Chapter 24: Campaign! - Start the War!
In the middle of the night, Twelve, to be exact. The remaining messengers on the field finally returned together. Jima's forces, which consist of Twenty archers. Ten crossbows and another ten bows. And thirty of foot soldiers and twenty cavalries. Seventy in total, they were with the remaining messengers just like the messengers the girls came home with have said. The village had communication and talked about returning the messengers together. On the Leader's room, Gentaro and Itsumi anxiously looked at each other as everything is finally in order. "Everyone's ready..." Itsumi took a deep breath. "Take a seat..." Gentaro told her to sit and she went to sit to the left sofa. "This is it, huh..." Gentaro rests his hands on his desk. "It all feels good when I shouted at the people that we will be declaring war with them... But it's actually scary when it's about to happen..." Itsumi knew how nervous he is by his voice. "We just have to be intelligent about this, no need to fear their technologies. For as long as we think smart, maybe we can win this" He continued. "There's no way of talking to them because even the people hated the idea. They wanted to win the war by dominating them" He thinks of every people of the Ekigatamura. "Itsumi..." Gentaro looked at her. "Help me out..." He said.
Time passed, Five in the morning. "Hey!" Yagano's faint voice reached out to the girls. Mariko quickly woke up and ran to the door. "Y-Yes?!" Mariko's heart races. "We got everyone's message. There are forces in the Center right now!" "Eh?!" Ayumi shouted in hearing the news. "You're kidding right?" Mariko remained surprised. "Not this time, Mariko. Gentaro and Itsumi were readying some forces the whole goddamn time. I was surprised as well, a soldier just came in knocking to us to say this" Yagano answered. "Oh, fuck..." Mariko cursed and was on verge of panicking. "Those two are currently resting right now, And we're moving in Seven. We have plenty of time, but use those time to prepare" Yagano nodded and was about to walk down. "Father?! Can we see them in the Center first?!" Chiho came running to ask. "Well... Yeah, do whatever you want" Yagano allows them and they all ran downstairs. "Hey... Girls!" Yagano was pushed aside by them. They are all still wearing the Inn's clothes. The staff just watched them run. They quickly drove to the Center and stopped immediately before entering the area. "Shit..." Mariko curses as they stared at the army. The chatter of the soldiers, the sounds of the weapons being carried, the sounds of the carriages and the horses' neighs fills the whole area. There were no people walking at the Center and was left for the army to wait. "...At first, I thought it was another joke" Even Shu Fang can't stop staring at them. They all became nervous. "M-M-Maybe G-Gentaro-san is still messing with us?" Ayumi shakingly asked. "Bullshit! There's no way that guy will go this far for a joke!" Mariko shouted. One of the soldiers walked towards their direction and noticed them. "Hey, maybe we can ask that soldier?" Ayumi called out the soldier and waited for him to get close. "Hey, what are the soldiers doing here?" She asked him.
"Huh? I thought a soldier already went to the Inn? It's the war, girls" The soldier walked away. "U..Uh..." Ayumi slowly turned to Chiho. They didn't know how to react and just went back to the Inn. "Well...?" Yagano sitting on the bar asked. "There's...There's a lot of them there" Chiho looked worried. "Told you so..." He took a sip of coffee. "Does the enemies know yet?" Chiho asked. "No. We're going to surprise them" Yagano answered. "How?" Mariko asked as they all took a seat. "We're gonna charge there..." He answered. "Oh come on..." Mariko sounded disappointed. "Don't forget that we have powers!" Mariko grinned. "Yeah. Since you have powers, you'll be ahead of our charge" Yagano said, Mariko sighed. "Chiho's ability to teleport. They have a fucking ranged weapon, Yagano-san. We'll teleport in one of their defensive positions and cause a huge distraction. Maybe we can use their weapon against them" Mariko told him their plan. "Huh..." Yagano didn't quite like the idea. "Isn't that dangerous?" He asked. "Nope. We're teleporting on one of their defensive structures and we will make the distraction from there" Mariko answered. "Yeah, that's the point" Yagano crossed his arms. "W-Well... It'll be fine as long as we're together. We'll use our powers to destroy the defensive line while you charge in" Mariko said. "And I thought you were just making distraction?" Yagano got confused. "Well... If the distraction isn't enough and they are showering you a whole lot of deaths, We will completely destroy them" Mariko nodded. "Remember that every one of them carries two painkillers, imagine how many we can take after that surprise inside their structure" She continued. "Hm... Still, don't be aggressive" Yagano finally agrees and sips his coffee. "We can do this!" Mariko shouted. "Yeah!" The girls shouted.
They took a quick breakfast, told Katsuko, and she went with them to the Center. "Katsuko. We will use this vehicle on the battle, you will have to walk back to the Inn" Yagano said, Katsuko got a little irritated. "How many times are you going to say that? I already know..." She said. "...He's just worried about you" Shu Fang looked at her. "I already know about it, he didn't have to repeat it all over" Katsuko said. "...No. He's worried, that's why he keeps telling you that" Shu Fang shook her head. Katsuko just looked at her and sighed. "So...Yeah, we're here. Don't tell me you went with us to argue with him, Mother?" Chiho asked. "Of course not, I came to see what's going on... And there sure are a lot of soldiers here..." She scanned the whole place and a flag caught her sight. It was the flag of the Tsukosa. It has a blue base, A white tower icon in the middle with two white chevrons pointing at the tower from the lower and upper part. It slowly waves as winds hit the area. Ayumi followed the direction where she's looking at. "It's the flag of the alliance, you know!" Ayumi said to Katsuko. "Yes, I know. Just seeing the flag makes me want to go to battles just to wave them" Katsuko thought of the idea. "I know right? You will scream "For Tsuchiya!" while waving the flag of the Tsukosa" Ayumi and Katsuko happily imagined the idea. "But wouldn't it better if the 'Sanguis omnium fortis' were also with us?" Mariko joins in. "The what?" Katsuko quickly turned to her. "The North's only flag! that awesome black three-sided weapon with the eight-sided star or sun inside a circle on top of it!" Mariko imagined the flag of the North. Their flag has a white base. From the lower part, it has a small red chevron and its tip acts as a stand for the black three-bladed weapon. There's a red sun enclosed by a circle and it lies in the middle of the black weapon. Lastly, there's a small red shield on top of it.
