Chapter 91 - Top Five For A Reason

As the wingless Angels on the ground still have not spotted the Slayers, they knew that they had the upper hand at the first strike.

"Our first attack has to be a success. We have the odds of it in our favor."

Ignis Silva said before turning towards Luken Regalia, the Commander's field of view.

The Commander looked at his rival's eyes dead on.

"What do you want?"

The blue haired SS Rank Water Slayer asked.

"I, as the Operation Phoenix's leader, wish to have you take the first attack against these newly spotted monsters."

"Why does it have to be me, though? I am not really in the mood, Ignis."

Luken sighed. 

"Because, you bumbling fool, as much as I cannot stand your attitude, I acknowledge your strength. I have little to no playing cards left, counting the ones I have in total – I only possess about fifty of them. I would do it myself, but I am in a bit of a rut, as you can see."

Ignis Silva said as he shrugged his shoulders.

The Commander got up from his sitting place.

"Is that an order from you to me?"

"Yes, if you ever wish to deny the order, I will put you forth to the High Council on the counts of insubordination against authority."

The Slayers present knew that this was turning into much more than the slight banter and quarrels they were used to these two.

Vale Ashford got in front of them.

"Can't you just do it, Luken? The sooner we exterminate these Angel-ghoul looking hybrids, the sooner it is are we to set foot on our homes."

She said with an angered expression

"Fine, fine. I was just playing a joke, you know? Jeez, you people have got to learn how to unwind and chill for a bit."

The Commander said while chuckling.

"Luken, we talked about this before already, there is a clear time and a place for jokes, and I believe this time is not appropriate for such foolishness."

Even the Serpent Summoner butted in and ridiculed Luken.

"Can you all just please take a chill pill? I already said I was going to do it, right? After my initial attack, I will give you the signal to jump in, if you guys are quick on your feet, we would finish this as soon as possible, I am sure of it."

He said as he took his rapier out of its sheathe from his hips.

The Commander had already enchanted it with ripples and mini waves. He had done this sort of tactic before, it is now a chainsaw-looking sword rather than a rapier. Blades were circling around almost like it really was a moving saw.

"I am getting pretty impatient, so it would be in our best interest to leave like three or five Slayers behind to document how these 'Wingless Angels' move and maneuver themselves. That is what should be done whenever there is a new breed of monsters spotted."

Luken said before leaping to the area where the Wingless Angels were.

"Err. You guys seem weird. What happened to your wings? There are also dozens of you here, I have never seen Angels flock together in numbers like this. That is pretty cool."

Luken spoke to the Wingless Angels, in an attempt to see if they understood human speech, or at least that was what he was trying to do, as Gavin said it.

Ignis scratched his head in disappointment.

"What is that blundering fool doing?! He was supposed to catch them by surprise! To hell with it, men, on me!-"

Gavin and Faust prevented them from moving forward by raising both their arms sideways.

"W-What is the meaning of this, Serpent Summoner?"

Ignis asked.

"Just wait. He is baiting them. You of all people should know that Luken Regalia always does his job as he was told."

The Serpent Summoner said.

If it were any other Slayer doing what these two were, Ignis would have pushed through and shoved them, but knowing Gavin Khalil, judging from his tone and body language, the Serpent Summoner was nothing more than serious.

The Wingless Angels began sprinting towards the Commander's location.

"Woah, you guys are pretty fast, huh? But even I can tell from that sprint that you are not faster than the common Angel. Though the speed difference between the normal winged Angels and you guys are not that much, it is still noticeable for strong Slayers like me. Just saying."

Ten Wingless Angels dashed towards the Commander.

Luken Regalia had a grin on his face.

He waved his sword and slashed it on the air, hitting nothing else.

Ignis Silva squinted.

Gavin Khalil let out a smile.

"Just watch."

The Commander's sword had been imbued with the water enchantment from earlier still.

His sword was exuding droplets of water towards the ten of them approaching him.

These droplets were carefully placed near the Wingless Angel's blind spots, the areas where their field of view or vision was obstructed.

Luken, with his signature grin still written on his face, placed his rapier on the ground, hitting the heavy snow below.

He clapped his hands one time.

This, and the droplets were the catalysts needed in order for him to perform what he planned to do.

"Aqua Juxtaposition!"

He shouted.

After saying those words, every single droplet in the Wingless Angel's blind spots had turned into the Commander.

There was now ten Luken Regalias in the battlefield!

Each and every one of them stabbed the monsters without them being able to react fast enough to block the attacks.

The skill had only lasted for a single second, but still, the damage it had done to the Wingless Angel's ranks were not a joke.

Ten of them fell to the Commander's Aqua Juxtaposition.

Blood had started to color the snow red once more.

The Slayers who were watching were in shock.

They were not really deployed in the same squad as the Commander, they knew he was strong, but not this strong.

"A-Are my eyes alright or was I seeing ten Luken Regalias for a good second?"

"N-No. I saw just that as well…"

The Slayers remarked.

Ignis had a look of annoyance etched on his face.

He clicked his tongue.

"Tch. You always find a hundred different ways to grow stronger each time I see you, Luken. Well done."

His SS Rank Fire Slayer counterpart said.

"Everyone! Assist Luken and take down the remaining Wingless Angels! Nobody is allowed to die on my command! I repeat, nobody!"

Luken still had the grim grin on his face.

"You know, for all the time and years I have spent as a Slayer for the Corps, there has always been one thing that is nagging on the back part of my mind." He said to the Wingless Angels. Whose expressions were still blank, these monsters did not even react in the slightest to the image of their fellow Angels being decapitated.

"Does an executioner tasked with bringing down the blade of the guillotine ever fear that in some eerie way, in that specific moment, it would be his head that would be sent rolling down the gallows?"

Luken said as he slowly approached the remaining Wingless Angels, still armed with their various weaponries.

"In short, I am asking if you monsters ever feel fear. Does an executioner's knees tremble in fear after seeing the Grim Reaper himself bring the blade down on their own necks?"

The Commander picked up his rapier from the blood drenched snowy ground below.

His slow walk towards them made the Wingless Angels twitch.

"What is wrong? What seems to be the matter? Strike me down. Execute me the same way you do my fellow human beings. What is stopping you from moving forward and facing me? I for one do not know if you understand basic human speech or language, maybe I am just venting. But still, I am much less human than all of you combined. I am in the top five for a reason."

Luken dashed and pierced a Wingless Angel's neck, separating the creature's neck from its head in one fell swoop.

Back up had arrived and the battle was now underway.

Faust Keisuke jumped into the fray and killed the ones in front of the Commander.

"Are you alright, sir Luken?"

He asked worriedly.

"I am fine, Faust. Why shouldn't I be? These things are weak, nothing more than flightless Angels, perhaps the reason why you creatures do not possess the gift of flying is because you are far too weak to be graced with it."

He said mockingly to the Angels whose wings were absent from their backs.

"Ignis!"

Luken shouted.

Ignis Silva made his way towards Luken while Hector Incendium sliced the limbs of every single monster attempting to approach Ignis.

"What?"

He asked.

"These things are no joke. Although they are a tad slower than normal Angels, their strengths are still the same. Plus, they are traveling in groups. The greatest number of Angels we have ever seen patrol together were only about fifteen or so.. They are no match for us, but they will prove to be difficult against lower ranked Slayers."