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Camouflage and Grell Eliatris's well-thought-out tactics allowed the second squad to reach the location of the Darkrian artillery without major problems; all that remained was to destroy it or, at least, temporarily prevent further fire on the Empire's forces and civilians, thereby opening up the possibility for both to flee south, away from pursuit.
— Hey, Lieutenant de Leer, — Ed Abracks casually addressed his commander, standing behind the snow-covered trees, and nodded in the direction of the enemy commander.
He was a handsome man, appearing to be 25-30 years old, with blue eyes and long, golden hair tied back in a high ponytail. He was dressed in white and blue robes, and seemed to radiate noble radiance, which for some reason began to greatly irritate Virion.
— So, this is Krait Braidenwilde, — Grell quietly explained, well-versed in much useful and useless information, — he is not only a count, but also the commander-in-chief of the Darkrian armed forces; only the Duke himself is above him. It's strange that he's here.
— It doesn't matter. We have a good opportunity to strike a significant blow to the enemy's forces and morale. — Virion de Leer was pleased with the opportunity that had presented itself to him and his squad. Now he could leave his mark on history and thereby raise the prestige of his family. — Grell, Teddy, Ed, put the enemy forces in a state of confusion; Visenia, you are in charge of destroying the infantry; Meteos, Reila, Selena — destroy the artillery or those who operate it. I will take care of the commander. — Having made sure that his subordinates understood the plan of action, he began the attack. — Forward!
Grell's trick worked: the enemy infantry stood like fools and could not understand what was happening while they were burned by fire, struck by lightning, and pierced by ice spears. Meteos, Reila, and Selena effectively suppressed the enemy artillery fire. Virion de Leer drew his blade in order to strike down the commander-in-chief and rushed towards him with the intention of killing him... De Leer's sword cracked in half, and then his head flew off his shoulders. Krait Braidenwilde wiped the blood of the young lieutenant from his katana and put it back in its scabbard.
— Everyone, focus! — His loud, but graceful command, brought the Darkrian soldiers out of a state of panic. — Squad 5, E8! — The Darkrian soldiers flanked Grell, Teddy, and Ed from behind and mercilessly shot them from automatic weapons. — Private Wart, F25! — A bullet fired from a sniper rifle hits Visenia between the eyes, and she falls onto the snow, filling the white canvas beneath her with red paint. — Squad 2, A3! — Heavy infantry surrounded Meteos, Reila, and Selena, and began to fire at them from machine guns. Meteos shielded the girls with his body and paid for it with his life, but allowed them to launch a counterattack. Selena shot down two infantrymen, but she herself absorbed so much lead that it was incompatible with life. Reila shot one enemy in the head, jumped on another, threw a grenade into his bag, and pushed off him with her feet. A moment later, an explosion followed, and Reila herself hid behind a tree, catching her breath. She was the last one left alive, and she didn't know what to do next. Her thoughts were interrupted by a jump, which she made following her own instincts — a moment later, the trunk of the tree behind which she was hiding was split by a furious blow from the two-handed sword of an unnamed Darkrian warrior. But even that luck was not enough for her — a second swordsman, who was behind her, impaled her on his two-handed sword.
___
Meanwhile, Xenomia, Linnea, and Latro rested in the infirmary along with the other patients. While they were in such a helpless state, soldiers in Imperial uniforms began to enter the room, among them was Sergeant Nanako, whom, however, few people knew here. One of those who entered, judging by the insignia on his uniform, was a lieutenant.
— You'll pay for this, Rinzai dogs! — he declared loudly, and then began to methodically kill the defenseless patients with the help of his comrades.
— I'm sorry, darling, — Nanako said to Xenomia when her turn came, — nothing personal.
The sounds of a machine gun burst were heard, and a moment later Nanako fell on Xenomia, vomiting blood on her. Then her eyes went out. The arrival of Gilbert and the other members of the fourth squad came at just the right time for the survivors, and soon the problem was resolved.