"Their flag really is something..." Yagano spoke. "They even have the name for their flag" He added. "But ours is better! Blue as the clear skies and as white as the clouds!" Katsuko turned to their flag and smiled. "Eh... I wish those symbols had meanings..." Mariko stared at the flag. "Like that tower icon, like what towers really do, it's a protection. Like, We protect the weak against the strong something like that" Mariko gave an example. "And those... what do you call those? those really thin shits pointing at the tower? Those sharp fuckers aiming at the tower means the oath of putting your life on the lines to protect the others" She continued. "You're quite creative, huh?" Yagano got impressed. "Haha..." Mariko shyly scratches her head. "You just have to change how you refer to the things you don't know..." Yagano lays his disapproval. "Can't be fucking bothered. I will speak whatever the fuck I want" Mariko crossed her arms and smiled. Yagano just sighed at her insolence. "It's the fucking war, why the fuck are you still bothered about the fucking languages?" She continued. "Stop it, Mariko..." Chiho got annoyed and told her to stop. "Why don't just let me be? You're all killing machines yet you hate simple bad words" Mariko complained. "She has a point" "Shut it, Ayumi" Ayumi backs her up but Chiho scolded her. "But it's true!" Ayumi whines but no one responded.
"By the way, Why don't we talk to these soldiers about the campaign?" Mariko asked. "Campaign?" Chiho looked at her. "Yeah. Missions. The plan" Mariko nodded. "Then I'll go with you!" Ayumi agrees to join. "Yeah, I guess I will go" Chiho also joined. "How about you three?" Mariko looked at them. "...I'm fine here" Shu Fang refused. "We'll stay here" Yagano also refused and Katsuko nodded on his word. "Alright, just the three of us" Mariko says and they hopped out of the R37. "I wanna talk to that flag bearer" Mariko looked at the soldier who's supposed to carry the flag, they saw that it's actually on a pole and was tied into a carriage. "He's too far away, though. Let's talk to the soldiers on the way there" Chiho said and she started to walk, the two followed her. "Here..." Chiho approached a soldier. "Um..." She dragged his attention to them. "Oh? If it isn't Chiho's little party?!" He puts up a big smile. "Hey, why don't you get someone else to come to your party? Not only you can become strong in numbers, but you all can be friends as well!" He said. "Not when we get big. And I don't think one of us can lead a group that much" Mariko disagrees. "So then you just rely on your powers alone? You can teach yourselves how to rule a large group!! Having your own troops to command around has a lot of benefits you know. You can't always command a Commander around with his troops just because you have those powers" With that, The man turned away and returned what he was doing. "Nice piece of advice, I guess..." Chiho shrugged and walked around. After a few seconds, a Commander on a horse noticed them. "Hey, Chiho!" He called. The girls quickly turned to him. "Me and my men will be the ones who will be facing the enemies first. I bet you're going with us too, with your powers and all. Got any idea about it?" He asked. "We actually have plans. Do you know my ability to teleport into a place? Once we got into range, we will teleport to their defensive structures and neutralize it. Then we will distract everyone so you can charge ahead" Chiho told him their strategy. "Oh! That's good to know! I'll let everyone know about this!" The Commander was visibly happy. "By the way, those defensive structures you're talking about? They name it Bunkers. They can fit more than ten people there so I think it'll take long for you clear those" The Commander said.
"That's fine. Come to think of it, we keep thinking of signaling you before you charge. How can we signal the army?" Mariko remembered something and asked. "Yes. Hold on" The Commander took the brown horn that was on his neck and extends it to Mariko. "Here. This should do, it's loud" The Commander said. "Thank you! I will use this when we're successful!" Mariko was happy and immediately hangs it on her neck. "No problem!" The Commander grinned. "Commander Matsura..." A soldier called him. "See you girls later" The Commander waved his hands and focused on the soldier. "Nice! I was planning on signaling them by firing a gun but that would be a bad idea" Mariko said as she raises the horn and let it swing back to her body. "Do you think we can do it?" Chiho asked as they walk. "Huh? Are you being a chicken right now?" Mariko quickly got disappointed. "No... But it's just four of us against up to ten enemies inside those bunkers. We don't even know if we can freely swing our weapons inside, it looks tight inside" Chiho laid her worries. "Then we stab them!" Mariko swings her right arm forth as to pretend a stab. "I don't think we can stab like that" Chiho and Ayumi spoke at the same time. "Then fucking swing! You don't have to fully swing your shit to scratch a fucking person!" Mariko got annoyed. "Fine..." Chiho sighed and remained silent to prevent her to become even angrier. "Hey, I heard that there's a one-eyed girl in the enemies that is both good at close-range and long-range fighting..." As they walk, they heard some of the soldier's conversation. "One-eye... Do they mean that faction leader I've met before?" Mariko whispered. "Yeah. It might be her" Chiho nodded. "She does look strong, Her presence was enough to make my skin crawl... Her emotionless face and faint voice really give out the creeps. But as that Takumi-idiot said, She can be cute sometimes. She smiled once when she heard my name and goddamn..." Mariko clenched her teeth and snaps her finger. "Imagine that smile in her face without her guts!" She shouted.
