Chapter 532: Zero vs the harpies
The harpies attacked as soon as I entered their territory, a gust of wind carrying their piercing screeches down from the sky. Six of them, their feathered forms blending into the shifting clouds above, descended with calculated precision.
One landed ahead of me, claws raking the stone with a metallic screech, while the others surrounded me from the air, their flight patterns coordinated like a predator pack. Their eyes glowed faintly with mana, narrowed with pride and mockery. They were confident. Too confident.
I smiled.
They wouldn’t even know what hit them.
Without a word, I drew my sword and let mana surge through my core. The cold power flooded my veins, and my back flared with light as Frost Wing unfolded once more, the icy feathers gleaming in the mid-air glare. This time, I wouldn’t be the one fighting defensively on the ground. This time, I brought the fight into their domain—the sky.
As a mage type, my mana pool ran deeper than most. And after weeks of rest and careful training, I had refined my control even further during my time at the academy. Unlike before, when I was barely holding on with less than 35% mana, this time I was at full capacity. My mana flowed steadily, reinforced by discipline and grit.
I soared upward, meeting them in the air.
Claws clashed against steel. I blocked a descending strike with my blade and twisted mid-air, my Frost Wings deflecting a second attacker from my left. The wind howled as we danced in the sky, each of their talon strikes blocked or dodged by precise movements. The Frost Wings alone provided excellent defense, sparing me the need to cast Ice Embodiment too early. Mana conservation was key. And now, I had the upper hand.
Minutes passed, and not a single solid blow had landed on either side. But I was watching, analyzing. Unlike them, I had nothing but patience. My eyes traced their movements again and again until I saw it—a break in the pattern. Their coordination wasn’t flawless.
After every minute of sustained assault, one of them would briefly fall back, panting, staying out of the offensive for a few seconds while the others pressed on. A rotation system. A way to preserve stamina.