The Slave Trader, Maxim, noticed the group of teenagers at the side of the road. He was even happy, thinking he might have found some new prey to add to his collection. He was in his late twenties, had above-average looks, and was very knowledgeable in the art of socializing. These qualities proved useful when talking to the ladies, whom he had targeted as his next merchandise.
When his gaze landed on Erica, Shana, Diana, Mildred, and Sherry, who were all exceptionally beautiful, a cruel and lustful smile appeared on his face.
The Slave Trader then made hand gestures to his subordinates, giving them silent orders.
This wasn't their first time encountering such an incident, so they already knew the best way to add more high-quality slaves to their wares.
'It will be a pity to sell these girls,' Maxim thought. 'I guess I'll just keep them for myself and only sell them once I get tired of them.'
Maxim's gaze couldn't help but wander on Erica's, Shana's, Diana's, and Mildred's faces, which made his sadistic heart beat wildly inside his chest.
'Training these four will be worth my while,' Maxim mused as he made his horse stop pulling the carriage, stopping directly beside the teenagers who were currently in the process of fixing one of the wheels of their wagons.
"Hello, ladies," Maxim said with a smile. "What are all of you doing here?"
"Sorry. We don't talk to strangers," Sherry, who had been asked by Zion to say these words, said while holding onto Erica's arm.
"Strangers?" Maxim chuckled. "You're absolutely right, My Lady. My name is Maxim, and these are my subordinates. We're a merchant group, and we're on our way back to Bellaran City after a business trip near the border.
"Do you need some help fixing your wagons? My men are very good at fixing things."
The Slave Wagons had been covered up, preventing anyone from seeing the wares that Maxim's merchant group was selling.
"Thank you, Sir Maxim. But we can manage on our own," Shana stated. "Please be on your way. We wish you a safe journey."
"It will be a long ride to the nearest city, Young Miss," Maxim replied. "Why don't you girls ride with us for the time being? I'm sure it will be a pleasurable experience."
The men serving Maxim all had wolfish smiles on their faces.
It was a really long ride to the city, and they would be more than happy to ride these girls until their eyes rolled in their sockets.
However, knowing their Boss, they were certain that he would keep them for himself for the time being because he liked them fresh and tight. They only hoped that he would share the girls with them once he was done with them, which would certainly be an honor.
"There's really no need for that," Diana said with a frown. "We can manage our own business. Please, mind your own."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Young Miss, because…" Maxim raised his hand, ordering his men to surround the teenagers with their weapons drawn. "Because all of you will soon be part of my business. I like minding my business, you know?"
The Slave Traders laughed at the same time, trying to intimidate the pretty ladies who were making their bodies heat up due to lust.
"So you choose death," Erica replied before snapping her fingers.
A moment later, dozens of Magic Bullets materialized around her and shot toward the fifteen Slave Traders, who initially thought they had the upper hand in this battle.
The element of surprise prevented them from reacting on time, and before they knew it, they had all been blasted away by the magical projectiles, who seemed to have their own wills.
As a warrior mage, Maxim reacted better than his subordinates and was able to block Erica's attack with his sword.
However, before he could block her next attack, something coiled around his leg and pulled it back.
The Slave Trader collapsed on the ground face first, not understanding what had just happened.
Half a minute later, he and his men had the upper hand in the faceoff.
A few seconds later, they were all on the ground, groaning in pain.
If Thirteen's group hadn't changed out of their warrior's garbs, Maxim's group would have been more wary of them and would not allow themselves to be taken by surprise.
Of course, if Zion summoned Rocky to deal with things, even if the enemy was on guard, he believed that they could do nothing against his Monster Army.
However, the entire play was to give the others some important life experience, so he decided not to pull out his big guns and let them handle this matter on their own.
Mildred summoned a crossbow and didn't hesitate to shoot her bolts at the legs of the Slave Traders, pinning them on the ground.
Derek also moved to neutralize the still conscious Slave Traders by smacking their heads with the flat of his sword.
Maxim, the strongest among their group, found himself unable to move as Tiona and her Clone activated their Paralysis Skill, effectively neutralizing him.
"W-Who are you people?!" Although Maxim couldn't move, he could still speak, so he shouted at the teenagers whom he thought were helpless damsels he could ravage when the sun had finally set, plus servants.
"I am the son of the Vice-Leader of the Black Skull!" Maxim shouted. "He will hunt all of you down if you harm me!"
"Oh, is that so?" Thirteen smirked. "Derek, kick this dog in the face."
"With pleasure, Master!" Derek sneered at the Slave Trader and didn't hesitate to kick his face, breaking some of the other party's teeth in the process.
Maxim screamed in pain as blood oozed from his lips, but this only made Derek more motivated to kick his face to oblivion.
Thirteen ignored the Slave Trader's cries of pain as he walked toward the Slave Wagons.
He then slid the wooden frames that covered its middle section, revealing the captured slaves within.
"Erica, if you please," Thirteen said.
The Sorceress nodded before making a slashing motion with her hands.
A moment later, the steel bars trapping the slaves from within were sliced cleanly, leaving a faint red glow on the parts that were cut.
She did the same for the other wagons, and soon, all the slaves dismounted from their cages, looking at their saviors with gratitude.
If they hadn't been saved, they might have lived a fate worse than death, so all of them were feeling thankful that they met Zion's group along the way.
Unfortunately, not all of them had a home to return to. For some of them, the Slave Traders had already killed their family who had tried to rescue them from their clutches.
Thirteen wasn't a saint.
When his Parade of a Hundred Demons had stumbled upon the Slave Traders, they immediately reported it back to Tiona, who reported it to Zion.
Entering the Temple of Zaphiel was easier said than done.
Although he believed that Shana and Diana would be permitted entry, this wasn't set in stone.
Because of this, he needed to give the Temple more reason to accept them, and what would be a better way than getting rid of the scums in the world who break families apart and trample on the innocent?
Also, the young ladies, who had nowhere left to go, would be accepted in the Temple and trained as servants for the Order of Zaphiel, who were solely made up of Warrior Maidens.
As for the young men?
Thirteen planned to hand them over to Anwir, who would teach them the skills that would allow them to survive in a chaotic world, where someone's happiness could be taken away before they could even blink.