___
Major Nails received information that the third squad had successfully broken through the encirclement, and the path to retreat was open. She organized the survivors for the most effective performance of the task facing their battalion and remained with a small number of soldiers to cover the rear. When the civilians and the main forces finally managed to escape the enemy's pursuit, the major and her subordinates were cut off from the rest, and they had no choice but to fall in battle. Noticing the Darkrian commander, she decided to use the last moments of her life for the good of her homeland, intending to take the enemy leader with her. She gathered her will and, cutting down one Darkrian after another, tirelessly reduced the distance between herself and Krait Braidenwilde.
— Haa! — The major jumped on him with inhuman speed and... fell onto the cold snow. The commander's blade cut the woman in half from the groin to the top of her head before she could reach him.
— What a pathetic display of courage, — the blond man sighed heavily, — first one, now the second, like monkeys.
— Sir, if you please... — A young adjutant waited for the commander-in-chief to nod and continued. — In my opinion, our opponent showed himself more than worthy, and such a feat deserves respect! Sir!... Besides... if you allow me to be absolutely honest...
— I allow it.
— Don't you think that the use of such methods is inconsistent with the Darkrian code of honor? Poisoning. Using traitors in the enemy ranks. The destruction of an entire city. Surrounding a defenseless enemy and destroying its forces along with civilians who have nothing to do with the war... In my humble opinion, we should have met the enemy in a fair fight.
— In wartime, such sentiments are not only absurd, but also extremely harmful. And it is because of such absurdity that we find ourselves in such an unenviable position as we are now.
— Sir?
— In our time, playing a defensive war is a fool's errand, doomed to failure. We should have occupied the north of the Empire in the early days of the war, while we still had the opportunity, but instead, we allowed the Imperial forces under the command of Realgar Muscari to set foot on our land. If we had not carried out today's counterattack, then in a few months the capital of the duchy itself would have been under threat. What is the point of a code of honor when following it means the annihilation of our forces and the loss of sovereignty?
Today's battle was a great victory for Darkria. Krait Braidenwilde left several battalions to defend this position, and he himself headed to the main forces of the duchy, intending to encircle Realgar Muscari.
— Hey, Lieutenant de Leer, — Ed Abracks casually addressed his commander, standing behind the snow-covered trees, and nodded in the direction of the enemy commander.
He was a handsome man, appearing to be 25-30 years old, with blue eyes and long, golden hair tied back in a high ponytail. He was dressed in white and blue robes, and seemed to radiate noble radiance, which for some reason began to greatly irritate Virion.
— So, this is Krait Braidenwilde, — Grell quietly explained, well-versed in much useful and useless information, — he is not only a count, but also the commander-in-chief of the Darkrian armed forces; only the Duke himself is above him. It's strange that he's here.
— It doesn't matter. We have a good opportunity to strike a significant blow to the enemy's forces and morale. — Virion de Leer was pleased with the opportunity that had presented itself to him and his squad. Now he could leave his mark on history and thereby raise the prestige of his family. — Grell, Teddy, Ed, put the enemy forces in a state of confusion; Visenia, you are in charge of destroying the infantry; Meteos, Reila, Selena — destroy the artillery or those who operate it. I will take care of the commander. — Having made sure that his subordinates understood the plan of action, he began the attack. — Forward!
Grell's trick worked: the enemy infantry stood like fools and could not understand what was happening while they were burned by fire, struck by lightning, and pierced by ice spears. Meteos, Reila, and Selena effectively suppressed the enemy artillery fire. Virion de Leer drew his blade in order to strike down the commander-in-chief and rushed towards him with the intention of killing him... De Leer's sword cracked in half, and then his head flew off his shoulders. Krait Braidenwilde wiped the blood of the young lieutenant from his katana and put it back in its scabbard.
