Flight of The Harpy's Heart

Chapter xx: Windcutter

ready

Screeches and screams were heard from above. The other harpies started to descend. Aden and Maeda were ready. Ser Percival defended Gilbert with the shield. They swooped down at the remaining foraging party who hunkered down at the alcove protecting their injured friend.

The harpies surrounded them, clawing at them, some swooped down at incredible speed to try to claw away the shield. Yet, the foraging party didn't falter. They kept their defense tight.

With Aden's back facing the alcove, he could protect them with his spear against the harpies without worries.

Maeda unleashed countless arrows with his bows. Four of the arrows hit their marks, but soon he ran out of arrows. another four harpies closed in with incredible speed from low altitude. They intended to charge the rest of the foraging party defense.

Maeda dazed forward between the four harpies and the foraging party. he took center stage.

He held his katana in its sheath, built up the strength, and released it in a flash.

"Kaza.." Maeda mumbled almost inaudible as he took a deep strong stance. His hand was on the katana hilt while his left hand holding the sheath by his side.

"..kiri," his stance deeper and his feet wider.

"—KEN!" he shouted as he unleashed a powerful diagonal swing followed by a high-pitched ringing sound of blade friction from his katana.

The samurais tend to shout their technique out loud when they need to, it is known as Kiai, a loud, forceful shout or vocalization made by a martial artist —which was mostly from Essen— during an attack or other significant moments in a fight.

It was believed to focus energy, intimidate the opponent, and enhance the effectiveness of the technique being performed. Different martial arts traditions may have variations in how the kiai is performed and its specific purpose, but it is a common practice in many martial arts disciplines.

In a blur of motion, Maeda's katana sliced through the air, his blade moving with such speed that it seemed to split into multiple afterimages. With surgical precision, he cleaved each of the four airborne harpies diagonally in two, their bodies separating cleanly as if cut in slow motion, though Aden knew better.

It was the same afterimage effect produced by Aden's own Thunder Thrust spear technique, a technique that generated immense force through rapid, focused movements.

Yet, as Aden watched closely, he realized Maeda's katana never made physical contact with the harpies; it was the wind pressure built up by his strikes that extended the blade's reach far beyond its physical limits.

The toll of such a devastating technique was immediately apparent as Maeda staggered, nearly dropping to one knee. His body trembled as he struggled to remain upright, using his katana as a support. The shock of the maneuver had pushed him to his limits.

Maeda had overdone it, but the situation had called for such extreme measures.

The remaining harpies, stunned by the display of lethal prowess, scrambled to keep their distance, their initial aggression replaced by bewilderment and fear.

Maeda regulated his breathing, his chest heaving with the effort. The windcutter, as the technique was known, was designed to end a fight in an instant, not to sustain prolonged combat. It was a last resort, a final strike reserved for single combat or when facing the last of one's enemies.

But its effectiveness came at a cost; the user was left vulnerable for a time, their energy depleted by the immense focus required to wield the air itself as a blade extension.