Chapter 127 - The Plan

The Angels ascended and spread their wings out, making flapping noises as they left the Seraphim all alone, it still facing its head down as the water dripped out of its nonexistent space where its face should have been if it had one.

Zach looked at Vale Ashford's face intently, as if to ask her without words – "is this our chance?"

The Specter knew what the young Slayer meant.

She responded back with a nod.

"Yin, me and Zachary here will rush the Seraphim head first, you stand back and study its attack patterns, the way it uses spells, everything that you are able to squeeze out of our skirmish, you should best memorize it as best as you can. If I notice that either me or Zach are in imminent danger, we will pull out and that is when you will come in, try to pummel it with lightning attacks but be careful not to step on the water under its feet, you could shock yourself if you are careless."

Zach nodded, as well as Yin.

They now had a plan formulated after hours of waiting for the Angels beside it to make a move, now was the perfect time wherein it was all alone.

Although they were also gambling on the fact that the Angels will not come back immediately, it was worth it in the eyes of the Specter.

"On my signal, Zach, bombard it with fireballs or whatever projectile based spell you have in order to distract it and I will creep up behind and try to end it in one blow, that way, we would not need to endanger both of your lives at once."

She said.

"R-Right, Vale, but what if you fail?" Zach shook his head violently. "I-I am sorry I said that, I am just cautious…"

"Hah. I understand your worries, Zach, believe me, I do. But even if I were to fail, we could just try again and converge so that Yin is able to see how the Seraphim moves around, isn't that right, Yin Sohaya?"

The Specter said as she turned her head towards Yin.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

"What did I say to you about using that word?"

Yin got startled and remembered that it was a sort of a 'must-not' say word around the Specter.

"S-Sorry, Vale."

"I am just kidding kid, I trust in both of you."

She stood up and drew her blade.

"Now, let us take this Seraphim's head back to Niflheim and show these Archangels what mankind is capable of."

Even though the mission was going to rest on the probability that the Angels would not come back and check on the Seraphim, as well as on Yin's hands whether lightning really will prove to be effective against this Water Seraphim, the Specter was still prioritizing the safety of her underlings.

She was not as vocal as Kai Xin and Luken Regalia, but the Specter was a strong Slayer in her own right and in her own way.

Yin remembered Suna from the way that the Specter carried herself, with pure poise and confidence in her own abilities.

"Now!"

She exclaimed, alerting the Seraphim which caused it to look around to see what made that noise.

Zachary revealed himself from the bushes and proceeded to cast a whirling fireball right at the Seraphim. 

Yin observed with sheer focus just how this Seraphim moved.

As the Seraphim noticed that a fireball was heading its way, the crystalline orb on top of its head glowed up and caused its face to let a straight beam of powerful water let loose.

The water assault extinguished the fireball right as it was airborne in no time.

"Tch."

Zachary clicked his tongue in an annoyed manner. He knew that his fireball would not ever reach the Seraphim and that it was only supposed to be a decoy in order to buy time for the Specter to wrap herself around where the Seraphim was, but its reaction time was far too quick than Zachary had anticipated.

Yin moved positions in order to dodge the beam of water making its way towards him, doing his best to still stay hidden from the Seraphim's gaze.

Zachary was shouting at the Seraphim now, attempting to draw its attention even more.

"Hey! I am bringing you down you no-faced sack of shit!"

The Fire Slayer exclaimed.

The Seraphim, although it had no face began to speak in the same language.

"You are weak. Can you even bring down the simplest of our grunts? Sit down and let me tear you apart, do not make it any harder than it should be."

One noticeable difference was that this Seraphim was far more articulate than Pugna, her words were coherently phrased and her enunciation was so close to that of a human woman that it was uncanny.

This caught Zachary off guard and he began to shake under the pressure. He attempted to retort something back at it but it seemed like the cat got his tongue.

"Hm. So they really do talk, how creepy. That is more than enough time for me, Zach." The Specter said as she was now successfully situated behind the Seraphim, ready to gather her step and decapitate the Seraphim in one blow.

Zach saw that the Specter was already in position so he climbed down from the trees and annoyed it even further.

He casted the whirling fireball spell once again even though it was futile.

The Seraphim burst out in laughter.

"Hah. How pathetic. Your kind should have died out long ago…"

The monster said.

Yin blinked once and the Specter was already in the air at the back of the Seraphim, ready to take its head out in one slice.

But the Seraphim quickly blocked the attack with its arms, wounding it instead of having its head roll down.

"I see that there are two of you."

The Seraphim's voice was still distinguishable, its tone was definitely not that of a human's. That was for certain.

Vale Ashford grabbed a smoke bomb from her pocket and threw it at the Seraphim's face, making way for her to escape just in time.

She regrouped on the ground with Zachary who was now much calmer than earlier.

"I see that you're alright now, I was worried that you were far too shook to the point that you would be in no position to fight."

Vale said to Zachary.

"I am fine, ma'am."

Zach said the last word on purpose.

They both rushed at the Water Seraphim with their respective weapons drawn.

The Seraphim backed off from the assault and composed itself.

Water came out of its face and it was hardened into ice to form a trident.

"Your entire species should not even be alive at this point, I shall dismember you as it is my duty."

It said calmly.

The Specter was holding her own against the Seraphim but it was clear that Zachary was out of his element. He was in a battle far too deep to get out of.

Vale Ashford was going blow for blow against the Seraphim but her focus was torn between going on the offensive and trying to block the blows aimed at Zach at the same time.

Yin desperately tried to find a weakness in its fighting position but he could not find one. The Seraphim was far too nimble for someone of its size. It was taller than Pugna, that was for sure. His eyes focused in on the arm that blocked the Specter's surprise attack from earlier.

"I-It is bleeding from that area…So it is not immune against physical attacks like the last one was."

Yin thought to himself.

It also combined the water beams with its heavy strikes as it pummeled down both Zach and Vale.

Zachary blocked the attacks but the physical toll on his body was now obvious. He laid on the ground and crawled off to safety.

"Shit. Zach is in trouble."

Yin said.

The Seraphim held the trident with one hand and began focusing its attack on the Specter only with its right hand holding the trident with the intent to kill.

"How the hell can you even see with no eyes?!"

The Specter asked the Seraphim.

It merely ignored her question and grinned.

As its right hand was busy trying to keep Vale Ashford company, the Seraphim's left hand was now turned into a pointing position with its finger locked in on Zachary.

"H-How the hell can this thing use that!?"

Vale panicked for a bit.

"Would I even make it in time to save Zach?! I do not think Yin is going to make his presence known at this point, we still have not gathered anything about how this thing fights yet!"

The Specter was conflicted.

Yin knew what attack it was going to throw at Zachary with its fingers pointed like that. There was no question about it, it looked like the attack that the Commander constantly used.

At this rate, Zachary was going to be impaled by a concentrated beam of water right through his back.