Chapter 96 - The Mission II

It was only after an entire day, that things started to get rough for the group, Manson stopped abruptly several kilometres away from the Blood Maiden Forest, after having slaughtered so many, there is a concealed instinct within the mind of a killer.

The gales of dust still rocked the entire convoy as they awaited orders, the hazy figure of the Blood Maiden Forest in the distance together with a small hill that almost couldn't be noticed were the only things within their sight; hardly difficult to notice a cloaked figure creeping up.

"Something is not right..." His gaze moved to the sand, believing that it might be one of the giant worms, but they have literally gone a turtle speed and haven't gotten the attention of any so far, so, how could it be?

But his senses won't stop ringing telling him that something is not right.

As he stood up there, his gaze one again roamed to the sand, and then... he saw it.

Steps on the sand!

The heist started to abruptly that Charles Manson had a momentary lapse.

"Care-!"

*BOOMM!*

*BOOMM!*

*BOOMM!*

Several metres away from them, three clouds of smoke exploded, the smoke seemed to lapse and didn't get blown away by the gales, instead... it headed in their direction, but so subtlety and densely that it didn't feel like a threat.

"AMBUSH!" However, this unexpected event was enough to trigger all the demons that awaited orders, four demon soldiers and twenty common infantry units.

They readied their weapons as Manson raised up his fist with a bewildered expression, that bomb of smoke, it's too far away to even be a threat.

They missed.

"What a piece of shit... they can't even aim properly." He snickered, obviously believing that whoever threw that had failed horribly with their pathetic aim.

He was about to give orders for the convoy to continue as even with this degree of mediocrity; he couldn't risk the safety of the convoy if the numbers were high enough on the other side, but so far... he can't see anything.

But with such a mediocre foe; whatever apprehension he had got blown to the underground.

...

*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!*

*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!*

*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!*

!!!!!!

"WAAAHHH!!!"

"W-WHO DID! AHH!!!"

*GROOAAWLLL!!*

!!!

Devastation and Chaos.

Bombs of smoke mixed with explosions resonated in the entire convoy, the ground shook slightly at the devastation, covered by a cloud of smoke all around, Manson grit his teeth and immediately caught upon the sight of someone far away, cloaked and with an arrow in her hand.

"GO GO!! DON'T STAY-!"

*FFIUSSH!!*

The arrow travelled at an angle; taking the gales of dust into consideration; entering the clouds of smoke and killing the first demon on the spot by piercing its brain.

*THUD!*

The first corpse fell, several more to go.

"WHAAAA!! I-I CAN'T MOVE! W-WHAT IS THIS!?" One of the demons was about to rush to the convoy carriage but found himself unable to walk... something restrained him coming from beneath!

He didn't have time to check, an easy target.

The arrow went straight through the common demon's head piercing his armour as the noises of a growling bear rocketed the cataclysm.

*GRROWWWL!!!*

A gigantic magma bear came out of the sand together with the gust of a shadow.

Manson knew that whoever they were dealing with, it was not a pushover!

He doesn't know why they failed the first smokescreen, apparently, his mind is not fast enough to realise that the first smoking screen is coming their way due to the gales of wind.

"LEAVE NOW!!" He ordered, not noticing how one of the individuals snuck inside one of the carriages while the magma bear distracted everyone, and placed 'some things' inside of it.

His work done, the figure flashed to the next vehicle while the roots entangled the weaker demons and arrows flew inside relentlessly, occasionally missing and hitting the neck, leaving them alive.

They rained on the demons' heads while the female kept firing indiscriminately, one after the other with sharp precision regardless of the target, as soon as they appeared from within the smoking screen, in her eyes, they were dead.

The demons started to look for the cause of this onslaught, yells of pain ahd falling corpses are the rule, yet they can't even see where the enemies are coming from!

They can't even have a vision of anyone except the bear of one of the carriages that is suddenly fighting another one of the bears... why?!

Confusion turned into shock when the light unfolded Miki's cloaked figure as one of the demon soldiers ran to engage her straight away as she fought several other demons, almost squashing them with a single paw.

*BAANG!!!*

His fist hit the bear, but Miki knew better than to stop.

The shadow finished the most important part of the plan and flashed moved through the smoking screens and arrived behind one of the demon soldiers who managed to grasp one of the incoming arrows with his hand, he crawled up the wings and sliced the neck cleanly beneath the helmet.

!!!

"WAAAAHHH!!"

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER; I SEE YOU!" Manson yelled and directly brandished his hammer heading straight to a single direction within the darkness!

