~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library

The Oncoming Storm

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shockdude: Been following this for a while. The amount of research you must have done to get this much knowledge on military history and tactics is impressive. A lot of the characters seem OP, but that's par for the norm in Gensokyo and isn't a huge deal. You've done a good job of making things sound plausible, which imo is essential for a story like this, so well done. Couldn't help but notice that "Reimu" turned into "Remiu" near the top of the second page, lol.

Cybeast710: --- Quote from: shockdude on July 12, 2014, 07:41:14 PM ---Been following this for a while. The amount of research you must have done to get this much knowledge on military history and tactics is impressive. A lot of the characters seem OP, but that's par for the norm in Gensokyo and isn't a huge deal. You've done a good job of making things sound plausible, which imo is essential for a story like this, so well done. Couldn't help but notice that "Reimu" turned into "Remiu" near the top of the second page, lol. --- End quote --- Been following it on Fanfiction.com, where he's posted chapters beyond this. Or had until recently.

The Dratini Farmer: NATO reinforcement?s front line, Japan A scarlet aura had enveloped the area, giving the screams of pain and death more weight. Tenshi had left the riot shield when Iku had been killed in front of her and was cutting through any human that got in her way. She was after the sniper team that she had spotted moving after the gunshot had rang out. Slamming her sword into the ground created a shockwave that sent rocks flying towards the soldiers that had managed to clear their weapons. The rocks impacted them at high speed, breaking multiple bones and causing internal bleeding. One unfortunate American Ranger had gotten close enough to launch a grapple. Tenshi responds by grabbing his forearm with her off hand and crushing it until it shatters. She then looks him in the eyes, he pales instantly when he sees the extreme rage and sadness in them and loses control of his bladder when he sees scarlet wings spread from behind her. Then she grabs his neck and squeezes. The lifeless body is thrown at the side of a Bradley IFV, where it leaves a deep dent in the armor. Stomping her foot, a keystone floats in the air in front of her. A powerful punch sends the stone on its way, right into a group of Polish soldiers that were firing at her. An explosion of blood is the last that anyone sees of them. Sprinting forward, Tenshi ends her run by stomping both feet in the ground. A strong earthquake is created as she sends out ripples from her position. The ripples manage to flip vehicles over and knock down everyone around her. Plunging her sword into the ground, she sends spikes out around her. The spikes spread about 50 meters around her, impaling any human unfortunate to be in range.  Without pausing to admire her handiwork, she walks towards the forest the rest of the humans had hidden in. Some of the soldiers hiding behind trees had managed to clear their chambers and had gotten their hands on steel cased ammo. One stomp from Tenshi creates a wall of earth in front of her, protecting her from the incoming bullets. A punch sends the wall flying forward at high speed where it shatters trees and bones alike. The bullets stop coming towards her for a second, giving her an opening to sprint forward and slam both feet on the ground. Another set of ripples spread out from her location, changing the area. But instead of random juts of earth springing up, rectangular sections were rising up. The soldiers that were some distance away could see that the shapes resembled an urban environment. Tenshi was beginning to feel the strain from unleashing her full power, so she needed to even the field. Even with all that was going through her mind, she still remembered some of the things Yukari had taught her. One of those things was urban warfare. All she had to do was recreate that environment with her power, and she would be able to force all of them into hand to hand combat. Her ability worked even better in this situation because she could reform the layout at will, a good counter against mouse-holing. And if the battle went underground, most of the human militaries hadn?t really developed a subterranean doctrine yet, which would put them at a severe disadvantage. Tenshi wasn?t interested in quickly killing any human she caught up to, she wanted to make them suffer. Sensing a presence on the other side of the wall, she breaks through the solid earth and grabs a British Royal Marine by the neck. Then she pulls him back, slamming the back of his head into the wall. The Celestial ignores the loud snap and sudden wetness on her hand as she throws the body on the ground. The other Royal Marines in the space beyond the wall rush to create some distance from her, but are impaled when a thrown sword reaches them. She had made sure to avoid causing wounds that would result in a quick death. Walking past the dying men, she kicks one of them out of her way. Placing her back on the wall, she pokes her head out around the corner. A hail of bullets hit the wall and ground around her in response. A punch to the ground causes a section of the earth next to the Polish soldiers shooting at her to collapse on top of them. Deciding that it was too quiet, Tenshi plants her sword into the ground, sending large boulders flying into the air. When they hit, they cause stronger and stronger earthquakes to happen. Taking a knee, she places a hand on the ground, feeling where the closest enemies where. A group were arranged in almost a straight line from her perspective, hiding behind the multiple walls of earth. She takes half a second to inhale and launches herself through the walls. The unlucky souls in her path were subjected to being crushed by the debris, getting cut by her blade, or by being crushed by her left hand. Her hat had fallen off a while back, exposing her disheveled hair. Her dress had multiple cuts, burns, tears, blood and dirt stains all over. She had also taken a fair amount of damage to her body, but she simply did not care. Her eyes were bloodshot and a snarl seemed to be permanently fixed to her face. Anyone able to look at her would say that she had the eyes of a madman. Pausing to throw more boulders into the air, Tenshi started to feel the effects of her rampage when her left leg almost buckled. She had taken enough damage to down a Maus tank. But she kept on moving forward. She stabs through a wall beside her and punches another hole in it. Then she sticks her arm into it and grabs her victim?s rifle and sprays rounds everywhere. When only clicks could be heard from the weapon, the Celestial throws it to the side and pulls her blade from the lifeless body it had pinned. An American M249 machine gunner poked his head out from behind a broken wall of earth and fired at her. One bullets hits her on the right shoulder, but only serves to anger her more. She activates her Heaven Sign ?Sword of the Divine Justice? spell card. Two steps forward brought her into range, letting her charge diagonally upwards. She connects with the machine gunner and smashes through some of the walls in her way. Once she reaches the apex of her charge, she can tell that the soldier impaled on her sword was dead. Instead of throwing him to the side, Tenshi gets a firm grip on him to use as a shield while she falls back to the ground. Looking up, she can see yellow flares flying into the air around her location. The human forces on the ground see the flares as well, and feel the icy grip of fear on their stomachs. In the distance, an M1 Abrams was trying to force its way through the walls of earth that Tenshi had forced up. Two members of Eirin?s Special Development Group were running on the top of the walls in different directions around the tank, confusing the crew. Their machine guns had been destroyed, leaving only the main cannon. One of the Lunarians jumps high into the air while pulling out a grenade. She throws her saber at the commander?s hatch, leaving a gaping hole for her grenade. Landing only to retrieve her weapon, she hops back as the explosion kills the crew. Ignoring them, Tenshi slams her sword into the ground yet again. Boulders fly out at angles with high speed, and then they descend like meteors. The two Lunarians decide to give her some space and fall back while letting Eirin know that something was up. Heavy gunfire hit the ground right in front of her, peppering her with fragments of earth. Looking to the source, she sees an entire platoon holed up in one of the earth buildings aiming at her. Tenshi activates her Keystone ?World Creation Press? spellcard and jumps high into the air. At the highest point of her jump, she summons a large keystone. Grabbing it, the Celestial adds her power to its fall. It crashes through the structure that was protecting the humans, and sent tremors through the ground. A large cloud of dust is created, giving Tenshi a chance to engage the survivors up close. One brings his rifle up, blocking Tenshi?s blade. Giving the block no heed, she grabs his chin and twists his head savagely. Sensing movement to her near left, she grabs her sword with both hands and slams it into the corporal trying to bring his M4 up. With her sword stuck in the body, she takes out another junior NCO by throwing a quick keystone at him. It hits him in the upper chest with so much force that his neck was snapped from the whiplash. During the confusion and impact of her attacks, several of the remaining survivors were coming in close. Tenshi takes a step back and lowers her body into a close combat stance. Using the same techniques that Meiling had taught her before, she brings her left foot up high for an axe kick. Her foot lands directly on a private?s helmet, breaking some vertebrae. Before the lifeless body could