Chapter 153 - Might Of The Allcaster

As Umbra was shredding the clueless Slayers into pieces, Kai Xin wanted to see if he could do something to save them, he was attempting a spell and then emitted beams of fire from his palms as he touched the grimoire and finished casting it. The beam was not even close enough to hit the Shadow Seraphim, but it still leaped out much farther than it needed to.

Fulgur then wasted no time and immediately started hurling bolts of lightning right at Ignis. The latter jumped back to formulate some kind of plan with the Serpent Summoner. "We have lost two Slayers now, what is your plan, Gavin?" Ignis asked him with a worried look on his face. "I have an idea. Ignis, you and Kai Xin plus the other Fire Slayer that you recruited to this mission will fight Umbra, the Shadow Seraphim." The Serpent Summoner said. 

"What makes you think that me and Kai would be the perfect opponents for that ghoulish looking creature?" Ignis retorted back. "I do not know if I should tell you this, but it is nothing more than a hunch of mine. A gut feeling, if you could call it that." The Serpent Summoner's response clearly surprised Kai Xin and Ignis Silva. But since he was the leader appointed by the Emperor, they were going to follow his commands by any means necessary. 

"Reno, Kai, with me!" Ignis exclaimed as the three of them grouped up with each other, readying themselves to take on the Shadow Seraphim. Ignis glanced at Gavin for a bit, trying to think what made him decide on them being the right Slayers for this fight. But alas, he shrugged it off and just thought that it would be a shame if the leader of the Inferno Garden, the number one ranked organization in the Slayer Corps, cannot even slay a Seraphim.

While they were preparing to strike back at Umbra, Gavin stared daggers at the Lightning Seraphim. Narrowly evading his thunder bolt projectiles. Some throwing daggers flew right into Fulgur's face from far away. The Serpent Summoner turned and saw a familiar face, it was the Specter herself, Vale Ashford. "Mind if I join you in this battle?" She asked him. "I appreciate the help. But shouldn't you be better off aiding in their fight against Adam?" Gavin responded back. "To be quite honest, I would only burden those two, I am an S Rank Slayer but I feel like I am one step behind from Luken, and five steps behind from your brother, Artorias. But that one single step can cause everything to fall apart if I become a nuisance. Perhaps you should have been the one there, facing Adam with them…" She explained to Gavin. "Very well, I understand your point, Vale, I really do, but I am the mission's leader and I cannot just leave the frontlines in order to vent off my personal grudges against that son of a bitch Adam." He said as he turned at Fulgur, who was studying them as well, examining their weapons and such. 

"Fill me in on this guy." Vale Ashford wanted to know what they were going to deal with before fighting against it. "From the looks of this one, it is pretty obvious he uses lightning, and from his build, his physical capabilities should not be underestimated. I am not going to sugarcoat it, we seem to be terribly outmatched against him, I can feel his Anima cells, they are absolutely monstrous." The Serpent Summoner said as he gripped his knife and his grimoire. Gavin then proceeded to summon the two headless swordsmen that he summoned when they went toe to toe against Adam Rosa back then, only now, their armors and trappings were much more 'royal' looking now. They had turned from simple steel now into gold plated ones. The Elder Wyrm also flew by and prepared to battle alongside her master. "Are you ready for this, Ryoko?" Gavin asked while smirking. "Anytime, master." 

[ Umbra versus Ignis Silva, Kai Xin, and Reno Hill (An A Rank Fire Slayer from the Inferno Garden) ]

"Be careful not to get too close to that thing! He has already killed one of ours!" Ignis Silva exclaimed as Hector and Reno were prancing around Umbra. Trying to land hits with their swords as they were avoiding the Shadow Seraphim's claws. They were still bloodstained from Umbra tearing a Slayer's abdomen earlier. It moved like it was one with the Shadows, merging with them and vanishing without a trace. 

This was the first time that they were fighting against something like this. From the past battles against Angels, they were definitely strong but quite one dimensional, almost like they could not think for themselves. Like their minds were controlled from somewhere afar, from the unseen strings by the puppeteer known as the 'Vessel' of the Angels. But the Slayer Corps and Niflheim did not know this yet.

The reason that Vale Ashford vanished during the fight against Adam Rosa was that she knew Luken Regalia was the best complement with the Basilisk Slayer's way of fighting. Also, because Luken was Adam's student, both he and Gavin Khalil were his prized and handpicked Slayers that he wanted to teach and observe them much more closely. The Commander and the Basilisk Slayer were the ones fated to cross swords against their former mentor and best friend. Vale then scouted out the area to see if there were nests nearby. If they were to awaken the slumbering Angels sleeping in the nests' cocoons, it would end in them getting outnumbered, and with the Seraphims still fighting, it would be the worst case scenario if even more backup would arrive from the Angels' side. 

After noticing that the coast was clear, she ran back and noticed that there were two more Seraphims now in the vicinity. It was fifteen Slayers against four Seraphims and one demi human traitor. They had to do it quick if they were to have a chance to win, this was uncharted territory in terms of combat division for them. Not to mention the fact that they were outside the Gates, if an escape would be doable, it still required so much to even be pulled off.

Yin Sohaya worked with a veteran Slayer and the SS Ranked All Caster in wearing down Hai, the Water Seraphim. But this Seraphim with a hole for a face was unrelenting as ever. Although it moved not as fast as Pugna or the others, it made up for it in sheer durability. It was just built different. "I will bring back Sarathiel and Pugna! Nobody dares to take my siblings away from me!" Hai shouted out. Yin had already been getting grazes and slice wounds from Hai's water barrages, and he was getting injured much quicker than his regenerative abilities were healing him. But still, he was going to be the front liner for this battle, the other Slayer was a mid ranged fighter armed with a spear and the lightning affinity, while the Allcaster needed every single second he could take in order to cast his array of spells.

Yin had enough and finally activated his Nix Eyes. A masquerade appeared from thin air and has fallen perfectly into his face. His pupils had turned a shade of white and his wounds were now scars, fully healed from the bleeding and such. "This is our chance, sir Fen!" Yin exclaimed. "Very well! Keep him occupied and back up when I tell you to!" Fen Kaori shouted back.

The old Slayer worked with Yin in order to constantly annoy the shit out of Hai, leaving him no room to cast spells or to block. Some time had passed after the Allcaster's last spell, he was charging it up. Making his drawings much more detailed and drew it much more intensely. "I cannot allow myself to falter behind as Yin and the lance wielding Slayer are buying time for me. I am an SS Ranked Slayer for a reason. I am called the 'Allcaster' for a good reason, and I will show these harbingers why." Fen said to himself.

"Both of you, back up!" This was the first time that Yin had ever heard Fen raise his voice that much. He and the other Slayer hurriedly jumped out to make room and to not get caught up in his spells. Yin took the left side while the other guy took the right. Hai was confused why they scattered right in front of him, but a few seconds later, his curiosity would be answered. The area had turned dark due to the shadows of the huge looming boulder which was quickly about to come close to the ground, crushing the Water Seraphim flat. Even more is that the boulder was set ablaze as it was on the sky above. The Water Seraphim glared at Fen Kaori in both anger and sheer shock.. "Y-You!" He attempted to fly sideways to evade it but it was far too late.