Countless orcs were ground down beneath overwhelming firepower. It was, quite literally, a one-sided massacre.
And yet, amid all that, there was one—just one orc that did not retreat.
“You baaastard!”
It was Zagros. Befitting a great chieftain, the brute boasted an enormous frame as he charged toward the lead tank.
[Name: Zagros Blackdust]
[Status: Last Desperate Struggle]
At last, the distance closed. Zagros finally reached the front of the tank. With a roar, he brought his axe down on the lead tank’s frontal armor.
Clang!
Sparks flew. But the sound he had expected—the sound of it tearing apart like cardboard—did not come.
Instead, a sharp, numbing recoil traveled up the orc’s massive arms. A metallic screech rang out, harsh enough to shatter teeth.
The axe blade had dulled, and the Empire’s steel was cold.
“……?”
The moment Zagros stared blankly down at his chipped axe—
“Run him over.”
Vrrrrrrr!
The lead tank’s engine roared to life.
Crunch!
“Gyaaaargh!”
The heavy tank shoved him beneath its steel tracks and rolled forward without stopping.
[Name: Zagros Blackdust]
[Status: Deceased]
Thus, the ambitions of the so-called Great Chieftain of the Ashen Forest were crushed under the torque of first gear and turned into something like gum stuck to the road.
“Cleanup’s done.”
I set down the radio. The red dots that had filled the [Minimap] turned gray in an instant and vanished.
“……Lieutenant Colonel. Did those things really think they could destroy a tank just now?”
Hanna asked quietly.
“There are things in this world you’re better off not knowing, but there are also things you die for not knowing.”
I spoke into the radio and issued another order.
“There’s no time to rest. All vehicles, move out immediately.”
Before we could even bask in the elation of victory, the entire battle group began moving again.
Rumble!
And not long after, the drivers and tank commanders began to feel a strange sense of incongruity.
“Huh? The vehicle feels a bit light.”
“We’re picking up speed even without raising the RPM?”
Naturally.
I examined the topographical map floating in one corner of my vision on the [Minimap]. With that battle just now as the turning point, the bothersome uphill stretch that had plagued us until now was over.
In other words, the ground beneath our feet was now a gentle downhill slope leading all the way to the forest’s exit.
‘From here on out, it’s an acceleration zone.’
I looked out the window. Between the dense trees, tanks smeared with blood and chunks of flesh were gliding forward, steadily increasing their speed.
[Chhk—Hammer One, this is Steel Rose.]
“Report.”
[Lead 1st Company has currently exceeded a marching speed of 35 kilometers per hour. No engine overheating. Fuel consumption is more than 15% better than expected.]
Frederica’s voice was full of admiration.
[I can hardly believe it…. To think we could maintain this kind of maneuvering speed in terrain like this. We’re at least six hours ahead of our initially projected crossing time.]
“Six hours, huh.”
I glanced at my wristwatch.
4 p.m.
At this speed, we could pass through the forest overnight and reach the forest’s exit, the “Bern River,” at dawn before sunrise.
[We will maintain our current speed. Hammer One, out.]
The transmission cut off.
Rumble, rumble!
With a roar that shook the earth, the Jaeger Battle Group continued to race onward.
*
After running for hours without looking back—
Night had arrived before we knew it.
“Battle group, halt temporarily at current position. Conduct maintenance and refueling.”
Rumble, clatter.
At my order, the long armored column slowly came to a stop.
I opened the hatch of the command armored vehicle and inhaled the cold night air. The acrid stench of metal and burning diesel washed over me.
“Lieutenant Colonel, your coffee.”
Hanna, who had come to my side at some point, handed me a steaming mug. I accepted it and asked,
“Thanks. Any reactions nearby?”
“No significant mana reactions within a one-kilometer radius. The remnants who fled during the day seem to have hidden deep in the forest as well.”
Hanna reported neatly. I took a sip of coffee and picked up the radio.
“All echelons, report. Starting with 1st Battalion.”
Chhk.
[This is 1st Battalion commander. Infantry have dismounted and established perimeter security. Casualties are minor. Ammunition consumption is within acceptable limits.]
Seraphina’s voice was as calm as ever. Erika reported next.
[This is 3rd Company commander Erika von Stahlberg. Rear security shows no abnormalities.]
“Next, Armored Battalion.”
[This is Steel Rose. Three tanks are undergoing track tension adjustments. Vehicles with overheated engines are being topped up with coolant. We can move within thirty minutes.]
“No wonder they’re slipping, with blood and flesh caked all over them. Tell them not to forget to clean the intakes, too. Unless they want to drive while smelling burning meat.”
[Understood.]
“Good. Now issue chocolate to the soldiers. We move in thirty minutes.”
*
Dawn began to break.
After a forced march that had continued without rest through the night, the soldiers were already exhausted.
Packed into the cramped cargo beds, they slammed against the metal frames whenever the vehicles jolted over the Ashen Forest’s rough terrain, and more than a few had their chins knocked by the helmets of the comrades beside them.
“Ugh…!”
“Hey, Hans. You all right?”
“…I think I’m gonna puke. I’d rather get out and have another go at the orcs.”