"H-Her guts?" Ayumi looked frightened. "Uh... Guts, like her strength to fight? Imagine her as a normal, defenseless child" Mariko looked up. "Can't do that, I haven't seen her" Ayumi shook. "Well... You will see her now this time" Mariko smiled. "Oh... Talking about that eyepatch girl..." Chiho's about to ask something. "Aren't they going to be mad about you? That you lied about joining them?" She asked. "They can be mad, but I think they understand. Even if I really meant to join them..." Mariko looked away and spotted a familiar flag. "The Jima's flag!" She pointed a waving flag, It has a white base with large red chevron talking almost half of the flag. Then an Axe and a Sword forming an X lie in the middle. Their huge acceptance to the Northerners since the beginning made them earn this flag. They got the idea of the red chevron from the North's flag. "Oh, It's your home's forces!" Ayumi recognized the flag. "I wanna talk to 'em!" Mariko ran and they followed her. "Hey!" Mariko shouted to the Jiman forces. "Oh? If it isn't Mariko-chan!" A Jiman Commander on a horse quickly recognized her. "Hey! Commander Yamada!" Mariko waved at him. "We're growin' up in a flash, eh?!" Yamada leans to pat Mariko's head. "And yer face became a fuckin' grandpa!" Mariko talks back. "Haha! This face ain't nothin'! I still can fight!" Yamada laughed. "Ain't yer back hurts?!" Mariko joked and they both laughed. "Mariko's quite popular even to the soldiers huh..." Ayumi whispered as they watch her talk to the soldiers. Since it was her countries' forces, they didn't get to listen much to their conversation and just listened to how they speak differently when talking to each other. While watching there, a crossbowman noticed them. "Chiho-san!" A female voice reached out to them, making them look. The crossbowman? approached them and took his helmet off. "Hey, Chiho-san. Can you tell me more about your weapons you'll use in this war?" A woman with long brown hair asked.
"W-When did they accepted women in the army?!" Ayumi got surprised. "Gentaro-sama did allow some civilians to join in depending on their skills..." She said. "Ah..." Ayumi forgot about it. "By the way, my name is Hitoshi Okubo! Nice to meet you!" She quickly reached Chiho's hands and shook them. "Hitoshi? That doesn't sound girlish, are you those guys with long hairs?" Ayumi asked. "What? Then what about this beautiful voice?! It's my father's fault for giving me this name! But whatever!" Hitoshi shook her head. "That's not what I came here for. So? About your weapons?" She asked. "Ah, Yes. I'm using a long axe and she uses a sickle with chains" "Chained sickle! It's not just the sickle! It has a sharp ball on the other end of the chain!" Chiho told her their weapons and Ayumi corrects her. "I see. How about Shu Fang-san and Mariko-san??" Hitoshi asked about Shu Fang and Mariko. "Ah. Shu Fang uses two short swords and Mariko uses an axe, shorter than what I have" Chiho told her their weapons. "Ah... Not even a ranged weapon?" Hitoshi got worried. "We do eject some magical fires or something!" Ayumi answered. "Well, how about non-magic ranged fires? I heard that it takes your strength for using your powers too much, so I guess I will give you mine!" Hitoshi took out a small crossbow. "It's small but it can penetrate a skull or two!" She handed it to them and Chiho took it. "So cute! This will be very useful indeed!" She inspected the small crossbow. "That's to be used in case of emergency. like you have to shoot someone or something urgently" Hitoshi explained. "Yes! I will take care of this!" Chiho happily nodded. "By the way, is that your Northern friend?" Hitoshi was looking at Mariko, who was still talking to the soldiers. "Yes. She's talking with her country's soldiers" Chiho answered. "Eh..." Hitoshi looked up to the flag and recognized the Jima's flag. "Jima, huh?" She said as her eyes turn to the soldier. "I don't know much about the Jima, though. The only thing I know is that they accept the Northern people" She said. "Everyone knows that" Ayumi said.
"Yes. It became a piece of common knowledge. It's a surprise they still got the nice standing on the Tsukosa even with their unacceptable decisions" Hitoshi crossed her arms. "Oof, gotta go. I think Gentaro-sama is arriving soon. Once he arrived, he will call for your father and start the campaign. So I have to take care of things, Bye!" Hitoshi waved and ran away. "Take care!" Chiho and Ayumi waved back. "Let's get back to Mariko..." After watching Hitoshi disappear, Chiho turned back to Mariko's direction and saw that she's already walking towards them. "Hey. Who was that?" Mariko asked. They knew that she was watching from there. "She's a female crossbow user. She was one of the civilians who surpassed Gentaro-san's test" Chiho explained. "Ah. I see..." Mariko looked at the direction of where she disappeared. "She let me borrowed this!" Chiho showed her the small crossbow Hitoshi gave. "Ooh! That's so cute! Wish I can get one too!" Mariko took the crossbow and looked at every part. "We can borrow one from the crossbowmen!" Ayumi said. "Sure! I don't care if they run out of the second option!" Mariko said as she hands the crossbow back. "Second option?" Chiho asked. "Yeah. If their main crossbow broke or something, they will switch to that little guy" Mariko answered. "Yes, She said that we should use this on urgent situations" Chiho looked at the small crossbow. "Yeah. No one uses that small as the main weapon, only acts like a secondary. Second choice" Mariko nodded. "I see... Then, let's look for more small crossbows!" Chiho said and they looked for crossbowmen who would let them borrow or have a spare for them. Later, they got their own. They didn't forget Shu Fang and had one more. As they return to what they've been doing, they approached the flag bearer without anyone talking to them on the way. The soldier on a horse carries a pole with the flag and a broadsword only. "Hey there..." Mariko called out to the soldier.
