Chapter 109: Ch 108: Backhand Attack - Part 1

"Heh! We are attacking them a few days before the promised time. We will take them by surprise, and they won’t even know what happened."

"That’s right! Let’s turn this festival into a day they won’t forget."

The army marched toward Goddess Apophis’s base without missing a beat. They were all self-assured in their victory.

As they reached the barrier, they took out their artifacts that would help them breach the barrier. But it was going to take some time.

The one who was the fastest at magic among them stepped forward and placed a hand on the barrier to force it open using his magic.

"It’s a shame that we don’t have God Vital’s support behind us. He is adamant about waiting for the promised time. But it is foolish to give the enemy time to prepare."

The lead magician told everyone before he started to force the entry open. A huge smile remained on his face as he watched the barrier part.

But the second he stepped inside, something struck him, killing him instantly.

The others noticed this as well, and they stepped forward to check what happened. But the second they crossed the barrier, they were struck by the trap as well.

Luckily for them, not everyone crossed the barrier line, and those who remained behind survived. But they realized that something had gone wrong.

"Is this some kind of trap? How can it be possible? There should be no way these people should be aware that we are coming..."

The army was suddenly confused and worried about what they should do. So they tried to change tactics and meet up with the other side of the squad.

Since their strategist said that it would be most efficient to attack from 4 different locations, that was how they were set up. And their squad started to head toward the second point, only to feel a presence following behind them.

"Everyone, stop!"

The current leader (former second-in-command) raised his hand and looked around. He was sure he could sense a presence around him, but where—

clang

His sword collided with another, and the only reason he was able to block the incoming attack was because of his instincts.

"Tsk, so you managed to stop me from killing you? What a shame. It would have been so much better if you had died. That way, you would suffer less."

The attacker had red hair with sharp eyes and ears. But there was something supernatural about him as well...

"You are...a half-phoenix? What is someone like you doing here?"

The soldier asked while swallowing his nervousness.

A half-phoenix being here was not in his report, so he had no idea how he was supposed to react to this. Moreover, how was he supposed to fight these durable bastards whose half body was made of flames?

The half-phoenix looked at him like he had lost his mind before he let out a laugh.

"Oh, you are asking what someone like me is doing here? Isn’t the answer simple? I...no, we live here now. And we will not allow anyone to trample over our lands."

The second he said that, potion bottles started to fly around, and the second they fell on the ground, loud explosions occurred.

It annihilated the army that had tried to sneak in without a single part being left behind.

"Tsk, you want to try and conquer our lands? You are far too arrogant. Now, the rest of your friends will join you soon."

The half-phoenix let out a sigh before he went back inside the barrier. The barrier repaired itself, almost as if it had never been damaged.

And with this, one section of the forces had been annihilated.

...

"Looks like the phoenix squad did its work. Lumi and Caelion are also doing fine. Should we take care of the last spot, Sasha?"

Aiden looked at the young half-phoenix sitting beside him.

Sasha looked excited to finally be able to fight, and Aiden felt like he was leading her down the wrong path by allowing her to fight.

But at the same time...

’This is her own choice. If she wants to fight and get better, then I won’t stop her.’

Sasha still had no control over her powers, but she had received new ones from Goddess Apophis, so he was not so worried about her. Moreover, if things truly did get dire, he was there as well...

"Let’s go. I want to try out my powers and see what I can do now. But does the last group truly have to try and sneak in from the front section?"

Even Sasha thought it was stupid for people to just try and walk into their village. Aiden agreed with her, but since it made things easier for him, he was not complaining.

He and Sasha walked toward the front of the village, and God Vital’s army that had disguised itself as fellow travellers stopped in front of the gates once they noticed him.

"Excuse me, but we would like to enter the village. We are merchants here for the last day of the festival—"

"Oh! Do you have a travel permit to enter the village? I am afraid that I cannot allow you to enter without one."

Aiden told the group, causing them to look at him as if he had gone mad.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and rubbed his hands in a stereotypically greedy way to try and pass off as a merchant.

"Sir, I am sure we can reach an agreement if we talk about it. Our goods are really good stuff. Would you like to check for yourself?"

He asked, and Aiden let out an amused chuckle.

It was clear that none of these people recognized him, but that was because they had never seen him. But that was going to be their downfall.

As for their tricks...Aiden decided to play along for now and see what they had to show him.

’I hope they amuse me a little at least.’