hit the ground, she had backhanded another?s knife out of his hand. Spinning to gain momentum, she uses it to add more force to the punch she aims at her next target?s stomach. Her punch hits the protective plate and turns it to dust. Before he could react to the destruction of the plate, he was punched so hard that his stomach ripped open. Then she adopts a bent leg stance and punches upward. A block of earth is ripped up, where she kicks it directly at a staggering staff sergeant. It hits him and keeps flying, taking the unfortunate victim with it. A side kick hits a private in the chest, breaking his chest plate. Another kick hits him the temple, taking him down. Turning around, she aims her P38 at a specialist that drops his rifle and raises his hands. She fires twice into his face anyway. Taking a step to the left, Tenshi dodges a swing from a corporal holding a knife. She brings a leg up and catches him in his side, knocking him down. He loses his grip on his knife, and gets his face stomped on by the Celestial. Giving him one more kick and a bullet from her P38 to make sure his down, Tenshi looks around. All she could see were bodies on the ground all around her. Taking a step to free her sword from the body that trapped it, Tenshi is paralyzed by a gunshot. A First Lieutenant that had been taken down still had enough strength to pull out his M9 pistol and shoot at her. Turning around, Tenshi empties the rest of the magazine into him. She stumbles back, the world spinning around her. Shaking her head to clear it, she uses all of her willpower to keep her knees from buckling. Her white shirt was beginning to stain with the blood from her newest wound. Ignoring the pain coming from the bullet, she struggles to pull her sword out. Once she succeeded, she walks deeper into the paths made by her earlier attack. She sticks her hand in her pocket, feeling around for the pills that Eirin had given her in case she got hurt. Taking one, she swallows it dry and feels her pain subside a great deal. Even through the effects of the medicine, she can feel the injuries that her body had sustained. Since she was a Celestial, Eirin hadn?t been able to fully tailor her medicine to her specific physiology. While the medicine could block most of the pain, it couldn?t heal her injuries. If she kept on fighting, she could ending up suffering even more damage. But she still didn?t care. She was going to wipe out every last human soldier she came across. Center of the human reinforcement formation, Japan The commander?s vehicle with a subdued star on the grill began to back away from Erin as fast as possible. Heavy machine guns began to fire on the doctor, but she charged forward. The infantry and special forces frantically open fire on her, but none of them could hit her. Accelerating forward, a Bradley IFV attempts to run her over. Cartwheeling onto the approaching vehicle, she turns and unleashes a series of cuts that stop the vehicle. Jumping off, she doesn?t even notice that it falls to pieces behind her. Sheathing her saber, she pulls her bow and readies an arrow. Firing straight up, it flies about 300 yards before it explodes. Revival ?Game of Life? springs to life, spreading masses of green and blue bullets in complex patterns. Slinging her bow, Eirin charges through a firing line made of American and British soldiers. With her right hand, she uses her saber to cut through them while pulling out a flare gun and firing it. A red and blue smoke mixture trails behind the flare, signaling that she had found her target. In response, yellow flares flew into the sky around her location. A sudden sidestep lets her avoid a riot shield landing right next to her. Picking it up, she stays light on her feet as she blocks bullets and cuts anything near her down. About 600 meters from her, a company from her group had formed up in an infantry square and had lured an entire brigade combat team of the American 3rd Infantry Division to surround them. They had experimental riot shields that were supposed to be built to a higher specification than the normal ones. So far, they were able to stand up to even the auto cannons that were being brought to bear against them. The four sides of the square were pouring out an amazing stream of fire that left no safe areas for their enemies. Even the Humvees and Bradley IFVs that had moved in were taken down. In the middle of the square, a Lunarian standard was being waved as a sign of amusement while the various nobles were shouting challenges to the human officers. Human mortar teams were trying to set up to fire, but were picked off by the moon rabbits. Any human close to a tube was designated a higher priority and shot instantly. American snipers were trying to find a weak spot in the formation, but even they couldn?t find a single one. AT-4s were fired at the square, only to be shot down before they made it half way and their operators were killed soon after. Several of the platoons were starting to waver, but none had wanted to be the first one to break. Then a boulder landed near them, and that thought had no more merit. While some American units were routing, other NATO units were moving forward to take their place. But they met the same fate as their comrades. Even the more elite troops were no exception. The modern cavalry were speeding up to break through the shield line, but were stopped by dozens of high powered bullets. Requests for close air support were being made, but with Tenshi?s boulders flying about, the higher levels weren?t risking it. Tengu fighters were dodging the attacks and dropping bombs and missiles on the scattering formation. Anti-air units were firing back but made themselves prime targets for the dismounted tengus. With all the attacks that they were taking, the human forces as a whole were beginning to doubt their chances of survival. Eirin stepped to the side while putting all of her weight on her left foot. Using this as leverage, she slammed her saber sideways into an American Staff Sergeant and sent his body flying into the side of a Humvee that was on fire. She hated being so rough, but those kind of moves would sow even more fear into her opponents. Taking a knee, she braces her riot shield as another Humvee?s turret gunner fires on her. Once she figured out the pattern of the incoming rounds, she stood up and ran directly towards the gunner. Angling it slightly, Eirin?s able to deflect the bullets into some of the infantry trying to overwhelm her. Military police forces switch to their shotguns but still have the same effect. Most of them can only get one shot before they get cut down. ?Colonel Yagokoro,? one of her senior sergeants speaks directly into her mind. ?The main GDF and Lunarian regiments have pulled back. We?re also not receiving any artillery support.? ?Is it because of those boulders?? ?We believe so, Colonel. Some of our troops have also come across the Celestial, she looks to be trapped in a rampage. She?s created an earthen reproduction of an urban environment and is completely decimating any human she comes across. Their bodies have been almost damaged to the point of being unrecognizable The Celestial has also been reported to have grown scarlet covered wings.? ?Scarlet covered wings, hmm. This is an annoying development.? Eirin slams her shield into a private that had frozen when she ran at him. ?How much damage have we inflicted on the humans so far?? ?We?re about to make the American 3rd Infantry Division rout as a whole. About sixty tanks and various other vehicles were taken out by our infantry square. There are still about twelve other divisions still moving in. It seems the humans have never seen this type of violence before.? ?Try not to be too critical of them, to us they are but children.? Eirin said. ?They have never had a conflict like the Lunarian Civil Wars, so they still play around with their toys.? ?What are your orders, Colonel??  ?Form up in a group square and hold your ground. I still have the commander in my sight.? Launching herself to the side, she kicks off another burning Humvee and starts to spin. She hits the soldiers that had decided to poke their heads out from behind cover. Turing her spin into a roll that brings her to the ground, she doesn?t bring herself to her full height before she runs behind a disable M1 Abrams. The commander?s Humvee was being slowed down by having to maneuver around the reinforcing units. Eirin didn?t have to worry about that, she just cut down what she wanted. Sprinting and holding the shield at an angle, she storms through another hastily formed firing line. With being this deep into the reinforcements, she had increased their risk of friendly fire. Switching her saber for her flare gun, she fires it a Sergeant First Class that was directing the movement of some vehicles and lights him on fire. The man falls to the ground while his comrades attempt to put out the fire by taking off their camelback water sources and canteens and pouring them on him. The rest of the soldiers are horrified by the scene, letting Eirin kill the ones in front of her. Throwing her saber, she watches it slice through a few officers while pulling out her sidearm again. Empting her magazine into a squad trying to get behind her, she changes her course. Getting behind another wreck, she uses a burst of speed that makes her almost invisible to her opponents. To them she disappeared behind one burning Bradley and appeared from behind a disabled Bradley a good distance away. This new attack instilled even more fear in the wavering 3rd ID, leading to some of them firing at shapes taking cover behind anything they could find. The ones being fired on were shouting at their comrades to stop, but it fell on deaf ears. Eirin couldn?t help but smile, it worked even better on humans than on Lunarians. Even the heavier weapons that were still left had begun to fire on each other. Looking up, Eirin sees the commander?s vehicle getting stuck in a