Author Notes:
A new month, and a new chapter. Honestly, it's harder to write a strategic movement on the map than writing an actual tactical battle lol
Anyway, do enjoy the chapter and pictures! Thank you, all of you, for another month reading with me and my mom!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
https://www.patreon.com/Heartbreak117
https://ko-fi.com/heartbreak117/goal?g=0
P.S: Edited by Yovis
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Bombs and shells explode everywhere as red tracers cut across the lines of blue-coated infantrymen. On the burned forest ground, destroyed tanks and corpses are strewn about, exposed to the elements and the occasional stray hit of a fragment. Battered, broken even, and being attacked by things they can't even see despite it being midday, the Loyalists' morale have plummeted.
"Get back to the CP! Get back to the CP!" A Loyalist Sergeant shouts, his voice trembling.
"Fuck this! Screw the CP, we need to book it!" A random soldier screams before getting out of the shell crater he is in.
He's just about to make a break for it with his fellow soldiers when a shell tears through his torso and hits someplace out of sight. The gruesome sight forces the rest to dive back into the crater out of fright as the head that was once their friend flopped down after a few seconds of air time.
"Ah Hell, I didn't sign up for this shit!" They're frightened by the head that landed just shy of their boots.
Smacking the head of the soldier who spoke that, the Loyalist Sergeant barks an order. "Use smoke grenades, you fools! Use everything!"
At that command, the soldiers in the hole fumble with the pins of their smoke grenades before blindly tossing them in the general direction of the Belkans. The grenades pop, unleashing a thick cloud of low-hanging smoke ever so slowly. It does help obscure their position, making it so that no Belkan can aim directly at their fleeing backs. However, it doesn't mean that the bullets have stopped coming at them. Ironically enough, the smoke screen attracts even more lead from the Belkans. The Belkan soldiers on the other end of the smoke screen just scoff and pour a withering hail of automatic fire as if they don't have to care about ammo.
In a way, the Belkans really do not care about straining their logistic supply...
Regardless, despite the heavy incoming fire, the Loyalist Sergeant and the rest of his unit have no choice but to get up and run without looking back. This, however, proves to be an immediate undoing of the Sergeant himself. Having run a few meters, the Loyalist Sergeant is hit by a random bullet in his left knee, right when he is about to set his left foot down. The wound, when combined with the force the Sergeant used prior, makes the Loyalist officer collapse, screaming bloody murder to the ground. Clutching his injury, the Sergeant looks and sees his lower leg hanging by some sliver of meat and bones. Suddenly, something seems to explode behind him as dirt and debris fly above his head. Darting his head around, the Loyalist Sergeant sees a Somua S35 with its turret gone reversing right at him.
Understandably frightened, the Sergeant crawls while searching for members of his unit, only to see them long gone without him. Screaming out to other retreating Loyalists who are similarly gunned down, the Sergeant tries to prevent his imminent fate.
"Wait! Stop! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!" Grabbing onto the dirt, dead leaves, and something grimy, the Sergeant struggles but the sounds and vibration of the S35 just keep getting closer. "No! No! Wait! NO!"
For some time, the screams of the Sergeant and his flesh being pulverized drown out the local battlezone. It's a ghastly sight as the dozen tons tank crushes his body beneath one of its treads. Unsurprisingly, the surviving driver of the S35 doesn't even know what he just ran over with how badly his hearing was damaged in combat. All he knows is that he has to get the fuck outta dodge. That's what losing an entire tank turret does to a man.
After another failed counter-attack, the Loyalist commanders finally give up on Sedan. They go on to retreat past the village of Stonne, plucking their command post in the Artaise region with them. This decision will go on to make the Sedan truly uncontested, giving the Belkan Reich the leeway to dig in as planned. The 10th Panzer Division will be responsible for holding the Sedan front with ample support, leaving elements of the 404th, 1st, and 2nd Panzer Divisions free to pursue the Erusean Channel as planned.
10 days. A time period that seems short but holds critical importance in a military campaign. This is the period in which the Reich Marshal hopes to completely eliminate the Erusean Expeditionary Force in Northern Maginot. The EEF is worth 10 percent of the Allied fighting forces on the Western Front... This is 400000 men and equipment, all well-trained, well-armed, and well-fed, unlike their Loyalist compatriots. Supporting them is the meager yet not-to-be-discounted Darscen Army which is fielding another 200000 men. In total, more than half a million in manpower fighting trying to stop the iron tide in the North. Perhaps in another world, they would have been able to achieve something meaningful. Regrettably, the Marshal doesn't have the habit of playing with her food in this one. It's decided that after a brief R&R, Rearm and Refuel, Army Group A will immediately set out on a warpath. To do this, the Marshal pulls out all the stops.