"Morning. What do you need?" The soldier asked. "How does it feel like to be a flag bearer?" Mariko asked. "How does it feel? I feel like I have wings and I have this duty to carry all my allies to victory!" The soldier answered with determination. "Yes! Please guide us to victory" "Aye!" Ayumi went along with him. "Hah... Please, destroy those Stukas too" Mariko thinks they are both hilarious and made a joke. "Ahaha... Yes, of course" The soldier awkwardly scratched his head. "My name is Satoshi Tagami, at your service" He bowed. "I'm afraid I already know your names..." He smiled. "Though, I feel like someone missing, Where's our Chu-yuan friend?" He was looking for Shu Fang. "She was with my parents from the entrance" Chiho answered. "I see... Anything else you wanted to know?" Satoshi asked. "So... Seriously, what's your role in the war?" Mariko asked. "Flagbearer, I will be one of the guys who will shout to increase our morale. You still don't know about it?" Satoshi asked. "Just making sure..." Mariko answered. "Is that so... Anything else? I think Gentaro-sama will be arriving soon" Satoshi looked at his right and there were some more cavalries going in. "I recognized some of them. They are the soldiers Gentaro-sama stations to the noble families to watch over them" He said as he watches the cavalries goes. "Due to their duties to watch the families, they are the closest to Gentaro-sama. When they appear like that, Gentaro-sama would likely show up after" He continued. "Is that so..." Mariko became nervous. "Yes. Are you prepared? Once Gentaro-sama arrived, we have to start immediately" Satoshi warned them. "Yeah, I guess we're all good to go" Chiho nodded. "I see. How about Yagano-san? Did he get his equipment yet?" He asked about Yagano. "Oh... Yeah, about that?" Mariko looked at Chiho. "He wasn't wearing any armor when we got here" Chiho also got surprised. "I think he changed when we left" Ayumi said. "Yeah, I guess so" Chiho shrugged.
"When we see Leader-san, let's teleport back" Mariko said. "Alright..." Chiho nodded. "By the way, we told a Commander our own plans. We will teleport to their...uh...Bunker and clear it out. The Commander said that he will tell everyone about it. So listen carefully" Mariko reminded Satoshi. "Noted. Good luck out there" He nodded. "Gentaro-sama's here!" The soldiers shouted to warn the whole army. They were surprised by them. "Looks like he's here..." Satoshi smiled. "I'm anxious, but for the Tsuchiya, I will encourage my allies and take back what's yours!" Satoshi smiled with determination. "Good luck!" Chiho bowed. "You too girls, Good luck..." He nodded. As Mariko asked, they teleported back to their R37. And just like Ayumi guessed, Yagano was now wearing armor. "...? Oh, Welcome back..." They appeared behind the R37 and Shu Fang noticed them. Yagano and Katsuko looked back on hearing her. "Oh hey. I'm all ready. Looks like Gentaro's finally here to make a briefing" Yagano looked past through the soldiers. "Is it starting?" Katsuko looked at them. "Yeah. Once Gentaro's done, We are moving towards Tsuchiya" Yagano nodded. "I see..." Even Katsuko had mixed feelings within her. "Move back people!" A soldier shouted from the front and they started to move back. "Oops..." Chiho quickly rides the R37 and pressed something with her foot, then she worked the accelerator but instead they reversed. Once everything's good, Gentaro and Itsumi stands in front of them. "The day that we've been waiting for has finally come..." Gentaro started his speech but Chiho and the group easily got bored, Gentaro and Itsumi were just standing in the ground, so everyone on the back can't see him. "What is this..." Mariko sighed. "Let's fly!" Ayumi shouted and flew up. "Wait! How about them?!" Chiho shouted. Their noises are making the soldiers look at them. "Carry them!" Ayumi shouted whilst in the air. "No way!" Chiho whined. "Me and your mother will be fine down here, you can go" Yagano wanted to remain on the ground. "Ah... Alright..." Chiho and Shu Fang flew on his confirmation. "Look at them fly..." Yagano and Katsuko heard a voice and realized that Mariko wasn't able to fly. "Eh... This will be fine..." She sighed. "Once we invaded them, I will quickly get my own powers" She muttered.
After a good speech, Everyone cheered. "Then!" A soldier with a horse went to him and he rode the horse, then he unsheathes his sword. "Let's not waste time! We're marching! For Tsuchiya!" "For Tsuchiya!" Everyone shouted the name and started to move. "Whoa whoa...!" Mariko got surprised that the soldiers started to turn to their direction. "Oops..." Chiho flew down to the R37 and drove it, making them look like they're leading the army. "I should go down from here..." Katsuko found a big spot and asked to stop. With that, she stepped away and waved. "Good luck!" About to cry, she held it and wishes them good luck. "We'll be right back..." Yagano smiled and Chiho was in tears. "Don't cry, sweety..." Katsuko tried to calm her down. "You were cool and all, why are you crying now?" Katsuko asked with a smile. "No... It's just..." "You can do it!" A soldier encouraged the crying Chiho, they looked at him. "Yeah! We'll kick them off your lands!" "We will slay them without a sweat!" Then everyone started to shout words. "Everyone..." Chiho can't believe what she's hearing. "...!" Chiho wipes her tears and they all stopped. "Then, Everyone! Let's do our best and drive them out of our lands!" She shouted to the army and everyone happily cheered. "Hah... Look at that, Chiho. Everyone's hyped up for our battles..." Yagano whispered. Then Gentaro and Itsumi's went through the army to them. "We can do this, Chiho-san, everyone..." Gentaro nodded with a smile. "Right! Then, Mother! We have to get going now!" Chiho turned to her mother with a determined look. "Yes, Good luck!" Katsuko joined her hands together as she speaks. "Then!" Chiho waved and started to drive. The army moves and Katsuko watched them.