carter made by a stray mortar. The turret gunner opens fire on her, but the doctor dodges the bullets and throws her command saber at the engine. It slices through the block, killing the vehicle instantly. Then she throws the riot shield at the gunner, breaking his spine by using the impact to hyperextend and break bones. A jump puts on top of the Humvee and she walks to get on top of the hood. Pulling out her sword, she looks the commander down with a condescending smile. None of the staff in the vehicle were willing to open a window to shoot at her. They had the mistaken hope that the steel and tempered glass would protect them from a Lunarian Royal Colonel if they had everything locked. The commanding officer of the interrupted invasion/reinforcement, an American Major General, couldn?t helped but be impressed by the amount of ribbons and medals that Eirin wore on her uniform. In the back of his mind, he was jealous that most other services on the planet had better looking uniforms than they did. He drew his M9 pistol and aimed it at the doctor but hesitated to pull the trigger and destroy his mistaken shield. Eirin jumps up onto the roof of the Humvee and stabs straight down, hitting the driver. Then she drags the blade and kills the other two staff members. Scrambling out of the vehicle, the general aims at her and starts to shoot. Lazily sidestepping the frantically aimed rounds, she counts until fifteen and a click. The man drops the empty magazine and drops a loaded one since he was trying to add more distance between them. Three quick steps brings Eirin into reach of him, where she slams the pommel of her saber into his stomach. He drops the M9 and staggers back. The nearby infantry see everything, but are hesitant to fire. They fear hitting their commanding officer due to Eirin?s proximity. Some of them try to engage her in close combat but are crushed by a boulder falling almost on cue. One step and a stab ends with the general getting stabbed through the stomach while also ripping off the Velcro rank insignia on his chest. Pulling out the blade, Eirin doesn?t even watch the body fall. She had killed commanding officers in the midst of battle before but, they had always given her a challenge when she had run them down. But this was as easy as killing a green recruit when it came down to it. With her main mission accomplished, she looked over to the infantry square almost 900 meters away before she went after the rest of the staff. They were still firing, leaving a mass of bodies around them. It brought to mind the end result of a cavalry charge of old being repulsed by line infantry. The bodies of the fallen were starting to build a sort of cover that the human infantry could use, letting them inch closer to the wall of shields. ?All rifles, hold and reload,? a Lunarian sergeant shouts. ?Steady, all of you! Silver shoulders, ready you charges!? Four moon rabbits with silver shoulder boards moved to the middle of the formation so they could face in each of the four directions of the square. Taking a knee, they take a set of cards that were bound by a metal ring through the corner and flip through them. Finding the one they were looking for, they rip them out and rub them on their shoulders. Once they were done, they stick them on the ground facing outward. The lull in the firing emboldened the defending humans. They began to quickly reload their reusable rocket launchers and were trying to get fresh ones close enough to fire. The silver shouldered moon rabbits cover their ears and turn their heads away from the cards. The others duck their heads as air began to be sucked towards the cards. Then with a roar, the cards create a series of small rockets that fly over the ranks in front of them. The rockets have a high arc and land moving outward. Their small size would never have given away the fact that they carried so much destructive power. It was as if titans had appeared and were stomping away from the square. An extreme amount of dust was kicked up, obscuring everything except for the screams. ?All rifles, ready,? the same sergeant yells. He holds a straight blade that he points at the cloud. ?Aim for chest height! Fire! Grenadiers, ready those jammers!? While the rest of the square was firing, the five grenadiers pulled out the same experimental grenades from before and threw them over the formation. As soon as they went off, all of the human bullets stopped flying towards them. ?Break the square, leave none of them alive,? one of the junior officers shouts. ?Hunt the animals down if you have to!? The square dissolved as the Lunarians crashed into the closest human elements. This time, they went for the most salvage methods of killing. Numerous human soldiers were shot point blank in the face and then stabbed in the neck when they fell. The silver shouldered rabbits had ripped out another set of cards and had casted giant walls of flames that began to move towards vehicles. Eirin had wiped out the rest of command staff and was watching the rest of the NATO forces scatter. Without a unified commander, the various NATO factions were splitting off and rallying under their respective officers. A quickly spreading breakdown of command had begun to separate the coherent invasion force. Higher ranking officers were being ignored as the lower rank?s nationalism suddenly decided to manifest itself. Taking another private down, Eirin sees an M1 Abrams start to turn to face her. It stops to make sure that it?s at an angle and the thickest armor is facing her. The turret tries to aim at the ground at Eirin?s feet, but the doctor won?t let them hit her. She jumps in the air and rams her shoulder into its side. The rank rocks and the gunner accidently fires the round that was loaded. Stabbing into the turret, she hits the commander. Jumping on top, she cuts the hatch open and jumps in. Before she landed on top of the dead commander, she had her sidearm out and was killing the rest of the crew. Grabbing a 120mm round, she slams it into the cannon?s breech. Pushing the dead gunner?s body to the side, she takes the controls of the cannon. She pushes her service cap up and puts her head to the rubber mount that is placed in front of the scope. Grabbing the smaller console directly under the sight, she can see that?s already aiming at a good spot. She pushes the button and the cannon goes off. The shell is ejected straight back and the smell of gunpowder fills the cabin. She looks down and sees controls for turret movement. Before she can use them, a large explosion hits the tank. Feeling that her welcome was worn out, she decides to jump out of the tank. None of the machine gun fire hits her as she lands near a disabled Humvee. Another tank exploding nearby sends a rod flying into the air, it lands right next to Eirin. A quick glance reveals that it?s about the same size as her saber. Picking it up, she swings it a few times to test its weight. Satisfied, she crouches down and sprints forward. In front of her, units of the American 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Infantry Divisions were rallying to stop her. She can tell another jamming grenade was in effect since the humans were trying to fix their weapons. A Corporal strikes out at her, causing her to spin and slam both her weapons on his back. The saber cuts him while the rod shatters bone and armor plates. ?Colonel Yagokoro,? her same enlisted advisor began. ?The princesses want you to know that some of the families have started to move against them.? Eirin throws her saber and impales a private first class through the chest. Jumping over him, she grabs her saber as an afterthought. ?How?? ?Some of the families have ordered fresh units loyal to the royal family into direct combat against overwhelming enemy forces. The 195th Regiment of Foot was completely wiped out by combined German, French, Italian and British forces. They were promised cavalry support by the 78th Cavalry Regiment but were left on their own once they were surrounded. Some of lower ranks had tried to support them, but were immediately executed on charges of insubordination.? ?So someone wants to make a power and land grab,? Eirin frowns for the first time since the battle began. ?And the entire regiment was wiped out?? ?Down to the last rabbit,? The sergeant pauses. ?Their regimental colors were also captured by the German forces. But they managed to inflict two entire division?s worth of casualties before the last Lunarian fell.? ?Are there any other loyal Regiments being ordered forward?? ?The 158th and the 165th are being ordered forward, but their commanders are trying to join up with the Royal Foot Regiments. At this rate, there?s a chance we might have another civil war on our hands, Colonel.? ?Detach a platoon and send them to back up those commanders, if they run into any of those turncoat officers, make sure they know who sent them. Send a squad to locate the captured colors.? Eirin slams her rod into a sergeant?s helmet, breaking it in half. ?And how did the portal get so far from the main line?? ?It was without the princesses? orders, Colonel. For now, loyal reinforcements are cut off.? ?Hmm. If Yukari can knock some sense into Tenshi, we can still win. Any progress on that front?? ?None that we can tell, Colonel. The boulders have slowed down, but are still hitting random places. The princesses want to move but they can?t risk letting the rest of the regiments get wiped out. Lady Yukari is still trying to figure how to salvage this.? ?When I get out of here, I?m giving that Celestial a talk.? Eirin broke a Captain neck by swing the rod like a baseball bat. She was liking the massive destruction she could inflict with the rod. ?The rest, start moving to my location.? She planted her saber in a pair of humans and shot a quick yellow flare. With one Lunarian Regiment already wiped out today, Eirin swore that she wouldn?t let them die in vain. She had enough of that during the civil wars.

