Chapter 139 - Reaper Vs. Seraphim Of War

"What are we meant to do next, Adam Rosa?" A faint humanoid voice of a woman asked him as he sat there, reading his grimoire intently. 

The silhouette of the Seraphim asking was revealed to be the Seraphim of War – Ares. She was the most human-looking out of all of them, her thick heavy armor and large sword gave her an imposing aura. She had the same snow-white complexion that the Angels and Seraphims have had so far. Ares' eyes were absent of any pupils, only having a bright spectacle of whiteness inside it.

"Patience, Ares." Adam said as he shook his head ever so lightly.

"Patience?! You tell me to contain my calm as the other Seraphims have either been killed or taken captive, you have the gall to tell me to be patient? Pick up your blade, if I win, then I will be the one to lead the Angels towards glory, not you." Ares said as she drew her sword and pointed it at the SSS Rank Slayer.

Judging by her words, it seems as though Adam Rosa is the one assigned to lead the Angels straight into the heart of Niflheim for its ruination.

"Put that down. You will only ever embarrass yourself. Have you forgotten the degree of shame that Pugna went through after he challenged me? It is as though the shame swallowed him far too much that he ran away and is now missing. Perhaps the Slayers have already gotten rid of your precious brethren?" His words were not meant to calm the angered Ares, though. They instead angered the Seraphim of War far too much.

"Take up your blade or you will die within seconds without a fight." Ares was fuming with rage. "Are you sure I am not able to talk you out of it?" He asked one more time. "Not a chance. Stop talking and pick up your sword." Adam Rosa sighed. "Very well. Go to the healer afterwards, I would not like to see my soldier go to battle with such heavy injuries still not healed."

The Seraphims behind them stepped back and made room for their fight. Ares swung her sword at Adam who parried them with his rapier with ease. "The Seraphim of war does not seem to possess the appropriate bloodlust that her name carries. How utterly disappointing." He said out loud.

"I will show the Vessel that it was a mistake to choose a lowly human such as yourself to lead the Angels. I will make you know your place in the world, Adam. Now die and be gone, all these years, I have never ever trusted you. Not one bit!" Ares exclaimed as she continued to pound on Adam who was blocking her sword slashes with his thin black rapier.

Adam Rosa's face turned from playful and nonchalant to intense and focused. "Before you question the Vessel's choice of actions, make sure that you are worthy and strong enough to do so. I will make you feel pain, Ares."

Throughout the battle, Adam was holding back and was on the backfoot the entire time so far, this was done in purpose as he was sizing up his opponent. The Reaper never fought full out at the start of a skirmish, he was gathering 'data' to be able to finish her off as efficiently as possible.

They both soared up to the sky, the Seraphim of War revealed its crimson wings at the same time Adam Rosa did with his pitch black half winged back. 

A normal human eye could not even begin to follow their actions in the air as only sparks of red and black were the racing around the sky, clanging of swords and the grunting Ares could be heard from down below.

The Seraphims watched by, they knew that to disturb Ares' fight and 'help' her would be even worse than letting her die. As it is her own choice to fight off against the Reaper's way of leading them. They had already seen Pugna almost bite the dust against Adam, it was too foolish to do the same thing and expect different results, no matter how strong they might have believed themselves to be. Finally, Adam struck her right on the shoulders and dragged her down to the ground.

Ares, the Seraphim of War was definitely not as quick and light footed as he was when it came to battle, her swings were not landing, only missing Adam Rosa's face with just a few inches. Meanwhile the Reaper's attacks pierced through her thick armor and skin as though they were made out of paper. Ares' wounds were getting deeper and deeper as the fight went on.

"Did you think that during my fight against Pugna that that was the extent of my physical capabilities? The Basilisk Slayer is the top one Slayer in Niflheim right now for one reason and only one: my departure." He said with such animosity that Ares actually lost her footing due to fear. She stumbled and fell down.

The Seraphim of War did not have any affinities but her Anima cells were designed so that her physical prowess was maximized and focused. A true bruiser and front liner against the bastion of mankind. And to have her being bested by the Reaper without him even having to use his affinities or his grimoire is definitely an embarrassing display in combat, specially for someone like the Seraphim of War.

To be bested by a mere 'human' as she called him. Adam Rosa kicked off her sword and threw it away, she attempted to get up but Adam's foot on her neck prevented her from doing so.

She could say nothing at this point, all of her threats and words were nothing more than empty phrases because of how the situation looked right now.

"I-I thought he was not going to kill me!?" The Seraphim of War thought to herself as the pressure of Adam Rosa's foot got heavier and heavier by the second.

"Never speak of the Vessel's actions in protest as though you know better than her. Just do what I say as she placed me in charge of you and your kind. Earlier, you told me that you were going to let me know my place, if I am not mistaken. Thanks to your actions, I now know that I am here in this position because I am fit to lead you. The next time you attempt to challenge my authority, you will get more than a foot on your neck. The Vessel told me how long it took to create you Seraphims, the funny thing is, I can render all thousands or millions of those years for naught just by stabbing you right in the heart right now. Do you want to test me?"

Adam Rosa had a glint of bloodlust in his eyes the same as that of a monster finally gripping its prey on its palms. "You live and you die as I tell you to." The Seraphim of War could not say anything, it was already shameful enough to have her laying on the ground as a human has her at his mercy. Words could not express her shame from the outcome of this fight. 

He offered his hand to help Ares up, but the latter ignored it and got up herself. "You might want to have your wounds healed, we do not want a Seraphim to bleed to death, now, do we?" Adam said as the Seraphim of War exited the place with that one last snarky remark.

"You have not answered her question yet, Adam. What should we do next?" Hai, the Water Seraphim asked the Reaper.

"Back when I was still a Slayer, I read about a banned piece of literature. There exists as sword that can tear through anything, but did you know what it really specialized in? Tearing through barriers and magic." Adam said with an innocent smile. "And where is this sword located?" A voice from another Seraphim asked.

"I shall go back to Niflheim, it is fairly easy to bypass the barrier even though my state right now could not be called purely 'human' I am still not a monster or an Angel. There is a book there which will guide us to the location of the Sword of Alacrity. It is a book with detailed locations and directions as to the sword's location. I am sure the book will still be there. I hid it somewhere safe before I came here, not a chance those in the Grand Castle would ever have gotten their hands on it ever since my departure. 

"I do agree that your strength is perhaps one of the reasons why the Vessel appointed you as our leader, Adam. And let us say that you are able to enter the barrier freely, what is stopping you from killing them all yourself?" Another Seraphim posed an interesting question.

"Slayers in the Corps still exist there which have the power to overwhelm even someone like me. My pupils, Luken Regalia, Gavin Khalil.. And my best friend – The Basilisk Slayer."