Book 2.
Volume 1: The Chamber of Secrets
Chapter Five: To the End!
*****
The two meet in the same place, except for the ruined railroad tracks so that the people on the train don't also leave the capital for somewhere else, and other housing facilities, but just a normal train station. The guy sees his girlfriend and runs to hug her, he has never been happier than at this moment. No, he doesn't like the war, it's just that the girl and her little brother are alive.
- Kai, get away from me! I almost dropped my grandmother! - She pushed her friend away from her, if he hugged her then she'd have to hold on to Kai as well as Grandma, poor girl...
- Miyazaki, it's time to go! I couldn't sell the documents, the building's ruined, and everyone inside is probably dead. We've got to get out of here! - He advised, but the railroad is destroyed, and I don't know where else to go, unless I take a carriage or something and go.
- And where do you propose to run to? Soon the whole country will be in ruins, our army can not cope, we must somehow escape!
Bang right after Miyazaki said that. What's wrong with her? This is the second time she's had to say something before a shell falls near them. Maybe she shouldn't say anything at all. It would be safer. The boys did not start talking, the place was just not right, they decided to take cover. Over there, a short man of some short stature with a short grey beard, a black cap and a bayonet shovel in his hand, waving his hands and advising them to go to his cellar. There is nothing left for the guys, they anxiously speed up the pace and somehow make it to their destination through the shelling. The man pushes them into the cellar and shuts it down. Miyazaki with great difficulty puts his grandmother on the ground and leans her against the concrete wall, despite the cold. What else is there to do? Such conditions remain... The man drops the shovel and pulls the string; the light in the basement comes on. The girl sits down beside Grandma and sees ten people inside, that's not counting her and her brother, Grandma, and Kai.
- I knew this day would come someday... The Flower Country army is too weak, my brother was there, he saw everything with his own eyes, and the last thing he said to me then was, "We will lose, the Flower Country will fall, the enemy is too strong. He was right, and all we have to do is sit in my basement and wait for a miracle, enough food for three months, you're safe. - The man adjusted his cap, picked up his shovel again and went to dig in another part of the bunker, as more people came in, we need to make new rooms.
The people inside are very frightened, they didn't expect that just half an hour after the newspapers write about the advance of Titania's army, they will already be near the capital. Miyazaki looks at his grandmother and hugs her to keep her warm somehow, Kai and Toda did not dare sit down, they, being male, went with dignity to help a woman with two small children, one a year old, the other five years old. Outside, loud sounds of banging could be heard, shells hitting houses and exploding. Those who made it in time went into the basement; now it will be a long time before they get back out on the street.
- They say that our army is now sending all its forces to defend the capital. - suddenly began to speak a man of twenty-five, with short gray hair, eyes as blue as sea water, wearing a dark stained coat and with a slightly crazy look. He must have seen so much already, corpses, destroyed buildings, people screaming, death, not everyone can morally endure that.
- I will pray that ours will win... It can't end like this! Titania is strong, but she is not at war with us with all her might, we must defend the Tulip! - confidently exclaimed the strong-willed woman, her long blond hair covered in traces of mud, most likely a shell had burst near her, and the mud got on her face. Well, that's the best it could get after a healthy piece of iron explodes....
- Miyazaki, how are you? - After finishing helping, Kai asked. He's not what he used to be, in important moments a guy can show his good side and help his friends, even at the risk of himself.
- Everything is fine, but Grandma, she's getting worse and worse... - she began to cry slightly, not letting go of the old woman.
- Granddaughter... - came to her senses, opening her eyes heavily and looking at her granddaughter with a calm face. - Where are we?
- We are in the basement, Titania attacked us, she is bombing the capital, now we have to sit here and wait for the shelling to end. - Miyazaki answered restlessly, she grabbed her grandmother's palm and felt an incredible coldness, the kind that dead people usually get. Is she going to die soon? No, Miyazaki won't let that happen!
- I have to go home, I left some cakes in the oven... - ...trying to get up, the old woman's getting too old...