The Dratini Farmer: Lunarian defensive line, Japan The Lunarian artillery members had dug pits to roll their cannons forward and to be ready to provide covering fire when they received the order. Spotters were scanning the field ahead of them, but couldn?t find a clear shot since they couldn?t tell where Tenshi was. They saw the yellow flares flying into the air, but they still couldn?t fire. Airburst and incendiary rounds were also out of the question. Yukari was still looking at the map with both Lunarian princesses. Even with all the charms that were being used to keep accountability, Tenshi?s had cut out when she had sprouted her wings. Since then, they were forced to stop the artillery fire. The gap youkai had watched as the 195th Regiment of Foot had been surrounded by German forces. They had responded to this by forming up in a regimental square but had been wiped out. At the present moment, the most important thing for the princesses was to get the regimental colors back. Anything else was pushed to the side. Since Lunarian technology required a certain amount of magical ability to use, the majority of the staff weren?t concerned with the humans analyzing their weapons or uniforms. A crow was flying above the trenches, looking around for a white mob cap with a red ribbon on it. Spotting one, it circles around and lands on Yukari?s shoulder. The crow tilts and bobs its head, almost as if it?s talking. Yukari nods, gives it a pat on the head and watches it fly off. Taking her katana out of a gap, she points at a point on the map. It was a good amount into the enemy formation, but not as deep as Eirin?s attack had reached. At the present moment, the Royal Colonel was looking to chase down the turncoat nobles. ?She?s here,? keeping her eyes on the map, Yukari makes a series of calculations. ?Colonel Yagokoro has already taken out most of the command staff and is regrouping with her troops. But, she?ll need support from us soon. I?ll going to see what I can do about Tenshi. I?ll need a squad from one of your Royal Foot regiments to back me up when I?m over there.? ?Reisen,? Toyohime called. ?Get a squad from the 4th Royal ready. Have them expect insertion behind the line. They should only run into infantry and non-mechanized units. ? The moon rabbit nods and starts issuing orders to one of her battalion commanders. A few minutes later, a small squad of about twelve moon rabbits were ready. Opening a gap, Yukari steps through first. She steps out and finds herself next to a destroyed wall. The bodies of four American soldiers were laying around, they had evidence of extreme blunt force trauma. A body was flying through the air and crashed against a wall in front of her. Right behind her, the squad of Lunarians had formed up and were clearing the area. A loud crash shakes the area, followed by screams. Walking towards the source, Yukari doesn?t flinch as bullets fly all around her. The Lunarians had switched to light infantry and were advancing ahead of her. Boulders were flying around the area and were destroying the earthen structures. Covering each other and taking advantage of blind spots and covering fire, they forced the humans into close combat. A boulder landed about twenty feet from her, peppering the gap youkai with fragments. Dust was kicked up, blocking the view around the area. Seconds later, the dust began to clear up, but it was too late for the closest human forces. The Lunarians had trained in extremely low visibility conditions, so the humans had no chance with the dust flying around. The red aura that covered the area was not lost on Yukari. Neither were the feathers that had scattered around the area. Pulling her katana out of its sheath, she keeps scanning the area. A British Royal Marine had climbed to the top of a building but got shot before he could fire at her. His body fell off, alerting his comrades to the Lunarians. His comrades were torn between facing the Lunarians or facing the rampaging Tenshi. Neither party was willing to give them the chance to decide. One of the Lunarians jumps on top of the structures and fires point blank into a squad. Return fire is repelled by her uniform, creating a panic among the humans. Another Lunarian had joined in and was mowing humans down left and right with her bayonet. Whenever she had to reload, she kicked humans off the structure until the clip was loaded. A medium sized rock was thrown at high speed and crashed through the wall next to Yukari. With perfect form, she makes three cuts that use her magic to extend her range. They effortlessly cut through the wall and through the humans hiding behind them. When the dust settles, Yukari could see Tenshi in a critical state. The Celestial?s eyes are filled with frenzy, giving Yukari a warning about what was going to happen next. Tenshi kicks off and launches herself forward. Yukari steps forward while pulling out her fan. She locks Tenshi?s sword with both and slams her shoulder into her. Even though she hadn?t used her full power, she could tell that the Celestial had taken a good hit. Deep down, Yukari felt a pang of guilt. She knew that the normal Tenshi would never do anything like this. Stumbling back, Tenshi releases her sword and throws a punch into Yukari?s gut. Right before she impacts, she feels something slow her punch down. The punch connects with much less force than Tenshi wanted to. In response, Yukari brings her katana up and slams the pommel into Tenshi?s stomach. Not giving her a chance to recover, Yukari kicks her feet out from under her. To add more power to the strike, she grabs Tenshi?s shirt and adds more force. Falling back onto the ground hard, Tenshi feels the air being knocked out of her. She tries to roll to the side but is stopped by Yukari planting her blade in her path. She tries to grab a rock that was close by, only to get a backhanded slap from the gap youkai. Yukari then grabs the front of her shirt and pulls her partway up. Their faces are less than five inches from each other. ?What do you think you?re doing?? Yukari?s voice was low and controlled, with a very faint trace of anger. ?Because of you, the Lunarians had to call off their artillery and an entire regiment was wiped out.? Tenshi began to slowly recover from her frenzy when she heard that. Yukari slapped her again to speed up her awakening. Her wings were slowly starting to dissipate, leaving fainter and fainter feathers on the ground. The scarlet aura surrounding the area began to fade at the same time. ?Yes,? Yukari repeated herself. ?An entire Lunarian Regiment of Foot. About 5,000 Lunarians were wiped out. All of them were young, they had just graduated from initial training. They all had friends and families that won?t see them again. The only thing left is their regimental colors, which got captured by German forces.? Tears began to form once more in Tenshi?s eyes. ?But, Iku was?? ?I know. Her blood is on my hands.? Yukari had to pause to keep from having her fa?ade broken. ?But I have the rest of them to worry about. This war won?t end today or tomorrow. More of us will fall before this is over. Even I?m not immune. But no matter how many of us fall, we can?t turn into monsters. Even if the blood of my best friend is shed in front of me, I have to remember what we?re fighting for. I can?t throw that away just to get revenge. I already lost two of my best friends when they were right in front of me before this war had even started. Don?t you think I know what you felt? I think about them every single day. I ask myself: would they approve of what I?m doing, or would they tell me to stop? They?ve been gone longer than you?ve been alive. Every time I wake up, I?m hoping that it was all a dream and I would see them in front of me. But that never happens. It?s because of them that I?m the person I am today. Even with my powers, I can?t bring them back from the other side. I can control any boundary imaginable, except for the one that I want to the most. The boundary of life and death is out of my control. It doesn?t matter if they?re dying in my arms, I still can?t do anything about it. The worst part is that I?m responsible for their deaths. I?m responsible for every single death that has occurred in this war. I should be called the Scarlet Devil instead of that vampire, Remilia Scarlet. I have cause so much blood to flow, both guilty and innocent. Who?s the better person, a vampire that spills blood to survive, or a youkai that spills blood to gain an advantage over everyone, friend or foe? Some of the humans that have died could have been happier in other situations. They could have been stuck at their home bases, wondering who was going to win the game that weekend or where they were going to take their family out to eat. Every death here affects more than the one that lost their life. Each of them have families that will never see them again. What can you tell the child that only saw their father once before they were killed? How can you explain that to them when they wake up in the middle of the night calling for them? What about those on our side? What can you tell the fairies that have been wounded but have to suffer because their wounds don?t kill them fast enough? What can you do to comfort the young youkai that saw their friend, or their family member get ventilated in front of them? What do you tell the children in the Human village that had to leave their homes because of this war? What about the human villagers that die to protect their homes from other humans? Each person killed, be it ally or enemy, is someone?s Iku. But you don?t see them going on rampages. You don?t see them causing the deaths of their comrades. You see them fight the way they were taught. You see them follow orders, even if they want nothing more than revenge. Even though there are more parties responsible for the 195th Regiment of Foot being wiped out, we both share part of that blame. If you aura hadn?t disable the tracking spell, we could have supported them with artillery and they would?ve probably survived. But the risk of friendly fire was too much, you are too valuable a resource to throw away. Don?t throw your life away like that, there are a lot more people out there that care about you. Remiu wants all of us to survive this war. I had to stop her turning herself into the American forces as a prisoner to prevent the first battle. She loves this land and the people that live on it so much that she was willing to sacrifice herself for it. I?m not going to let her or you do that. No one else will throw their life away while I?m still alive, I swear that to you and everyone that?s putting their lives in danger. Once this crisis is over, I?m willing to let myself be judged by any higher authority. Who knows, they might judge me to be too much for hell to handle. If that?s the case, I?ll wonder the earth as my punishment. I brought you into this conflict. But when I did so, I promised that I would not let you fall before me. I made that promise to everyone that picked up a weapon to defend Gensokyo. Every time someone falls, that?s one more promise that I couldn?t keep. Don?t you know how much that weighs on the soul?? The tears in Tenshi?s eyes started to run down her face. Yukari lets go of her shirt and stands back up. She opens up a gap and pulls out a Lunarian medical bag. Kneeling, the youkai begins to tend to Tenshi?s wounds. The numerous cuts, bullet