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Stepping out of a portal conjured by none other than Nicolae, a group of fine girls and ladies come to see the sky of Ustio for the first time in their lives. These girls are none other than the brainiac trio, Ningyo, Daria, Griseo and Mei, alongside Sirin and her sisters. Setting foot on a secured clearing that is heavily protected by everything the Reich has to offer, these girls are greeted warmly by Yuki herself.
"Big sis!" Unsurprisingly, it's Ningyo who immediately dashes for a good old hug with her favorite person.
Returning her first sister's embrace cheerfully, Yuki smiles before extending one of her arms, beckoning the rest of her family for a group hug. Mobius exasperatedly sighs when Einstein forces her to join in, with the former trying to hide her happy feelings while they make room for the sisters. Sirin sneaks up next to Yuki with a pleased smile, her head nuzzles to Yuki's nape, while Mei intentionally cuddles up to Ningyo. Rozaliya leads Liliya to hug their big sis while Bronya and the shy Seele move and get cozy with head pats provided by Yuki. Mash and Bella smile before taking positions behind their loving big sister. Griseo tilts her head cutely while Daria chuckles with a hand guiding the former to embrace Yuki through Ningyo. Finally, Nicolae hops and hovers right above the surprisingly orderly pile of girls before wrapping them all up with two of her tentacles. Yuki feels her right eye twitch at the possible insinuation of the act but lets it slide when Nicolae innocently giggles while holding up a smartphone... Right. Nicolae then takes a group selfie before sending it through a group chat interface for the rest of the family to see and safekeeping.
Honestly, don't question it.
Jokes and comfy hug aside, regrettably, they have actual work to do today. Ningyo and Mei help the brainiac trio set up a scientific workstation alongside a bunch of monitoring instrument. This is so that they can record and analyze more data from what Sirin and some of her sisters are about to do. Instead of Nicolae, Sirin steps up to open up multiple portals back to the Reich, allowing manpower and materials to travel back and forth. Injured soldiers and damaged equipment are sent back while fresh units replace them. In another spot is Bronya, though in her case, she uses her hyper-intelligence mind and creation power to mass-materialize spare parts, and even munitions onto many containers. These two are then supported by Seele who gravitates between providing them with mana and carefully wiping the sweat on their brows.
Daria, being a fine seedling in Yuki's eyes, is immediately put into a trial position in Yuki's 2nd ABCT. If Daria is to ask for Ningyo's hand, she will have to prove her mettle in the hot seat of an AFV. Mei doesn't have to do this because she already qualifies by her sheer intellectual prowess. Yuki is now briefing Daria on the upcoming trial by fire and the young girl can be seen standing at attention. To Yuki's side, Griseo sits on a stool, painting a priceless picture of the surroundings.
Rozaliya and Liliya though... Well, they don't have much to do here, really. As such, Yuki just laughs and lets them have free reign to go about the military encampment as long as they behave. To manage this pair of dorky twins, Yuki sics Mash and Bella at them. They then move around Army Group A's base camp under the supervision of Yuki's bodyguards, Erika and her group. The colorful twins respectfully liven up the mood, making the soldiers smile brighter and more cheerful than before. Morale is already high, and the girls only seem to bolster it by reminding the Belkans of what they're fighting for unknowingly. Truly, they're fighting a good fight here.
To these young girls, they see their big sis and these soldiers as their heroes. Yet, they don't know just how important they are in the hearts and minds of the people around them. Understandably, their abilities are a cut above the rest, to the point of being strategic in levels. However, it's their smiles that are the most important here. These so-called heroes will gladly lay down their lives to ensure such smiles remain impervious to the test of Time.
By the time Sirin and Bronya finally sit down in exhaustion, Army Group A is fully replenished in a record-breaking time of five hours. This is not a small unit, mind you, and to have all of their needs taken care of in a mere five hours is just insane. Because of this, the Reich Marshal personally commended the girls before they returned to Berlin. Regrettably, aside from Daria, the rest can't accompany Yuki into the fray. They will be wishing for Yuki's victorious return.
As Nicolae's portal closes in front of her eyes, Yuki sighs, pleased with today's result before turning around. Behind her, the command staff is already awaiting her order. Waving a hand imperiously, Yuki declares.
"Depart!"