On the field. The army stands in formation, divided by each role and by their countries' flags. The Commanders were in the first row, then the cavalries, then the footsoldiers and lastly the archers. "Perfect..." The girls were on the air inspecting the army. "Oh...?" They saw some more forces with the Chu-yuan flag. It has a red base and a blue paifang symbol in the middle. It has a '除-元' text inside the gate. "It's our army!" Shu Fang was happy to see her country's army. "...And I'm guessing that Shun and the other assassins are going to move outside the battlefield..." She continued. "Let's keep going..." Chiho looked at them and flew down to their R37. They waited the Chu-yuan to merge in before they marched outside the Saijun borders. Later on, they met a small hill before entering the Tsuchiyan borders. "Oh!" Chiho stopped before the hill and so everyone. "This is better than I expected!" Chiho became happy. "The army waits here while we distract everyone. When I think you can charge, Mariko will let you know with her horn" She instructed. "Everyone already knows about this, Chiho. Thank you for reminding us" A familiar Commander in the front spoke. "Then! We have to get going!" Chiho nodded on him then turned to the group. "Let's do it!" Chiho closed her eyes but no one responded to her. "Eh...?" She opened her eyes again to see them staring at her. "Eeeeh... When did you become like that?" Mariko said. "...Amazing" Shu Fang went along. "B-Become what?" Chiho got confused. "You sounded like a commander just now!" Ayumi also went along. "Eh...?" Chiho got even more confused. "L-Let's just do this..." She closed her eyes once more and they hold on to her. "Father... We're going..." She whispered as she felt their touches. "Good luck..." Yagano smiled as he watches them. Rather than fearing their death, He trusted the girls instead. On the last seconds, Mariko saw Gentaro. She made a quick salute with her other hand before disappearing. Magical leaves slowly fall to the R37 and Yagano was able to get one before it disappears along with the ones on the floor of the sidecar.
On a bunker, they appeared behind the two enemy soldiers, watching the area ahead of them with their mounted machineguns. They were about to hit them but they noticed something wrong. "..." Chiho noticed that there were buildings in front of them. "...!" Chiho gestured them to hold on to her once more and they quickly teleported somewhere. "Huh?" The soldier on the left noticed and saw the magical leaves on the ground. "Shichiro...?" He called out, making the other soldier look.
They appeared in a large green field. Chiho dropped on all fours and was panting hard. "H-Hey... What was that?!" Mariko shouted. "Where did you brought us?! Did you just went inside Tsuchiya?!" She continued. "No... I'm pretty sure... It was that bunker..." Chiho tries her best to speak. "...Then why there are some buildings?" Shu Fang, all of them fell into confusion. "Let's... Let's go back to that hill..." Chiho slowly made her way to stand. "...We should wait" Shu Fang suggested. "No... I still can make it... Come on" Chiho took a deep breath, but only to pretend to look fine, her heart is beating so fast. "...Are you sure?" Shu Fang looked very worried. "It's a disaster if you fall right now, we haven't done anything yet..." She added. "Right, I'm sorry..." Chiho, seeing Shu Fang with a worried look, took another deep breath. This time she actually calms down. Once she felt their touches, They teleported back to the Hill. Upon teleporting back, Chiho finally fell to the ground. "Chiho!" Mariko raised Chiho's head and rested it on her lap. "What happened?!" Yagano shouted and the army started to whisper. Shu Fang faced them as they take care of Chiho. "There was something wrong when we teleported..." She answered. "Huh?" Yagano didn't get it and Shu Fang went to the top to look ahead. "...!" She can't believe what she saw. There was an outpost ahead, guarded by bunkers and sandbags. She hurried down to the group. "...They built another village ahead of us!" She shouted. "Village?!" A soldier shouted and the army became noisy again. "...And of course, it is guarded by bunkers" Shu Fang thinks.
"S-So, Where did we teleport into?" Mariko looked up at her. "Probably the bunker that was around Tsuchiya, not this new village" Shu Fang answered. "Shit..." Mariko cursed as she looked at Chiho. "I should have looked for it before we did that..." She continued. "Can you do another?" Mariko asked. "Of course... Give me a second..." Chiho tried to stand up but she fell and just sits. "We can wait..." Gentaro said. They waited for a minute, completely forgetting about the great risk of being detected by a plane. Luckily, there were no aircraft at that time. "Alright, I'm good..." Chiho stood up, she stood up normally which indicated that she's really fine. "This time for real..." Chiho took a deep breath, they touched her one more time and they teleported. And this time, they saw the same hill from afar. "Finally!" Mariko shouted, to initiate the surprise. "Haa..!" "...!" Chiho and Shu Fang went to kill the turning soldiers. Chiho swung her axe down to the soldier's shoulder while Shu Fang stabbed his neck. Chiho's enemy shouted as loud as he can. She slides down the axe and the soldier got dragged down. "Hrgh...!" Chiho raised her axe above her and swung it down his head. "Oof..." Mariko looked up. "Didn't know this place to be this big, you can roll hard with the axe..." She said. "Hey, What's happening?!" A soldier barged in. "Ya...!" Ayumi got surprised and threw the sickle around his neck and pulled him closer. The soldier stumbled in. "You're mine!" Mariko took her axe and swings it to his left leg. "Argh...!" The soldier shouted. "Rah...!" She spun and hits his other leg. Mariko swings the axe down to his head as soon as he fell to the ground. "Tch... Too easy..." Mariko said as she removed the axe from the head. "Приготовиться к стрельбе" Someone shouted from outside and a lot of footsteps are closing in. "Sounds too many... Let's grab these!" Mariko quickly reached out for the MGs. "Go! I can't remove them!" Ayumi let them do the job and just watched the door. "Щас по ебалу получишь, Cука!" Someone shouted really mad and kicked the iron door open. "Ha...!" Ayumi threw her spiked ball to the first person who appeared from the door. It hits his face. "Gaargh... Блять...!" The door closed again. "сколько их там?!" Someone shouted again. "That one sounded like he's asking...!" Mariko guessed the voice. "Probably about how did we get in or how many are we... Ah!" Mariko guessed and finally took off the MG by force, screws and metals clangs as it falls to the ground.