wounds and bruises were taking their toll on the Celestial. Tenshi?s breathing was also beginning to become shallow and irregular. Without the Lunarian medicine, Tenshi was in a real danger of suffering irreparable damage. ?You?ve taken a lot of damage,? Yukari looked over her. ?You?re done with fighting for this battle. Don?t try to argue. Without you, the Celestial artillery is being torn between those that support your family and those that don?t. They used your disappearance to try to gain control. I need you to go and get them back in line.? Tenshi nodded and let Yukari help her up. The gap youkai whistles and opens a portal. Stepping through, the pair find themselves back behind the Lunarian defensive line. A minute later, the portal closes after the last member of Yukari?s squad exits. While they were gone, most of Eirin?s Special Development Group had joined up with the main line. The 158th and 165th were marching in column formation to join them, being covered by a platoon on Eirin?s orders. Handing the Celestial off to Lunarian medical personnel, Yukari joins the princesses and their staff around the map. The staff were assigning priorities to targets while the princesses were debating whether to advance. Once she saw Yukari, Toyohime nodded at her artillery officer. Seconds later, every Lunarian artillery cannon began to fire nonstop. Airburst rounds were exploding over the forest that the human force was using to cover their regroup. A yellow box appears around a point on the map, a request for precise fire from the squad that was hunting down the regimental colors. The 3rd Ground Artillery received the request and began to rain precise fire down on that location. The calculations were exact down to the quarter inch. ?So, any ideas about how to go on from here?? Yukari looked at the map. ?The humans have gathered their tanks and are moving to flank the main line. If we turn to face them, then we?ll give their infantry a clear shot at our flanks.? Toyohime said. ?Our artillery can hold them off for a while, but they have too many to hold against. A combined attack is something we?ll have problems repelling.? ?Then we should counter them with some of our own,? Yukari replied. ?We have the Maus, a few other antiques, and some of the ones that we captured. And we have Hauptmann Izayoi. After all, German officers were crossed trained in almost every branch during World War II. I?m sure that it?s safe to bet that she has knowledge of armored skills.? ?Will they be enough?? Yorihime asked. ?Well, the Maus can handle a few squadrons. We captured a few M1 Abrams and did a few modifications on them. I?m sure I saw Porsche Tigers, some Panzer IVs and VIs, a few Stugs, some Shermans, a Firefly, and a few T-34s up and running. As long as the tengus can keep the air clear, they should be good. If we had found some Flak 88s, we would?ve been better off.? ?Then we should launch an attack here, have a few foot regiments circle around there, and then lure them to a kill zone here.? Toyohime paused. ?With the battle not going go for either side, desperate moves are more likely to be made. We have to be prepared for them to go all out, even if they break their own laws of war. We should consider doing the same.? ?Isn?t that you?re doing right now?? Yukari asked. ?We?re still following Lunarian customs,? Toyohime scoffed. ?But we can be a lot more vicious if we need to be. As soon as we know that we?re being disrespected on the battlefield, we?ll take care of it.? ?If you say so,? Yukari looked over. ?Hauptmann Izayoi, could you join us again.? ?I feel like I?m back in the Wehrmacht,? Sakuya walked over. ?Every time I turn around, I get an odd job.? ?Well, we need you to lead an armored attack,? Yukari pointed at the map. ?Since you?re one of the few with actual armored experience, you?ll be the one leading this.? ?What do I have to work with?? ?One Panzer VII Maus, two Porsche Tigers, seven Panzer IVs Ausf. Hs, five Tiger Ausf. Bs, four StuGs III Ausf. Gs, ten M4A3 Shermans, two Fireflies, eight T-34-85s, and ten M1A3 Abrams,? Yukari read off of a scroll. ?All of them have been modified for increased speed, armor and power. They should be able to keep up with the human forces as long as the tengus keep the sky clear.? ?So, what do I have to do?? ?Engage their armor and give our regiments the chance to flank the human formation. We have air superiority, and we have our artillery back. If you get the chance, mark high priority targets for indirect fire. You?ll have the choice of command tank, but I doubt that Nazrin will give up her Maus.? ?I?ll take one of the Porsche Tigers. And from what I saw from earlier, she?s got a good grip on armored doctrine.? ?Good. Here?s a scroll with our tentative plan. You should go ahead and get familiar with your tank and get your formations set up.? With a nod, Sakuya grabbed the scroll and fly towards the tanks. She landed on the turret and poked her head inside before she entered. A few seconds later, the Tiger (P) begins to move forward, all the other tanks follow suit. Inside, Sakuya had gotten the radio fairy to disperse the tentative plan and was conferring with Nazrin. At first, the mouse youkai was hesitant, but become more comfortable. Once the tanks had picked up speed, they fanned out to create a panzerkeil. The twin Porsche Tigers took the point of the front two wedges, with the Panzer IVs and VIs creating the wings. Directly behind the first wave, the ten Abrams had created one wedge. The third wedge was created by the T-34s with a fourth wedge was made of the Shermans. Breaking off from both sides of the wedges were the StuGs and the Fireflies. The Maus was in the rear wedge, the Shermans would cover it better there. Sakuya was standing so that she was exposed, giving her a better view of the area. She had her scroll and was checking the map for terrain. ?All gunners and drivers, remember to be stationary during fire as much as possible. Do not stay in the same place after firing, even if you miss or do no damage. Do not present right angles to targets, try to angle yourselves so that the return fire has a chance to deflect. For now, aim at the treads so they?re immobilized. The waves after us can take care of them. If you feel lucky, you can try to damage their turrets so they can?t aim back.?     A massive volley of rockets flew into the air and headed towards the human?s main force. Yukari?s Katyusha launchers had fired another round and were moving to a new location. The resulting confusion would give the tanks the chance to close the distance. The noise that the rockets made while flying through the air caused Sakuya to grip the tank tightly. She hadn?t heard that noise since the last time that she was at the Eastern Front. Sakuya had to spend a few seconds steadying herself, forcing herself to remember that she wasn?t fighting in that snowy tundra. A round hit the ground in front of her tank, letting her know that they were spotted. More human tanks were moving to block their path. She pulls her upper half back into the tank and closes the lid. ?First wave, prepare to break off in your respective wedges,? Sakuya ordered. ?Do not stop for too long, shoot on the move if possible. My wedge, keep up with me. Everyone else, Nazrin will give you orders. Driver, bring us around about to 45 degrees. Gunner, aim for the treads. Loader, ready HEAT rounds.? As her crew carried out her orders, Sakuya could see that the human forces were aiming straight at her. A lucky shot bounced off the front armor, shaking the tank. The gunner waits until the shaking stops and fires. The HEAT round impacts the tread and blows off a few wheels. The Abrams tilts to the side slightly, throwing off the next shot. The Panzer IVs and VIs open fire on the rest of the tanks, knocking out threads and turret motors. They pass the disabled tanks, letting the captured Abrams tanks finish them off. The other Tiger (P)?s wedge had engaged reinforcing units and were matching them in terms of firepower. More and more human tanks were being disabled and left at the mercy of arriving units. Listening in to Nazrin?s orders, Sakuya chuckled when she heard a fairy going about something called the ?StuG life?. The StuGs in question were taking on flanking Leopard 2s and Challengers head on. Even with the disadvantage of not having a rotating turret, they were still gaining ground. They worked in pairs, covering their blind spots. The Sherman Fireflies were also delivering long ranged fire to keep opponents from hitting the weaker side and rear armor. Able to hit from a distance of 3000 meters, they were able to snipe and move while their targets were reeling from the shot and the closer enemies. Any human tank that managed to survive the first few waves was devastated by the slow moving Maus. Scattered artillery fire landed all around, but didn?t have the precision to dent the assault. ?Waves two and three,? Nazrin touched the microphone to her throat. ?Form one big wedge, but try to keep your current speed and heading. Shermans, keep close by. StuGs and Fireflies, if it gets to be too much, bring them towards us.? Above them, tengu piloted SU-47s and F-18s were dancing in the sky, keeping heavy fighters and bombers from targeting the tanks. Without boulders flying through the sky randomly, the human air forces had tried to return, only to run into a screening wall of tengus. Some of the tengus had begun to show signs of fatigue and had to bail out of their burning aircraft. The human pilots made the mistake of not making sure that they were completely down, letting the dismounted tengus spray spell bullets everywhere. ?Bring us around to the side of that hill,? Sakuya ordered. ?Gunner, aim for the rearmost Abrams. Once we fire, head for that treeline over to the left.? The Tiger (P) stopped on the hill and fired when it had stopped bouncing. The round hits the rearmost tank?s turret, immobilizing it. But instead of moving right after, the tank stayed still. Sakuya looks down at the fairy in the driver?s seat and sees her struggling with the controls. ?The engine?s stalled out again and isn?t responding. We won?t be able to move for a while.? ?Fix it as soon as you can,? Sakuya replied. ?All other tanks, break off into two groups and screen the remaining enemy. Our armor can hold, but don?t let that slow you down. Gunner, aim for quick kills.? A return shot hit the side of the tank but was deflected due to the armor?s slope. The turret aims at the attacker and the gunner lands a penetrating shot between the turret and the main body. That Abrams goes silent, but the others have noticed that the Porsche hasn?t moved. They move to flank it, but are stopped by the rest of the wedge. Sensing that the Porsche was the commanding vehicle, most of them turn to aim at it. More and more rounds are fired at Sakuya?s tank. The maid pulls the driver back in to keep her from getting hit and buttons up the hatches. The loader struggles to keep loading rounds as fast the gunner can fire them. A track is knocked off while the radiator is severely damaged. Seeing the Tiger (P) starting to be damaged, the Panzer IVs and VIs try to draw fire but are ignored. Four human Abrams tanks are knocked out while six others were suffering high levels of damage. Eight other tanks were firing and maneuvering at almost full power. One was trying to circle about and was hit by a shell in the