~ Third Person POV ~

"Are you sure that there are no traps left around the entrance?" Linuel asked the lead scout with a raised eyebrow. Looking around, he saw the scouts who had participated in disarming the traps kneeling on the ground, their heads bowed, save for their leader.

"I assure you, commander, all the traps we have seen have been disarmed and removed." The lead scout didn't get up from his kneeling position as he waited for a command from his superior.

"Very well. Stand." The scouts all stood as one, their eyes staring straight into empty space with their heads rigid like stone. "Dismissed. Take a break, the frontliners will take up the mantle."

All of them saluted in unison, their right hands making fists as they positioned them a foot apart from their diaphragm.

Dispersing from the area, Linuel was left alone to stew on his own thoughts. He knew a lot of people would die in this raid, and he was happy, no, thrilled for it to be the case.

'Don't worry my darling, soon, you'll have all the blood you can lust after!' Cackling mentally, a cry from behind jolted him out of his trance. Looking at the source of the sound, he didn't hesitate to raise an eyebrow.

"What the hell was that?" Approaching the soldier who cried out, now sitting on his ass with sweat pouring from his face, he grabbed the man's soldier and tugged him forcefully, but not harshly. "What was that about?"

"I-I saw something moving towards the Dungeon, sir!" Linuel looked at the cave entrance, his hand still grasping the shoulder of the spooked soldier. He turned his gaze back on the soldier, and with a smile, he brought him back up.

"Thank you for informing me about that." Patting the soldier's shoulder, he let go and turned heel. "Men, change of plans; they know we're here. Let's give them a warm greeting, shall we?"

The roars were deafening, and Linuel smiled bloodthirstily.

'Well, change of plans, darling. You'll be getting blood sooner than expected.' Linuel grasped the handle of his blade, his fingers playing about with the jeweled handle which seemed to gleam underneath the sun's rays.

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"Drake!"

Drake turned his head and saw empty space before it shimmered, Jionni appearing from the empty space like smoke.

"Jionni? I thought you'd be staying back at the Monster Town?"

"Nah, I need to fight too. Been getting rusty." Jionni shrugged as he rotated his shoulders. "Besides, with you here, I'm counting on you to haul my ass back to the Monster Town if things get hairy. If you don't, you'll be dealing with a very depressed Domino and a catwoman hellbent on either killing the person responsible for harming me or castrating you. Whichever is closer."

Jionni snickered when he saw Drake pale slightly at the thought of being castrated.

"Anyway, he should be here anytime soon.." Jionni placed his Bloodweep War Hammer on the ground while adopting a pose that screamed "chuunibyou," not that it really mattered at this point.

"Boss. I have returned bringing you news about our current enemies." Chip dropped from the tree-lines, leaves slowly falling as they landed on the grass with nary a sound. "It appears that they are on the move. As I speak, at least half of their numbers are closing in on our home. They also disarmed all the traps outside without any casualties."

".. So, they have professional scouts and trap disarmers." Jionni cupped his chin as he adopted a thinking pose. Drake sighed at his habit that popped up after too much stress, but can the man blame him?

It's only been a month and a few days and already an army is right at his doorstep.

"Chip, did you see the scouts moving among them?" Chip shook his head, and Jionni breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, not that it really mattered, but the less versatility on their side inside my Dungeon, the better."

All of them relaxed slightly, but do not mistake this for weakness. If their body language was any indication, they were still prepared for a fight.

"Anyway, Chip, I think it's time you got to your post." Jionni looked at the edgelord of a chimpanzee with serious eyes. "Gather your team; we must not fail. Do you understand?"

"Yes boss!" Giving a salute, Chip quickly jumped back onto the tree lines and swung from tree to tree with finesse.

"Drake, you'll be leading the fight along with Gong. This time, I'll be there to support and take down any unguarded soldier with my invisibility." Jionni hefted up his hammer and placed it on his shoulder. "See you later."

And just like that, Jionni once again vanished like smoke, leaving no trace behind whatsoever. However, Drake could still sense his presence nearby, albeit incredibly diminished.

If it weren't for his honed senses, he would've probably thought that Jionni had teleported.

Blinking, Drake turned around and moved to meet with Gong, who was busy lying in wait within the bushes, their dark visages camouflaged underneath the shades.

It's a good thing that Jionni had the option to turn down the light inside his Dungeon, a feature he had just figured out in the past few days after Erika's raid.

The plan was simple: wait for the enemies to arrive, suddenly make Discord Light Mode a reality, and attack while they're still blinded.

Once the enemies got their bearings back, they would retreat and let the snipers pick them off one by one with their sniper rifles.

When the supporting fire ceases, they throw themselves once again at the enemies and retreat after a sufficient amount of time has passed.

Rinse and repeat until either the enemies retreat, which they would then make chase unless they got outside of their Dungeon, or they get too close to the wall of the Monster Town.

In case the latter situation happens, the primates are to make a full retreat while Mariona provides cover fire along with the bowmen and ballistae that are situated atop the ramparts.

As for what they would do once that happened, Drake had no idea. He didn't stay focused too long because all he could think about was getting back at the damned cult that dared took away one of his old friends.

"Gong." The gorilla in question looked at Drake's direction and nodded, his hands forming gestures while he did so. "You nervous?"

Gong shook his head, a sneer forming on his face while gripping tightly onto his mace. He gestured a few more hand signs, and Drake understood what he was relaying.

"Oh, you're angry that these humans dare tread upon Jionni's Dungeon with malicious intent?" Gong nodded and smacked his shield. "Well, you're not the only one. Those humans took something precious from me, and I intend to do the same, with interest, of course."

The gorilla chuckled, and Drake followed soon after. A few seconds later, silence descended on the area as they saw movement in the entrance.

Staying completely still, Drake, Gong, and the rest of the primates waiting in ambush silently observed the humans that, line by line, entered the Dungeon with their shields raised high.

Gong was the one tasked with giving the signal for attack, but deciding that it wasn't the correct time to do so, he waited.

More human soldiers, all armored with better quality steel than the last invaders, slowly marched through the entrance. Their eyes scanned the area with utmost vigilance.

It was until the third row of soldiers entered the Dungeon that Gong gave the signal.

And what a signal it was!

An ear-shattering roar pierced the ears of all those nearby. The humans, not expecting the sudden noise, dropped their guards and grasped the sides of their head, their ears ringing.

At the opening made by their leader, all the primates roared and howled in unison, causing more pain to the human soldiers who were helpless against this physical attack.

It was then that the dim light inside the Dungeon suddenly brightened, causing no small amount of pain and irritation to the humans.

With their ears ringing and eyes stinging, the human soldiers could do nothing but tremble on the ground as they tried to recollect themselves.

But the primates wouldn't allow that.

As one, all of them jumped out of the bushes, gorillas charging with their tower shields raised up and chimpanzees riding them with their spears at the ready.

To say the first wave of monsters triumphed against the soldiers unfortunate enough to be the vanguard was an insult. The primates massacred the vanguard of soldiers with ease; it wouldn't even be labeled as a fight.

Alas, that was just the first wave of soldiers. The next wave of human soldiers ready to die for their cause were glaring at the primates who massacred their own.

Spears raised high, all of them marched. Cold and calculated footsteps marked the ground they walked on.

Behind them, mages protected by an encirclement of soldiers bearing tower shields and heavy armor chanted lines of power, further bolstering the defense of all their allies.

The two sides glared at each other before all hell broke loose.

Meanwhile, at the back of the army's advance, Linuel grinned sadistically, his blade calling upon its master to revel in the blood spilt, whether it be ally or foe.historical