Chapter 36 (36) The Cave Of The Blade And The Army of Orden: 03

The forest had been quiet for a while. Too quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet where birds chirped and leaves rustled gently like they were having a calm conversation. This was the kind where everything seemed to hold its breath. Even the wind felt like it was moving slower, as if it did not want to disturb something lurking nearby.

Subaru walked with a steady pace, though her eyes kept shifting. Left. Right. Up. Always up. Ever since Übel had mentioned those birds, her brain had refused to let it go. Every shadow above felt suspicious. Every branch looked like it might suddenly sprout wings and decide to ruin her day.

Beside her, Übel walked like she was on a casual stroll through a park that did not have a single murderous creature in it.

"So," Übel said, swinging her arms lightly, "if we actually find one, can I keep a feather?"

Subaru did not even look at her. "No."

"Just one?"

"No."

"Half?"

Subaru stopped walking. She turned slowly. "What are you planning to do with a feather from a bird that wants to eat us?"

Übel smiled. "I do not know yet."

"That is worse."

Übel laughed. Subaru sighed and turned forward again. "Let us just not find one," she muttered.

That was when it happened.

A sharp sensation ran through her body. Not pain. Not exactly fear either. More like a sudden alarm bell ringing inside her bones. Her entire body froze mid-step.

Übel reacted immediately. She did not ask what was wrong. She did not hesitate. She simply reacted. Her staff appeared in her hand like it had been waiting for permission. In the same motion, she twisted her body and swung it toward Subaru with full force.

From Subaru's point of view, it looked like betrayal. Absolute betrayal. Her eyes widened. "Oh, come on, not again."

Her instincts kicked in before her thoughts could catch up. She dropped low, a sharp duck at the last possible moment. The air above her head split with a violent sound. Something huge crashed into the invisible force that Übel had just released. A massive shape was sent flying backward, feathers scattering like a storm of knives.

Subaru skidded across the ground, boots digging into dirt as she forced herself to stop. She crouched, one hand pressed against the ground for balance, breathing quick and sharp. "Are these the birds you were talking about?" she asked, not even looking back yet.

"Yeah!" Übel replied brightly. "They are bigger than I thought!"

Subaru slowly lifted her head. And then she saw it.

The bird. If it could even be called a bird. It was enormous. Easily larger than anything she had ever seen in her old world. Her brain tried to compare it to something familiar. Elephant. Yeah. About that size. Wait. Does this world even have elephants? Why am I thinking about elephants right now?

The creature let out a harsh cry, its wings spreading wide. The feathers were dark, almost metallic in sheen, each one sharp enough to look like it could slice skin open if you touched it wrong. Its eyes locked onto Subaru. Predatory. Focused. Hungry.

"Nope," Subaru whispered. "Nope, nope, nope."

More movement above. She looked up. There was not just one. There were several. Circling. Watching. Waiting for an opening.

Of course there are more. Why would there be just one? That would be too easy.

Subaru exhaled sharply. "Okay," she muttered to herself. "Think. Think. Think."

Her hand lifted slightly. Mana stirred. Erfassen. She needed something. Something fast. Something that could deal with flying targets.

Her mind raced through options. Swords. No. Too close range. Spears. Maybe. But still not ideal. Guns? Not sure how they worked properly.

And then a memory surfaced. A figure in a red coat. A calm expression. A bow. "Got it."

Mana gathered in her hand, shaping itself into something unfamiliar to this world. A bow appeared. Black. Sleek. Not carved from wood. Not forged from metal in the traditional sense. It looked constructed, layered, as if multiple shapes had been pressed together into one form. The limbs curved in a way that felt unnatural yet perfect. Lines of faint red traced along its body like veins carrying energy.

Subaru grabbed it instinctively. "Whoa."

It felt right. Like her hands already knew what to do.

She reached back. An arrow formed, not from a quiver but from mana. A long, black shaft with a sharp, almost glowing tip.

Übel was already moving. She swung her staff again, sending another invisible slash upward. One of the birds twisted mid-air, barely avoiding it. Another dove down toward them. Fast. Very fast.

"Subaru." Übel started to say something.

Subaru did not wait. She drew the bow. Pulled the string. Released.

The arrow vanished. No travel time. No visible path. One moment it was there. The next, the diving bird dropped from the sky like its strings had been cut. A clean hit. No hesitation. No resistance. The creature crashed into the ground with a heavy thud.

Übel blinked. "Oh."

Subaru was already moving. Another arrow formed. She drew. Released. Another bird fell. And another. And another.

Her hands moved quickly, almost too quickly. Draw. Release. Draw. Release. Each arrow appeared and disappeared in a blink. Each target dropped without a chance to react.

Übel watched for a second. Then she grinned. "That is new." She jumped forward, swinging her staff again. A wide slash cut through the air. One of the birds that had been trying to flank them split cleanly and dropped.

Subaru did not stop. Her focus locked in. Her breathing steadied. Everything else faded. No fear. No hesitation. Just movement. The bow hummed softly in her hands. Each arrow felt natural, like she had done this a thousand times before.

Übel noticed something. Between shots, Subaru was not forming a new bow. The same one stayed in her hand, stable, consistent. But the arrows vanished after impact, completely, with no trace left behind.

"Interesting," Übel muttered.

Another bird dove. Too fast. Subaru turned, but her timing was slightly off.

Übel stepped in. Her staff moved. A sharp slash. The bird split mid-air and fell. "Do not get lazy," Übel said casually.

"I am not lazy!" Subaru snapped, already drawing another arrow.

The battle continued. Fast. Relentless. The forest, once quiet, now echoed with crashes and sharp cries. Feathers fell. Bodies dropped. Subaru's arrows kept flying, invisible paths, instant impact. Übel's slashes cut through anything that got too close. Between the two of them, the sky began to clear.

One by one, the birds fell. The ground soon looked like a battlefield of oversized feathers and very unfortunate wildlife.

Finally. Silence.

Subaru lowered the bow slightly. Her chest rose and fell. "Is that all of them?" she asked.

Übel looked up, scanning the sky. No movement. No shadows circling. "Looks like it," she said.

Subaru exhaled. The bow in her hand flickered. Then vanished.

Übel whistled. “I didn’t know you were an archer too.”

“Sometimes,” Subaru struck a smug pose. “The archer class is indeed made of archers,”

Übel stared at her. “What?”

Around them, the massive bird corpses lay still, their wings spread awkwardly across the ground. The danger had passed. For now.

The birds were all down.

 I will be posting chapters every day. Big chapters will be broken into 3 or 4 chapters, you can read it ahead by checking out the tips in my bio.

Join my Discord Server: .gg/X7sphRUsxJ