engine. The engine was set on fire, but the fire prevention equipment kicked in. Even though the fire was out, the engine was still disabled. A second shell ripped out the turret and exposed the interior. The Tiger (P) listed to the side as the rest of the wheels on its right were blown out. The gunner hits an Abrams right where the cannon and turret meet, blowing the barrel off and leaving a large impact against it. The rest begin to group their fire together, hoping to throw off the Tiger (P)?s aim. Sakuya can see the rest of her wedge actually ramming the enemy tanks, trying to buy her some time. The other thread was shot off, so even if they repaired the engine, they wouldn?t be able to move. More and more rounds hit the Tiger (P), almost giving the crew whiplash. The maid was grateful that her service cap was modified to protect against blunt force trauma, otherwise she would?ve split her skull open. The fairy maids were small enough to avoid most of the walls, but where hit harder when they were unlucky. The humans had come to the conclusion that this was the fight of their lives and were responding accordingly. ?This is really harsh,? the radio fairy noted. ?There?s even more of them coming towards us,? Sakuya said with a half-smile on her face. ?Reminds me of Stalingrad for some reason. At least we had a good last stand. We knocked out?about eight and gave what looks like fourteen of them a good beating. We are in a German machine after all.? The ground began to rumble, causing her to think a rocket volley was hitting close by. The crew of a nearby Abrams had been knocked out and the tank was rolling forward. It crashes into another one nearby, and then was hit by a powerful hit. But the rumbling wasn?t from them. Looking through the rear hatch, Sakuya sees the Maus heading towards her. It fires a shell that had so much power that it lifted the Tiger (P) a bit and spun the receiving Abrams around. Nazrin had her driver bring the Maus in front of Sakuya?s tank and was deflecting incoming rounds. It fired again, taking down two tanks with a penetrating shot. The powerful 128 mm modified round had created a large cloud that blocked visibility, giving Sakuya more breathing space. Right behind them, a team of kappas were flying in to begin repairs to the damaged tank. One of them lands on top of the turret and pokes her head over the viewport. ?All of you still alive in there?? ?We?re fine,? Sakuya looked up. She could see a little bit of sunlight coming through cracks in the roof. ?But we wouldn?t been for much longer. How?s it look out there?? ?From what I can see, both threads are shot off, the front armor is about to break off in multiple pieces, the turret has a large crack running down the side, the engine?s suffered bad damage, and the machine gun was knocked out. We can try to get her back and running, but the best we can hope for is a limp if we?re under fire. I really don?t think she can fight with the front like this. Heavy tanks aren?t exactly tengus in maneuverability.? ?Do what you can, I have the feeling we?re going to have more company soon.? As soon as Sakuya said that, a round hits nearby, raining dirt down on them. A lone M1 Abrams was dodging the Maus? shots, aiming to finish off the damaged Tiger (P). The kappas roll off and take cover behind the tank, working on what they could reach. The loader slams a round into the cannon while the gunner rotates the turret. The enemy tank tries to go around the pair, only to ram right into a StuG III. Sakuya was torn between disbelief and amusement over the scene. She could imagine something like that from the fairies operating the tank killer, but not from a group that called themselves the best trained on the planet and had pushed back her old service. The fairy commander of the assault gun poked her upper half out of the vehicle and started to shake her fist at the humans. Before the humans could fix themselves or exchange insurance information, the StuG had rammed them again and fired into their side armor. The Maus fires again, knocking out a Leopard that was trying for a long range shot. Movement caught Sakuya?s attention, a tank crew had survived getting hit and was trying to ready an AT-4. The gunner had seen them and was aiming for them. She fired and the crew disappeared in the ensuring explosion. For some reason, Sakuya felt that there might be a rule on overkill but couldn?t remember it off the top of her head. A slight shaking lets the crew know that the engine was fully repaired. The kappas then begin to gather the wheels that were blown off to see if they were still serviceable. Sakuya climbs out of the tank and grabs a large crowbar that was hanging from the back. She slides it so that it grabs a pin on the thrown track and pushes the crowbar down with all of her might. The pin finally comes out and the track falls. She repeats it with the other side and helps the kappas with replacing the damaged wheels and parts. About twenty minutes later, they finally replace the last one. Once the wheels were in good order, Sakuya helps the kappas position the threads while the driver reverses and goes forward as needed. Satisfied with the position of the thread and tank, the kappas grab one thread and manage to hold it while Sakuya hammers the pin in. They repeat it for the other side and check to make sure that everything was installed right. With the tracks repaired, the Tiger (P) was able to place the less damaged side armor towards the incoming enemy. This allowed the kappas to be somewhat protected when they were repairing the machine gun by replacing the damaged barrel and parts. During the repairs, the gunner and loader were engaging any human tanks that tried to sneak by them. Nazrin had advanced to help cover the rear of the wedges, but made sure to keep an eye on the Tiger (P). Sakuya?s wedge had fanned out and were luring the remaining forces away. Wiping sweat off of her forehead, she looks at the map she pulled out of her pocket. With the human armored thrust being countered, the infantry were allowed to fight on their terms.

The Dratini Farmer: Lunarian Defensive Line, Japan ?All regimental commanders, prepare to move!? Toyohime called out. ?We?re still following line of battle tactics!? With her command, the Lunarians in the trench climbed out and began to create a two rank formation. The royal staff also mounted their horses and began to gather in a diamond formation. Yukari gapped herself on top of a Katyusha?s cab and was consulting a map. The mobile rocket launchers began to move towards the treeline while the oni operated anti-tank guns were being moved forward. The White Wolf Tengus had advanced far enough to target some of the support staff and were giving some of the military police panic attacks. Lunarian cavalry had disappeared into the forest and were making their way towards a hilly area. They were planning on using them to hide their approach until it was too late. The Lunarian artillery were still pouring fire down and would alternate moving to keep that pressure on the enemy. Eirin?s personal troops had disappeared once the 158th and 165th had joined up with the main force. The story of the revolting nobles had spread, so many knew exactly where their Royal Colonel had gone off to. Those same Lunarians also felt a sense of pity for the noble, Colonel Yagokoro?s reputation was well known among the ranks. ?Princess Toyohime,? one of her staff members called out. ?We?ve received a message from Colonel Yagokoro. She?s identified a critical weakness in our forces. She says that our current dress uniforms can be penetrated by 7.62x51mm NATO and larger rounds. The breaking point would be around 2900 joules. The riot shields can hold up to them, but a direct hit has an 80 percent chance of penetration if they?re close enough.? ?What?s the distribution of those weapon systems?? ?Estimates range from 20 to 30 percent for the 7.62x51 weapons system left in infantry hands. A round or two won?t affect us enough to hamper us greatly, but concentrated fire would be a problem. It also seems that this knowledge is spreading, so the surviving forces will begin to use it against us. Colonel Yagokoro has recommended that we try to engage them in rapid close combat to deny them that chance. Destroying those weapon systems would be in our best interests. Larger units, such as mechanized infantry, cavalry, armor, and artillery can still rip through our dress uniforms with anything they have.?     ?Ensure that our front ranks have their riot shields at the ready. We?ll need to make sure that we can close the distance as soon as we can. Have our artillery send out attack waves in front of us. Hauptmann Izayoi?s armored thrust has bought us some time from their tanks, we should take advantage of this.? With that order, the Lunarian artillery readjusted their fire. About 300 meters in front of them, artillery began to land and go out in waves. The rounds sent up clouds of dust that blocked visibility and gave them more breathing room. Keeping a solid line, the Lunarians were moving forward with their shields up to block enemy fire. Return fire began to intensify as advanced units saw them. Bradley scouts were trying to find a weak point but ended up getting picked off by the combined infantry fire. For some of the green replacement troops, the sight of infantry taking down IFVs was enough to create the beginning of panic. Once the main line had advanced enough, it split off into two parts. The Royal Foot Regiments continued to march forward, while the regular Foot broke off and began to flank the opposing force. Spreading out, the Royal Foot regiments were trying to distract the human forces. Every few feet, they would stop and fire a volley into the air, creating smoke to cover their advance and sow confusion. The oni operated anti-tank guns were being moved forward, but had stopped firing for the time being. The infantry fairies had taken to the sky and were trading both conventional and magical bullets against advance units. A Bradley IFV had rolled up and started to open fire, but was flipped over by the sheer force of one of Mima?s infamous Twilight Spark spells. The attack continued for a good distance and ended up taking out a distant French artillery battery.  