The night air was thick with tension as the assembled forces of Dmitri, Fallon, Chris, and Jimmy advanced toward Lyra’s territory.

They were a little over a hundred men in total.

Under the cover of darkness, they moved swiftly, anticipating easy riches from the unguarded city.

The easygoing talks and humorous banter among them showed that they had let down their guard and didn’t expect to meet resistance of any kind.

It was all too easy. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Attacking late wasn’t to spring a surprise attack on them, it just hadn’t been easy to organize everyone quickly but they had managed to do it in a short time.

They had set out the same day they got the news as they didn’t want to risk Lyra’s team coming back.

It was easier now that they were out of the way so they didn’t have to lose people to the bloody war that was sure to erupt.

The demons were already enough for them.

Walking in the rear with the rest of the leaders, Dmitri’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as he listened to the banters around him.

It was the most light hearted war atmosphere he had been in which wasn’t surprising given the simplicity of the mission.

Even Jimmy and Fallon were getting on together which surprised everyone.

He could already envision the spoils and points they would be getting and it was nothing to scoff at.

Lyra’s team was just as big as the four of their team combined which was why they had been wary of attacking before now.

They also had higher ranked fighters so the possibility of Dmitri and his allies winning had been pretty low.

His confidence radiated through the ranks. "Remember, quick and efficient. Grab what we need and get out before anyone notices," he instructed.

They had reached the city’s gate and from what they could see, it was unmanned with no one in sight.

"Wait, we shouldn’t lower our guard. Let me send my men to check it out first and report back," Jimmy said to Dmitri halting the group.

The rest of them stifled a groan as they considered it to be a waste of time and Jimmy too cautious for his own good.

There were no open protests though as they also acknowledged the wisdom in it so they wouldn’t be surprised by a trap.

The men went ahead while they waited. They came back quickly to confirm that the place was indeed deserted.

As they breached the city, everything seemed too perfect. The streets were eerily quiet and not a soul was abroad.

Apart from the occasionally falling hailstone, nothing else was happening.

Jimmy, always the skeptic, couldn’t help but voice his unease. "Something doesn’t feel right here. This feels too easy"

Chris waved him off. "Paranoia won’t get us anywhere now. Would it? Let’s stick to the plan so we would be out of here in no time."

He shouted the last part out for the benefit of the whole group as he urged them to action.

Most of their goods were on display out in the open which caused the men to salivate. Supplies in their own groups had been low which affected the rations that they were given.

They quickly spread out, raiding the warehouses and storage facilities they came across.

Supplies were loaded into carts as they worked with mechanical precision.

Dmitri’s heart pounded with excitement as he walked alongside the team leaders to where he suspected Lyra’s office to be.

They had warned their teams beforehand to stay off the offices in the city and only plunder the rest of the place.

They didn’t want any of them to get a powerful item and hoard it for themselves which wasn’t a strange thing in the cutthroat world.

So far they had been impressed with what they had seen. Their rival was no slouch when it came to resources.

It was all going according to plan.

Until it wasn’t.

~BOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!~

A sudden explosion rocked the street, flames licking the night sky. Men screamed as they were thrown off their feet.

Dmitri’s ears rang as he struggled to regain his bearings. Out of the smoke and fire, tall bright figures emerged.

He struggled to make them out but he couldn’t as he was disoriented. His first thought was that they were angels but he dismissed the thought.

He had never seen one.

The next second, they disappeared leaving him confused as to whether he imagined it.

He spotted them again a minute after. They were cutting down the forces with ruthless efficiency.

Though horrified, he marvelled at the speed which was unlike anything he had ever seen.

He saw Fallon, leading the charge against them. He was a blur of deadly precision but not as fast as the strange beings.

"Noooooooo," Dmitri shouted having a bad premonition of what would happen next.

He couldn’t move fast enough to stop him.

Fallon barely had time to draw his weapon properly before he was struck down, his body crumpling to the ground.

Dmitri watched in horror as his men fell like dominoes. "Retreat! Fall back!" he yelled, but it was too late.

A large number of them had already been wiped out and the rest were too shook to move.

He was now convinced that they were angels.

Unfortunately for him, the Angels had encircled them, cutting off any hope of escape.

Within minutes, the battle was over. Not that it could really be called a battle. It had been a one sided massacre.

Dmitri, Chris, and Jimmy found themselves on their knees, surrounded by the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Out of the carnage, an individual stepped out boldly.

He was wearing a mask and the angels gathered around him though not threateningly.

Without saying anything, Dmitri knew that this was the mastermind responsible for all what they had been through.

The angels were his allies.

The masked stranger stood before them, a dark smile playing on his lips.

"Surprised to see me?" He taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think you’d all walk in here unchallenged?"