos. Cars exploded, streetlights collapsed, and fire spread from building to building.
People watched in disbelief as five young people in pajamas casually turned the terrifying Rift Break into what looked like an extermination campaign.
Somewhere in the distance, military sirens finally began to echo through the city. Silas looked toward the massive green rift still hanging in the sky, and his pink eyes narrowed.
"Those are just the welcome committee."
He could already feel it. Something much, much stronger was still inside the rift... waiting. But who was Silas? He was going to allow it to aura farm more than him.