The evil spirit had taken to the battlefield nicely. She was spinning her rod around, creating a mass barrage of stars that left craters and burns marks everywhere. Any human that was hit by a star was killed instantly without any mark on their body from the attack. Vehicles would burst into flames and would have their suspension destroyed. It was a testament to Mima?s skill that she was able to control the individual effects caused by so many of her attacks at the same time. Whenever a human would be able to get a shot in, it would be smacked away without a second glance. Mindful of the potential of friendly fire, she made an effort to advance from the main line far enough to go all out. Another Twilight Spark created a large killzone that reached to the far off mountains. Back on the Katyusha launchers, Yukari was enjoying the ride as the trucks were moving to their first location. Some of the drivers were jerky at best, but did well considering the fact that the gap youkai had taken some of the mechanically inclined volunteers from the Human Village and gave them a five minute class on driving. A few of them had experience from before they had wandered through the barrier and helped out a lot. With a manual transmission, there would be a fair amount of engine stalls and a higher risk of transmission damage due to inexperience. The kappas were running a pool to see how many third gears they would see left all over the field. But the Katyusha launchers were cheap and easy to get, so Yukari wasn?t really concerned. If that didn?t work out, the kappas could always learn how to work on the cheap launchers. A ringing came from her pocket, alerting her to a call. Picking up, she notices that it?s Nitori. The kappa sounded a little agitated and concerned about something. ?Yukari, you might want to get back to the workshop. Something?s up.? ?How serious is it?? For the first time, Yukari felt a sense of forbidding. ?It has to do with the outside.? Nitori was about to say more when she noticed a gap open up next to her. A second later, Yukari walked out and looked at the map in front of them. It was a global map instead of the local one she was just looking at. Three areas on the map were flashing: both the Koreas, the Crimea region, and the Middle East. ?From what we?ve been able to hear over the radio is that many factions have seen the first battle as an indication of opportunity. With most of NATO focused on us, and losing to the Lunarians, it shows that they?re in a weaken state. Especially since we used what can be called outdated weapons. We seemed to have destroyed the status quo. I wouldn?t be surprised if some factions tried to use muskets and maces.? ?Hmm,? Yukari looked at the map. ?North Korea?s actually making progress into the south? I had thought they were all talk. But I doubt their advances will last when the rest of the South Korean military finally gets up to speed. What about Russia and Ukraine? What?s the word from there?? ?From what we can hear, Ukrainian troops are hitting back pretty hard after getting surprised. They?ve forced some Russian units back, but they?re getting overran by the sheer numbers. Entire towns are on fire and dozens of vehicles have been destroyed. From what we can tell, their capital may fall by tomorrow if this keeps up.? ?They?re trying to expand their power before they try to fight us again. That?s why they left the field earlier. From what I know about them, they?ll be happy to take both us and NATO on after we?re worn each other out. What?s happening in the Middle East? Is it a complete mess as usual?? ?Various groups have popped up and started to fight over dams and oil fields. Western personnel have been evacuated and military units have started to engage those groups in combat. It?s starting to turn into even more of a mess over there. NATO seems to be overstretching themselves over there as well, with multiple FOBs and main bases being cut off from each other. Kuwait has also been targeted by some of those opposing groups. And Israel has repulsed attacks from outside groups seeking more land. Their Iron Dome has been working nonstop for the past ten hours and their defense forces have dug in. It might turn into a repeat of the Six Day War if they decide to start taking more land.? ?It?s a pity that the area is like that. It has so much history and culture, and yet it?s where some of the worst fighting is,? Yukari sighed. ?It?s ironic that the birthplace of some of the world?s largest religions can be the site of so much war. At least I got to see a lot of the area back when it was quieter, those British explorers were such gentlemen. I miss the days when hunting was a more dangerous affair. Any fool can hunt while riding a helicopter and firing a full belt of homing rounds. It was better when it was one shot rifles at close range, where both parties had more equal chances. Anyway, are Israel?s allies coming to their aid?? ?They would,? Nitori pointed outside. ?If they weren?t too busy dealing with us.? ?As long as nuclear weapons aren?t fired, I wouldn?t be too worried. The Samson Option would be a great pain to deal with at the current state of affairs. So all we have to do is at least draw in this battle and we won?t have as much to deal with. The new Soviet Union would probably start a separate war with NATO and take some more pressure off of us.? ?Could this be the start of another world war?? ?I would say so. It?s sad that the beginning of World War III started with our land being attack unfairly.  But we have no choice but to keep moving forward. The human command staff have been mostly wiped out, so we just have to force the rest to surrender. It may take an even longer battle to get them to see the light. Maybe a new world order with us at the helm? But there?s an even bigger problem.? Yukari leaned in closer and lowered her voice. ?What do you think is the true damage of this conflict? Is it the lives, the damage to the world, or is it something else? Could it be that the very foundation of our world is being damaged by this conflict? Could the strands of time and reality be breaking apart right in front of us?? Nitori could only stare when she finally understood the implications of Yukari?s question. The gap youkai straighten back up and shook her head. ?Forget what I asked. It?s a loaded question.? The look in her eyes held a mixture of deep sadness and a determination that would make steel seem weak. Nitori had never seen anything like it before and began to fidget a little under that gaze. The gap youkai soften her gaze and pulled out her fan. Hiding her face behind it, she takes a second to gather herself before looking at the map again. Yukari began to run another set of numbers and scenarios in her head, adjusting what she knew to get the endgame she wanted. Turning around, she opened a gap and stepped through it. She appeared near the top of a tree that had a good view of the battle. Yukari was reminded of the North Africa campaign during World War II for some reason. If she wanted to make sure that the humans would think twice about launching another attack, she had to make sure that they inflicted enough causalities. At the rate she was seeing, it take a battle that lasted at least three full days to fully drive home that point. The Lunarians were fielding more regiments but wouldn?t be completely ready for a few more days. The logistical burden would be great on the GDF, since Rinnosuke had only just begun to receive shipments of weapons, ammunition and spare parts. The Tiger (P) had been damaged to the point where it was just one shot from being knocked out, but Sakuya had managed to find a work around for that. A three day battle would entail so much, which Yukari was starting to worry about. Most of the youkai wouldn?t really mind, but their human comrades might have problems with it. Night warfare wasn?t the most enjoyable thing to do, especially if one had a certain shrine maiden?s level of night vision. And the longer the battle went, the more reinforcements that would probably be brought in. If they weren?t able to keep up mobile warfare, then a repeat of World War I era trench warfare would rear its ugly head. The Lunarians would be able to switch out regiments once they were ready, but the GDF had thrown almost everything they had in from the start. Yukari was extremely worried about the strain that a prolonged battle would put on Remiu and Marisa. Both of them were like daughters to her. Many of the youkai that knew that had felt that the gap youkai?s judgment might be conflicted with those too involved, but held their tongues due to fear of insulting her. The elegant youkai was protective of the pair after all. Yukari pulled out a small book from a pocket in her dress. She opens it up and frowns as she reads some of the pages she had marked. The book she held could be considered one of the most important books in all of history. It had the power to create and topple empires, to advance or sabotage the march of science, to improve or destroy the state of the planet. The irony is that it was still a normal book in terms of material and creation. What made it so special was that it contained all of the notes that Yukari had taken in the past and the future, especially when she was someone else. These notes weren?t just overviews of everything she had taken part in, it laid out almost every possible outcome. Contrary to what some might think, Yukari wasn?t using it for her own benefit. She was using it to make sure that the two people that she cared about wouldn?t suffer because of her weakness. But, now the book was revealed to be lacking. ?Why are things changing so much,? her voice was barely audible, but had a hint of confusion. ?This battle shouldn?t have happened this early. Iku should have still been alive until New York. Is the time stream changing? This throws my main plan out the window. But it doesn?t matter. I?ll make sure that those two won?t have to suffer like they did. Even?if I have to reduce reality to ashes to do it.? East of the Lunarian main line, Japan A regiment of cavalry could be seen just standing around, far from the main force. The sounds of laugher could be heard from some of the older looking riders, while some of the younger ones had anger and guilt on their faces. The bodies of some of the younger nobles that had tried to support the doomed regiment were some distance away, but still visible to all as a warning. None of the older ones had believed the stories of Eirin getting her Royal commission back, so they felt that they could do as they pleased. If they paid more heed to the stories, they would have begun to worry when several of the bushes around them began to move a little. The younger nobles knew that the Special Development Group were hidden in them, but kept their mouths shut and put some space between them and the leaders. One of the older nobles was laughing and waving his sidearm around carelessly. He shot a few rounds into the air, not caring where the bullets would land. None of the nobles even noticed that their subordinates had moved away from them. The smell of alcohol was also starting to fill the area, a clear disregard of Lunarian Defense Corps regulations. One noble was laughing while he was turning to look at an approaching figure when a rock hits him directly in the face. He?s knocked off of the horse and lands on his back, breaking the jovial mood. Everyone in the area looks to see where it came from and freezes in fear once they recognize the figure. Royal Colonel Eirin Yagokoro was walking slowly towards them with a look of anger on her face and her saber in hand. Some of the nobles lost control of their bowels at the sight. Some of the more drunk nobles try to charge her, only to be pulled off of their steeds and kicked to the ground. The ones that were still on horseback began to circle around her, but Eirin knocks all of them down. With all of them dismounted, they decide to attack her at the same time to overwhelm her. The rest of the nobles that didn?t want to go along with the rest were just watching them, Eirin knew that they were forced to follow orders. Grabbing the smallest drunk by the neck, she throws him into his comrades and sidesteps the charge. One noble tries to grapple her, only to get Eirin?s knee slammed into his abdomen with enough force to hear cracking from his ribs. ?Under Lunarian regulations on the conduct of war and loyalty to the crown,? Eirin said. ?I, in my official designation as a Royal Lunarian Officer in the service of