Chapter 316 - Vol. 5 -

Ash

"Keep an eye out," The general told everyone, as Ash had instructed him to do while they began walking through the trees. Above, the sun had hidden itself and the twin moons had arisen to replace it. "If even a single demon sees us, Niven will realize what's happening." 

That was the most dangerous part of this, of course. All it took was a single glance from a stray demon, and the element of surprise would be lost. The general had sent a few scouts in every direction, to ensure that they wouldn't run into anyone on this trip. One of them returned to the group a few minutes after they'd started their slow march. 

"What is it?" The general asked the scout, a girl wearing a green hood with a longbow on her back, who pointed behind her. 

Don't tell me it's already gone bad,  Ash thought.

"I found two demons up ahead. One was in the trees," she stated. "I killed them, but it's safe to assume Niven has placed a few spies in this forest, to catch any movement on our behalf." 

Ash nearly groaned. It already sounded like this was going to be a very annoying start to the coming battle. 

"How hidden are they? Can you spot them?" He asked. 

"I can," she replied. "Stealth is certainly not their strong suit. However, I recommend we slow down a little. Give the other scouts time to do the same." 

"I see. Carry on." 

"Understood." 

With that, the scout turned around and jogged forward as the general nodded to himself. He resumed his walk, albeit at a slower pace now, and the soldiers behind him matched it. All the while, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to go wrong somehow. 

We're going up against a god,  she thought.  Is a plan this simple really going to work? 

Shaking her head, however, she tried to get her mind off of that. This was the plan that they'd decided on and overthinking it would do nothing. So, she instead looked to the people around her for a distraction. She saw Ichigo, that new Zayama warrior who'd arrived with the reinforcements, eyeing up Yumi, trying to do it as subtly as possible. Keiko had a hand wrapped around her sword's hilt, and she clearly looked like she was nervous. Yumi and Sinneah were walking side by side, and even Sinneah looked a little more serious than normal. Metsumi was with Opah and Luvine, at the back, along with a few other soldiers who were going to set up a smaller camp where they'd stay until the fighting was over. On Metsumi's back was Kaori, as well. Satsuhiro was ahead of Ash, his eyes low and his brows pulled together as he seemed to be deep in thought. 

As she looked around, though, she noticed that right behind her was one of the knights she'd gone on that initial trip into the city with. That one bubbly girl who had done most of the talking before. 

What was her name, again?  Ash thought. 

"Uh, Nieve, right?" Ash asked, looking over at her. 

She hadn't noticed it, but all that excited energy the girl had been carrying when they had their short venture together was gone. Instead, she looked downright melancholic until Ash's words got her attention. 

"Y-Yes," she replied. "Do you need something?" 

"No." Ash shook her head before she looked around.  Who were the other two who came with us?  She thought before she decided she couldn't find them. "Where are your friends?" 

"They died," Nieve replied with a sad look. "During the, ehm, battle in the camp." 

"... Oh," Ash replied, looking away. 

Well, shit,  she thought.  I knew a bunch of the soldiers had died but I didn't think...  She shook her head.  Whatever. Just focus. 

---

Kasumi

"Is everyone ready?" Kasumi asked, looking behind her at a few of the soldiers who had been assigned to her. They all carried anxious looks, but at the same time, they all nodded while Kasumi decided she was prepared. "Alright, let's go." 

Her force's path was, of course, different from the main force. She and these soldiers would be making a trek down the western side of the hill, down in front of the city, where their plan was simply to pose dramatically until the demons decided to attack them. 

There was one potential issue with this plan, though. Well, one that was far more probable than the rest. That was, if Kasumi did too good a job drawing the demons' attention, they'd get swarmed and wiped out in a matter of minutes. 

So, as soon as the demons looked like they were going to be attacking them, Kasumi had instructed the others to go ahead and run away, just as she planned to do. Then, once the main force attacked, they'd be in the clear to return to the fight. 