- Grandma, sit down! Our house... - Miyazaki couldn't finish, it hurt her to tell her grandmother the truth. Their village was leveled to the ground, if she told the old lady, she would have a heart attack right away.
- What Miyazaki is trying to say is that we can't go home yet, because the place is being renovated... - Kai answers for her friend, smiling sweetly in the old lady's face as if he's not lying, he's a real actor.
- Repairs? Yes, repairs are very important, it's been a long time since we've had them in our house. I think I'll sleep a little longer, then. - the old lady slowly lowered her head and fell asleep. She's not dead if anything, she's got a pulse.
- We have to do something, we can't sit here forever! - declared the girl to her friend.
- I know, that's why I'm coming up with a plan...
*****
The ironclad shelling didn't stop. While the second column bombed the city from a distance, the first created huge shields and fought off the attack of the Flower Country army that defends its land. General Satoshi was confident of a quick victory, so he lightly ordered the first column along with the energy shields to move forward while the second column continued to bomb Tulip. The army did just that, just pushing through the multiple attacks of the Flowers' army. The soldiers in their green uniforms were so maddened by the impudence of the enemy that they forgot how to fight. So they were afraid to fight against people wearing titanium armor, which itself is incredibly strong, but also with shields around them, which can not be broken. There used to be barbed wire on the border, but they took it down first, just by shielding it. The military of the Land of Flowers cannot understand the weakness of such a strong army, until, quite by accident, one of these soldiers sets fire to the glass and throws it up. The glass flies over the high shields and into the enemy's head. Even the titanium helmet didn't help the soldier, because the fire isn't ordinary, but amplified with Hikari's magical energy. Well the warrior grabs his face and falls to the ground. The formation is broken. The warriors of the land of Flowers caught on, and as they set fire to everything they could, Titania's army had to defend themselves with shields. In the end, the shields went to head protection, and the military was open to close-range attacks. Soldiers in green uniforms ran at their enemies, intent on driving them from their lands. A fierce battle began, but what battle? It's a real fight! Titania's army has successfully infiltrated the capital and is fighting the local warriors.
- Hmm... - General Satoshi watched the battle from afar through binoculars. It would be fine for his troops, they are much stronger, although one nuance, the soldiers of the country of Flowers much more, because they kind of on their territory fighting and this is logical. Satoshi shook his head and ordered the second column to bomb not houses and buildings, but the army of Flowers.
Even that didn't help, the flower army steals shields from Titania's soldiers and defends itself against the iron shells with them. General Satoshi is furious, losing so quietly? Yes, he didn't march with the main army, only a small part of it, but even so it is shameful for him, being a general, to suffer defeat.
- Tell the general staff to call for backup. - he said to the soldier with the radio in his hand.
The young soldier without a helmet nodded his head and called the general staff, quickly reported the situation that if they are not helped, then there will be hell to pay, and said that help will be here in a moment. The only thing they had to wait for was two or three hours. In the meantime, two countries were fighting at full speed through the city, one defending itself and the other just killing everything around it. In an interesting case, a soldier from the country of Flowers refused to kill a soldier from Titania, in the end they became friends and just went their separate ways. War is a political game, ordinary people don't need it at all, such are the laws unfortunately. Reinforcements are only coming, the army of Titania is holding out as best it can, trying to keep the people and fighting back. Local residents have even begun to emerge from the shelters, to see whether their troops won or not. It took them an hour to drive Titania's army from the capital; General Satoshi is clenching his fists, the Titans will tear him apart if he doesn't follow orders and deliver secret documents to the empire.
- Victory is ours, let's go, keep advancing! - shouted with joy a soldier in a green torn uniform, he raised the morale of the military and continued to advance.
The army of the Land of Flowers felt success and did not stop at the capital alone. Tulip is half destroyed, but it can still be restored, but the defeat of your country can no longer be restored, and the soldiers were well aware of this, so they ran after the enemy and continued to kill him. General Satoshi himself saw everything and was perplexed, he should have wanted to invade a foreign capital without preparation, at least he would have thought about it first and taken more soldiers with him, but no, we are evil self-righteous morons.