the Royal family, find this group guilty of rebellion against the crown. Your sentence for this crime is death at my hands. Are there any last words or requests that any of you would like to make? I?ll try to make it quick and easy.? Hearing this, the nobles began to pull out everything they had. Cavalry sabers, sidearms, knives, and even a bottle of alcohol were drawn and raised towards Eirin. But none of this fazed her, she had seen worse and stranger weapons used against her. Once a duck, a bench, a rubber chicken and a textbook were used against her in a fight to the death, she wasn?t prone to being surprised by strange and random weaponry. The duck did make a new stew after the fight though. And the rubber chicken was sitting someone around her office. She had used it annoy some of the nobles that rubbed her wrong, much to the amusement of the lower ranks. It reminded her how much she missed being respected for her abilities and not just for her office or who she knew. The fallen noble gets another kick that breaks his neck and leaves him motionless. There were nine more of them, trying to surround her. One more goes down with a crushed windpipe caused by the pommel of Eirin?s saber. Another is taken down by a cut to his neck that severed his jugular vein. The sight of their relative?s blood made some of the survivors freeze. They had known each other since they were children since they had all gone to the same schools and units due to being members of the same noble families. It was like the old British regimental system, except it had a lot more intrigue and savagery than any of those humans could imagine. The practice of hiring assassins to kill officers of opposing families was still alive and well in the Lunar Capital. In the seconds that they hesitated, three of them joined the increasing number of dead. Two of them were dropped by Eirin?s saber while the third was punched so hard in the face that his neck snapped. With four of them left, they were starting to think that a straight charge wasn?t really the best way to fight Eirin. They started to remember the stories that they heard about other rebellious nobles being hunted down and killed by Royal Officers. But as the Royal Officers began to age and entered retirement, the nobles had thought they were able to do what they want. One of the nobles clutches at his chest and falls, but Eirin can tell that his heart attack was fake. That might have worked on another Royal Officer, but not on the former chief medical officer of the LDC. She kicks him in the head just like a punter going for a record, instantly killing the faker. Then she stabs a charging noble in the stomach and throws him into one of his remaining comrades. The last one staggers back when Eirin head-butts him and falls backwards. With a slash across the sole standing noble, Eirin turns to look at the last one left alive. He tries to scramble back and find a weapon. The doctor slowly walks towards him, watching his pitiful attempts to extend his life. He finally grabs a dropped saber and gets back on his feet. His stab towards her heart is effortlessly parried, and she knocks the saber out of his hand. She head-butts him, ignoring the pain caused by performing too many of them. His hat flies off of his head, revealing a large bald spot that almost blinded Eirin with its sheen. Eirin?s hand shoots out and grabs the noble by the throat. Then she angles her saber so that it?s resting on the large pulsating vein in his neck. ?Are you done? Will you accept your sentence? Or am I going to have to kill you like an animal?? ?You?re supposed to be dead,? the defeated noble could barely speak due to fear. ?Why did you come back now? ?Does it matter? I regained my commission and I?m hunting down traitors like you. I never understood why you nobles insist on trying to remove the crown. Do you think that it?s easy to rule? I had the chance to rule everything, but I didn?t want to. What makes a fool like you think that you can do better? Never mind.? Without giving him a chance to respond, she cuts his throat and drops his body. She?s careful to avoid the blood flying from his mortal wound and steps over him. The rest of the regiment hadn?t moved since Eirin had knocked the first noble off of his horse. She spots a rider less horse and hops on it. Holding her saber up, she doesn?t react when the steed rears up. Once the horse puts its front legs back on the ground. Eirin points her saber towards the far off battle. The deadly dance of aircraft could be seen in the sky and the occasional flare overpowering the sun cast different colors. The dismounted tengus were attacking ground targets and sowing panic. ?78th Cavalry Regiment, you are now under my direct command. Do any of you object?? Not a single soul in the regiment said anything. ?Good. The human?s combined force has lost their overall commander and are breaking off into their respective groups. Based on information from our allies, this battle is predicted to last at least three days. I?ve spoken with both princesses and we are arranging for more regiments to be ready to switch out at sundown. All we have to do is strike at the human?s weaken flanks until they?re either dead or routing. Any questions?? There was no response, so Eirin nodded and took off. The 78th formed a diamond with her as the tip and drew their weapons. Elements of the American 3rd Infantry Division were ahead, trying to find a way to flank the main line. The Bradley IFVs were moving as fast as they could, trading shots with a small group of fairies. One of the leading vehicles sees the approaching formation and opens fire on them. A stray artillery round hits the ground a little in front of them. Eirin sticks her left arm out, signaling the regiment to break formation. Using the newly formed crater as a reference point, the regiment separated into two main groups. Once they had broken into those two groups, they didn?t get into another formation and began to spread out. Then they broke off and scattered in every direction. The IFVs opened fire, taking down a few of the horses. ?Hit them from every angle,? Eirin says. She stands up on the saddle and jumps on top of a speeding Bradley. She stabs through the TOW launchers on the side and cuts the barrel of the 25mm chain gun. Two quick cuts open the top hatch and give her an entrance. Instead of wasting time killing them individually, she drops an incendiary grenade and jumps off. The only indication of it going off were the flames that started coming out of the hatch. Her horse circles around the battle, dodging the frenzy. Other vehicles were trying to turn and run over the riders, but kept missing due to the confusion. Some of them ended up colliding with each other. Following Eirin?s lead, the cavalry were cutting up the TOW launchers and chain gun barrels, leveling the field. Once their weapons were disabled, they became easier targets for the jumping cavalry. More and more of the IFVs were disabled by sabers and incendiary grenades. The next targets on the vehicles were the treads. Some of the sabers were knocked away by them, but some managed to find a weak point and cut them. The ones that were damaged quickly lost momentum and could only turn around in a circle until the other track was cut. Some of the rear doors begin to open a little, the infantry inside were poking their rifles out and trying to get some shots out. The Lunarians responded by tossing in incendiary grenades through the gaps. As they went off, smoke began to obscure the area. Jumping off a burning Bradley onto her borrowed horse, Eirin counted two surviving IFVs trying to retreat. Quickly cutting one of their treads, she barely dodged its last push forward. Other riders were finishing the rest of the treads and some were cutting their way into the passenger compartments. Seeing no more working Bradleys, Eirin pulls out an updating map and wipes some sweat off of her forehead. Her map showed that the armored skirmish was moving away from the infantry, giving the Lunarians the advantage. But what Yukari had said still bothered her somewhat. She knew that the Lunarians had experience in this kind of prolonged combat. Most of Gensokyo had never been forced to withstand days of artillery barrages and close combat. She knew that a lot of the older and wiser parties knew this and were weighed down by it. Yukari held the wellbeing of the land as her upmost priority, but some of her decisions didn?t sit well with Eirin?s experience. It was almost as if she was trying to play a different game then everyone else. A small blue square was moving fast, trading shots with multiple red squares. The information above the blue square indicated that it was Sakuya?s Tiger (P) finally got its engine problems sorted out. The kappas had added a series of modifications that would make any tank enthusiast either drool with envy or faint from shock. Now the Tiger (P) could reach speeds of 65 km/hr and still had the armor and firepower of a heavy tank. Return fire was missing most of the time, the shots that did find the tank were deflected. More and more of the red squares disappear, showing that the tank was getting kills even with the turret probably bouncing everywhere due to the terrain and lack of stabilizers. Some of the human crew members that knew about the historic tank that was now tearing them a new one were wondering if such a tank was truly possible. It would make the defense contractors that boasted that their modern tanks were unstoppable quit their jobs in rage and shame. The Lunarian main line had advanced to meet the approaching infantry and scattered scout vehicles. Various blue squares were flashing on the map, indicating that the regiments were taking some form of damage. For now, they were advancing in line infantry formation. That should be changing soon after they fully engage. She hears a tap from her senior sergeant over the communication link. ?Colonel, we?re in position to provide support for the main line. There are about three battalions? worth of reserve troops holding their position. We have received indications that there is an elevated level of phosphorus in the air. There is reason to believe that NATO troops are preparing to deploy their own incendiary shells.? ?Hmm, I had thought that they had banned their use themselves.? Eirin frowned. ?Their doctrines really do not make sense sometimes. Some of their field manuals talk about using them while their Staff College says that it?s against the laws of war. Still, deny them the ability to use them. Our uniforms won?t be able to defend against chemical fires yet. It sounds like they?re starting to feel a little desperation.? ?As you wish, Colonel. If I could be as bold to ask this, is the GDF really expecting this battle to last for three days?? ?The GDF as a whole needs more time to prepare themselves for the more distant and bloody engagements it?ll take to win this war. To get that time, they have to force the humans to back off for a while. That?ll take a devastating defeat after a prolonged engagement. It?s our job to support them in that. Tell the group that once the incendiary shells are taken out, you are to withdraw until nightfall.? ?Understood, Colonel.? ?78th Regiment,? Eirin turned her attention to the cavalry. ?Withdraw and rest your horses. Tonight, we?re going fox hunting.?

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