Author notes:
I am back, and I gotta say this. I apologize, I don't think I can write long chapters during the holidays. That said, I can at least guarantee the quality won't fall and I will strive to get my mindset back in working order. Other than that, Lunar New Year/Tet will be upon us tomorrow. In that sense, my mom and I wish you all a nice Lunar New Year! Next four pictures are also posted in the album. Enjoy your reading and viewing pleasure! photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
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It starts as a shift of the ground, the cracking of pavement, and the rocking of dilapidated structures, culminating in an earthquake that collapses a few parts of Auschwitz's slum. Knowing that the castle will be the epicenter of what's about to happen next, a part 501st brings the remaining non-combatants as far away from it as possible. The main combat power of the division then surrounds the castle on all sides but still maintains a respectable distance.
Up in the air and already flying far enough to avoid the freaky storm cloud that grounded the 501st Witches, the A400 Atlases carrying Reality Anchors monitor the change in mana level at Auschwitz. Almost at the same time, the sensors pick up a major spike in mana density, prompting the operators the Anchors to hastily jump in and stabilize the situation. A couple of them warn High Command of the development while the others focus on making sure none of their allies are suddenly turned into Demons due to the sudden rise in mana concentration. Without the Anchors, it's expected that almost half of the 501st humans in Auschwitz would be demonified nearly instantly. Hence, they must divert all of the Anchors' processing power into lowering the mana concentration, rather than stopping someone from casting a magic spell.
"What the fuck are these reading!? This is batshit insane!" One operator commented as she typed commands after commands to the Anchor she was assigned to.
"If you have time to complain then work!" Her superior chided her before sending her the next set of data.
"I am trying my best here so cut me some slack, asshole! We can barely adapt these Anchors fast enough! Yggdrasil damn it all! Just what sort of monstrosity can trample on the fabric of reality like this?!" The woman questioned aloud, not expecting any good answer.
With the few Anchors they have available, it's a miracle that these Anchors haven't been burned out yet.
The superior officer warns. "Another mana surge is inbound! I need that prior data set processed and inputted, now!"
"I am trying!" Bemoaned the female operator as her typings, and the others', went more frantic and desperate. The clackers of keyboards, and the stress of the situation, will no doubt cause many operators to have nightmares later on.
Down on the ground, the full might of Belka's military is brought to bear against the unseen threat. Tanks, IFVs, and mortars were all poised in the general direction of the castle. Overhead, Guns-a-go-go Ospreys circle around the castle like birds of prey while CAS jets are making rounds above them. Surrounding Auschwitz, artillery batteries from the three FOBs load precision-guided munitions. They also provide perimeter security against possible Sardegnian interlopers. By now, the Sardegnian military is now on full alert and may send forces to interrupt the 501st's force deployment.
As the matter has blown way over the proportion of a smash-and-grab operation, Yuki has given the mobilization order for Belkan marines. While the 501st will bear the brunt of the anticipated surprise, Belkan Marine Regiments from the 2nd Carrier Strike Group and the reinforcing 1st Carrier Strike Group will land on Taranto. Their task is to create a sea-to-land supply corridor for the 501st and to turn Taranto into a fallback point for the Airborne Division. So in a single day, two Belkan military operations are being carried out simultaneously on Sardegnian soil, mostly unimpeded due to the overwhelming firepower the Belkans have on hand.
Back at Auschwitz, the earthquake reaches its peak and causes severe damage to the city's infrastructure. Nonetheless, the 501st soldiers stand firm, their rifles ready to aim at anything that's remotely hostile to them. They don't need to wait for long when a wave of primal fear washes over them. From the belly of the supposedly empty castle, they weren't able to check the lowest floors beneath it, dozens, no, hundreds or more bestial screams can be heard as the shaking of the land comes to a halt. For five whole seconds after that, a curtain of bone-chilling quiet, save for the engine sounds of Ospreys and ground vehicles, befalls Auschwitz. It's very off-putting due to the commotion earlier.
That discomforting silence is soon broken though. From the direction of the castle, the rumbling of a stampede can be felt by all. At first, it's small, seemingly from a faraway plane. But then it grows larger with gravel and pools of water being disturbed at a rapid pace. Ultimately, they appear, storming through the halls and lobby of the castle, barrelling through walls and steel gates as if they're paper-mache. Demons, zombies, the lot of them, all pouring out from every single opening on the castle's ground level. The roars and screams of the horde are drowned out by the very steps they made. The visible number has already reached triple digits, but who to say there aren't more from beneath the castle?
Yuki, overseeing everything in the air, has a bead of cold sweat trailing down her forehead. She would be lying if the oddly impressive vista hadn't caused her to feel a tinge of worry for her men and women down there. That said, the Marshal's words quickly traveled down the line, clear and concise despite the cacophony of sound down below.
"All elements, fire at will, engage at will! The enemy may travel subterraneanly, be careful of your rear! CAP units stop the enemy flyers from flanking our troops!"