- No... - Satoshi grabbed his cap. That's it. Stalemate.
Titania's army is shamefully retreating, and now they can't even do that. They had broken the forest on the way to Tulip, and it had repaid the wrongdoers in kind. The road is littered with felled trees, there's no way to get in or out, and the Empire's army will soon perish because of their own mistakes.
- They're in a dead end, let's finish them off! - shouted the soldier of the land of flowers. But no sooner had he started to run, than something bangs beside him. He dropped dead, and his partners shuddered, wondering what it was.
It seemed to be a shell, but it wasn't the iron that had bombed the capital, it was something else. The military came closer and saw an ordinary metal ball, smoke coming from it. General Satoshi realized that the reinforcements had arrived and smiled sneeringly. Well, the creature only looks like he thought it through, in fact he exhales, so he would have beaten them up a long time ago.
- W-what's that? - the flower soldiers noticed something unknown riding in the distance. They marveled at it, as if the devil himself were in front of them.
Some metal, huge things on caterpillars were rushing through obstacles insurmountable for ordinary people. They crushed trees and saw nothing in their path. The Army of Flowers watched in fright as more than a hundred of these huge things on caterpillars rode toward them, accompanied by their infantry. The soldiers backed away out of fear and yet did not decide to attack, eh, and it could have ended so well.
- General Satoshi, the heavy reinforcements have arrived. Two hundred Steel Lion medium tanks are ready for battle. - The general was informed by a soldier with a walkie-talkie.
The Steel Lion is a medium tank designed in Titania to support infantry. Usually it is used to storm cities and help soldiers in other ways. Equipped with 80mm shells and protected by 110mm steel. A very fast tank, able to cover a long distance in a short period of time.
The army of Flowers ran away, back to the capital, and the tanks stopped and pointed their cannons at the enemies. Bang! A bunch of shells flew at the soldiers. Few made it out alive, and those who did made it to Tulip immediately shouted to their own that it was time to leave, the enemy had the devil himself on his side. Of course, none of them were going to surrender Tulip, they just did not see the Steel Lion. Well, how can I say not seen, there he is, in a couple of hundred meters already. Tanks were the first to enter the city and destroyed building after building, the usual warriors could not do anything at all, try to penetrate the tank, which is still reinforced with magic.
- Comrades, we can not lose, at stake are the lives of our wives, children, parents, brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to die for the country, we all win, let's go, for the great country of flowers! - The warrior made a confident speech, but what was the use? So he ran to the tank, and got crushed. The rest did not like to end up like that. They did not want to have the rest of your body on the tracks, so they surrendered the capital so calmly.
Fortunately, at a time when the enemy still fled to the forest, the military managed to evacuate all the locals, and now Miyazaki, along with his grandmother, brother and friend are riding in a carriage, hundreds of kilometers to the capital, all tired, but alive. They can exhale, and though the locals are saved, Satoshi's main goal is accomplished. The Tulip is fallen, the documents - what about them?
- Miyazaki... - Kai whispered excitedly.
- А?
- The documents... I lost them...
*****
General Satoshi strolled through the ruined Tulipan and inhaled the fresh smell of death and blood, the mountains of corpses in the streets did not embarrass him at all. And then there was the good news.
- General, we found the documents! - A soldier with papers in his hands ran up to Satoshi.
- We have all the information. The goal is accomplished, let's go back. - He boldly exhaled. A lucky break, as they say.
The military dispersed into tanks, and those who did not have time followed them. Mission accomplished, and though the Country of Flowers is half captured, Titania has no interest in it. The most important thing now is to keep information about themselves in strict secrecy, which Oda Satoshi has managed to do. What about Miyazaki? The next item is the Land of Fire, which is larger and safer.
End of the first volume.
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Author: Youn Ji-min
Cycle: Madness
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