"Just what are these?!" Chiho struggled at removing the MG. The metal base is screwed on the surface and the MG is also screwed on the metal. "Гранату! (Granatu!)" "Granatu?!" Mariko clearly heard what they've shouted. "На хватай!" Someone shouted and opened the door slightly then threw a grenade. "What the fuck is that?!" Mariko panicked, holding the Degdtyarev. "...!" Shu Fang quickly grabbed the grenade and threw it out. "...Whatever that is, that is no-" The grenade explodes and interrupted Shu Fang, proving her point too. Hearing the explosion, they barged in. "Heeeey!!!" Mariko opened fire at them. The flashing of the muzzle, the loud banging, some of the bullets hitting the walls and the dust made a terrifying scene which scares both sides, even Mariko herself. A lot of the soldiers who barged in got shot and were retreated until the door closes again. "Fuck you!" Mariko curses out loud. "That was very loud!" Ayumi shouted. "Change of plans! or maybe... When we can't get out of this shithole, I will signal them to charge" Mariko thinks of another strategy. "You're using them as a bait?!" Ayumi shouted. "No! But maybe yes... Once they noticed the army, we will move out immediately!" Mariko explained. "So? What about it? Let's try now..." Mariko slowly approached the door. She heard how busy they got outside. "Here goes..." Mariko slowly reached for the door. Then quickly opened the door and closed it again. Successfully tricking the soldiers outside, They fired at the door. Once they've stopped, Mariko opened the door wide and opened fire. "Taaake thaaat!" She sprayed at the soldiers aiming at the door. Six of them got shot and some were able to avoid her. Mariko walked outside. "You fuckers are- Argh!" A Mosin-Nagant fired and hits her MG. It flew from her hands and fell to the ground with a broken barrel. "Shit!" Mariko quickly took the SVT-40 from a fallen soldier before going back inside.
"What happened?!" Chiho shouted. "Why did your gun became small?" Ayumi asked. "Someone shot my fucking gun then I picked what I can see" Mariko answered. "Someone's a good shot out there..." Mariko pointed her thumb to the direction of where felt the shot. "To the left, right?" Chiho prepared to teleport. "Go sound the horn! Then I will teleport outside, once I got their attention, Go out and go wild" Chiho made a plan "Yes!" They nodded. "With your signal, Mariko!" Chiho waited for her. "Right!" Mariko held the horn and used it. But didn't last long since a female soldier peeked through the window and started firing her PPSH. They all ducked. Mariko continued to blow the horn for a few seconds. "There you have it!" Once she stopped, she turned to Chiho. "Wait for a second before you charge out!" Chiho shouted before teleporting out. She appeared behind the soldier who shot Mariko's gun. They were standing on a roofless wooden tower. The soldier quickly felt her presence and used the stock to hit her without turning. Chiho got hit in her right arm. "Ow...!" She screamed but quickly gained focus and swings her axe down to the soldier. But the soldier quickly moved away and turned to her. There she realized it's a girl. "Getting rough are we?" The soldier grinned as she removed her helmet. Exposing her short red hair. "So you've gained that power, huh?" She examined Chiho's face. "Eeeeh...? You?" Even though she was smiling, there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. "You can't be serious..." She laughed. "I would like you to know who you fight with first... I'm Nami Setogawa, of the Red-Mosin of the Prohorovka! Nice to meet you, Chiho Hasegawa..." She smiled. "..." Chiho feared that she's well known to the enemies. "You fucks finally decided to act..." Nami shrugged. "We've been waiting for so long!" She shouted as she charged towards Chiho. "...!" Chiho carefully watches her. Not what she was expecting, Nami held her gun from the barrel. "Haaa...!" She swung her gun stock against her, but Chiho blocked it, making Nami step back. But as soon as she did, she spun and fired at Chiho. "Whoa!" Chiho happened to react quick, her blade turned yellow but she just moved her head.
"Heh..." Nami chuckled as she works with the bolt. The sound of the cartridge falling to the ground scares Chiho a bit. "Not bad. Not everyone can avoid a bullet like that..." She said. Then suddenly, the door from the bunker opened wild and the three jumped out together. "What?!" Nami looked behind her to see what's up. "Take this!" Mariko opened fire to the soldiers while Shu Fang and Ayumi flew up to the sky. "On me!" Chiho tried to get Nami while distracted but she used her gun to block Chiho's attack. "Ah!" Chiho got surprised at her quick reaction. "Not gonna... Work!" Nami pushed off Chiho and quickly charged. "...!" Chiho tried her best to watch her as she stumbles back. "Haa...!" Nami swings the stock against her, but Chiho blocked it with her blade. "...!" Then she used the knob to hit Nami's face, but she moved away. Missing the attack, Chiho aimed to bump the knob against her stomach. "...!" She thrust her axe forward, but Nami catches the knob. "Heh, nice combos" She giggled. Then suddenly, they heard a huge army charging to their direction. They both looked to their right. "Tch... Knew this gonna happened, that damn horn..." Nami got annoyed. "Get off!" She throws the axe away and aimed at the army. "Ah...!" Chiho didn't get the time to react and just watched her shoot, then she loads another bullet. "Wait!" Seeing her ready for another shot, Chiho stood up and swings her axe against her. "Don't be a nuisance!" Nami blocked the axe and quickly grabbed it. "...!" Then she pulled it to drag Chiho closer and slams her body against her. Chiho fell to the ground. "Gr..." She threw the axe behind her and faced her soldiers. She shouted in her language and Chiho couldn't understand. Chiho saw a lot of dead soldiers down there with the three going on a killing spree. But despite that, there are more soldiers coming to their position. Those who are not targeted by the three, went to face the army and starts firing at them. "Oh no!" Chiho extends her arm at the axe and it slowly made its way towards Chiho's hand. "Huh?" Nami noticed it and saw the axe in Chiho's hands. "Fuck sake..." Nami cursed and shouted in Russian again before turning to Chiho. "I'm sorry, but I will leave you for now!" Chiho then teleported down to the ground. "Hey!" Nami ran to her place and looked everywhere. Then she started to hear her soldiers' scream. "What the?!" She looked below to see Chiho killing the soldiers who were shooting at the charging army. "You!" Nami jumped down and revealed her right blade. After killing some of the shooting soldiers, Chiho stopped to face Nami. "How dare you run away from me?!" Nami's about to charge but a dead soldier was thrown in front of them. They looked up to the sky and saw Ayumi spinning in the air with a soldier tied in her chains. Then she threw off the soldier away.