No one said a word during their walk down the hill. It only made the journey feel even more tense, and made the beating of Kasumi's heart even more prominent to her own ears. 

There were a million ways in which this could go wrong, though, which was what had Kasumi reconsidering every step she was taking down the path. If a couple of demons saw them from a distance, noticed that their numbers were few, and then when they arrived at the city they suddenly had a massive army, then the demons would realize something was off. Or, if Kasumi simply ran out of mana before she could make a convincing enough army. Kasumi's personal favorite way in which this could all get fucked up though was that there was always the chance the demons who saw the illusions would be too high-level, and she'd end up standing outside the city with no mana and no illusions that were worth anything. 

Still, her legs dragged themselves down the dirt, no matter how much a small part of her mind told her to turn around and walk back up to the camp. 

Who knows?  Kasumi thought.  Maybe, before I evens start casting there some demon archer will put an arrow through my ne...

She stopped and raised a hand. By the quick reactions of the other soldiers, it was clear she hadn't been the only one who heard that. 

There were some strange, guttural noises coming from up ahead. Kasumi couldn't remember the last time she heard anything like this, so, she quickly decided to play it safe and hide behind the nearest tree. The others did the same, and now, they were waiting for whatever it was that had made those sounds to show itself. 

They wouldn't have to wait long. Soon, it appeared, moving at a slow pace past them. It was a single Gluttony demon, slowly waddling through the forest, between each of the now-hidden soldiers. Kasumi made eye contact with one and the soldier raised a bow. Seeing that, Kasumi nodded back at him, and the soldier quickly shot an arrow that pierced straight through the Gluttony demon's small head. 

"Eeergh..." It groaned before falling to the ground, dead. 

And, Kasumi let out a deep sigh of relief. 

... Is that what this entire walk is going to be like? Fuck, I hate it already. 

---

Keiko

In truth, Keiko almost wished someone could distract her for a moment. Having nothing to focus on but the dark trees around her and the metallic clanging of the soldiers' boots against the dirt made the gravity of their mission much more intense than it felt like it should have been. At the same time, however, Keiko understood that quite possibly the only person who had a high chance of living was Ash. Everyone else, in the face of that high-level Nightmare, was putting themselves at risk, and the rest of the half-demon's group was no exception. 

Still, her hand was ready, and when the battle came, Keiko was sure she'd perform to the best of her ability, especially as it would be easier to focus once she was slashing through demonic flesh. She just wished she could get rid of this anxiety that came beforehand. 

A quick glance thrown around at the other soldiers in the army let her know she wasn't the only one, but she saw three amateurs walking nearby that looked more nervous than any others. 

They tried to hide it, but Keiko could see through the act all the same. So, she slowed down a little, until those amateurs were walking next to her. 

Hinata, the one who appeared to be the leader of the three rookies, looked up at her and straightened her posture a little. 

"Y-Yes, siya?" 

Didn't I tell her she didn't have to call me that?  Keiko rolled her eyes. 

"Relax," she told her, and the other two heard her as well. "Fighting demons is... It's just like fighting any monsters. They're not particularly special." 

She didn't believe her own words, honestly, but she hoped it would calm them down, a little. 

Hinata's face softened up a bit as she looked away, and Keiko could visibly see her letting her guard down. 

"We..." Hinata said. "This is the first time we've been out of the Compound, siya. We don't have much experience with monsters in general." 

Grandmother,  Keiko thought, their first time out of the Compound and you make them do this?

This exchange let Keiko know she'd been mistaken earlier. She'd made a point of ignoring them out of spite when she'd learned about their presence on this mission, but, now, she understood that taking her frustrations out on them was meaningless. 

So, with a change in her attitude, Keiko said: 

"Don't worry," she tried to reassure them. "You'll do fine. If you had the skill to survive that last fight, you'll survive this one." 

"... Thank you, siya." 

And as those words remained in the air, the army soon saw Pearl in the distance, and their fates hidden in its walls.