More than ten people came out of their hiding, trying to attack them. They all gathered their Spiritual Energy in their weapons and moved toward the Demon Hunting Squad, trying to eliminate them.
Captain Igor's eyes flashed as he stepped forward. Despite having a big body, he swiftly moved to the right side while punching the air.
He punched the air so hard that he created an air pressure that was strong enough to blow two of the attackers away.
After that, he used his big hands to grab two heads, crushing their skulls with his bare hands.
Even Noel couldn't help but gasp, witnessing the monstrous strength of the Demon Hunting Squad's captain.
'Their strength might not be comparable to his, but they are still Spirit Wielders. One of them is even a Spirit Master. Yet, they can't do anything to him. No, more like Captain Igor handles them like trash.' Noel thought while his body shuddered.
In the opposite direction, there were two barriers that appeared next to the Demon Hunting Squad, stopping two attackers. Meanwhile, a few attackers managed to slip past the barriers and reach the Demon Hunting Squad.
When they were about to clash, a sharp and destructive arrow flew from the side, piercing their skulls.
The arrow was not a normal arrow. Instead, it was so long that one might mistake it for a sword.
However, because of its length, the arrow pierced through three people's skulls like a skewer.
It was Captain Faust's arrow. Just like Captain Igor, Captain Faust also killed them effortlessly.
This was the power of the two captains. Meanwhile, the Demon Hunting Squad immediately marched forward, hunting down the remaining attackers.
The Demon Relief Squad and the Demon Barrier Squad remained in their positions since the enemies had been defeated before they could even move.
'Ten people: 8 Spirit Wielders and 2 Spirit Masters… are obliterated just like that.' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. 'Maybe Anna miscalculated our strength? We're strong, right?'
Despite thinking that way, Noel still didn't forget that Anna looked like she knew everything. So, she might have expected this and deemed them to still not be enough.
Noel looked around, finding no one inside the buildings.
'Hmm? This place looks empty.' Noel furrowed his eyebrows, looking around.
"Captain!" One of the Demon Beholder Squad members came to Captain Igor. "Sir. I think this place is empty."
"Empty?" Igor furrowed his eyebrows, looking around. "Are you sure about it?"
"Yes." He nodded with a serious expression. He pointed at the mountain and said, "We have climbed to a significant height, but we couldn't find any clues about their movement. In addition, several of us have circled the village. From what we can see, there is no movement in this village."
"Huh?" Igor looked down, contemplating. On the one hand, he couldn't dismiss the investigation report. On the other hand, he didn't believe this village was empty, considering he heard the explosion earlier. The enemies should have known their existence and tried to lock them up here.
However, he couldn't find any reason as to why they trapped them here.
He glanced at Noel and waved his hand, calling him.
Noel was confused, but he was his superior. So Noel had no choice but to come to him.
Once he arrived, Igor said, "Even though Paul is the one taking responsibility, I know that you are the first one to know this place is a trap. However, do you know what kind of trap it is?"
"Unfortunately, no." Noel shook his head. He didn't want to stand out, but he felt something was off.
"The village seems to be empty. So, I'm not sure what to do right now. After all, they have blown up the bridge. There should be another catch or trap that we aren't aware of. They might even be looking at us as if we are prey ready to be devoured." Igor pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out the situation.
Sadly, Noel wasn't omnipotent. He could think of something, but he was as confused as he was in this scenario.
"A trap, huh? An empty village." Noel looked down for a moment before asking, "What if they want us to be away from our headquarters so that they can attack our places simultaneously?"
Igor didn't dismiss that opinion. However, he added, "The commander is taking this matter seriously. In fact, you should know that the role of the Demon Relief Squad is to be the bait, right? Just that fact alone makes him pay attention to our headquarters. He has thought about this possibility, you see."
"I see." Noel did his best to come up with a potential trap. But nothing made sense.
"Sir. We have just explored the area around us, but there doesn't seem to be a hidden spot anywhere. The village is truly empty, and all we can find are the fifteen people who attacked us earlier." A member of the Demon Beholder Squad reported while scratching the back of his head.
"So, should we go back to check the bridge? The explosion might make us think this place is a trap." Noel stated with a serious expression.
…
While Noel and the others were discussing their current situation, Anna gradually opened her eyes.
'Uh… where is this?' Anna mumbled. She had a hard time moving, and she could feel pain all over her body. However, it seemed that she wasn't tied up, making her remember the last thing she did before passing out.
She hurriedly tried to get up while shouting, "Not go—Ahhhh!"
She clenched her chest and ended up dropping back onto the bed.
"Please take it easy." A familiar voice echoed in her ears as Anna couldn't help but turn around, finding the brothel manager sitting next to her.
"You… Why are you here? No. Where is he and his group?"
"They have left the city. I believe they have reached Creek Village by now." The manager answered with a confused expression.
"Not good. They have to leave right away. Don't go to that village!" Anna was struggling to get up, trying to catch up to them. "It's a trap. They are going to die!"