After that. They saw a fast black shade charged to a soldier, killing them. Then the shade became Shu Fang's appearance. "Shu Fang!" Chiho called and Shu Fang looked at them. "Kill those guys shooting at them!" Chiho shouted. "...Alright!" Shu Fang nodded. "Ah! I can't believe this!" Nami aimed at Shu Fang and fired, but Shu Fang became a black shade and quickly charged to the soldiers. "Shit... Ah!" Nami was about to load another bullet but Chiho didn't let her and charged. "I would never let you!" She shouted as she slams herself against Nami. Chiho even put all her strength but Nami just stumbled back. So she followed up with a swing attack. "Kh...!" Nami used her blade to parry and push back Chiho. "Looks like I'm underestimating you a lot... Didn't knew you were this strong!" Nami was really surprised and started to get serious. "Hmph..." But she quickly let go of it. "I'll let Mark handle you and see who's more useless..." Nami mentioned a familiar name. "Until then..." Nami ran to the middle. "Hey! Mark'll be handling you now! The guy can't fucking speak Russian so careful with your language!" She shouted to the soldiers before running. Chiho watched her run. All of the sudden, Mariko suddenly showed up and surprised Nami with a swing attack. "Ah!" Chiho carefully watches them. "Get out of the way!" Nami blocked her attack and threw her to the side and ran away. "Hey! Get back here!" Mariko shouted but didn't chase after her. And a soldier came running to her with a bayonet. "Hey!" Someone called behind Chiho and she turned. "...!" She quickly moved her head away and the handgun fired. "What the...!" The soldier got surprised. Then Chiho pushes him away with her axe and immediately swung it down to his head. Then she kicked off the body away, making the blade slices before it falls to the ground.
Right after that, She saw a female soldier aiming at her but Mariko threw her axe before she can fire. The axe got stuck on the soldier's neck. "Ha...!" Chiho noticed the soldier got shocked and dropped her gun. Then She charged in to finish the job. She grabbed Mariko's axe, then held her long axe by its shoulder and stabs it on the other side of her neck. "Die!" Chiho used her strength to push both axes until it pierced through and beheaded the girl. "Whoa! Amazing! Amazing! Hahaha!" Mariko was visibly happy about it. "Don't get distracted!" Chiho teleported behind a soldier aiming at her from a distance. She used Mariko's axe to stab at the soldier's shoulder and her long axe to his neck. "Akh...!" The soldier couldn't speak with his neck stabbed and took his knife and stabbed behind him. "Urgh...!" Chiho got stabbed on her stomach but still continued. She removed Mariko's axe from the shoulder and stabbed it on his stomach. Then she slides both axe away, slicing his neck and his stomach. It fell on the ground and Chiho removed the knife from her and looked for a painkiller. "Ah!" Chiho got shot in her right arm and fell to the ground. "Onee-chan!" Ayumi shouted in horror and quickly turned to the soldier who fired at her. "You!" Ayumi throws her sickle glowing in pink and it hits the soldier by the chest. "Ya...!" The sickle turned yellow and the soldier got dragged with. Ayumi spun and throws the soldier to the ground. She turned the sickle pink to get off the soldier and flew to Chiho. "Onee-chan!" Ayumi looked like she's about to cry. Then the army finally arrived. The army quickly swarmed the place, killing the remaining enemy soldiers. "Hell yeah!" They heard Mariko's shout. On a split second, they saw the R37 with Yagano driving and a soldier to the gun charged deep in the outpost. Then they saw Itsumi looking around. "Itsumi-nee-san!" Ayumi called out to her and Itsumi quickly went to them through the charging horses.
"What happened?!" Itsumi went down from her horse and crouched to see Chiho. She saw how bad her wounds are. "Don't worry... Just..." Chiho finally found a painkiller and injected it on her arm. Then she suddenly lit bright white. "Aaah!" Chiho got surprised and threw the syringe away. Then the light slowly fades. The wounds still had the bright light for a few seconds before disappearing. There was no trace of a wound. "W-What was that?!" Chiho looked at the syringe. "You became so bright!" Ayumi shouted. Chiho then looked around. Friendly soldiers are still pouring in. "There's no time to be amazed, Chiho-san. If that healed your wounds. Then we must get going!" Itsumi stood up and extends her right arm to her. "Yes!" Chiho responded as she took Itsumi's hand and stood up. "Then, we must get going!" Chiho nodded. "Hold on to me, Ayumi! I'm teleporting to one of their buildings!" Chiho asked Ayumi. Then they both teleported to a small armory, behind the soldiers trapped inside. "Haah...!" Chiho swung her axe down to the soldier's head. "Ya...!" Ayumi turned her sickle pink and continuously sent it to the enemies. Chiho quickly saw that they were armed with guns so she picked the PPSH from a dead soldier. "Ayumi!" Chiho called out, Ayumi looked behind her and immediately moved away. "Die!" Chiho opened fire at them, giving them no chance to fire back. Then they heard a loud crash and the shouts of the soldiers started to fill the small building. Friendly soldiers started to storm the building and the last soldier fired at them but didn't last long. The soldiers that got shot screamed in agony. Then a soldier approached the two. "Hey, Good job clearing this one, they still have three buildings left and some of them locked themselves in" He said. "Alright! We're going!" Chiho nodded. Ayumi hold on to her and they teleported to a depot. They did the same and the soldiers barged inside and cornered the hiding soldiers. They repeated until all buildings are cleared, they all cheered.
