Chapter 90 - Wingless Harbingers

The sun was starting to hide away from the inevitable arrival of the night.

Ignis Silva's Operation Phoenix was shaping out to be a success after all.

The Inferno Garden's eccentric leader was the only one who could rally his fellow high ranking Slayers in one cohesive squad and order them around.

With their formation still being kept the same as when they started venturing from Niflheim, they were confident that home was not that far away from where they were as of that moment.

Vale Ashford had walked and crouched carefully, even though her, Ajay's, and Sae'jal's bodies were already aching from squatting around and scouting for the locations up ahead.

Her strength was replenished whenever she thought about the good news that she was about to bring back to the Emperor.

Operation Phoenix has successfully uprooted the cause of the problem even without fighting their opponents head on.

This inevitable victory is not only a source of pride for Ignis Silva, whom lead the team successfully, no, every single Slayer walking back towards Niflheim were due their woes and glory.

Gavin had suggested to Ignis that it would be good to bring back an unhatched Angel from the hives back to the Grand Castle, to dissect and study.

Slayers were having a hard time trying to capture Angels as these beings were much stronger than they were, and only A to S Rank and above Slayers even posed a match to these winged monsters.

But their plan to capture even a single Angel was held back by their own sense of rage and bloodlust.

Yet who could really blame them? Each one of them deserved that. Both the Slayers deserved to get revenge and the Angels, in the Slayers eyes, deserved nothing but a fiery, painful death. So, Gavin Khalil had let it slide, but he told Ignis Silva that it was rare for the latter to let emotions override their tactician's prowess and decision making.

Snow was still piling up on their way back.

Their feet were having an even harder time than before walking through it.

The S Rank Slayers of all affinities, shapes, sizes, and age were all exhausted, they wanted nothing more than to get back home, hug their families and have a well earned good night's rest.

"I wonder how those little runts have been faring so far."

The Commander said out of the blue.

"Little runts, sir Luken?"

Faust Keisuke was oblivious to the fact that they had left their new rookie members back at base to train.

"The Six Blades rookies, Faust."

Gavin answered softly.

"Oh! I remembered that you guys had recruited Suna Izanami, right? You know we of the Primal Hounds ourselves were adamant in trying to recruit her back then?"

Faust Keisuke said while scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, I knew about that. But I never actually told her to pick us." Luken took out a cigarette from his pocket and asked the nearest Fire Slayer from his area to light it up. "I think it was fairly useless trying to pester and pressure her as to what organization she would end up in. After all, she can choose any organization and I would still accept her decision with no ill will."

"Nah, it was more like you were pretty confident that Suna was going to pick us, the Six Blades, as her choice for an organization to join in. But you know something, Faust? When he heard that several high rank organizations had interest in her, I swear Luken was fairly worried that she might end up joining you guys or any other instead of us."

Gavin revealed the Commander's reaction at that time.

"G-Gavin you idiot! I swear when we get back home I am going to tear you a –"

His words were cut short by the Serpent Summoner's words himself.

"Forgive me if I am out of line by saying so, Luken. But she honestly reminds me of your sister."

He said with a sad and equally melancholic expression etched onto his face.

"Yeah, that was the reason why I let her join in on those expeditions and conquests even when I knew she had no Anima cells. And that was like a week or more after my sister had died. Was it wrong of me to drag her along just for my crass decision and her likeness for my sister, Gavin?"

The Commander responded with a question.

Gavin Khalil shook his head firmly.

"It was absolutely not the wrong decision, Luken, trust me. Suna wanted to fight for mankind even without Anima cells. Knowing full well that plenty of lower ranked Slayers would try and hurl insults at her and calling her an 'invalid' or a burden, she still wanted to do it, and I believe that we gave her the proper amount of push to succeed." The Serpent Summoner shoved off the snow that was building up on his shoulders before continuing what he was saying. "Now look at her, she is a capable B Rank Slayer with a little renown to her name. Our very own brawler in the Six Blades."

"Now that you said that, I think you are right. We did make the right decision. Her will to fight is close to none."

Faust Keisuke butted in.

"I would like to meet with your rookies and spar with them sometime, sir Luken and Gavin!"

He announced.

"Do not worry, Faust, I am sure they would love that as well. I mean it would be a fantastic change of scenery to see someone much closer to their age than us."

Gavin said.

The Slayers continued their long and arduous journey, although tired, they wore their initial victory on their sleeves and pressed on.

This weather was getting worse and worse gradually. Snow had began falling at a much heavier rate than the morning which they departed from.

Vale Ashford and her cohorts ran towards Ignis Silva, sweat had began to pour on their faces despite the cold temperature.

"What seems to be the matter, Specter?"

Ignis asked, he was awfully curious why she decided to run back and not send her carrier pigeon the message which she seemed to desperately want to share.

"We've got a huge problem."

She said.

Ignis Silva ordered the men to stop. He had not yet said the reason why, he still wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Luken, Faust, and Gavin, as well as all the other Slayers behind Ignis were confused.

"Why are we supposed to be stopping here?"

"What's going on there, Ignis? We are going to be freezing to our deaths out here!"

Cried the Slayers.

Ignis had moved to the front with Vale and the others to see the 'problem' with his own eyes himself.

"W-What are those?!"

He exclaimed.

"We do not know what or who they are. The databases have not indicated such monsters to have even existed up till now."

Ajay said.

"In short, they are a new breed of monsters that we have not seen so far. The newest monsters that were newly discovered was about two hundred years ago or less."

Sae'jal added.

"That is not all, however. Take a look at them more closely." Vale said as to Ignis as she lent him her binoculars. Ignis Silva hurriedly used them to take a closer look. "Do you see it?"

She asked.

These humanoid monsters were dressed in the same entrapments as the Angels, the same humanoid faces with blank expressions, glowing white skin and equally shining white eyes.

They had weapons, varying amounts of weapons, even. Some had been spotted wielding a scythe, some were seen arming themselves with swords, hell, some even had grimoires on their hands.

But something was clearly different about them from the traditional Angels that the Slayers were so used to fighting against.

The wings. These creatures possessed no wings whatsoever. One look at them and you could see that their main way of maneuvering around was walking upright and using their legs.

"A-Are these Angels? Where did they come from? I thought we burnt those hives already and there were no Angels spotted this near to the Outer Gates!?"

Ignis was equally puzzled.

"I do not know, but they are slowly marching towards us. You can decide now, we can turn back and be even further from home for no reason, or we can stand our ground and fight."

She said.

"I will inform the squadron to assume a fighting position. You three will stay together with me and the 'brawlers' at the forefront. The Summoners shall be lead by the Serpent Summoner at the middle part and the spellcasters will continue to bombard these monsters with spells from the backlines."

Ignis said.

This was the same plan and formation that he wished to use when they had their last meeting in the Grand Castle.

"We do not know just how strong these 'wingless Angels' are. But we are about to find out ourselves."

Ignis Silva said as he adjusted his glasses.