Humans were their own worst enemy. Aries had learned that truth the hard way. Protecting one meant eliminating another. Promising futures or potential obstacles—ruthless groups marked them all for death. Isolation bred narrow minds.
Now, 40 years in the past, Aries knew in 20 years, the bells would toll. Humanity would be summoned to the New World, the Demon Gods finally making their move. Yet, humans hid their strength out of fear—fear of losing it. This division led to their downfall. Conquered, scattered.
Assassination requests never slowed. By the time Aries and the Forest of Death were destroyed, humanity was on the brink of collapse.
“Isn’t it best if we all choose a weapon?” a woman suggested, her voice uncertain.
They stared at the floating leather armor and weapons. Realization sank in—this wasn’t trivial.
But it was too late.
Screech!
Screech! Screeeech!
The temple doors slammed open. Two-meter-tall creatures flew in.
Inferno Harpies.
Their sleek bodies shimmered like flames, feathers flickering red, orange, and black. Their talons and ember-glowing beaks tore into the room.
A hundred of them.
It’s begun, Aries thought.
"Caww!"
“Wh-what the heck is that?!”
The Inferno Harpies rushed in, fiery tails trailing behind as they attacked.
Five people scrambled for weapons. The rest froze.
“Argh—!”
A large, unarmed man at the front was the first to fall. A searing beak pierced his throat. He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground. Three harpies landed on his body, tearing into him with burning talons.
“S-save me!”
“Please!”
Chaos erupted. Hell had arrived.
Dying here might be a mercy.
Aries stayed calm, heart racing, but mind razor-sharp. The Inferno Harpies struck with deadly precision, their fiery tails flickering like candles in the wind. Molten eyes searched for the next victim.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Their faces, half-human and half-beast, were hauntingly beautiful. Sharp features, wild hair flowing like flames. Fanged smiles, hungry for more than flesh. They fed on fear.
If they can’t handle this... Aries thought, the New World will tear them apart.
Sympathy wouldn’t save them. Not for long. If he wasn’t going to protect them all the way, there was no point in starting.
He glanced at the group—pale, terrified, frozen in place, trying to grasp the nightmare closing in on them.
A woman stepped forward. Fiery red hair, piercing green eyes. She gripped a trembling sword, fierce yet fragile.
“We can’t just stand here!” she yelled, fire in her voice, trying to rally the others.
Aries knew better. With his current body, taking down 100 harpies was impossible.
The Inferno Harpies can’t multitask, Aries reminded himself. When feeding, they were blind to everything. Their hunger was a weakness. If he could exploit that, maybe there was hope.
But some would need to be sacrificed.
Their talons tore through flesh and bone, fiery breath incinerating all in range. Agile and relentless, the harpies danced a deadly ballet of flames and feathers.
Though he’d returned to the past, 40 years of experience weighed heavy in him. His body wasn’t what it had been, but it would catch up. It had to.
If the harpies leave once they’re full...
He wouldn’t get any reward.
Swish!
Aries decapitated an oncoming Inferno Harpy. Its ember-like feathers flared briefly before it crumpled to the ground.
Screech!
Would they rage at their fallen comrade?
Of course not.
A few harpies swooped down, feasting on the remains of their own. Cannibals, driven by hunger, blind to everything else. This gave Aries a brief edge.
The fight wasn’t as hard as it could’ve been. Alone, it would’ve been brutal. But with prey everywhere, the harpies were distracted. He had to pick them off while they fed.
"Hey, that guy is fighting! Everyone, lift your weapons and fight!" someone shouted.
"The throat! Aim for the throat!"
Determination rippled through the group. Panic turned to action.
At least one person was thinking straight.
After watching Aries’s swift, decisive actions, a tall, scar-faced man stepped up, rallying the few who had armed themselves. He led the five people who had grabbed weapons from the wall, urging the others to do the same.
But some still stood frozen, fear paralyzing them.
“Like the voice said, if there are only 30 of them left, the birds will leave,” someone muttered.
“I... I can’t do it. I won’t.”
Their eyes were wide, terror locking them in place, not realizing that inaction made them prime targets for the Inferno Harpies.
Would I have lived differently if given a choice? Aries wondered, his thoughts lingering on that question often. What if he hadn’t become the leader of the Forest of Death, hiding like prey from the demons? What if he had been free?
It was a dream that seemed impossible, always out of reach.
But now, by some miracle, he was back in the past, given another chance.
This time, I won’t be used by others!
He was done being a puppet. Done following orders.
Fueled by this resolve, he lunged forward. His scimitar gleamed, coated in fresh blood. The harpies screeched in dismay as his blade sliced through the air, their sharp beaks dripping with gore.
The Inferno Harpies were not mindless. One rose into the air, circling like a vulture, its wings casting an ominous shadow over Aries. With a deafening cry—the Screech of Embers—it sent waves of heat through the air. People staggered, weapons trembling in their hands.
A second harpy, talons wreathed in flames, dove for Aries’s throat. He sidestepped just in time, the heat licking his skin as it passed. Its ember-tipped feathers sparked in the air. Aries slashed upward, aiming for its exposed underbelly.
"Watch out! They can generate fireballs!" someone yelled.
Another harpy launched a small fireball from its clawed hand, igniting the ground near a group of frozen onlookers. The explosion threw them into disarray, their skin scorched, flames licking at the chaos.