“Don’t talk crazy. Drink some water. You’ll bite your tongue.”
The soldiers stared at one another with hollow eyes. In the place where adrenaline had drained away, crushing fatigue and cold had settled in.
“……Hey, what was that earlier?”
“What? Did you see another tree ghost or something?”
“No, I mean the sky. Just now… wasn’t that one of the Republic bastards’ reconnaissance planes?”
“No way. It was probably a bird of prey.”
“You think so? Something like a black bird circled over our heads and left….”
“Shut your mouths!”
At that moment, Gunter shouted.
“If you’ve got the strength to flap your gums, then clean your rifles one more time! You were whining that pushing trucks through the mud took everything out of you, but I guess you’ve still got strength left to spout nonsense?”
“N-no, sir! I was just worried….”
“Save your worrying for when you’re discharged. If the Lieutenant Colonel says we’re going, then we march straight into the fires of hell. Keep your eyes open and watch the front!”
At Gunter’s roar, the cargo bed fell silent again, as if doused in cold water.
I watched the scene through the rearview mirror, then turned my gaze away.
At the same moment, the radio crackled again.
[Chhk—Lead tank, we have visual confirmation. Up ahead… I see light.]
Not long after, our field of vision opened wide.
A massive current cutting across the edge of the forest. It was the winding Bern River.
One of the reasons the Republic bastards called the Ashen Forest a natural fortress and let their guard down was precisely this river.
[Lieutenant Colonel. The river is approximately eighty meters wide. The current is fast, and the riverbed is silt. Tank fording is impossible. The enemy does not appear to have noticed us yet.]
Frederica’s report came in.
Instead of answering, I slowly checked the [Minimap].
‘They’re asleep. Their guard is still lax.’
The red dots on the far side of the river were blinking lazily. Judging by the way they moved, they didn’t even imagine we could be here.
“Where are the guns?”
[Not here yet. It will take at least two hours for the trailing field artillery battalion to arrive.]
“Mm… We don’t have time to wait.”
I took my eyes off the [Minimap] and shook my head. Two hours was enough time for those bastards to wake up, wash their faces, and finish morning exercises. The advantage of surprise would disappear.
“We’ll have to use what’s already here.”
[…You mean the tank guns?]
“Those too.”
I switched radio channels.
“Major Hermann, are the Acht-Achts ready?”
[Chhzzk. Yes! We finished emplacing them ages ago. The barrels are itching to fire.]
The excited voice of Hermann, commander of the air force antiaircraft battery, came through.
“Good. Your targets are the pillboxes across the river. Make sure they can’t even lift their heads.”
[Leave it to us!]
I radioed Frederica again.
“Major, deploy the tank battalion in a line along the riverbank. Stick the barrels out in plain sight.”
[…You want us to hit the bunkers across the river with direct fire? Without infantry crossing support?]
“That’s right. The bomber wing will wake them up from the sky. While they’re still out of their minds, we cross.”
[…Roger. Tank battalion, deploy!]
Rumble!
The riverside brush was crushed flat as dozens of tanks formed a horizontal line facing the river. Between them, the long barrels of 88mm antiaircraft guns leveled not toward the sky, but toward the bunkers on the opposite bank.
Amid the dawn river mist and the haze of smoke grenades, the gun barrels appeared and disappeared in fragments.
“Not yet.”
I drew in a breath. The river wind was cold.
“The fog. The moment the fog lifts is the day of their funeral rites.”
And then—
Sssss…
As if by prior agreement, the cool river wind slowly swept away the dense mist that had settled over the water.
And across the river, the eyes of a Republic Army sentry, who had been leisurely smoking and scratching his belly, widened as if they would split apart.
Reflected in his eyes were dozens of tanks and the black barrels of 88mm antiaircraft guns, already fully prepared and aimed straight at them.
The cigarette in his mouth dropped to the ground.
[Name: Louis]
[Affiliation: Bern River Garrison, Republic Army 2nd Corps]
[Rank: Private First Class]
[Status: Bewildered, wants to believe he is seeing things.]
“Fire.”
The instant the word left my lips, dozens of muzzles spewed flame at once.
Boooom! Boom-boom-boom!
The earth shook, and the river rippled.
Eighty meters. For tanks and 88mm guns, it was practically point-blank range.
Whoosh—
It took only an instant for the high-velocity armor-piercing rounds of the 88mm antiaircraft guns and the high-explosive shells of the tank guns to cross the river.
Then the concrete bunkers on the far bank crumpled like tofu. Their thick outer walls seemed to cave inward before they failed to withstand the internal pressure and exploded outward.
Crack!
There was already no trace left of the spot where the sentry had been standing. Only concrete dust and a red mist of blood scattered through the air.
[Hahaha! Did you see that? This is the 88mm! Concrete, my ass!]
Hermann’s voice came over the radio, but I calmly assessed the battlefield.
‘The first strike was a success. But….’
As the dust settled, I could see the survivors moving. Even amid the chaos, some were running toward bunkers, while others were trying to grab machine guns. A few of them were quite quick on the uptake.
We had to suppress them as quickly as possible.