— Everyone, focus! — His loud, but graceful command, brought the Darkrian soldiers out of a state of panic. — Squad 5, E8! — The Darkrian soldiers flanked Grell, Teddy, and Ed from behind and mercilessly shot them from automatic weapons. — Private Wart, F25! — A bullet fired from a sniper rifle hits Visenia between the eyes, and she falls onto the snow, filling the white canvas beneath her with red paint. — Squad 2, A3! — Heavy infantry surrounded Meteos, Reila, and Selena, and began to fire at them from machine guns. Meteos shielded the girls with his body and paid for it with his life, but allowed them to launch a counterattack. Selena shot down two infantrymen, but she herself absorbed so much lead that it was incompatible with life. Reila shot one enemy in the head, jumped on another, threw a grenade into his bag, and pushed off him with her feet. A moment later, an explosion followed, and Reila herself hid behind a tree, catching her breath. She was the last one left alive, and she didn't know what to do next. Her thoughts were interrupted by a jump, which she made following her own instincts — a moment later, the trunk of the tree behind which she was hiding was split by a furious blow from the two-handed sword of an unnamed Darkrian warrior. But even that luck was not enough for her — a second swordsman, who was behind her, impaled her on his two-handed sword.
___
Meanwhile, Xenomia, Linnea, and Latro rested in the infirmary along with the other patients. While they were in such a helpless state, soldiers in Imperial uniforms began to enter the room, among them was Sergeant Nanako, whom, however, few people knew here. One of those who entered, judging by the insignia on his uniform, was a lieutenant.
— You'll pay for this, Rinzai dogs! — he declared loudly, and then began to methodically kill the defenseless patients with the help of his comrades.
— I'm sorry, darling, — Nanako said to Xenomia when her turn came, — nothing personal.
The sounds of a machine gun burst were heard, and a moment later Nanako fell on Xenomia, vomiting blood on her. Then her eyes went out. The arrival of Gilbert and the other members of the fourth squad came at just the right time for the survivors, and soon the problem was resolved.
___
Major Nails received information that the third squad had successfully broken through the encirclement, and the path to retreat was open. She organized the survivors for the most effective performance of the task facing their battalion and remained with a small number of soldiers to cover the rear. When the civilians and the main forces finally managed to escape the enemy's pursuit, the major and her subordinates were cut off from the rest, and they had no choice but to fall in battle. Noticing the Darkrian commander, she decided to use the last moments of her life for the good of her homeland, intending to take the enemy leader with her. She gathered her will and, cutting down one Darkrian after another, tirelessly reduced the distance between herself and Krait Braidenwilde.
— Haa! — The major jumped on him with inhuman speed and... fell onto the cold snow. The commander's blade cut the woman in half from the groin to the top of her head before she could reach him.
— What a pathetic display of courage, — the blond man sighed heavily, — first one, now the second, like monkeys.
— Sir, if you please... — A young adjutant waited for the commander-in-chief to nod and continued. — In my opinion, our opponent showed himself more than worthy, and such a feat deserves respect! Sir!... Besides... if you allow me to be absolutely honest...
— I allow it.
— Don't you think that the use of such methods is inconsistent with the Darkrian code of honor? Poisoning. Using traitors in the enemy ranks. The destruction of an entire city. Surrounding a defenseless enemy and destroying its forces along with civilians who have nothing to do with the war... In my humble opinion, we should have met the enemy in a fair fight.
— In wartime, such sentiments are not only absurd, but also extremely harmful. And it is because of such absurdity that we find ourselves in such an unenviable position as we are now.
— Sir?
— In our time, playing a defensive war is a fool's errand, doomed to failure. We should have occupied the north of the Empire in the early days of the war, while we still had the opportunity, but instead, we allowed the Imperial forces under the command of Realgar Muscari to set foot on our land. If we had not carried out today's counterattack, then in a few months the capital of the duchy itself would have been under threat. What is the point of a code of honor when following it means the annihilation of our forces and the loss of sovereignty?
Today's battle was a great victory for Darkria. Krait Braidenwilde left several battalions to defend this position, and he himself headed to the main forces of the duchy, intending to encircle Realgar Muscari.