Though the Overseer Yuki aboard the Osprey can't see it, only feels through her connection with the Overlord version of her, the Belkan battle net lights up like a Christmas tree or the firework of the American's Fourth of July. Belkan units from the Auschwitz front report they've started engaging the demonic horde, the number is shocking. They can just aim at a general direction and their bullets can still hit a target anyway. In the air, the Overseer witnesses as tracers cut down the demons like Chariots and Archangels ahead of the horde in swaths, only for those behind them to stomp or fly past the carcasses and lead the charge. Right behind the bulk of the meatshields are the zombies, formerly female humans that have now been given scythes, bows and arrows, and floating coffins by Gaia's metamorphosis. These zombies are agile and deadly to a normal human soldier. The scythes from Vigiles zombies and claws from the Razor Claw zombies can tear through flesh with ease. Not to mention the arrows fired by the Archer zombies have enough kinetic power to tear through 10mm of rolled homogeneous armour. As for the Lich zombies... Laser coffins, that's more than enough to prioritize them first and foremost.
To complement the squad-level firepower, tanks and IFVs join the free. The Leopard MBTs and CLass-C Pumas use a combination of HEAT shells and machine gun fire to blunt the horde's frontlines. Explosions and red tracers decorate the ground level while in the air, Guns-a-go-go gunships make past after past, unloading their machine gun, autocannon, and rockets on the back row of the demonic horde. Once their rocket munitions are depleted, successfully make a dent in the zombies' number, and the Ospreys clear the airspace. Despite the impressive firepower being unloaded in five minutes, more and more demons and zombies come pouring out of the castle, once again forming in a large blob promising death and destruction to everything on their way.
In the air, the Overseer can't help but comment. "This is absurd! There's no way in Hell there were more than a thousand captives down there to be demonified."
Overlord Yuki who is watching the live feed aboard the RMS Parseval, also speaks up. "There's something else down there. This is just the prelude." Yuki turns to Bryn who has been dutifully helping Yuki coordinate the landfall on Taranto. "We may need much more firepower than expected."
Bryn nods, though she does advise. "If we bring in any more, it will be impossible to cover up our military prowess. May I suggest calling in additional air assets?"
Yuki shakes her head. "I already have the 509th Bomber Wing in the air with Cloudmakers aboard. What I am suggesting is if even they fail to eliminate this threat. We're gonna be breaking out something much worse than an Orkan torpedo." Yuki said grimly.
Her insinuation surprised Bryn, with the officers in the CIC catching onto the unspoken words. "Are you considering the deployment of our WMD?"
Yuki nods, turning her gaze to the screen which is now showing an artillery barrage splashing in the middle of the horde. "I am. If they keep sending out more and more, the 501st will be running dry of ammo. Once the horde turns this into a CQC, they'll be slaughtered. Noble Team and Blue Team on the ground can only do so much against such an overwhelming number."
Her sentence is punctuated by the Ravens on the ground doing their very best to keep the zombies from getting anywhere close to the 501st Airbornes. Due to the urban condition of the battlefield, it's a given that these zombies, more intelligent than their Demon counterparts, know to scurry away from danger and ambush occupied 501st elements.
Understanding the risk of having the horde running rampant on an unprepared Europe, much less Sardegna, Bryn takes Yuki's hand into her own. "I understand," She squeezes it gently as a comforting gesture. "I will prepare an escape strategy for when our WMD is deployed. I only hope it won't get to that point."
"You and me both, Bryn." Yuki said before turning to the commanding officer for the Parseval's air wings. "The artillery will need to go on a cooldown in five minutes. Up next will be your pilots' show. We will rotate fire support between air and ground units until the 509th Bombers can get here."
The male officer salutes, responding. "Our men and women won't let you down, Marshal."
Yuki nods, returning her attention to the battle on the ground.
By now, the 501st has shot down thousands of hostile targets yet there's no end in sight. To the airborne infantry on the ground, they have used everything at their disposal to cull the herd, bullets, Panzerfausts, and magic spells. They fire their guns still their faces are marred and burned by gunpowder, their eyes red due to the chemical exhaust. The tankers, even when they're stowed behind layers of composite armor, can feel the frantic rush in their veins. Tank commanders shout even with their throats cracking, loaders carry on feeding round after round despite their muscles' protest, and gunners focus down their sight till their eyes shed tears. The threat is very real and if they let up their trigger for a single second, it's as if they have given the horde a mile of leeway. The dread seems to exasperate whenever the tanks and machine gunners have to retreat to the backline, either to switch out with fresh elements or to grab more ammo.
Yet, they never falter.
The 501st are Airbornes, they're meant to be surrounded and still resist and bite hard at their enemy. Just killing a bunch of mindless beasts with plentiful fire support to boot? This is a cake walk and they're undeserving of their berets if they fail, right here, right now.
Their conviction is further tempered when a flight of Phantoms performs a low pass, their pylons detaching a mix of incendiary and general-purpose dumb bombs. In a burst of heat and wind, the surrounding area of the castle seems to blossom into a flower of fire, death, and destruction. This intervention has bought the 501st a brief respite as it blocks the next wave of demonic entities from swarming out. Utilizing the chance, the 501st kills off the stragglers before refreshing their defense line. Casualties are brought back to the rear, taking up the field hospitals that were treating civilians prior to the mess. The rescued civilians are funneled to a safe distance away from the battle. Fresh troops move to fill the opening left behind by expended units. Armored units are resupply by ammunition carriers. Ospreys are rearmed and refueled back at the FOBs. In the air, Phantoms and Harriers fly circles around the castle, mindful of the dark clouds and vigilant to perform their CAS duty.
For some of them, this may be the longest day in their lives.