38 Battle

"So anyway, what kind of bandit's raze entire villages without taking anything of value?"

"Only one kind"

"What kind?"

"The ones that need to level up fast"

"Ah… I see, well that makes sense, in some sort of eerie twisted kind of way"

"Look, there's smoke coming from that town up ahead!"

"Were we too late!?"

"Shit, my family lives in that town!"

"Let's kill all the fucking bandits!"

"QUIET MEN!"

Just as the adventures and soldiers were getting riled up one of the six [Paladin]'s called out in a thundering voice quieting all the talk before he turned to one of the people walking in front of the line and asked

"Are you sure there was a lookout at the entrance to the town Klaus?"

A man with a bow in his hand gave a nod before he looked towards the town again

"Yeah a girl with red hair, she ran inside the town when she saw us approach"

The [Paladin] gave a nod and spoke

"I'll trust a [Ranger]'s eyesight any day of the week, but we need to make sure, so were there only one?"

The [Ranger] didn't take insult to getting questioned and gave a nod again

"Yep, one girl with red hair and eyes, she had a shortsword on her hip too"

"Okay… MEN MOVE TO SURROUND THE TOWN, TODAY WE SLAY THESE BANDITS!!!"

"""""""OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!"""""""

Various adventures drew their weapons, while the soldiers readied their spears, but just as they were about to spread out into formation a group of people appeared at the gate and the people paused before someone asked

"Is that all of them?"

At this some of the men began flattering, you probably think to yourself few people would be good for the subjugation army right? Wrong, few people meant that they were high level and with only four people and two beasts and all of them showing up here some of the adventures began talking a few steps back, after all the strong ruled the weak

"DON'T FALTER!"

The adventures and soldiers looked to the [Paladin] again that then drew his sword and yelled once again

"JUSTICE IS ON OUR SIDE, IF WE FAIL HERE ANOTHER TOWN GETS RAZED TO THE GROUND TOMORROW! WE WILL STOP THEM HERE!"

"""""""OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!"""""""

One of the other [Paladin]'s, a young dashing man picked his ear before he spoke

"Your [Voice of Justice] skill is as annoying as always old man"

"Well sorry about that Patrick, but we got to rally the troops somewhat"

"I know… Let's just kill these bandits and get it over with, my wife is going to be nagging me when I get home…"

Another one of the [Paladin]'s, a woman with her silver hair in a ponytail gave a sigh before she drew her sword and asked the rest

"So can I be the one to kill them? I am inches away from level 4"

The two other [Paladin]'s turned back to her and spoke in unison

""No way""

While the [Paladin]'s were busy arguing something similar was happening the other side

"I want half of the level 3's"

"Sure Mike, then I'll take the other half"

Except it had a more flirty feeling to it, of course that always happened when Mike and Julie were talking, Mike gave a smile and asked Julie

"What about the adventures?"

Julie gave a laugh

"What about them? They'll be the first to run"

"Guess you got a point… Then what about the soldiers?"

Julie gave a smile, her eyes were not smiling however

"What about them? They'll be the second to run"

Mike's face sank slightly before he asked

"So it's just fair game for them?"

Julie gave a giggle and petted Mike on the head twice before she kicked off the ground, momentarily disappearing from Mike's view

'Damn she's fast…'

Mike watched her for half a second before he spoke out to the two that stood behind him on his left and right side

"Keep my back clear and protect your heads, this is going to get ugly"

""Yes master""

Mike kicked off the ground and charged at the army, meanwhile Molly took to the skies and Serina melted into the long afternoon shadows, the six [Paladin]'s scoffed at the charging Julie but they still got into battle formation with four adventure looking people, Julie of course didn't miss this and yelled

"There's ten in total!"

Mike that still was a little way behind her yelled back

"Five for you, five for me"

Julie gave a smile and then suddenly accelerated once more turning into a blur, the ten level 3's all changed their expressions at that moment, if they weren't 100% serious before they were now, then Julie muttered

"[Hell walker]"

With that one word she activated her skill and accelerated even more momentarily disappearing from the view of the ten level 3's, the arrow the [Ranger] had fired also missed because of this, then at the same time the ten level 3's all heard demon roars from behind them which in some cases with the more inexperienced cursed them to turn around or at least flinch, an opening Julie took full advantage off, the first [Paladin] she cleaved from collar bone to hip with her sword before she did a quick rotation and sent the head of another flying, in the same motion she kept spinning and turned that energy into a kick that landed on the head of one of the level 3 adventures sending her head flying clean off her shoulders, at this point in time the remaining seven level 3's managed to launch a counter attack with the [Paladin] that had rallied the troops taking charge of the situation by yelling

"DIE DEMON!"

His roar seemed to have an effect on the others and they suddenly coordinated their moves and for a short few seconds they managed to drive Julie back a bit before she gave a sinister grin and yelled

"[Hell walker]!"

With her shout the long afternoon shadows of the seven level 3's seemed to come alive and grab their owners legs with long sharp claws that dug themselves into their legs, the opening this created was more than enough for Julie and she quickly appeared in front of a [Paladin] and made an overhead swing that cleaved the poor soul in two, before the two halves separated fully her sword seemed to bounce off the ground and cleaved another level 3 in half this time from the groin to the head, then she made a spin aiming to cut the head off the [Paladin] that had rallied the troops, he managed to lean backwards slightly but not enough as his head ended being split vertically at eye level, from there Julie paused for the first time before she then kicked off the ground jumping backwards just passing Mike that came running in followed tightly by Elina and Rebecca, before the remaining five level 3's managed to see what was coming Mike had already cut the neck of the first sending fresh blood splattering out of her now severed artery

"Just like we practiced you two!"

""Yes master!""

Then Mike heightened his control over the two of them, borrowing their eyesight as he dove into the middle of the group of four reaming level 3's, while they remained wary of Julie they had to deal with the threat in front of them, one of the four swung his broadsword overhead down at Mike, Mike gave a slight smile and stepped to the side exposing Elina behind him, she was however ready for the sudden broadsword and raised her shortsword up, the level 3 adventure could easily see the puny shortsword snap under the weight of his swing, then Elian muttered

"[Phantom mass]"

The broadsword struck the shortsword and the moment it did the adventure felt like he just had hit an anvil not a shortsword with his slash as his broadsword got defected to the side while his hands went numb, then like moving clockwork Elina stepped to the side while Rebecca stepped in from right behind her thrusting her shortsword up into the throat of the adventure, meanwhile Mike crossed blades with one of the two remaining [Paladin]'s, suddenly he loosened his grip on the knife dropping it from his right hand as he stepped in past the sword of the young [Paladin] while his left hand was open, the knife didn't hit the ground it flew from his right hand over to his left before it sank into the eye of the young [Paladin]

'Two left…'

Mike seeing through the eyes of Elina and Rebecca suddenly dodged to the side dodging a throwing knife laced with poison that the last level 3 adventure had thrown, after he threw his throwing knife he suddenly froze momentarily as Mike released his blood lust for the first time in the battle, this put him on the backfoot against Elina and Rebecca's combined assault that worked as one to gradually corner him with meanwhile Mike faced off against the last [Paladin] and within seven exchanges he managed to land a shallow cut on his forearm and gave a smile before he muttered

"[Drink]"

When the last adventure saw how the last [Paladin] turned to a dried up corpse he panicked and turned tail only to have Elina and Rebecca stab him down from behind