It all happened far too fast. In mere seconds, the Harpy had dived right in front of Luca, baring its Monomolecular Blade to stab him to death!
The nearby Hydra Flak Cannons and the Quadraped Heavy Cannon Knights farther away had no time to react.
Even if they had reacted, they would not have dared to fire, afraid their heavy cannons would destroy Luca's chassis first. All they could do was watch.
But Luca reacted faster than they had imagined. He had already heard the rush of air overhead, and even without his sight, his hearing alone let him respond correctly.
Gripping the Giant Sword in both hands, he actually turned and dodged sideways!
His massive chassis took a step back and shifted ninety degrees to the side, evading the Harpy's Monomolecular Blade at the very last moment.
The Harpy's eyes widened as the strike it had considered certain to hit missed.
Its enormous body hurtled straight toward the ground. It was too late to pull up!
Luca held the Giant Sword in both hands. Once he had planted his feet, he gripped the hilt and swung sharply upward.
The Giant Sword's edge swept up through the Harpy's neck.
In the next instant, its head came off!
The Harpy's enormous head was sliced clean off its massive body, and its entire dragonlike carcass slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The Knights-Errant of the Spirits watching from a distance exclaimed in admiration. Two Sword and Shield Knights exchanged a glance and bantered over their loudspeakers:
"Our descendant hasn't disgraced us. His swordsmanship is beautiful!"
"Yes. If Earth still held the Olympics, he could probably win a bronze medal in fencing."
Luca planted his sword in the ground with one hand and used the other to wipe the