Chapter 83 - Breaking Formation

The Specter took a deep breath and counted just how many ghouls were left and if Ajay and Sae'jal successfully took all four of their targets down altogether.

"I got two of them!"

Ajay shouted.

"I also exterminated two!"

Sae'jal responded afterwards.

Vale Ashford danced around the battlefield, gracefully, as though she were a butterfly leaping between ghoul to ghoul, making them the 'flowers' that a butterfly may land on.

Both of the Ankylos Tribe S Rank Slayers had their hands full of their own fair share of ghouls.

Slicing through each and every single one of them like bamboo.

At a distance, Vale had taken a smoke bomb that was hanging from her waist.

There were about ten ghouls that were blinded by the smoke from it, they were all scratching at the closest thing they felt near them.

Little did these ghouls know, Vale was already out of the smoke, she took her remaining throwing stars and let loose from far away.

"Die, you filthy pieces of trash."

She whispered under her breathe as she said that.

The throwing stars were enchanted with her affinity, which was Wind.

Each impact, although only thrown with such little force, were like the heaviest things there are on impact.

Splatters of ghoul blood turned the smoke red. She slid her hand and watched her palms before wiping them off hastily with her arms.

Some of the blood had made its way from the smoke into her cheek.

She immediately wiped it off with her arms, her silver eyes stared at the blood and caused her face to recoil in disgust.

Meanwhile, Ajay and Sae'jal were still hacking away at the ghouls, there were only five or so left more on the battlefield.

The first stealth squad had successfully fulfilled their duty while following the plan set in motion during the meeting.

With a final slit to the throat to the last ghoul's neck, their small skirmish was over.

The three of them sighed in relief.

"Be wary, men, the operation has just only gotten started. There shall be many more where that came from."

Vale said while catching her breath.

Fatigue had slowly crept up on their battle-ridden bodies. Ajay was instructed by the Specter to send out a signal through his carrier pigeon to tell Ignis Silva that the coast up ahead of them was now clear of all monsters.

Ignis Silva got the word with no delay.

The SS Rank Slayer could not help but smirk.

"Small victories make up the success of an operation. And we have just won our first. Pick yourselves up! The Specter and her crew has successfully repelled the ghouls, thus, we will now commence our march!"

He shouted.

The Slayers who were laying low and listening to their surroundings, always keen and focused, heard the good news and nodded.

"Good going! That's Vale for you!"

Luken said while having that excited, child like look on his face etched.

"Indeed, she truly is capable. It is a shame that she was not chosen as the Commander by the Emperor a few years back, wouldn't you say so, Luken?"

Gavin said to Luken.

"Hey! Do you really not want me leading the Slayer Corps that badly?!"

Luken asked comically.

Gavin could not help but laugh.

"Dummy."

He said with a faint smile underneath his scarf which was covering his mouth.

"I really want to fight right about now…" Faust Keisuke said to himself. "But this lingering feeling of intense evil and bloodlust which I have felt for days now still has not subsided, maybe I am just nervous? I do not know, we are going to have to see."

The Operation Phoenix commenced its march towards the area marked on their maps.

Towards the place where Vale Ashford saw the hives. What lay there waiting for them was something they did not know, hopefully, the hives were still intact.

And if not, well, that is something that they were going to have hope has not already happened.

After about thirty more minutes of walking, Vale and her squad has not spotted any more monstrosities up ahead of them.

Luken was busy lighting a cigarette up and exuding the smoke upwards.

This caused the Slayers behind of him to mean mug the Commander.

Someone tapped his shoulder and asked him, "Do you mind not smoking that closely to us? Some of us are not that tolerant of tobacco smoke, Commander." The S Rank Slayer behind him said.

Luken immediately threw the half used cigarette on the ground. "My bad. We should move to the backlines, I think." The Commander said.

"Let's move, Gavin, Faust!" Luken shouted as he motioned the two of them to follow him to the back of the march.

"Did Ignis not say that the backlines were meant for the heavy spellcasters?"

Gavin looked at him in disappointment.

The Serpent Summoner was shaking his head, if it could not have been any more obvious.

"I am coming, sir Luken!"

Faust was sprinting to follow the Commander's steps.

"When will I ever cease to be stuck with two or more simpletons?"

Gavin said under his breath shortly before following Luken to the back of the group.

The three of them made their way behind, garnering many puzzled looks among their fellow Slayers.

But Luken, the simpleton, thought that they were merely psyched to see him and began waving his hand around as though he was the main attraction, some sort of celebrity, perhaps.

At least that is what he thought in whatever went on in the deepest recesses of Luken Regalia's mind.

His face glittered and sparkled with pride.

"You know they are just curious as to why you broke your formation, right, Luken?"

Gavin immediately popped his bubble.

Luken curled up in sadness.

"Are you alright, sir!?"

Faust was immediately making sure that Luken was alright.

"We really are going to get an earful from Ignis, aren't we?" Gavin said with a sigh. "The last thing I would ever want in the world is to have that tyrannical maniac spout about authority and loyalty deep in my ears and how important it is for Slayers."

Gavin scratched his green hair in annoyance.

Faust Keisuke and Luke Regalia walked first while Gavin followed them from behind.

"Say, Commander Luken, does your nose smell that?"

Faust Keisuke's eyebrows wrinkled.

"Smell what, Faust?"

The latter played and fiddled with his nose for quite some time.

"You really do not smell that?"

He was keen on asking.

"Nope, not at all."

Luken responded.

The S Rank Earth Slayer turned his neck around and met Gavin's exhausted eyes.

"How about you, Gavin? Has your nose picked up on that peculiar scent?"

"Hm. Not really."

The Serpent Summoner retorted back.

"Alright, I guess it is just me. Might be the cold or whatever, do not sweat it, guys."

Faust said with a thumbs up motion formed on both of his hands.

"If you say so."

Luken shrugged it off and continued walking.

When they finally made their way to the very back part of the squadron, they joined in line and acted as if nothing happened.

A Slayer's eyes met with Gavin's.

"I bet she is asking why the hell the primary squad who should be in Ignis' formation is here." He said to himself. "These two idiots will be the death of my reputation…"

Luken finally felt that he was free to enjoy his smoke, without the nagging complaints of others that will surely come if he was at the front.

"Tell me, Luken, was it worth it to break our formation for a simple stick of cigarette?"

Gavin was mildly infuriated now.

"Relax, man. There is also a good reason as to why I made us position ourselves here." Luken took a cigarette from his breast pocket. 

"Oh, is there? And what would that be if you do not mind me asking?"

The Serpent Summoner was a little more than agitated right about now.

"There is a glaring weak spot in Ignis' formation for this one."

Luken said as he inhaled a huff of tobacco.

"Really? There is? What is it, Commander?"

Faust Keisuke's interest was more more than piqued.

"The backlines currently have the weakest hand to hand combatants placed in it, right?"

Luken asked them.

"You might think that placing them here would make them less vulnerable towards frontward assaults, that is where you are wrong. My friends."

Luken exhaled a deep huff one again.

Both Gavin and Faust's eyebrows met and were wrinkled, afterwards, they both looked at each other, still not in the know as to what Luken was saying.

Little by little, however, Gavin slowly got it.

"Wait, you mean to say that you were preparing for an attack to the rear? Is that why you chose to position us here?"

Gavin was amazed. "Honestly, I never thought you would ever use that brain of yours, Luken."

He added.

"Hey! No need to hurl insults at me, man!"