"This is like the main building, huh?" Chiho looked at a two-story building. Like the other buildings, it looked like it's made purely out of steel. Its colors only consist of black and white. A completely space-themed building, which terrifies everyone. "Everyone! Charge in! We're teleporting inside!" Chiho shouted to the soldiers and they responded with Yes. "Let us go with you!" Mariko and Shu Fang went running to hold onto her. The four of them teleported inside. "Alright, You heard her! Let's break in!" Gentaro instructed the soldiers.
They teleported on the second level. "Ah!" A familiar brown-haired guy got surprised. "Shit! Kill them!" He shouted to the soldiers near him. Shots fired but no one got hit, the four of them finished off the soldiers then. "Screw it!" Mark loudly revealed his blades. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, so they saw where the blades came from. A dark-blue something suddenly appeared and is attached to both of his wrists with a glowing blue stone on its top. His appearance proves that they were not expecting the army to initiate the war at this time. "One on One! No need to get salty here!" He shouted, then turned to Mariko. "You! Cavewoman! I will go with you first!" He pointed at her. "Huh?! What did you just call me?!" Mariko aimed her SVT and shoot at him, but a barrier blocked off the ammo. "Ah...!" Mariko got surprised. "Come on, I am challenging you to a sword fight not gun fight!" He shouted. "...If I'm not mistaken, you're that guy Alice told us about..." Shu Fang talked to him. "And you're that fucking disobedient fuck!" He recognized her almost instantly. "Then! Cavewoman!" He faced Mariko. "My name is Mariko Sakitama. That name will devour your mind as I dismember you!" Mariko became hyped up. "Hah! If you can! Bitch!" Mark laughed. "Then... HERE I COME!!!" Mariko shouted so loud, the girls got surprised. "HRAAH!!!" She swung the stock of the gun against him. Mark flinched as the barrier protected him, the stock got broke. Seeing the sharp edges of the broken gun, She thrusts it to him despite the barrier. "Y-You would never hit me, Haha!" Mark nervously laughed. "Take this!" Mark went for a stab to her chest but Mariko quickly caught his arm and headbutts him. But a barrier appeared between them and Mariko hits it instead of Mark's head.
"Without that fucking magic shit, I would have killed you already!" Mariko furiously shouted. "Hah! This will be your end!" Mark pretended to swing his left arm but kicks her right leg. He was slow and easy to read for Mariko, so she moved her leg and pushed him away with the gun. "Mariko!" Chiho called her and toss her axe. "Thanks! I missed her so much already!" Mariko thanked her as she caught the axe. "My turn!" Mariko threw the gun at him. Mark flinched again, they are starting to notice how he lacks experience. Right after throwing the gun, Mariko charged and slams herself against him. "Aaah...!" Mark got pinned down by her. Mariko rode him to keep him down and strangled him. "Kkh...!" Mark tried to get her hands off. "No!" Ayumi shouted and ran to them and took his hands. "Die like a useless fuck you are!" Ayumi shouted as she restraints him. "Uuukh...!" Mark struggled. "How's your fucking magic shield?! I'm not done with that yet!" Mariko then grabbed her axe and tried to hit his head. And like she expected, the barrier protected him. "There's no way you can keep this fucking shield standing!" Mariko then continued to smash the barrier while strangling him at the same time. The shouts from below started to get intense and an enemy soldier went running up to them. "Ah!" He got surprised at the scene. "...!" Shu Fang turned into a shade and quickly grabbed the soldier by his collar and pinned him down. "...I will kill you if you move a muscle..." She threatened. "ha..haaah..." The soldier remained motionless on the ground.
Then a few seconds later, Friendly soldiers started to show up. "Haaa...!!" Mariko used her last strength and bashed her axe on the barrier. And finally, the blue circle barrier that was protecting him fades away and her axe's head hits his cheek, leaving a graze. "Hah! See?!" Mariko became happy while Mark's face flushed with fear. "...You're so hopeless..." A little girl's voice reached out to them and suddenly Mariko flew away, like she's been kicked away by an unknown entity. Then a little girl with long red hair suddenly appeared beside Ayumi. They looked like the same age. "My name is Akiko Petryaev! Sister of Liliya Petryaev! Ooops! I said her name!" She playfully introduced herself. "Sister of who...?" Mariko slowly stood up and saw that the girl was wearing an eye-patch with a familiar symbol. "No way..." Mariko, along with the soldiers behind her, stared at her. "You can call me Aki! Teehee!" Akiko sticks her tongue out. Then she noticed Ayumi beside her. "Haaa!!" She got happy seeing Ayumi. Ayumi stared at her red eyes, reminding her of Naomi back in the Jima. The same playful side is what reminded her. "You can call me Aki!" Akiko forcefully threw Mark's hands away and held Ayumi's hands. "What's your name?!" She asked. "A-Ayumi..." She said her name. "If your friends are going to fight with my friends, I would like you to play with me, alright?!" Akiko asked. Without letting her answer, she let go of her hands. "Now, Mark-san. You trash..." Her voice suddenly became serious. She leaned close to his ears. But still spoke loudly. "If you fail at these small fries one more time, Me and my sister will be the one to kill you instead" Akiko made a very threatening look. "Y-Yes..." Mark nodded without hesitation. "Good boy! Now..." Akiko faced everyone. "I hope to see you soon! Don't fall into garbages like him and face us instead!" Akiko waved at them and she disappeared with Mark quickly. After that, they fell into silence for a few moments before moving on.
They cleared out every corner of the outpost, making sure no one survived nor escaped. It took them a little bit of time before finishing. After that, they planted their flag on a tower facing the Tsuchiya.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Keetrix
Keetrix Sorry this took long >.< I took too much time playing
I'm really bad at describing things >.< I tried my best at describing the flags. I need more englishing.
And woah! The title sounded so game-ish but meh. and I originally thought of making it end with some of them going home and rest but it has been so long since the last chapter so...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone