Chapter 89 - To The Late Dunham

The hives emanated screams of terror and anguish. Painful screeches which pierced the Slayers ears.

Yet with each scream that their auditory senses heard, they only seemed to feel more into it.

For as long as they could remember, Angels have always been nothing more but harbingers of death towards humanity. Mankind had always been one step behind, being driven back to barriers powered by magic and sorcery just to ensure their species' survival.

It was not a life that any single boy, man, girl, nor woman would ever dream to have from the day they were brought into this hell hole of a world till the day they were to die.

But sadly, they had no choice. To live as though they were nothing more but insects ready to be stepped on and for a reason they did not even know was their only way of life.

Niflheim was their only sanctum. The humiliation of being kept inside these barriers was demeaning and a blow to the gut of mankind.

Due to the Specter – Vale Ashford and her close associate, Dunham's discovery, they had now pinpointed where the Angels came from.

It did not matter to them if they still were in the dark as to why they were plucking out humans one way or another, but still, this was a victory for humanity nevertheless.

The world had now been an eat or be eaten world for hundreds, even thousands of years so far. Although the Slayer Corps have done their job in being the striking weapon for mankind, for being the blade of humanity's retaliation, it was not always enough.

They needed to find two things: the reason for these Angel's innate hate and bloodlust for humans, and where they came from. One of which was already solved, the latter.

Angels were birthed from hives, hundreds of Angels are deep in slumber inside these hives, awaiting their inevitable awakening.

Ignis Silva's Operation Phoenix was the shadow that was the shade casted on the sky, the cover that would remove all sources of sunlight to even reach these young Angels after their hatch.

Flames covered the tower hive below. Its dark and pitch black color seemingly devoid of light palettes is now being burnt into nothing but tiny little specks of ashes.

Although the elite group of S Rank Slayers would be more than enough of a competition and challenger for a normal Angel, it would be ideal to kill them while they were still unable to even move.

"Do you see it now, Dunham?" Vale Ashford asked as her eyes fixed on the surroundings. "This is the start of many more expeditions and conquests focused on burning these hives. It is all thanks to you and your sacrifices that we are able to do this. Rest in peace, my friend. Till we meet again in the afterlife, but that would have to come much later than I would like. I still have Angels to burn and even more to kill while I am still in this world."

Her silver eyes had shed a tear.

Before the single tear made its way down her neck, it had evaporated into nothingness.

That showed just how hot the temperature was over they as of that moment.

Luckily, the snow was in fact the one factor keeping them from burning themselves from the face of the Earth.

This much heat was not ideal for the simple human body to withstand, no matter what affinity you had.

Ignis Silva had thrown the last piece of his blood stained playing cards.

He caught his breath for a moment and began to use his normal playing cards.

"Die. Die. Die. Die. Die."

The SS Rank Fire Slayer repeated to himself in a low voice which only those nearest to him could hear.

Hector Incendium heard it all.

His head faced Ignis, who wore an expression he had never seen before.

It was of pure anger, but it was not just that, no. It was also of someone who has taken revenge for the many allies he has lost during his tenure as a Slayer.

This had only made Hector admire his leader more.

All the S Rank Fire Slayers seemed to relish and share in his emotions.

Each one of them had felt that they were blessed enough to strike significant blows towards the Angel's breeding grounds themselves, with their own will, hands, and powers.

Every single attack and spell they had used was a punch from their families back at Niflheim.

It was a symbol of mankind not fighting for nothing but a means of survival. No, they were fighting right now, this very moment, in order to fully exterminate an Angel before it is even conscious enough to take flight.

"Hey! Ignis! That is enough!"

Gavin desperately tried to quell their bloodlust, but his words seemed to not reach the huddle of Fire Slayers led by Ignis Silva.

"Ignis! Tell them to cease at once! The hives are no more! You need not to expend more energy!"

The Serpent Summoner realized that this was not working. 

His green orbs locked on Ryoko the Elder Wyrm's eyes.

With a single nod, the dragon immediately knew what was being asked of him by her master.

The dragon faced the Fire Slayers and let out a loud rumbling sound.

The Fire Slayers had their attentions drawn towards the dragon, Ignis was no exception.

"Did you not hear me? I told you that is enough!"

Gavin repeated once more.

Ignis' gazed on the ground below him.

Nothing was left of the hives but ash.

Vale Ashford – The Specter, had no emotions on her eyes as she stared at what once was the location of the two massive hives. Her lips had turned pale and white, as white as her eyes were, in fact.

Ajay handed her his own water pouch, sensing that the Specter was now dehydrated from the humidity of the atmosphere right now.

She took out the water pouch from the Slayers hand and immediately chugged it down to the very last drop.

After realizing she drank all of it, her eyes widened.

"I-I am very sorry. I would like to apologize for using up all of your supplies, I was just too thirsty, I am sorry, once more."

She said while looking down.

"Madam, you need not to apologize. You may use all the water pouches that we all have right here, and it still would not be enough payment for what you and the late sir Dunham has done for mankind."

Ajay assured her that it was alright.

"Thank you, Ajay."

She immediately focused her attention on the ashes down below.

Ignis picked up his glasses which had fallen down from his face without him realizing it amidst his emotional barrage of attacks at the hives.

After noticing that the lenses were covered in black dust and smoke from their attacks, Hector Incendium immediately stepped up and offered to clean them.

To which the SS Rank Fire Slayer declined.

"That would be alright, Hector. I am able to clean my own glasses myself."

He said politely to the young boy.

"It would seem as though I had let my emotions get the best of me, Gavin. Who knows what might have happened if we continued to burn this land without stopping for anything else. You have my gratitude for ceasing our outburst."

He said to Gavin Khalil while wiping his glasses with his black coat robes.

"Everyone! I am proud to announce that the Operation Phoenix has been a success!"

The Inferno Garden leader shouted from the top of his lungs.

All the Slayers deployed in the Operation Phoenix also shouted cries of victory.

"We did it!"

"This was not so much of a challenge after all!"

"Now these wretched beasts finally feel the wrath of mankind and what we can do!"

Ignis cleared his throat.

"But before that, the mission has not yet ended. We have not finished it without making it back home safely! Now, we march as the victors! As the ones who have gotten the upper hand against the Angels! A deployment mission that has been executed without a single encounter against a single Angel while killing hundreds of them is unheard of! We have now done the unthinkable! Rejoice, my warriors! Rejoice for we have won, rejoice for we have exterminated these monsters while they slept defenseless in their grotesque hives!"

Ignis said once more with passion.

"It is finally over, huh?"

Faust Keisuke asked the Commander.

"Not yet, Faust, did you not hear what Ignis said? The mission is never over until we get back to Niflheim. I hate to admit it but he definitely devised one hell of a plan."

Luken said while grinning.

Gavin approached them, but not before saying his farewell to Ryoko and telling her how grateful he was for her aid in this mission.

"Does this mean you admit Ignis is better than you in every single way possible?"

He asked Luken.

"No way."

The Commander replied with a grinning smile.