The other three demon soldiers started to move towards the source of the noise, one of their compatriots that had fallen miserably to his death, headless.

*BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!---------

Manson swung his hammer blindly and crushed something, the noise of breaking flesh became apparent as he too staggered due to the heavyweight of the hammer!

One of the demon soldiers got his head directly blasted by the hammer, rendering him heavy injures as Valentine took advantage of that, a great variable... but the gales of smoke are already starting to disperse the clouds of smoke and by then, it will be him against all these people.

Several demons mounted one of the vehicles and came out of the clouds of smoke, intending to head to the destination by themselves, sadly... there is a blonde who's pointing her arrow straight at them, better said, straight at the opened gate.

*FIIUSSH!!*

The arrow shot with something attached to it, something round and shiny.

*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMm!!!!!!!!!!!--------------

'One down, the other...' 

...

The explosion was so gigantic that Manson regarded it with stupor, those are the explosives that were together with the weapons and more than five demons perished there!

"YOU BASTARDS! USELESS CUNTS!" He staggered to get his hammer back as Miki fought a group of demons, easily causing slaughter, another bear; callisto bear came from the sand, almost flying and tackled one of the small bears.

Valentine's figure was already visible in his cloaked self.

'There are eight demons left... and two soldiers, there is also this dude, I don't see the objective.'

'On it.'

*FIUSSH!!*

*FIUSSH!!*

*FIUSSH!!*

"D-DAMIT! JUST CUT THIS DAMNED ROOT OR WHATEVER!" One of the demons yelled and tried to cut one of the roots that were entangling his leg before an arrow hit his head square, piercing the brain and ending his life.

He didn't manage to cut it, the Mahogany's roots are though, but he cleaved a chunk of it...

'I'm going in! Vera!' Fayette yelled through her badge and discarded the bow as she saw there were less than five demons remaining but Valentine's cover is blown, he can't fight all those demons soldiers alone, the first phase of the plan had worked wonders, but they didn't expect the entourage to be this big.

'I'm okay, I'm going in too!' Vera also decided that it would be better to just

'What do you mean you don't see the objective!?'

'There is a man here with a gigantic hammer, but the one you showed us, I don't see him.'

'Impossible... someone leaked the operation, DAMMIT!! DAMMIT!!!!' 

Valentine had lost focus while listening to Warcroft's maddened yells from the badge, Fayette and Vera had come out to engage one of the demon soldiers each while Teddi was stopping the last carriage from departing, hoping that the 'objective' would be inside.

He didn't notice the hammer coming his way, thankfully, it was so slow that even in the abyss of shock, he still managed to dodge by a fair gap.

*FIIUSH!*

*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!-

The swing was enough to create a shockwave that spread through the area and that shockwave... it would be followed by several smaller ones produced from the 'things' crawling beneath.

"I don't know who you are but, you did it this time, pig." Manson smiled and regarded the foe in front, surveying the area, two of the remaining demon soldiers are engaging a pair of beauties while the other is fighting the bear, progressive getting into the losing end.

The carriage is being stopped by one of the bears who is pressing the other tightly and there is no one to take it to the destination either.

One of the others was blown to bits.

Even if he kills everyone here, this mission is a failure.

Valentine regarded the man in front, not recognising him at first, tattoos and the dried blood against the man's dusty skin made it so eerie and unrecognisable that he wasn't able to grasp the identity of the infamous man that he'd otherwise recall immediately upon witnessing such a horrible countenance.

Valentine's gaze moved briefly to the carriage, this is definitely not the man, so where is the objective.

*RUMBLE!!*

Heat spread from in front as fire enveloped the man drastically... it was so abrupt like a combusting propane tank!

It's a mutation like Vera's!

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT!? FILTHY PIG!" Manson is furious, he had underestimated his foe, demons are dumb but the man in front not only is he, not a demon, but it must also be another protector!

As the fire gushed out of his body, he brandished his gigantic hammer with way more strength than before, having Fayette and Vera at the distance to stop briefly in shock for a few seconds.

Fayette is in contemplation of whether she should go and help Valentine while Teddi takes care of this demon; having her likely die as it is simply too strong or trusting that he would be okay, she decided to settle for the latter and dodged her foe's attack in time.

But...

Vera shook in fear at the sight of fire, it stopped her movements and paralyzed her and that was a huge mistake.

*FIIUSSH!!*

The Demon Soldier's halberd went for her head.

*THUD*

Her head fell, followed by her limping body.